When I was little, my mother told me that I had to do three things every morning before I left the house: wash my face, brush my hair, and brush my teeth. Before leaving for school, I halfheartedly completed all three things. Now, I see hair-brushing as a weekly (rather than daily) optional activity, but that's beside the point. The point is, no matter how many times I complete my three things, and every other thing I can think of, I don't feel quite ready for a semester in Aix. And the worst part is, regardless of how much I prepare, part of me will never feel ready to leave. And I'm trying to embrace that.
The root of my troubles: I wish I knew how to say goodbye. I've racked my brain for the most heartfelt ways to part with everyone I know. Nothing seems quite right. How do you leave the people you love for people you've never met? How do you depart from a city you cherish for a city you've never laid eyes on?
The New and Improved Four Things:
The root of my troubles: I wish I knew how to say goodbye. I've racked my brain for the most heartfelt ways to part with everyone I know. Nothing seems quite right. How do you leave the people you love for people you've never met? How do you depart from a city you cherish for a city you've never laid eyes on?
The New and Improved Four Things:
- Write letters. To the people you adore, including your friends. Because good friends are the only magical things left in the world.
- Make your favorite foods and share them with people you love. Bake a million gourmet Sweet Potato & Goat Cheese & Kale pizzas or eat a thousand bowls of Kashi Go Lean Crunch because those gems are probably unheard of in the South of France.
- Be confident about a fresh start. Or pretend to be. New clothes help.
- And finally, don't say goodbye. Say farewell because it sounds much kinder and less permanent. In the words of John Steinbeck:
“Farewell has a sweet sound of reluctance. Good-by is short and final, a word with teeth sharp to bite through the string that ties past to the future.”
Farewell St. Louis and St. Paul. Bonjour Aix-en-Provence!
Yours Truly,
Lucy
Yours Truly,
Lucy