It's been about a week and a half since I've been back. I want to say it still feels weird, like I still feel like I belong in Aix, but slipping back into old routines isn't that hard. Granted, I got ass backwards lost going to the grocery store I've been going to since I was 10, but mostly everything feels normal. I'm glad to have my dog back, first of all. I missed her fuzzy smiling face and weird need to sleep on my stomach whenever I'm doing anything important. I'm also glad to have my mom back, obviously. Every once in a while she still pulls me in for a hug, which hurts my back since she's a good foot shorter than I, and mumbles in Spanish about how she's happy to have her baby back. I miss French, to be totally honest. I have yet to kick my franglais habit. None of my friends speak any French, so it's understandable that they get frustrated when I ask them "Qu'est-ce que tu veut?" casually. Sorry, guys.
As much as I love New York, I do miss how old and walkable and beautiful Aix is. There's just something soothing in feeling the pattern of the cobblestones beneath your feet when you're wandering home after a night out with friends. Speaking of friends, they're definitely what I miss the most about IAU. While we were hanging out, everyone thought it was cool how despite being from disparate places in the US we all got along really well. I think I made some lifelong friends from the program, but now the cool factor about having friends in far away places is significantly less cool. I can't visit North Carolina or Colorado or Missouri from New York without a lot of effort and money. I miss texting friends on my crappy international phone, telling them to meet me on the corner in 5 minutes. But that's what Skype and real functioning phones are for (I'm still bitter about my dinky flip phone I used when abroad.)
I think if I had to choose one word to describe my Aix-perience (hahaha I'm hilarious, I know) it would be- illuminating. When I got off the plane in Marseille, I figured I would learn a lot about French culture and have a good time with it. In addition to learning what I was expecting to learn, there were so many new experiences that blew my expectations out of the water. I learned a lot about life, about the world, about people and about myself. This past semester wasn't entirely perfect. I made mistakes, cried sometimes and felt a little lost at others, but it was still a beautiful experience.
As much as I love New York, I do miss how old and walkable and beautiful Aix is. There's just something soothing in feeling the pattern of the cobblestones beneath your feet when you're wandering home after a night out with friends. Speaking of friends, they're definitely what I miss the most about IAU. While we were hanging out, everyone thought it was cool how despite being from disparate places in the US we all got along really well. I think I made some lifelong friends from the program, but now the cool factor about having friends in far away places is significantly less cool. I can't visit North Carolina or Colorado or Missouri from New York without a lot of effort and money. I miss texting friends on my crappy international phone, telling them to meet me on the corner in 5 minutes. But that's what Skype and real functioning phones are for (I'm still bitter about my dinky flip phone I used when abroad.)
I think if I had to choose one word to describe my Aix-perience (hahaha I'm hilarious, I know) it would be- illuminating. When I got off the plane in Marseille, I figured I would learn a lot about French culture and have a good time with it. In addition to learning what I was expecting to learn, there were so many new experiences that blew my expectations out of the water. I learned a lot about life, about the world, about people and about myself. This past semester wasn't entirely perfect. I made mistakes, cried sometimes and felt a little lost at others, but it was still a beautiful experience.