I guess now is about the time deconstruction of this whole trip has started. Mentally I’m in Chicago, physically I’m well still in Paris and emotionally I’m somewhere in between. The trip, with all its ups and downs, has been a real learning experience. It’s a bit cliché but my eyes have been opened to a new culture and way of life. In some ways it’s really not all that different but in others the continental divide is obvious. I don’t really know what my preconceived notions for this place were because I really didn’t have a whole lot. Getting ready to leave and the decision itself was so whirlwind and everything just went into place, there wasn’t a whole lot of thinking or worrying about things here. I was more worried about my apartment in Chicago and moving than I was about having to speak French and live with a new family. But I think it’s because I was ready for this trip, this time last year I don’t think I could have done it but now I’ve given up some control and things have just fallen into their rightful places. I feel like even though I have no clue what I’m doing next that it’s all okay. This trip has really been the first time I can’t plan and schedule my future because it’s all unknown. One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that things work out even if you don’t plan every last detail and when trying to control everything you just tire yourself out.
