So I've been extremely horrible at keeping up with my blog lately, and I apologize. A ton has happened in regards to continuing to explore the city and discover new things, but the biggest change has been my state of mind. As I cross off days on my calendar, I am noticing how quickly time is passing which makes me realize how temporary this whole experience really is! I grow more and more saddened at the thought of leaving this beautiful city in a mere 6 months! And before all of you get upset and think, "What?! Simone doesn't wanna come home?! Ah! She hates us!" No, let me finish. It's not that I won't want to come home, it's that I won't want to leave Paris. If I could some how do both, that would be magnificent! I am growing incredibly accustommed to my life and dare I say it, I love it here. If I'm already feeling this way, and it hasn't even been 3 months yet, how am I going to feel after another 6? I am beginning to feel torn between 2 lives, the new and the old. They feel like two completely separate entities, and I'm wondering how they are going to meld once I return home. I feel like I have already changed so much from this experience, so I'm curious and excited to see how I am going to fit back into my old life. They warned us about this in the beginning; they said that we would no longer feel completely American, but we would not feel French. I thought they were crazy, but now I completely understand the identity crisis that they were talking about. But I am oddly fine with it, if that makes sense.
One thing that I do regularly, that has helped me grow content with my new life, is take walks without any destination in particular, and see where it takes me. Yesterday I wasn't feeling too incredibly ambitious, so I decided to just take a stroll around my neighborhood. I was walking by les Invalides and saw all of the beautiful trees flaming with their vibrant yellow leaves. It was so stunning with the gold dome as a backdrop that I just thought "Yep, I am in love with Paris". I get really overwhelmed with the feelings that I am starting to have for this city and I am growing attached to it. I am even starting to understand the locals and their mindset, which makes life a whole lot easier. The French are really beautiful people when you peel back the layers. Words really cannot describe how strange, yet amazing, this experience is. I am already looking back on certain things with great fondness, so I know that I will remember this for the rest of my life with only positive feelings.
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