How many ways can you end a year?

I ended my year this way:

In a muddled haste of confusing friend drama. In a whirl of dust as suitcases were packed tight. On a sunny afternoon when my neck got too hot from walking with my back to the sun. In a hug, and then another. With one last sketchy frenchman grabbing my arm to tell me "J'aime les filles mignonnes". In one last sunset seen from Pont Neuf. On the metro. With a wee bit of stress.

Since I've turned in all my papers, the last several days have been a rush of trying to get all the "lasts" done, figuring out how to cram my life back into two suitcases, and saying goodbye to as many people as possible. The good bye parties are starting to wear on me, as is the total lack of sleep. But Paris decided to be nice for our last week and has produced nothing but sunny warm weather for the past couple days.

Now that I've got my suitcases pretty much packed save for the objects that will be shoved in somewhere between now and tomorrow morning, I did the entire dust-down of the room to make sure I had no random objects shoved into corners. All that was hiding was a pad of post-it notes and one of my Paris books.

In this past week I have: Gone to see the Kandinsky exhibit at the Pompidou, had the best white chocolate with raspberries in the world, bought my one random souvenir item from Paris (it's a mystery, you'll have to wait to find out what it is!), eaten my last ice cream flower, watched the sun set over the Seine, killed a spider in my room, eaten three croissants, wandered in the sunshine, watched two people dressed up in giant blue rabbit suits, listened to an american jazz band on the Music Bridge, taken lots of pictures.

All I have left to do now is: pack my carryons, go buy Danielle's sweatshirt, go to one last pique-nique by the eiffel tower, and eat a meal or two.


I think a good way to resolve my time here, because I was pretty melancholy in the last entry is this: I love Paris. I really do. Some of the drama that went on here between students taught me a lot about people and may not have been at all to my liking, but I'm not going to let it ruin my view of Paris. They're two totally separate events in my mind. It will be weird not being able to satisfy a falafel craving by hoping on a train and running to the Marais, and it will be a bummer not to have amazing ice cream and gorgeous buildings to make my day better. I'm a french bread snob now and a total sucker for warm croissants and pain au chocolat. I'll come back home and be totally confused when people say hello to me on the streets or strike up a conversation on the bus. The thought of grocery stores actually being open on Sundays is very good news. And honestly, nothing can beat the thrill of moving into my new apartment in Burlington. I guess that's the next chapter! For now, I'm looking forward to this last sunny day, to being on the plane tomorrow, to saying hello to everyone with lots of hugs and no more awkward bisoux, to BBQ gatherings, to Vermont, to everything! Except the racing between terminals during my layover tomorrow. That is ... not so much fun.

Leila is filming a movie with her friends today. Good thing I've already had my coffee.

I guess I'll wrap this up so I can put the final touches on packing and then go outside! Think of me tomorrow! I'll be flying over the ocean hyper-fast.

Love, for the last time, your Parisian heroine,
Meg

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