Thoughts from the Nimes area.

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The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are” ~ Dora the Explorer

So, it has been a month since I left Sanya, and nearly a month since I left China completely and I've not had that much time to miss it that much, life is a whirlpool, and we have to try our best just to keep ourselves from drowning.



I've not worked any more on my China posts recently, because I've not had any time off until today and to be honest, I'm trying to get to know the people here and not be too obsessive about the previous six months. Even so, that has been difficult and I have the distinct feeling that I have been talking about it a little too much. It's frustrating because it's like being caught between 2 places - I'm not fully settled here yet, and the nervous emotions which come hand in hand with starting again somewhere new are playing games with me. And secondly, not truly feeling like I've completely left China behind - hanging on to the memories... And it's definitely this recipe which allows for someone to feel mal au pays - China-sick.



Although saying this, France is really awesome, everyday is fantastic and in 6 months time I will not stop chatting about this place! I think this melancholia is coming from the fact that I keep listening to my Sanya playlist - I need to create new memories. And it's true what Dora says, in order to go somewhere new, you much first leave the place you are in. But this doesn’t only apply to a physical location but also to your emotional one. It will be hard for me to get my head out of Sanya because I never expected a lot from it, but it gave me so much and some lifelong friendships.



And it's a long journey to a new place, but my friends here are making it easier. I'm not feeling particularly creative, so pseudonyms will follow later... but they are taking care of me and making me feel at home. And a few of them are quickly becoming some of my favourite people in the entire world.



And as I said in my last post, I don't get homesick; I just have far too many places to call home. And that's the truth, sometime tomorrow when I'm reading back through this boring and slightly downhearted post, editing it before posting, I'll probably be thinking about Morlaix, or Trier, or Lancaster - or perhaps, maybe even be thinking about home home. And that's the beauty of life isn't it? Moods come and go... for we are all a little lunatica, but memories are here to stay - ready too look back on whenever we are feeling a little wistful.



So come on France, let's get making memories, and let’s make them good ones.

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