Un année.

I realized a few days ago that it has been an entire year since I was in France. A year! How did this happen! It still feels like it was just yesterday. But at the same time I am currently dying to go back. Since my whole blog seems to be dedicated around France and making those sentimental lists I'm going to combine them into one: Things I miss about France. Ahem.

Street crepes from the Latin District. The glittering Eiffel Tower. Baguette sandwiches for lunch after school. Little kids and dogs on the Metro. "Ah, les petites Américaines!" Cobblestone streets damp with rain. Five course meals. Statue impersonations. Museum marathons. Burnt toast and grapefruit juice. Seaside runs along the (nude) beach. Rollerblading parades. Mediterranean brick oven pizza. The padlock bridge. Parties at the Metro station.

Brazilian watch salesmen. Tunnels made of human bones and rings made of human hair(...). Oscar Wilde. Parisian vintage shops. Gelato. Flea markets. Street artists braving the rain. Disneyland Paris. Planning outlandish wedding receptions at Versailles. Cigarette smoke. Picnics beneath the Eiffel Tower on a Sunday afternoon. Winged Victory.

Fashion shows. "Bonjour les filles!" Crowded bedrooms. Showers that make you not want to shower. Olive oil based salad dressing. Tennis matches on television. French dinner conversation. Skyping friends at weird hours. Fridges that look like cabinets. Phantom of the Opera. Skipping out of a real opera. Gargoyles. The top of Montparnasse Tower. Gypsy children. Sitting in a train station for hours. An afternoon visit to Italy. Straining to glimpse the turquoise ocean. Frog legs.

And really, the best thing about France was that when I came back, I was different. I left as a nervous kid with a few years of French under my belt, an overpacked suitcase, and a hunger for exotic food, but I came back knowing what I am capable of: making my way in the world even when it rains or I miss the train or I can't quite understand what people are saying.

I don't agree with the idea that you have to travel to "find yourself." It's all about creating yourself and there are a million ways to do it. I'm just super glad that France was a part of mine.

If you haven't read the whole story about my adventures in France, you can do so by clicking here.