Avoir de la chance: To be lucky

J'ai de la chance.

I am lucky.

It's true.  I consider myself incredibly lucky.  I was lucky to be given the opportunity to go on this amazing trip, to take classes halfway across the world, to see major cities like London, Paris, and Amsterdam, to see less-major but equally wonderful smaller cities like Tours, St. Malo, and Bruges, to see four castles and many other landmarks, to explore and discover.  I am lucky that I made so many friends and met so many wonderful people.  I am lucky to have (hopefully) improved my French language skills in a context where most of what you learn in the US finally makes sense, fits togther in a sort of jigsaw puzzle of a way of life.  I am lucky that I didn't get sick, that no major injuries were sustained in Europe despite several accident-prone incidents and my general maladroite-ness. I am lucky that we got to the airport on time despite missing a train stop in London.  And I am lucky to have arrived home safely, to be with my family.

Home.  It's funny, the things you miss when you're abroad.  My family, of course, made the top of my list. And my friends.  But then there's a host of other little things that you don't notice until they're gone.  Water fountains.  Spending an entire summer day in your pajamas.  Corn on the cob.  Peanut butter (though I actually didn't miss this as much since I enjoyed the wonderfulness of nutella and speculoos in its stead).  The smell of the woods behind my house.  Fireflies.  Sleeping in your own bed, in your own room, even if your bed abroad was just as comfortable.

I was lucky to go to Europe; I am just as lucky to be home.

I hope that you enjoyed this account of my journey, my adventures and experiences in studying abroad, despite the fact that it's probably peppered with misspellings and grammatical errors.  (I recently read over a few entries, and the number of typos are rather alarming.  I profusely apologize; perhaps I need to take remedial English to combat the effects of French education, haha.)  But it's been quite an adventure--I've enjoyed almost every minute of it, and even the parts that I haven't enjoyed I am grateful for.  I've certainly learned a lot. And met incredible people. I'm not sure if I've completely made the transition from novice to experienced world traveler, but at least I'm part of the way there.  And I'm inspired to make more journeys in the future.  And maybe this has inspired others to do so as well.  I've been lucky.

Bon voyage!  :)