Absence makes the heart

Guys! Been missing me, have you? Sorry to be so lazy with this thing but I've been having trouble adapting back to France, with all those enraged French people everywhere, it's a bit scary, you know... Seriously, it's a jungle out there! People would kill to have the last croissant at the boulangerie! When I was abroad I tried to promote a good image of French people, but now I truly can say that we really are rude. So you'll have to excuse me if I wasn't always nice to you, because I'm pretty sure I was totally oblivious of my good manners. That's what Frenchness does to you: cover with a blanket of neglect any acknowledgement that the people you interact with are human beings too.

This is very real. For instance, when I see people I haven't seen in a while, at some point someone will always ask "Go ahead, say a few words in English!" like I'm some circus freak. Of course, I never feel like obliging them. First because well, DUH; and secondly because speaking English in France doesn't quite have the same vibe. It's as if the language were angry at being unleashed in an unfamiliar and unwelcoming place and decided to get revenge by altering itself into a state of half-awesomeness.

That's why I'm really glad to write in English here again: apart from the people I left in the US (yes, that means you!), English is the thing I truly miss the most here. Granted, French is a very cool language and I love it, but it's just not the same. Life in English has more taste. I think I was born with an English-speaking soul.

This year went by in the blink of an eye, it is amazing and frightening at the same time. I met so many people and I did so many things. I wish I could have lived more, done more and been more adventurous. But that's just how I am: by the time we know each other enough for you to like me, we have to part ways. Which makes things easier if you actually do not like me--in which case I generally don't like you either, so I don't care. See? There is some order in this world.

Anyway, I miss America and I miss everyone. A lot. Building a time machine as we speak. And even if I could I wouldn't change a thing. Okay, maybe one: I would have eaten string cheese way sooner.

I know... How can I be so cynical sometimes and yet write posts so corny? It's called spirit of contradiction and it's one of my main features--along with impulsiveness, a gift for lame puns, and an irresistible attraction to bad boys with a dark past and/or tattoos. I promise I'll try to not be fooled by my marshmallow-y side next time. Which might be six months from now, given the frequency of my posting here. Be prepared.