A Gray Day

Yesterday was a beautiful day. Two of my friends and I had decided to go to the Musee D’Orsay for the day because the first Sunday of every month admission is free. Well we didn’t get there very early (it was a late night!) and by the time we arrived the line was about an hour long. We decided to come back another day and just appreciate our student discounts and instead we spent the day walking along the Seine. The weather was so poetic – the clouds were brooding and everything was gray, but in a crisp, romantic sort of way. Paris looked the way that it does in all of the black and white postcards you see. The wind was sharp, but the kind of sharp that makes you feel cozy in your coat. It was so perfect, just a delicious feeling. I was in heaven. When it started to rain a little we went into a café and ate crepes with egg, cheese, ham and mushrooms. So good. It was one of those days that makes me so happy for every minute I have here.

I also talked to my family yesterday. My dad’s birthday is coming up but I will be in Poland when it arrives, so I wanted to call and talk to him before I leave. Conveniently, my entire family was home when I called and I got a chance to speak with all of them on speaker phone. It was wonderful to hear from all of them and to hear them all together, but it was a little bit hard. They were eating pumpkin-chocolate chip muffins my mom had made and were telling me about all of the fun things they had done together in my hometown. After I got off the phone I came back to my apartment and cried a little bit. It is a little difficult to explain – I wasn’t sad because I wanted to be home. I am only here for 4 months (less than 3 left!!) and every day goes by so quickly that I spend most of them thinking my time here is not enough. It was just sad because it is not often that everyone is together but they were and I wasn’t there. I was the only one missing! I am so close to my family and it was hard to know that they were all getting to be with each other and I couldn’t be a part of it. Ah! Such is life. I will back with them soon enough.

Yesterday my friends and I talked about how we are feeling here. We are all exchange students in love with Paris, so we are having pretty similar experiences. It is weird. Each day feels amazing and long and great, but the weeks feel like they go so quickly. Sometimes I get a little panicky – I feel like my time is going too fast and I have so much to do! So much of Paris to see and love and experience. I wanted to come here and travel a great deal, but now I am feeling like a homebody. I want to spend all the time that I can in Paris! And I am glad that I feel this way. It means my exchange is going well!

5 weeks down, 11 to go!