Well, today is my last day in Clermont-Ferrand. This morning I woke up and went to work like I have done for the past 4 months, but today just wasn't the same. This weekend I started to say my goodbyes and it continued until I walked home from lunch. I said my goodbyes to my favorite restaurant owners, the people I buy bread from every day and the people who I work with. The interesting thing about saying goodbye to some of these people is that I didn't know if I'd get the chance. For example, yesterday I went to buy a baguette from a guy that I have bought them from for the past 4 months. He wasn't there! I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to say goodbye, but I saw him at his bakery while I was walking home, so I stopped in and said goodbye. Then there is a random person on the street that I have seen mulitple times a week and we exchange cordial hellos. I hadn't seen him for the past week, but randomly today as I was about to turn a corner, he was coming around the other way. I stopped and said goodbye to him. It is strange saying goodbye to people when I know I will never see these people again. They have been a part of my life for a year. I have seen them on good days and bad days and all the days in between. They will be what I remember most about Clermont.
As with finishing any adventure in life, my feelings are a bit bittersweet. I had no idea what this year was going to bring when I left the States on Jan 5. It has been rewarding, challenging, motivating, disappointing, glorious and unforgettable. I will never have another year like it. I'm proud of myself. It may seem like a strange emotion, but it is one of the overwhelming feelings that I have had in the past week as I prepared to go home.
One of the tough parts about going home after a year like this one is trying to put into words for other people what this year has been. I went to new countries and new cities, I visited friends, I ate animal insides, I drank more wine than I will for the rest of my life and I lived in a language and culture not my own. There is no way to recount all of the adventures for other people. I hope this blog has done that to an extent and given a snapshot into the daily life I lived in France. I'm signing off from France for the last time. Au revoir la France!
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