I am coming home

We're in the home stretch: after ten months of living, eating, studying, traveling, struggling, managing, thriving here (and the last two weeks traveling with the parents--many stories to come), I am heading home.

It's a long and rugged road
and we don't know where it's headed
but we know it's gonna get us where we're going
and when we find what we're looking for
we'll drop these bags and search no more
cause it's gonna feel like heaven when we're home.

I am looking forward to:
SEEING MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS
Hanging my clothes on the line
Gardening
Wiling away entire days reading with my mom
Going on motorcycle rides with my dad
Watching the sun set over Lake Michigan
Petting my dog and my cat
Untrimmed trees
The screen house at my "retreat center" of a house
Being on the grounds crew at Manchester

I am dreading:
Driving

I will miss:
Bakeries
French
The city of Strasbourg
The sense of history
The French idea of a meal
Friends

I am afraid of (among others):
The undeniable fact that things will have changed while I was away
Forgetting French
Losing contact with friends here
Never coming back

Of all my reflections on this year, the one thought I have that is the most true is this:
Time passes.

See you soon,
Colleen