Almost the end?!

So I've been MIA from the blog for awhile...not to say that nothing's been happening; on the contrary, I've been overwhelmingly busy! The last few weeks have been filled with work, planning future vacations, meeting up with friends, trapeze and dance classes, open house day at my school, eating ice creams and sitting in the park (it's been beautifully hot and sunny the last few weeks...gotta profiter du soleil as the French say), and last but certainly not least, my mama has finally come to visit me! She and Janet arrived in Paris last week, as did Cigdem on her way home from Jordan, which worked out amazingly well timing-wise, and I was able to visit and catch up with Chee and see a bit of mum and Janet as well before they came here to Nancy on Monday. And ever since, we've been daytripping and I've been showing them the best of la belle ville, sparkling beautifully under the warm sunlight we've been blessed with.

Enjoying some quality mama-daughter time!

...and quality best friend time too, which seems to involve a lot of eating

So, suffice to say I have some major blogging to do! In the meantime though, time is quickly flying by and all the time I realize how soon I have to leave behind my fantastic life here. Today I paid my last month's rent, I'm starting to get paperwork together to finalize closing of various accounts and contracts, starting to throw together a suitcase I'll send home with mum, and wrapping up loose ends here and there and trying desperately to find time to fit in last-minute daytrips, cultural activities and time with friends, both French and foreign. How did this happen?! How did it become the beginning of April already? As excited as I am for the month of travel that awaits me at the end of my last day of teaching, I'm overcome with sadness at the thought of leaving my life here behind; my great teaching job; the wonderful teachers; students who make me laugh on a daily basis; my great little apartment and fantastic roommate who has become a great friend; coffee at Les Artistes with French friends and bagels at Kensington with American and Scottish ones; sipping a drink in beautiful Place Stanislas or eating ice creams in the lovely Parc Pépinière; trapeze and dance classes; daytrips here there and everywhere; walking home with a baguette under my arm; hearing "Bonjour Madame!" when I walk into a shop and "MerciBonnejournéeAurevoir" when I leave; French bises when meeting and greeting and parting...all the things that make up my life here, big and small, will be dearly missed. Sure, 8 months sounds like a long time when you start out, but it's gone in the blink of an eye! *le sigh*.

So for now, I'm going to keep taking advantage of every minute I have left in this wonderful country, as ridiculous as it can be sometimes, and more importantly, stuff my face with everything I can't get back home. (éclairs and fromage blanc - I'm lookin' at you!) May this be the best 2 weeks yet!!!