Song of the moment: Beautiful- India Arie
Dose of amusement: this is one of my life goals, mmm tango threesome
Foucault quote of the day: "Do not ask who I am and do not ask me to remain the same."
Well my friends, I managed to make it home safe and sound and ridiculously jet-lagged last night. Not sleeping for 27 hours is rather rough. Despite being exhausted I could hardly sleep, my poor body is so so confused. Oh the joys of jetlag.
My 17 hrs of travel began at the lovely hr of 5 am. I had to take a cab to the train station and to get to the gate where the cab was meeting me I had to walk across the entire grounds in pitch black. It was absolutely creepy, there was only a slight bit of moonlight and I could barely see a foot in front of me. I just looked up at the stars for comfort, they were beautiful. Oh how I miss them in Chicago.
Then I took the train to Paris. By sheer luck I wasn't sitting in anyone's seat. There were 3 different numbers on my ticket and I had no friggin clue how to figure out what they were telling me. The cars were labeled 51-60 and 60-71, every other car. I had a 68 on my ticket so I got on a 60-71 car but then I couldn't find the row or seat. I honestly thought I was on drugs, but I swear the row numbers are in no particular order either ascending or descending. There would be 2, 28, 10, 42. It was insane. Plus if every other car was 60-71 and there were 20 cars total how was I supposed to know which one my seat was on? So, boggled by the fact that even though numbers were the same in english and french I still managed to be confused I sat down by a lady who looked like she wouldn't bite and hoped for the best. It panned out okay.
Next was the metro. Oh the joys of the metro. I couldn't mess up the first metro because I was at the end of the line, so any train I hopped on took me in the right direction. I liked those odds. The next train was rough with 6 different options for the same colored line. Having to carry my suitcase up and down over 150 stairs amidst hundreds of rush-hour Parisians, due to broken escalators, to make this precarious decision was indeed a good time. Fortunately, I got the courage to just ask one of the many soilders who were at the metro station keeping order or something and he pointed me in the right direction. Go my poor but sufficient french! The train was only labeled with numbers so when it came I just hopped on it and hoped for the best. It was an express train apparently and took me straight to the airport. An amusing strike of luck. The most amusing thing was that 5 different people asked me in french how to get me to the airport. Even the natives can't figure it out! Ha!
Once at the airport I had to go to 4 different checkpoints BEFORE I got to security, asking me questions about the contents of my bags. One woman even asked me to name the brand of my hairspray. Fortunately, I left my nuclear weapons at home and eventually collapsed at my gate with two hours to spare and a sigh of relief. I'm proud I finally figured the public transportation thing out.
After 8 hrs of a screaming child sitting next to me (and you know how much I hate children, but the Abbey has inspired this zen like state and I actually didn't even say anything or get that upset, it was a miracle. watching ryan gosling also helped :p) and the hell that is U.S. customs I welcomed myself back into the U.S. with a potbelly's chocolate shake to kill the time I had before my last flight. And now here I sit, glad to be home in CO.
The experience still feels like it could have all been a dream. I seemed to suddenly fall into another world for almost two weeks, struggle, grow, and return relatively unscathed and slightly transformed. I know this all seems foolish because it was such a short trip, but sometimes the best things come in small packages. This has been a really rough summer and the trip was exactly what the doctor ordered. It's crazy to think I just hap-hazardly threw myself into another country and in the process learned a lot about the philosopher I love and about myself. I now have a new appreciation and understanding for everyone who studied abroad. Not that I didn't before, but to go for a mere two weeks and realize what a life changing experience my short trip was, I can't imagine how phenomenal a whole quarter must have been. Kudos to you kids.
It is so empowering to remember, as good ole Leibniz is famous for saying, that we live in a world of infinite possible worlds. There are endless worlds out there and endless possibilities. Of course money is always a catch but to think that in 24 hours you could wake up in a different world and a different life is an exciting thing. Regardless of what happens in our immediate world there are infinite worlds in which we can grow and explore. If everything seems lost, it is necessary to remember what a small piece of the actual world that is. To know that I can go to a completely foreign place, not speak a word, and yet somehow find profound happiness is an amazing thing. I know have the confidence that I can go to a completely different world and survive and adapt. The world is my oyster.
Perhaps this trip was like the man and the mailbox, it was great and inspiring because I so badly needed and wanted it to be. Regardless, it was and I feel much happier, stronger, and smarter because of it. Somewhere in a foreign place, maybe in the garden, far away from everything I know, I found a piece of me that had been missing. Hopefully I'll let my renewed passion for exploration and learning be my refuge and my reminder to live for the moment in the upcoming year. Sometimes we have to go far away to find a source of happiness and strength that has been in us all along.
Well, that is my semi-sappy close. This has been a phenomenal experience which I am so fortunate to have had. More importantly, I am so blessed to have such wonderful people to share it with. I didn't put this up on facebook or anything like that because I knew it would be an immense opportunity to learn and grow and I wanted to share that personal experience only with those I truly care about. I would honestly put myself in front of a truck for each and every one of you kids. Thanks for your love, support, and the willingness to read more about my trip than you would probably ever care to. I hope it at least put a smile on your face or brought you a tad of amusement.
With that, I sign of on what will be my last and final entry. Tragic, I know. But I have faith you will survive and youtube is always an unending source of entertainment if you should need some consolation. What a great journey this has been, but I'm confident it's only the beginning. Here's to a great senior year! Au revoir!
