in transit

At the moment, I am sitting in my cousin's apartment in Copenhagen, watching the violent wind shake the trees out the window and listening to the sound of a football game being narrated in Danish.

I left Dijon almost a week ago, and since then I have began my whirlwind European summer adventure. So far, I've stopped in Paris, Barcelona and now Copenhagen. It's fantastic of course, but also remarkably surreal. Here I am, living out my dream of moving across the continent with nothing but a (albiet, very large) backback on my back, looking for my own stories to tell. I've been looking forward to this part of the trip all semester, but now that it's here I can't believe how quickly it's come and that my time in France is over.

My last few weeks in Dijon were either somber or hectic. We made the most of the time and the newly arrived summer weather by having drinks at Place de la Liberation (beer with peach syrop -- very refreshing), walking around the neighborhood on warm nights, spending time in the park, drinking kir by Lac Kir and climbing the tower at the center of town. From the latter, we could see all of Dijon and were able to say goodbye to our little city. On the other hand, I could feel the group getting quieter and more relective in our together time. We were thinking about our imminent departure and simply wanting to spend time together. For our last dinner, we ordered pizza and reminisced about the past four months with pictures and stories. The wine flowed and so did the tears.

It took a long time to sink in for me. I don't think I really started to comprehend the fact of the end until the last night. We spent it in Lisa's backyard, drinking kir and talking with the few of us that remained as well as some of the English students from our program that we'd only just begun to know. The night was warm and it felt like summer. I prolonged my stay later than I should have, not wanting to say my final goodbyes. The time came eventually, however, and mere hours later I was on a train.

What an amazing experience it's been. And now I'm having amazing experiences of a different sort. I miss France, but I'm glad to be discovering new places. I still have amazing experiences ahead of me, though if the past few months are any indication it will all go by incredibly quickly. So I guess I have to live it up while I can.

As for the failure of this travel blog -- well, it is what it is. The travel part simply got in the way of the blog part, and I'm honestly alright with that. (Places I haven't written about, for the record, include Paris, Provence, Prague and Amsterdam.) Perhaps when I'm home for the summer, with the time and the recources, and feeling nostalic and culture-shocked, I will take the time to backtrack. For now, I 'll do my best to find more stories to tell.