at the end of a perfect day

And the woman did eat,
and her eyes were opened,
through her tears she saw the beauty all around her,
at the end of a perfect day.

Nothing was different,
and nothing would ever be the same;
it was the end of a perfect day.

I don't recognize American money anymore, and saying 'euro' comes more automatically than 'dollar'. I cuss in French and tell time by a 24 hour clock. I'm used to the sun setting at 10 PM, and the high of the day usually reaching around 20 degrees celsius (and I now use and understand the celsius scale). Crossing a bridge on foot occurs at least once daily, and medieval towers are part of my skyline.

Time flies. Whether or not it's fun. This year has been an adventure; it had its ups, and it had its downs, and a lot of the time it pretty mundane. I've seen sides of myself I never knew existed. I'm still just as confused about life as I was before I left, and I still have no clue who I am or where I'm going or what I'll do, but I had fun. And I know myself better, now, warts and all (not that I have many—faults are few and far between but best to know them, yes?).

I've spent my whole life looking forward to and planning a study abroad experience. The destinations changed, but the idea of living abroad for a period of time has always been there and been a primary goal. Not only has that now been accomplished, it's also over. It's hard to swallow. I can't bring myself to stop checking the Paris weather, or remove the link from my toolbar. And I know that as miserable as I'll be, I want to be jetlagged. It reminds me that I've been somewhere, and now I'm somewhere else.

I never want to stop exploring.

"We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time."
-T.S. Eliot

PS. I could do without the whole day spent in airports and on planes, though, and a direct flight from Paris CDG to Charlotte Douglas would be a blessing. Tomorrow I leave for London, wait three hours, fly to JFK, stay the night with my grouchy brother and his beautiful bride-to-be, then fly home to Charlotte in the morning. I anxiously await the Star Trek era of transportation.