Surreal...

Its becoming clear to me, two days before our departure for Paris, that I've been in France for almost 4 weeks. I still feel like mon francais could be better, but I would have to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here. I can not say that I've been homesick at any point thus far. However, I find myself longing for my family to share this surreal experience with me. Par exemple, two weeks ago, I found myself on a paddle boat in the middle of a Lake Annecy facing the French Alps. In this moment, I felt a wave of guilt come over me, for I was blessed and fortunate to be here on account of the support of my family. Not just my immediate family either, it took a village of loved ones who grew up with less I, to come together and make this all possible. For this, I am thankful, and from this moment on, I kept my family in mind and thought about the places I would take them in the future.

My father would love Annecy. He was born in the countryside of Haiti, and would appreciate the quite beauty of the lake and the Alps. I imagined him spending his free time hiking, and sailing on the lake. My mother and a few of my other family members would enjoy Perouges. I am convinced no one really lives there, so they can be as loud as they want without any neighbors to complain, not to mention the freely flowing wine. It is also a nice place to relax, which is something they all need. When I visited the International Red Cross/Red Crescent museum, I immediately thought of my grandfather. As a veteran, and a history junkie, he would explore every corner of this museum. He would also be very interested in visiting the United Nations and probably offer his "two cents" of advice. (lol I love my grandpa!) I could go on for days...

This post is dedicated to my wonderful family =)