So….to assure that I thread the apparent motif of “holy smokies, it has been faaaar too long since I last wrote” appropriately, I will begin this post with yet another apology. This time it has truly been “faaaar too long” since I last wrote, neglecting my last, and probably most meaningful, days at Sussex, a trip to Paris with the one, the only, the Sam LeGrys, a night in Dublin, and an epic plane trip home via Chicago and its nearby hotel rooms: It has been a trip. Goodbyes, on so many levels, and assimilation back into the wild ways of the Western U.S. have both been frequent themes.

It is now impossible for me to recapitulate the minutia that gave way to the wonderful French wanderings that took place and the pangs of heartthrob as farewells were made and people scattered across the world into corners they called home.

BUT I PRESENT THEE WITH:

Some highlights (since lists are easier than full sentences):

1. Tears, full grown Latino men, a Swiss Sussex pen, and friends at 4 in the morning waving goodbye.

2. Sam losing his wallet within 15 minutes of the trip…I know right?

3. Early morning bus trips, total sleep deprivation, watching London wake up to a day unfolding.

4. Flying away from Brighton with clear skies, seeing the white cliffs, the jutting piers, and the ocean/hill dichotomy I grew so fond of.

5. Hating life in the Paris metros, Sam struggling full force against the stupid little plastic ticket doors with our abundance of suitcases.

6. Not finding a taxi ANYWHEARE IN PARIS!!!

7. Finally getting to the hotel, being greeted by a beautiful (and cheap!) room, pink walls, sunny windows, and a foot sink (not for peeing, as I discovered).

8. Notre Dame, the Louvre, Sacré-Cœur, Christmas Markets, the Eiffel Tower at night, cheap wine and good oranges, ordering crepes and not knowing what the heck we were getting, seeing long lost Goucher friends, and general, joyous “getting lost” moments in small streets.

9. Dublin. In general. This is like the chilliest city ever.

10. Pub-bbery and hearty soup.

11. Good Irish music, walking aimlessly, German bratwursts (and then ordering more) me lying that I left a scarf in a church so we could see the inside, illegally.

12. Saying goodbye to a good friend.

Yup. That is probably the most terse, disgustingly void of detail analysis I could possibly provide, but it will have to suffice. I simply could not deal with moving on (AHHH GHANA!) without a little bit of recapping since the last hello. I am almost positive, however, that I will start fervently blogging again once I have far more cultural fodder to chew on. I have a feeling Ghana will be richly chew-able.

Until then, I am just enjoying being home, relishing the cold and mountains, and strengthening myself for yet another adventure (with hopefully a dash of GRE studying, graduate school researching, paper writing, internship applications, and seeing my dear old Dad). As par usual, there is a lot on my plate, but to be honest, I’ve never felt so able to deal with it. I feel like maybe it is just hyperactive positivity manifesting like a virus as a product of all of my neural epiphanies, or maybe it is a more long term development. I am not sure. But I feel so trusting in the fact “what needs to happen, will happen” and am finding myself floating along merrily as the tides shift. And when that happens, there’s not much too complain about. :)

t-12 days.

I’ll be in touch.

Kelly

p.s. more to come. SOON…that is a non-retractable promise.