Friday, June 4, 2010

OH SO BITTER SWEET

My time in Paris finally came to an end on Monday May 31, 2010. Those 3 1/2 months living in Paris, France were really a dream come true. It all started at the beginning of my sophomore year at VMI with the meetings and of course the paperwork. For the rest of the semester I filled out and mailed reams of paper for this trip. By Christmas it was even more real; because at VMI nothing is real except for the life at VMI. I bought tickets, clothes, and other necessary things for life in Europe. Finally on February 13, 2010 I took off from HIA for Paris, France.


At first it felt more like a vacation with all our sightseeing trips across Paris. It wasn't until the third or fourth week, about two weeks into class, when the realization hit that this was where I was to live for the spring. Speaking and interacting with the French proved difficult at first for I really couldn't speak any French when I arrived. Class was at first long and frustrating. I was nervous speaking and didn't want to speak very much at all. However as time passed and I acclimated to my new life I began to come out of my shell. Slowly but surely I improved my French linguistically skills until today I can honestly say I speak French. Now it's not the best French in the world but it is French. The trick now is to retain that level of speaking skill. That's my next challenge.


One of the things I am most grateful for is the experience of being able to live with a different people and a different culture. Though at times I found that life very frustrating and the people somewhat annoying I was able to learn more about myself as an American. I was one of the few people who couldn't afford to get completely lost in the French culture (not that I wanted to really) for I have a future at home with the military. The option on living and working in Paris after graduation just isn't an option for me right now. Therefore I could never fully leave my American culture and background behind and completely embrace the French. I soon discovered that I didn't want to really. Perhaps it's my training and education at VMI but I found that I soon became even more annoyed with French behavior than I did American behavior at home. Don't get me wrong, there are some very nice Frenchmen whom I met while in Paris. However, I am an American; born, raised, and there is nothing that's going to change that.


France gave me an appreciation for my American heritage and culture (for all its own faults and transgressions) even more by showing how strong and unified America is compared to Europe and the rest of the world. Europeans and particularly the French can't stand our Patriotism and our unity, but those characteristics made America what it is today. I've come to appreciate also how important my friends and family are for there is no one in this world who can come close to replacing them. They have supported me through this adventure every step of the way. Thank you all for that support these last several months and I hope it continues through the last leg of my journey in Europe.


The last part of my European adventure is at the Zrinyi Miklos National Defense University in Budapest, Hungary. I will spend one month at Zrinyi studying about the politics of international relations, of Hungary, and of NATO. That being said I now have a new blog up and running for Budapest: http://ahungariansummer.blogspot.com/ called Magyarország Nyár: Hungarian Summer (Magyarország Nyár means Hungarian Summer) I hope that everyone who has been following my blog of Paris has enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. In fact this blog gave me an incentive to take pictures fueling my interest in photography. Now I hope that all of you who have been following me in Paris will now follow me in Budapest. Thank you all for interest in my travels and European history, life, and culture. Take care and enjoy spring while it lasts!