Written on 12 October 2009 at 9:15 Montpellier Time.

Last Wednesday, I left Montpellier for the first time since my arrival. My destination was not Barcelona or Italy, but Louisville, Kentucky. Yes, I got to go home for my sister's wedding and four days of relaxation. I had heard of the dangers of such a voyage. What can, at first, seem like a wonderful deviation from the new status quo back to the old status quo, I have heard, can make the return to your home abroad completely miserable. The old taste comes and besmirches all future encounters and the new routine you have settled into. I kept this in the back of my mind and began to worry when my stay turned out to be completely flawless. It could not have been orchestrated any better. I was lucky to spend each moment with someone I care dearly for. I could hardly contain my satisfaction and happiness, it was spewing from me each moment, in every situation. Even the eight-hour flight went wonderfully. I found myself dropping the books and thinking of the activities I had been lucky to take part in, barely containing random smiles that would have made my neighbors question my sanity. And yet, I had no apprehension, no depressive feeling about returning to Monpellier. I was actually looking forward to getting back, to putting my ideas of bettering my situation in France into action. There were so many unknowns when I first arrived. My mind was full of questions, not answers, when I made my initial journey. Did I have what it took to live in France, to thrive in a situation so far from what had become customary in my life back home? I had failed to adapt to Thomas More College, could I really handle France on my own? Through time, many failures, adaptations, growth, and some improvement, I started to find that I had an answer to these questions. I realized with effort and patience, I could do it, I could accomplish my goals. I settled into a routine of school, exercise, work, and social activities, the way of life I, at some level, doubted I could handle. With this in mind, it was not difficult to return to my sunny city. In five weeks, Montpellier had transformed itself, in my mind, from self-orchestrated, not to mention unhappy, exile into a home. I have learned to no longer fear it, to stop looking past it, and enjoy each and every situation. From sunrise to sunset, I have so much to learn, so many ways to improve myself. It is satisfying to come back to something that challenges you especially when you think it was starting to sweep you away. It is a life laboratory and you hold the chemicals and instruments in your hand. Finding which hypothesis and which combinations work the best is what is fun, what has made my time hear seem to be a blur of exhilaration, a memory mixed with several tones and patterns. Each element is not beautiful in its singularity, but they come together to create a very agreeable conglomeration of feeling and experience. I am looking forward to continuing, to correcting the faults and errors, and completing the next stage of my stay. The break was beneficial in several aspects, it offered a chance for a distant perspective, for a refreshment of energy and discipline, and time to enjoy those I love. I am happy to be back.