Time for reflection:

3 months. Well, 12 weeks to be more exact. As with everything, all good things must come to an end. And by good, I mean not having to work for 12 straight weeks!

Of course, it wasn’t all good.

Some of the “not so good” was learning to balance personalities with a language and culture barrier. I’m sure I took some of it more personally than I should have but the bit of personality clash really made some of my days quite miserable. But I learned to blow off most of it and make the best of my days here.

Not so good was the complete sense of loneliness I felt sometimes. I reread the journal I kept while here and that seemed to be a common theme. While there are days you can feel lonely in NYC, it was different here. I didn’t have outlets to help with it. I was expecting it on some level, but I don’t think I was expecting it as much as I felt it at times. I’m just hoping that helps build character! And possibly lead to liking my own company even more. :)

But there was good.

Good was not having to wake up at the crack of dawn! I really enjoyed getting up a bit late and going for runs in town. Some days took a bit more motivation to put on the running sneakers than others, but each time I went, I felt that much better about myself.

Good was the 4pm gelato time! I was trying to tell myself I can only have gelato on the days I run. But I couldn’t figure out if that was making me run more or eat gelato less! :)

Meeting the Santori family was also good. We had some good laughs together! I enjoyed getting to know Irene more and I think after awhile she liked having me around.

Even Luca and I had our good times. Like who can make the longest R when saying car. Like this: carrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I think that’s a word he’s sure to remember!

Good was enjoying a few hours on the beach during my last two weeks in PSG. It was only good because it would have been great with some good company. I don’t mind my own, but after awhile….

Of course there was some weird.

For a country not shy in terms of skin exposure, they do like to be covered most of the year! I had many looks that displayed the thought process of “What are you doing not wearing a jacket and scarf? It’s only 68 degrees outside!”

And then just the outright staring. I don’t mean in an “Oh, hi pretty girl” type of way. I mean from every end of the human spectrum with an expressionless face. It really didn’t help my self-esteem!

And the good weird when Italians asked me where something was in a town. It helped balance out the “you don’t look like you belong here" feeling I was getting accustomed to having. Granted I never knew where they needed to go, but it was still nice they thought to ask me!

And then there was the great.

Switzerland was just what the doctor ordered to get my spirits up and blow off some steam. I can’t thank Leslie and Donal enough for being such amazing hosts!

Of course who can forget Croatia with Afshin and meeting my parents in Paris! It couldn’t have gotten much better than that! (I’m sensing a theme to what was great)

But the great were also the people I met.

Valentina – the girl who worked in what became my favorite store in PSG. I hope she follows her dream of coming to NYC soon. I’d love to take her around!

Benedetta and Rik – the couple who lived in NYC for 8 years. They have 2 adorable young children. They are coming to NYC in June and we’re going to meet up again. It was great seeing familiar faces as I walked around town!

Pat and Gary – what can I say about this couple? I never would have thought meeting them at the train station would have made all the difference in my time here. They took me under their wing and provided the support system I so desperately needed. They were a bit of my home away from home. I’m truly thankful for that. I’m looking forward to many more good times with them! Whatever country that might be in. :)

12 weeks. And here we are at the end. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not that long of a time period. It’s not as if I packed my bags and moved to another country for years in the same manner a lot of my friends have. I give them a lot of credit for doing so. It’s not to say I still don’t have visions of doing that someday, but for right now, New York is next on the list.

Sometimes I forget that the big, busy city of New York is waiting for me.  I hope reading about my experiences here has been as much fun for you as it’s been for me to write. I wasn’t sure how I would fair in this world of blogging, but I found it to be good company on the days I really wanted to share things with the people in my life.

However, there is the disadvantage of just being able to read about things. I can write until my fingers hurt but I could never recreate the sights, sounds, and smells that surrounded me throughout my time here. Like the musicians in Parc Guell. There was a new group every 10 feet capturing emotions of happiness, longing, and down right good times! Or the fragrance of the nearby gardenia or the incredible smell of garlic cooking as I walked through local streets. There truly is nothing that can take the place of actually being somewhere.

I’m sure I’m missing so much of what I experienced here and as the next few days go by, I’m sure I will think of something here or there that I should have written about. But I think this gives a fairly good overview!

I have mixed emotions about leaving. I’m counting the hours of when I’ll be seeing family and friends, but I feel like I’m just starting to get adapted, adjusted, and be comfortable here. But I suppose that can’t come as a complete surprise. I always seem to want more of the place I’m about to leave!

I have no regrets about pressing pause on my life and career to come here. It’s something I will look back on many years to come as a time that allowed me to truly go out of my comfort zone and learn more about myself. I’m forever grateful for that. 

Side note observation:

I think it will always fascinate me to watch the reaction of people when the answer is "New York" to the question "Where are you from?” And as I discussed with my friend Katie, thankfully I come from a place most people in the world recognize. A place they even might have visited and haven't forgotten. Unlike, say, Alabama.

It's a city that from the second you enter, native or foreigner, it does something to you, changes you even.  Its heartbeat can be felt instantaneously and starts to work its magic. It's a city that can bring you the greatest joys and the deepest heartaches. But you wouldn't change any of it. It's a city that allows me to explore the person I am and learn more about who I want to be.  It's a city where I am free to stand up for what I believe in and know to be right. It's a city filled with concrete, brick, and mortar yet feels as if it’s alive. And it can be loved and hated in a New York minute, depending on the day.

I saw this article in the NYTimes the other week. There are some good points in it. However, I'm not sure I agree with the end. I for one think New York City IS the greatest city in the world and even though I haven't kept my feet in one place for too long these last few years, I know in my heart it will eventually be the place I settle. Besides, my list of restaurants I want to try isn't getting any shorter!

However, this is not to forget the state that raised me. (Hollah Jersey!) My roots are pretty well tied to the beauty of the Garden State. Who knows, maybe it was being the butt of all those jokes growing up (and those that still continue) that have given me what's needed to make it in the Big Apple. Clearly the ones telling the jokes haven’t really gotten to know New Jersey and all it is.

Any way you slice it, I'm proud to call these places home.

Thank you for sharing this adventure with me. There were times I felt like you were all here with me!

Until next time.