sooooo...hajnal asked for a "i'm back in the united states" post.  here it is.  i like the united states, i like chipotle, i love my fam., i like understanding everything thats going on around me, i like watching american tv, i like old navy, i like american pillows, i like american food, i love my pets, i love my friends, i like finally feeling comfortable and relaxed, i like sharing stories from france and feeling like i lived in a dream land for a year, i like wireless internet, i like facebook, i like xanga, i like the us dollar, i like driving cars, i like listening to the radio and singing my head off when i'm driving alone in my car, i like backyards, i like fresh cut grass, i like doing my laundry, i like sitting in my pjs till noon, i like wearing sweat pants for days on end, i like the challenge of living at home, i like not being looked at like i'm a dumb american, i like talking on my cell phone, i like not having to use an adaptor to plug things in, i like taking long showers, i like drinking dr. pepper, i like not feeling awkward, i like babysitting, i like and miss camp, i like the united states. 

now, don't get me wrong, i miss france a lot, but there was nothing more that i could possibly have gotten out of that experience.  I learned a lot about myself and how to communicate with others.  i learned what its like to be an outsider and not always fit in.  and i do feel a little pang in my heart every time i look at a picture or talk about france because its an experience that is very near and dear to my heart and as much as i love talking about it, there are only 46 other people on the face of the earth who know exactly what my year was like.  even though i was not necessarily friends with all those people, they were there with me through all the riots, strikes, protests, funny looks, mean frenchies, and random moments with dickinson. 

i think the scariest part of being back is the fact that i have one year left of school  and nothing planned afterward.  my dad, mom and i had "the talk" the other day about what i'm going to do with my life.  there is nothing really aside from teaching that the french major can do for me, so i think i'm just going to hold that part of me in my heart for a rainy day when i've saved up enough money and can go back for a bit.  as of now, the plan that my dad and i came up with is college admissions.  i did an internship last year in the admissions office and absolutely loved it.  yes it was stressful and it had its down points..ahem..april...i loved the high schoolers that we worked with and i loved the feeling of representing dickinson.  now the challenge is finding a job.  i'm not really thrilled about that part, but hopefully things will fall into place and i'll have enough experience to make colleges give me a second look.  hopefully being the key word...

for now, i'm sitting in columbus for a week on my brothers couch with nothing to do but visit with suzy and amanda, go shopping and blow all the money that i made babysitting the past 2 weeks, walk the dog, drink coffee, watch tv and eat chipotle.  sounds like fun but is actually surprisingly boring...its been about 12 hours since my bro left and i'm already bored and lonely(hence the super super long post)...saweeeeeeeet.