A Post For Friendship.

One of my friends told me today that she is completely hooked on my blog, and reads it every day. I know this sounds like an incredibly simple thing, but it really made me smile. I mean, I love that my family reads this every day, but that's pretty much expected because they like to know what I'm doing all day, every day. It's really cool to have friends care enough about what I'm up to to read some crazy blog in their free time.

So anyway, this post is dedicated to my friends. Especially the aforementioned one who spends perfectly good minutes in her day reading about my struggles with French food and my inability to get through the week without my "If I Can Dream" fix. Really, that is just the most embarrassing TV show to be addicted to. But anyway, this particular friend was one of my closest friends way back in the glory days - that's right: SPES. We lived through Mrs. Lewis, Mr. Sinderson, and everyone being in love with Charlie Loken. You can't break a bond that has been sealed with singing S Club 7 at 5th grade graduation. So, we drifted apart for a good chunk of time in middle and high school, as happens with almost all childhood friendships, but reconnected this summer. I am SO happy that we did. I love you guys, Madilyn and Lauren! You are both beautiful people, and I love how seamlessly we clicked back together after all of these years.

Also, the friends that I have made while in France have completely made this program what it is to me. Adjusting to being away from family, friends, and the comfort of home can be extremely difficult - especially when you're also thrown into a new culture and forced to speak a strange language. Not only do I feel that everyone on this trip is genuinely nice, but I also feel that I have found true friends here in France. I have found "my people" - the missing piece of my SLU puzzle. I seriously considered transferring before going to France, and I am so happy that I stuck with it. I love these girls, and I hope we stay friends for a long time.

Being away has also made me realize how wonderful my friends at SLU right now are. I can't even name all of the people who I am excited to see when I get back on campus, and I am so grateful to have each of them in my life. Josh - I'm really sorry Skype never works (and I don't think you ever read this), but I hope that you know how much I love and miss your genuine friendship. It's weird not spending half of my nights staying up late talking to you in your room, and I hope we can get right back into that next semester. Seriously, I can't even begin to write about all the people I miss at SLU, and I think that is such a good sign. I have more people that I care about than I even recognized, and I can't wait to get back and hang out with all of them!

Also important to note, LIFERS: this summer, I'm coming for you. In a good way.

So, in other news: ate nutella crepes for dinner again tonight. My host mom is concerned as ever about a balanced, nutritional diet. I'm either learning to accept this, or my frustration has become so powerful that it is no longer recognized by my brain. We'll see which it is.

Also (if I had a Euro for every paragraph I began with "also" . . .), I am going to Belgium this weekend! I am VERY excited because it's a country I have never visited before in my entire life. More important, however, is the fact that there is a Bikram yoga studio 2 MILES away from the hotel/hostel in which we are staying! GAHHHH SO EXCITED. This may or not be embarrassing to share, but . . . today I got my yoga clothes out just to look at them, and even though they were washed, the underlying scent of Bikram yoga was still all over them. Just smelling the "Bikram yoga" smell made me feel so much joy and longing for being in the studio, practicing my yoga. I am so sad to be away from it, and I know that my first (few) class(es) back will be painful, but I don't care - I can't wait to get back in the studio. So I'm going to go in Brussels! And then again in Paris! I know I'm here to travel and experience as much as I can, and it probably sounds crazy to a lot of people that I want to spend 90 minutes of my day inside doing yoga, but I can't express the joy that this practice brings me. Being without it is so difficult, and each practice is a new journey - one that is even more exciting and more powerful when it is shared with different people from all over the world. I can't wait to get my Bikram on in Europe!

So now, it's 1am. How does that happen? I have to be up at 8am tomorrow, so I'm gonna go get ready for bed now.

There are people outside my window singing "Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga right now. With hilarious French accents. I hope this never stops.

Bonne nuit!
Love, Josie