I spent most of the morning putting the finishing touches on the house, putting flowers here and there for a bit of cheeriness. I checked in on Gregoire this morning, texting with his god-mother Carine. She said that he was fine and I took comfort in that. Andréa came over after work like he had been doing all week. He napped for a bit before my host parents and the triplets arrived back from the vacation home after burying Bonne Maman. They rushed to come back to give me a proper goodbye. They were afraid that they wouldn't get a chance to see me off, but I wouldn't have held that against them. They were saying a real goodbye to someone they've known their entire lives.
I went over a few new things around the house with Céline and Didier--letting them know where I had moved the sheets, etc. I didn't have much to clean up this past week since it was just Gregoire, Andréa, and I in the house so I did a lot of re-arranging and re-organizing. I spent maybe 30 minutes with my host family before Andréa and I had to take off for the airport.
It was difficult saying goodbye to my host parents, Céline especially. She's like a best friend, mom, and sister all rolled into one. Those kids are so blessed to have her. I'm going to miss Didier too, but he's a tough one--like me. His strength gave me strength to go. He just popped some money in my hand and sent me on my way--like a real dad.
I gazed at the passenger side mirror the entire time we were descending. The family came out into the street and waved goodbye. I watched them the entire time. The further we went, the more empty my heart felt. All I could think was "I'm leaving my family. I'm leaving my home." I took in every detail of that trip down the chemin, because it will be a long time before I see it again.
Andréa and I made it to the airport in good time. His dad and step-mom called me to wish me a good trip. They're such good-hearted people. Momo came and met Andréa and I at the airport. He wanted to say goodbye. The three of us checked my bags in before grabbing some drinks in a Starbucks. I haven't had Starbucks since I left the states. Funny how there's one in the airport but nowhere else in town. Momo, Andréa, and I stayed together for about an hour or so before I got up to go to the gate. It was sad, but I knew I had a ton of security to go through. I was "randomly" selected to be finely screened, and I knew this due to the bright red ICTS sticker they put on the back of my passport. It's not pretty and pastel like the others that got me through without having to be stopped.
I said goodbye to Momo and gave him a huge hug--which is not acceptable in his culture, ha haha. When it came time to say goodbye to Andréa, I latched on and didn't let go for awhile. I didn't cry like I thought I would, but it's probably because we've practiced our goodbyes so many times already. The two of them waited outside of the security line until I got halfway through the queue. They finally turned around and left twenty minutes later. Watching Andréa walk away was difficult, but I know that I'll be seeing him soon.
I went over a few new things around the house with Céline and Didier--letting them know where I had moved the sheets, etc. I didn't have much to clean up this past week since it was just Gregoire, Andréa, and I in the house so I did a lot of re-arranging and re-organizing. I spent maybe 30 minutes with my host family before Andréa and I had to take off for the airport.
It was difficult saying goodbye to my host parents, Céline especially. She's like a best friend, mom, and sister all rolled into one. Those kids are so blessed to have her. I'm going to miss Didier too, but he's a tough one--like me. His strength gave me strength to go. He just popped some money in my hand and sent me on my way--like a real dad.
I gazed at the passenger side mirror the entire time we were descending. The family came out into the street and waved goodbye. I watched them the entire time. The further we went, the more empty my heart felt. All I could think was "I'm leaving my family. I'm leaving my home." I took in every detail of that trip down the chemin, because it will be a long time before I see it again.
Andréa and I made it to the airport in good time. His dad and step-mom called me to wish me a good trip. They're such good-hearted people. Momo came and met Andréa and I at the airport. He wanted to say goodbye. The three of us checked my bags in before grabbing some drinks in a Starbucks. I haven't had Starbucks since I left the states. Funny how there's one in the airport but nowhere else in town. Momo, Andréa, and I stayed together for about an hour or so before I got up to go to the gate. It was sad, but I knew I had a ton of security to go through. I was "randomly" selected to be finely screened, and I knew this due to the bright red ICTS sticker they put on the back of my passport. It's not pretty and pastel like the others that got me through without having to be stopped.
I said goodbye to Momo and gave him a huge hug--which is not acceptable in his culture, ha haha. When it came time to say goodbye to Andréa, I latched on and didn't let go for awhile. I didn't cry like I thought I would, but it's probably because we've practiced our goodbyes so many times already. The two of them waited outside of the security line until I got halfway through the queue. They finally turned around and left twenty minutes later. Watching Andréa walk away was difficult, but I know that I'll be seeing him soon.
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