I flew XL Airways back to the states. It's a french-based airline that frequently flies from Marseille to NYC so the flights are super cheap! The plane was pretty full. I was put in the middle with two American boys who had been visiting Provence with their parents. I was actually supposed to sit between the two of them but I offered to move over a seat so that they could sit together. Besides, I didn't want them talking over me. I watched two movies in French and two movies in English on the 8 hour trip back to America--Monstre à Paris, Camille Redouble, Identity Thief, and Broken City. I tried to sleep but I was in coach so I couldn't really get comfortable. Our meal was pretty good for airplane food. It kind of reminded me of my flight meal on my way to France last year--tortellini in a red sauce, cole slaw, a roll, and a chocolate mousse. There was lots of free tea, coffee, and wine. Thank goodness because there was a toddler 2 rows back who screamed the last hour of the flight. His parents didn't really do anything about it and a lot of people all around commented on that--behind their backs of course.
We arrived at J.F.K. Airport around 11pm. It took about an hour to get through border control. Once I made it out, I exchanged my euros for U.S. dollars and waited for Danielle--one of my good friends that I met at school in France. She and her dad were picking me up so that I would have a place to rest for the night instead of hopping right onto a bus back to Virginia. I brought her back an antique ceramic cicada as a thank you and as a reminder of Provence.
Danielle took me out to a bagel shop so I could get some American food in my belly. I wasn't even back in the U.S. for an hour before I had a guy hit on me. This kid thought he'd ask about my tattoos as an ice breaker. I kind of missed being hit on the American way. At least American guys aren't aggressive. They can take a hint. You don't have to be overtly obvious in the states when you're not interested. It was strange to be back though, on American soil after living in France for a year. The air smells different, the people give a different vibe, and darn, I can understand everything on the signs. It was just too familiar even though I'd never been to N.Y. before.
Danielle's friends tried to get us to go out tonight but we were both exhausted so we passed out until the next morning. The two of us were taken back to the city by her dad. We found my bus stop before going off and exploring a bit. Danielle and I found a nice little open-air market at a park. It reminded us of France so we had to stop in and take a look. I bought a few things there before we had to head back to the bus stop.
I expressed my gratitude to Danielle and her dad before saying my goodbyes and getting on the bus in Chinatown. 5 hours later, I was in Washington, D.C. where it was rainy and dreary. My new roommates but old friends Herminio and Lauren had been waiting anxiously for me. The guy at the bus station said that they missed my bus and that the last bus arrived an hour ago so they frantically searched all of the local shops thinking the guy at the booth was serious. My poor friends. Miscommunication? Anyway, they waited and found me, brought me flowers, and we made our way back to Harrisonburg, Virginia. Home, sweet home.
Ma vie en France may be finished for the time being but I'll be back before you know it. To be continued...
We arrived at J.F.K. Airport around 11pm. It took about an hour to get through border control. Once I made it out, I exchanged my euros for U.S. dollars and waited for Danielle--one of my good friends that I met at school in France. She and her dad were picking me up so that I would have a place to rest for the night instead of hopping right onto a bus back to Virginia. I brought her back an antique ceramic cicada as a thank you and as a reminder of Provence.
Danielle took me out to a bagel shop so I could get some American food in my belly. I wasn't even back in the U.S. for an hour before I had a guy hit on me. This kid thought he'd ask about my tattoos as an ice breaker. I kind of missed being hit on the American way. At least American guys aren't aggressive. They can take a hint. You don't have to be overtly obvious in the states when you're not interested. It was strange to be back though, on American soil after living in France for a year. The air smells different, the people give a different vibe, and darn, I can understand everything on the signs. It was just too familiar even though I'd never been to N.Y. before.
Danielle's friends tried to get us to go out tonight but we were both exhausted so we passed out until the next morning. The two of us were taken back to the city by her dad. We found my bus stop before going off and exploring a bit. Danielle and I found a nice little open-air market at a park. It reminded us of France so we had to stop in and take a look. I bought a few things there before we had to head back to the bus stop.
I expressed my gratitude to Danielle and her dad before saying my goodbyes and getting on the bus in Chinatown. 5 hours later, I was in Washington, D.C. where it was rainy and dreary. My new roommates but old friends Herminio and Lauren had been waiting anxiously for me. The guy at the bus station said that they missed my bus and that the last bus arrived an hour ago so they frantically searched all of the local shops thinking the guy at the booth was serious. My poor friends. Miscommunication? Anyway, they waited and found me, brought me flowers, and we made our way back to Harrisonburg, Virginia. Home, sweet home.
Ma vie en France may be finished for the time being but I'll be back before you know it. To be continued...
No comments:
Post a Comment