One year ago...
One year ago, at this exact moment, i was on my way to the airport to go to Germany -- squished in the back of Elizabeth's forrester with her, my mom, and so much luggage. It's so strange to think that it's been a whole year -- it is even stranger to think that one year ago, I had not been to Europe at all. Yet, the most startling realization I've come across in all of my "one year ago" reminiscences is that of the progression of my French. One year and two days ago when I went to Paris the only French words I managed to utter were "trente-huit" -- thirty-eight -- the size of the shoe I wanted to try on. I couldn't even come up with simple, obvious phrases like "excuse-me" or "too big." I think I used more French in the past ten minutes than I did during my entire European expedition. That's encouraging -- to see how much more fluent (and I stress the how much more part of that statement because I am, by no means, fluent) I have become in the short space of a year. It makes me less nervous about my ability to pass what I am sure will be a far too advanced French course at University next year and it just makes me feel more optimistic in general about my ability to learn. I am, however, a little bit sad to think that all of the beautiful memories I have of my adventure to Germany were an entire year ago -- an entire year away from my present and are moving ever farther away. At least I have photos...or I would, if Elizabeth would give them to me.