Hello from France!
Although it's been a while since a real entry, I have to say that I enjoyed looking back on 2007 in the survey.
Recently, I've taken a rather optimistic stance towards life in general, which I think was reflected in some of the answers of my survey. I don't know why - maybe it's because I turned 20, maybe it's because I finally got something I'd been hoping for for a while, but whatever the reason, I've been trying to appreciate all that I'm given and not take things for granted.
Yeah, there are always little things that get to me, that get me aggravated, angry, upset, and frustrated. But on the whole, life is just such an exciting, wonderful thing, and I think that's something that shouldn't be taken for granted. It's something to appreciate, to celebrate. And I think that that's part of what religion is, but in my case I don't feel particularly indebted to any sort of religious cause. I know that I'm really thankful, but I don't feel a strong need to define to whom/what/whatever it is that I'm so thankful to.
It's just life in general. So maybe the c*nsulate rejected my visa application the day before my flight, and that put me in freak-out mode. Step back, Tamz, you're getting to study abroad. What a wonderful thing! Bureaucracy is maddening, but what I'm getting a chance to do is so darn worth it. A tiny thorn in my side, maybe, but when I look at the big picture, I have no justification to be anything but excited and happy. I'm writing this entry from an appartment at the top of a winding flight of stairs in a small city in France, where I'm spending this semester.
Last semester, I may have been hurt a little by someone who was not the person I thought he was. But when I take off the blinders and look at the wider view of things, I am so happy because of all the great people who've enriched my life and made me the person I am today. I always come back to this one Charles Dickens quote about life and meeting people and goodbyes. Always. Because it's so true:
"Pip, dear old chap, life is made of ever so many partings welded together, as I may say, and one man’s a blacksmith, and one’s a whitesmith, and one’s a goldsmith, and one’s a coppersmith. Diwisions among such must come, and must be met as they come. "
People come into and out of the tapestries of our lives, and I'm really greatful for all of those who have passed through the windows of my conciousness, even as it is impossible to keep every one of them within an arm's reach of my window sill. I guess what I mean is that I love meeting people and discovering their intricacies and what makes them tick and how we connect, but that I also accept that part of this joy encompasses that sometimes-tearful "goodbye" part of life that is necessary and not so evil as we sometimes like to portray it.
To speak in examples for a bit, instead of metaphors, let's take my friends from this past summer. The other interns that I worked with are dispersed all across the U.S., many in the south, some in the west, only a few in the northeast region. I had a great time with them, and I value the friendships and memories made. I wish them all the best, and would be thrilled to cross paths with any of them once again. But sometimes people have to go their separate ways, and that's _okay_. The nice thing about the world today is how much smaller the world seems in terms of being able to communicate. An online message can never be the same as actual time spent together, of course, but it can bring a smile to two faces located on different continents, and by gosh, I will take that!
For some reason this afternoon found me in more of a philosophic mood than a story-telling mood, so I'd just like to add that France has been eye-opening and engaging and challenging and in short, so far so good.
Best wishes to you, dear readers, wherever you may be located!
Recently, I've taken a rather optimistic stance towards life in general, which I think was reflected in some of the answers of my survey. I don't know why - maybe it's because I turned 20, maybe it's because I finally got something I'd been hoping for for a while, but whatever the reason, I've been trying to appreciate all that I'm given and not take things for granted.
Yeah, there are always little things that get to me, that get me aggravated, angry, upset, and frustrated. But on the whole, life is just such an exciting, wonderful thing, and I think that's something that shouldn't be taken for granted. It's something to appreciate, to celebrate. And I think that that's part of what religion is, but in my case I don't feel particularly indebted to any sort of religious cause. I know that I'm really thankful, but I don't feel a strong need to define to whom/what/whatever it is that I'm so thankful to.
It's just life in general. So maybe the c*nsulate rejected my visa application the day before my flight, and that put me in freak-out mode. Step back, Tamz, you're getting to study abroad. What a wonderful thing! Bureaucracy is maddening, but what I'm getting a chance to do is so darn worth it. A tiny thorn in my side, maybe, but when I look at the big picture, I have no justification to be anything but excited and happy. I'm writing this entry from an appartment at the top of a winding flight of stairs in a small city in France, where I'm spending this semester.
Last semester, I may have been hurt a little by someone who was not the person I thought he was. But when I take off the blinders and look at the wider view of things, I am so happy because of all the great people who've enriched my life and made me the person I am today. I always come back to this one Charles Dickens quote about life and meeting people and goodbyes. Always. Because it's so true:
"Pip, dear old chap, life is made of ever so many partings welded together, as I may say, and one man’s a blacksmith, and one’s a whitesmith, and one’s a goldsmith, and one’s a coppersmith. Diwisions among such must come, and must be met as they come. "
People come into and out of the tapestries of our lives, and I'm really greatful for all of those who have passed through the windows of my conciousness, even as it is impossible to keep every one of them within an arm's reach of my window sill. I guess what I mean is that I love meeting people and discovering their intricacies and what makes them tick and how we connect, but that I also accept that part of this joy encompasses that sometimes-tearful "goodbye" part of life that is necessary and not so evil as we sometimes like to portray it.
To speak in examples for a bit, instead of metaphors, let's take my friends from this past summer. The other interns that I worked with are dispersed all across the U.S., many in the south, some in the west, only a few in the northeast region. I had a great time with them, and I value the friendships and memories made. I wish them all the best, and would be thrilled to cross paths with any of them once again. But sometimes people have to go their separate ways, and that's _okay_. The nice thing about the world today is how much smaller the world seems in terms of being able to communicate. An online message can never be the same as actual time spent together, of course, but it can bring a smile to two faces located on different continents, and by gosh, I will take that!
For some reason this afternoon found me in more of a philosophic mood than a story-telling mood, so I'd just like to add that France has been eye-opening and engaging and challenging and in short, so far so good.
Best wishes to you, dear readers, wherever you may be located!