My host parents invited me to their friend's house for dinner. Usually we have them and their daughter Alex over to our place, but this was the first time I had been invited to theirs. It was a wonderful dinner and I sat in the cozy atmosphere listening to the incomprehensible babble of five french people talking about things I couldn't begin to understand. Sometime between finishing the last drop of champagne from the crystal champagne flute and cuddling with my after-dinner mug of mint tea, I realized something horrible: I was never going to see these people again.
All at once there was an ache in my stomach. I missed out on so much. Alex who had always been so nice to me could have become a great friend. What if I had spent my days trying to see a movie or get a coffee with her, instead of being alone in my house? What if I had had a host family who liked to play board games in the afternoon instead of watching news shows that did not interest me? What if, what if, what if.
But there is nothing I can do about the "what ifs". I can only appreciate what I did have here in Grenoble, and remember everything fondly. Although there are dozens of things here that I won't miss at all and will be glad to be rid of, there are just as many that I will find myself feeling lost without. Of course this means I must follow up with a list of things I'm going to miss here.
- French Dinners
Not the food, surprisingly. (Everything here needs more spice if you ask me). What I'm going to miss most about dinners here is the way they're put together when company arrives. Everyone gathers around with champagne in pretty glasses and little tiny appetizer foods on colorful plates, and passes an hour or so just talking together. Sooner or later we'll all realize that the food and drinks are gone, and meander into the kitchen for four complete courses: salad, main course, cheese course, dessert. Naturally wine is served. We finish off with quiet conversation and warm cups of tea, enjoying the company and the feeling of being content and well fed. Yes, I truly will miss dinners here. - Wine
The French attitude toward alcohol is wonderful. Wines and cocktails are beverages to be tasted and enjoyed together, not chugged in the dark and sticky atmosphere of a bar or house party. Drinking is a social event and not the kind of rage-craze you find at college that will leave you with a headache and a bad taste in your mouth after. I will miss discussing the flavors of wine and how they pair with certain foods. Miss holding the pretty crystal glasses and swirling the base on the table absent-mindedly as I try to understand table conversation. I will even miss the bar scene here, where people gather to play darts or dance more than to be drunk at the end of it all. - Public Transportation
The trams go anywhere and everywhere I need to go in Grenoble for 25 euro a month. They run relatively smoothly about every fifteen minutes (except when there are strikes). If I want to go to another country train tickets are less than 200 euro and travel time is rarely over two hours. Need I say more? - History
America is young. It might not feel like it to those who live there, but after spending time here in France there is no way I could ever feel the same about history again. There is something fascinating to me about visiting places hundreds of years old and getting a glimpse into the past. Old architecture, art, music, and more can be found in even the tiniest villages. I will miss that dearly. - Variety
Whether you realize it or not, America looks pretty much the same all over. One suburb is not too much different than the rest and neither are our major cities very different. Here there is no mistaking one city for another because the landscape changes swiftly.
There you have it. Although I'm still excited to go home, I will indeed miss this city. My heart will always be living in two places.
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