Au revoir, la France

Writing this post was certainly not easy.

After returning from Italy, I was sitting at the Paris Gare du Nord yesterday, waiting for my train to go back to Compiègne. All of a sudden the thought dawned on me that I would be leaving France for Canada in just two days.

It was hard to grasp the idea that one year had gone by since I had arrived alone in this station for the very first time. Indeed, one year is a funny time frame. It seems long if you look forward, but it often feels like a fraction of a second in retrospective.

So was it a good year?

This year had been a busy one.

I must have had signed at least thirty sheets of administrative authorizations before and during the year of stay. It was unavoidable. Coordinating between two universities from two countries was a daunting task.

This year had been an adventurous one.

I trekked through 9 countries in Europe:

France
Belgium
Netherlands
Switzerland
Germany
Hungary
England
Spain
Italy

For a kid like me who grew up in China and then immigrated to Canada, Europe always had this mystery to it. Now after seeing a major part of it I am starting to understand its beauty. I am fascinated by the fact that each country has distinct personality and culture, which give them unique colors. I like this diversity.


This year had been an educational one.

Plunging into technical courses that were taught in French was not an easy task. I had to record some of the lectures, and listen to them after the class in order to understand the course material.

The efforts were well spent though. I have met many students from different countries, and through my participation, observed how they learn and work. I feel fortunate that I have had the chance to experience, appreciate, and learn from these cultural experiences.

On the personal front I found out my weaknesses, especially what puts me down. These are some of the areas for me to work on.

Best of all, this year had been a fun one.

I have met many people from all kinds of backgrounds and professions, and through the enjoyable conversations we have had, I have gained many new perspectives on life.

So looking back I can say: “yeah, it had been a good year.” At this point it is still hard to pin point exactly what I have learned, but I am sure it will be come clearer as time goes on.

Now trip is done, over with.

It is time to regroup and focus on the next big thing: Fourth Year Systems.

Despite all the nostalgic feelings, I do not feel sad. The past had been great but the future is more exciting than ever. I am looking forward to all the unknowns that the future will bring.

But really though, one just have to be grateful, have a positive attitude, and carry a big smile, then everything will be fine. I think it works for me.