Reflections

Hello once again,

I am sad to say this will be the last of my blogs from France. Instead of spending a lot of time recounting the events of the last few days,  I figured I would instead provide some of my reflections on the trip as a whole. To be honest, not a lot has been happening since I last wrote. We went for a last night out on Thursday, took care of bureaucratic necessities, made a trip to the market on Saturday morning, watched the Champion's League final with some friends and have been trying to hit all of our favorite restaurants before we go. In general, the last few days have been scattered goodbyes as people leave for home or various trips across Europe. This brings me to the first of my reflections. I've found it has been much harder than I had expected saying goodbye to a lot of these people. While I'm not exactly getting choked up or depressed as people leave, I have already begun to feel disappointed that I may never see some of them again and that I wish I'd had some more time to know them. Of course, I had expected to make friends on the trip and that I would be sad to say goodbye to them, but I think what surprised me the most was the force with which it hit me, even with people I had only really spent time with the last month or two. I will definitely be trying to keep in touch with some of them, and hopefully we may meet up again some day, but it is very hard to see these people who I have gotten to know surprisingly well in the last five months return to their home countries with no certainty of seeing them again.

My second reflection is more on Rennes and France as a whole. I have been bouncing back and forth the last few days between a joy that I will be returning to the home and culture that I know and love, and a sadness that each time I pass a restaurant or building that I like, it may be the last time I see it. I have grown to really love Rennes, and it has begun to feel like another home for me: a place I know well, where I am comfortable and happy. Of course, there are plenty of reasons to be happy to return home. Before spending five months here, I never thought I would love capitalism as much as I do now. I cannot wait to be back where I stores are open past 5 p.m. and entire towns don't shut down between noon and 2 p.m. I am excited for stores where anything I need is available at just about any hour possible. I am excited to be back where libraries and other public services are open more than 5 hours a day and where my school is willing to provide me with whatever I need to get by, including more than one official transcript (this is a recent problem I've had). Nevertheless, I do really love the town and the culture. The food is delicious and there is an inherent politeness and courtesy. Of course, there is also significant rudeness and exclusivity (stereotype that proved true), but it is often directed at those that do not direct incessant courtesy (like not saying merci when someone almost hits you with there motorcycle, then backs up so you can cross the street. yes, that happened). But like I said, the town has been very hospitable and I have grown to understand much more of the culture and customs than when I arrived (so many things still evade me).

In general, I have to say I have had an amazing time in Rennes. I got to take some interesting classes, meet a lot of great people, and grow personally. It has been an exercise in patience and humility without a doubt. But, the amount that I learned from the people I've met, not just French but those from as close as Canada and as far as Australia, has most definitely been worth it. In fact, I would say that I learned more from these people than from any of the courses I took. The experience I've gained here is incomparable to anything I could have done at Beloit. Despite all of the problems, the bureaucratic nonsense, the surprising disorganization, and some of the most inflexible teachers I have ever met (who were ironically telling us we had to be flexible at the same time...), I would not have changed a thing. To those of you who still have the opportunity to study abroad, whether you're studying a language or not, I strongly recommend you do so. To those for whom this is no longer an option, I suggest you take every opportunity to travel abroad. The time I have spent has strengthened my belief in how invaluable any experience in another country may be. Whether it be a day, a month, a year or more, I hope to continue doing so for long after my days as a student are done.

Thanks again to everyone who has been reading these past few months. I appreciate the time you have all spent reading and being interesting (or pretending to be) in my life. I look forward to seeing you again soon. Here are some final pictures of my school and Rennes.

"Other Directions"

"All Directions"
If someone could explain how this sign and the one before it make sense, that would be great.

Au revoir et bon courage!

Tom

P.S. Before publishing this post, I went out for one last French dinner. The restaurant, rightfully called "Amour de Pomme de terres", had the largest portion for a single meal I have ever seen in my life. It included beef, chicken, and a combination of french fries, a baked potato and potatoes au gratin that amounted to about 5 potatoes. I managed to finish my entire meal, but I currently have the largest food baby known to man and am about to enter a food coma that may cause me to miss my train in the morning. In this respect, I should also note that the food will be among some of the things I miss the most. While I cannot wait to have real (deep dish) pizza and hot dogs again, five months without preservatives and high fructose corn syrup were also pretty great.