I spent three weeks in France, one week was spent in Paris and one week was spent in St. Tropez. I expected these three weeks to be like a vacation or something along those lines, but I was surprised when I got there. Even after an hour or so of being at the house in Paris I realized that this exchange was not what I was expecting or anticipating. I expected to tour the city, see the sights... etc, but I ended up waking up to an empty house, wondering where my host family was half the time and feeling quite frankly alone. Instead of this trip being a time for me to learn about another culture and country, it became a time for me to learn about myself. I realized that I should never take my family, friends, or the love that they have for me for granted, things like that just aren't there for some people.

It also made me think twice about wanting to get out of town the day I turn 18. Being in France for three weeks was like losing everything that is real to me for three weeks. Everything that I was used to was only available to me through a machine, keyboard, and screen. My host father told me that there are several stages to going to a foreign country: 1) culture shock; 2) homesickness; 3) getting used to it; and 4) going home. I don't think that I ever graduated from the second stage. Although I got to see stuff that I could never see in America and actually experience a culture instead of observe it, I would have given anything just to hug my mom, tell my dad I love him, or hang out with my sister. Just like this trip was not what I expected, this journal entry might not be what you all expected. I tried to put it off not knowing what I was going to say and trying to figure out the best way to put it, but in the end I decided to speak my heart instead of fluffing up my trip and ignoring the pain.

Even though I did not have the time of my life like I expected, I would not trade this experience for the world. It opened my eyes to things that I didn't realize were so dear to me. Sometimes it's the hardships in life that truly make us appreciate what we have.

~Jordann Causseaux