Le Nouveau Chemin!

OH LA LA! That’s all I can really say that accurately describes this feeling! I leave for the airport in three hours! By the time you read this, I may already be in the air or in France. As I spoke with Bradley Speer last night over one last cup of Roasters Coffee, I explained to him that leaving for France is like riding a roller coaster for the very first time. You know that it’s going to be fun, but as you climb that first hill, you fear for your life. Questions like: “Can I get off?” or “What if this thing breaks?” and “When will it be over?” begin to circulate in your head.

I wanted to share with you one last post before I leave the United States simply because there is no better time to express feelings than now! I’ve had one last dinner with the family, one last afternoon with mom, one last breakfast with a friend, and ever last hug I can get. I am mixed between wanting to laugh, wanting to cry, wanting to jump for joy, and wanting to scream! These feelings come from not wanting to leave my dear family, but looking forward to what waits for me in France.

As I have already mentioned to several people, I am not scared about going to France because I have never been there and don’t know what to expect, but rather because no matter what happens in life, change is scary! I know the language and the people; I just don’t know exactly what will happen! Will I be happy? Will I meet life time friends? Will I be anxious to come home? Will I never want to leave? WHO KNOWS?!?!

By this point in the post, you might be able to tell that I am sleep deprived and discombobulated like I have never been before! Please pray that things go well and that this journey allows me to go and bless others because I have been so blessed! I love every one of my family and friends and can’t express that enough!

Numéro 100!

THIS IS THE 100th POST ON cole-en-france!

So today is my birthday! YAY! I am officially 23! OH LA LA! Big deal right? I am 23 on the 30 and I have 3 days before I leave for France (whose country code is 33)! I don’t know if the number 3 means anything today, but in any case, I am glad that I found joy in something so small! I will also be attending my Baptist church soon to worship and learn about the trinity! What a coincidence!

In other more pertinent news, I shall give you an update on life in the recent days that precede the plunge. Plunge may sound like a funny word to describe my future venture, but it accurately describes how I feel! I’ve said goodbye to my friends, experienced my last night at American Eagle™, started packing my bags, and will soon leave home to discover a new life in another land. If that doesn’t sound like a plunge to you, I don’t know what else does! Allow me to further this thought by offering you the following:

It has been my experience that when encountering new experiences I freak out. This means that during the first few weeks of a recent transition (usually 3 LOL!), I begin to think irrationally. I often ask myself questions like, “COLE! What are you doing?!?!?”, or “COLE! Why did you leave the most comfortable place on earth to you?!?!”, or “COLE! Don’t you think that you should just spit on the ground and go home?!?!” The answers to these questions are usually found in a nice little chat with friends or family to help me understand that I am overreacting that that I must calm myself; however, when these thoughts begin to crowed my mind, I often feel helpless and strange. It is for this reason that I currently feel like I am about to take a plunge. I know that the next few weeks are going to be hard, but I’m never sure how hard things are going to be until I get there. Most of the time I feel lost because I am alone; however, I am trying to think positively in the fact that I will soon be living with a new person and that I will eventually find a permanent residence with some people who will keep me company. But one never knows! This, my friends, is called: THE FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN! AH AH AH AH!

Now that I have mentioned it, allow me to explain to you my living situation. For the month of September, I have reserved a room of an apartment that is being sub-rented for one month only. I found this place at http://www.appartager.com/ from a girl named Agnès. Agnès will not be in her home for the month, so she will be renting it to two people, a girl from Greece named Hara and myself. Yes ladies and gentlemen, I will be living for one month with a Greek girl. I do apologize if you are of the southern influence and find this to be horribly offensive; however, please understand that when you’re on a budget, beggars cannot be choosers! During the month of September, I will be making the necessary arrangements of finding a cell phone, a bank account, a metro pass, and of course, permanent housing. I know that I might be able to find something from the United States just as I did when I found Agnès’ apartment; however, I would much rather be available to visit places and meet people before I randomly end up with weirdoes for nine months! Hara may be strange and Agnès’ place may stink (or vice versa), but at the end of September I can always say “CIAO!” and hit the road running!

When I arrive in Paris on September 3rd, I will meet Agnès at 18h30 to receive the key and tour the apartment. Cross your fingers!