Wrapping Up.

Meeting Prince Guillaume and Princesse Stéphanie was amazing! It was a lot of hype for a very little interaction, but it was great. After they came to the Chateau, we went across the street for a reception with hors d'oeuvres. The Prince mingled and interacted with everyone, and you could shake his hand or talk to him or take a picture if you wanted to. I decided just to watch and I knew my friend really wanted to talk to the Prince so I didn't butt in, since I was happy just to be there. We did bump elbows though :) Our friend shook hands and spoke to him and was thrilled, it was so cute! Hey, how often do you get to hang out with a Prince!?

After the reception with His Highness we headed off for our own MUDEC end of the year Banquet. The dinner was fantastic and we had cream puffs with ICE CREAM in the middle for desert?? Yum.

There were end of the year superlatives, and Alex and I were thrilled to win "Cutest Couple." I consider this a legitimate accomplishment because I think there are about ~10 couples at MUDEC (that's a lot!). I might be just a teensy bit competitive :)

This morning my roommate and I got up early and planned on starting our studying for finals right away, but instead got into a two-hour conversation about getting ready to go home and our experiences here in Europe, and how things might be weird or different when we go home. Personally, I think I am a very "static" person and I don't think that my identity or personality or values have changed very much since I was in high school. I see my friends change all the time, but I don't think I change too much. After life-changing semester in Europe, I do see some differences in myself (though I think on the whole I'm the same old me :). I think I'm a lot more willing to step outside of my comfort zone, to stretch in order to have new experiences, and to actually want to have new experiences. I think that this advanced my maturing process and that I'm a lot more grown-up now. I think I will always retain certain European values, or at least for a long time to come. On the bus home from the Banquet last night I thought of these lists:

Things I'm looking forward to :

• Two words. Peanut. Butter.
• Not having to pay for water at restaurants
• Real cookies
• Easier-to-find food alternatives/supplements (like almond-based products, etc.)
• Sleeping
• Trader Joe's
• Texting/calling on my phone again
• Seeing EVERYONE!!! :) 

Things I will miss :

• Well. Basically everything.

Seems dramatic, but I will miss all aspects of life here, good and bad. Especially little things, like speaking French everyday, whether it's just at the grocery store or whether it's with French people! Things like not having to drive because public transportation is awesome. The fact that it doesn't get dark until 9:30PM. My funny professors. Being called "Madam" or "Madame." Cactus, the amazing all-purpose and high quality grocery store. The list goes on. I think that above all, this time here has taught me how important it is to me to come back here in the future and to continue to learn. It's a big world out there, and I don't want to leave a stone unturned, or ever stop learning what's out there.