What have I brought upon myself...

"See, what had happened was...."

Remember that tentative plan to have a gathering for family? Well it actually came to fruition, in a mere hour or two.

[phone call from grandmother]

GM: "Well I think it would be nice, and we want to do it for you."
Me: "I think it'd be nice too, but it's always a hassle trying to get people in one place. Everyone always has their separate plans...."
GM: "Well you won't know until you make a few calls."
Me: "But it's Thursday! And we're trying to get people to show up for Sunday?"
GM: "You won't know until you call."

A few calls later, and everyone I call says they're good to come over!

Imagine that. Should be fun...except for the fact that a guest list of 5-6 people ballooned to about 14 family members, some of whom I have not spoken to in years.

This should be fun...

Ou habites-tu?

Where will I live in Paris? That is indeed the question. I spent so much time worrying about whether or not I'd get a student visa in time for my departure. Now that that's out of the way (thank you Adriana, you're an angel), I can worry about finding a place to stay.

Easier said than done, just like anything else worth doing. On some good advice from madre, I decided to book a hotel/hostel for the first week's stay. This way I can view apartments in person when I am not at work. This way I can get a feel for where I'd be staying without actually having to commit to an agreement beforehand. On top of that, Paris is notorious for having a large number of professional scammers who prowl the Craigslist dailies, posting fake ads requesting a deposit be sent via Western Union.

Well not me, suckas. Not me.

So all's I have to worry about for the moment (baby steps are important, you know) is finding a quality place to stay that fits within a reasonable budget.

How's that going? Well, I am up at 3:30AM.....

Tick tock tick tock tick tock

The hook from Madonna's "4 Minutes" reverberates in my head as I think of all that needs to be done before I leave on the 5th for the grand return to Paris.

• Clean out closet (full of old clothes)
  
• Throw out old clothes (create more space for room while packing)
  
• Buy new ones (sounds like fun now, but I know it won't be when I see that credit card statement)
• Pack clothes
• Personal appointments (doctor, etc)

But the most important item on the to-do list would be to have one last hurrah with the friends and family. With less than 11 days before my flight, I am wondering how I'm going to pull this off, but I know it'll be worth it. Maybe I could have a last-minute get together for family members this Sunday at the house, followed by a simple dinner somewhere between Athens and Atlanta next week. Nothing too expensive of course, as I'll have plenty of time for meals I can't afford once I'm back in Paris.

Funny thing is, I'm not at all nervous about leaving home. I'm nervous about re-acclimating to Paris, for sure, but I know I'll be leaving everything on a good note, and that the ones I love will not only support me while I'm gone, but that they'll be waiting for me when I get back.

Hmm....1:30 in the morning and I'm sitting on the bed surrounded by clothes, both clean and dirty. Damn, I wish I was better about being organized.

Mic Check...

Alrighty, here it is! I'm still in shock that the domain name "twistedflava" was still available, and I always appreciate a good surprise. Though I've made attempts here and there in the past, I've never been good about journaling consistently (my writing hand always gets tired), maybe a blog will work. I had one before in 2006 as a class project, which ultimately fell by the wayside after I received an unfavorable grade.

Here's to new beginnings...