ohhhh june

this has been the week of good-byes.
four people in seven days. it's been rough. i cried at the departure of franck. the boy from la reunion (see him being insane on right) on wednesday night. it's hard to imagine him being literally on the other side of the world over the summer, when he was just living on the other side of the city center from me for 9 months. so i stood in his doorway holding back tears for about 10-15 minutes (i had to leave early due to the teaching commitment the next morning). one of the hardest good-byes i've ever had to say. franck, if you're reading this - i'm going to miss you like crazy. it's strange to meet people you grow to love so much, and leave them, not knowing when you're going to see them again. and it's not like it was in college, where you think "oh, she'll be in ny, i'll be in vt, we'll see each other". this guy, for example, lives between madagascar and india on a small island in the indian ocean. that's really, really far away. but, he'll be back in france during the school year, and maybe i can convince him and the others to come for a visit in april. or, if i save some money, i could come back and do a europe tour of my own, visiting the frenchies and the italians, as a sort of reunion.
anyways. after franck left on thursday, maria left friday, barbara on saturday, and simo left today. it was day after day after day of good-byes. thursday night, we got together at maria and simo's for one last all together good-bye drink some absinthe (i'm not sure how i feel about absinthe yet... the flavor is soooo pungent) take photos, and partake in ridiculousness as per usual. the night ended in mass hugs, as we all realized how different our lives are going to be after we leave this little utopia (yes, i'm saying utopia... be shocked) to which we've become so accustomed. see image at left for mass italy/USA hug. last night when we got together to grab a beer with simo before he headed back to italia, we realized what a small group we have now, and how empty it feels. the voids, the voids are definitely there. it's bizarre to think the italians are back in italy, and i'm not going near them, i'm headed across the atlantic.
last night we said good-bye to simo, which was tough. i never want to stop hugging these people when i say good-bye to them. it doesn't help that they're all so wonderful and saying such wonderful things. the friendship there is so genuine. as simone said last night "you are my family." which is so true. here, in this strange experience far from home, my family became this strange mix of people, coming from all over the world. and now my family is starting to scatter, and the roots that i put down are starting to get torn up (this entire trip has been about rattling my cage huh?). so that's starting to hit. it's such a bittersweet feeling. i am so happy to have met these people, so happy to have shared memories with them and shared moments and created these friendships, some of which i feel have been there for years. and it's so sad to leave them, to have them not be a part of my daily life, to not have them a phone call away to grab a drink, or stop by their apartments on my way home from work to vent about my children and their antics.
oh there's an ache in my heart again, and it's not for home. because now, i know i'm going home. it's just a few weeks around the corner. but my family, my international, crazy, adventurous, caring, loving, beautiful family is spreading out, and who knows when i'll see them again.

i love you all.