Coming Back to America

Since everyone kept warning me that I was in for culture shock, I figured that my transition to home would be a lot more difficult. And I guess I did get culture shock, to an extent. It was more that it was so easy to switch modes. I was home, and that was it. I fit right back into my old pattern of life. I got a job, hung out with my old friends, and moved right along. When I had been back for just a week, it felt like I had been home for months... France was so far away. Now, having been back for four months, I feel like it was just a dream even. I can barely believe it even happened. 

But it did happen, and it has affected me in ways I probably will never even realize. I was so excited to come home... so excited to stop speaking French. But lately I have found myself missing it. Especially because my school does not offer French (I had to test out of it to get my foreign language credit) I feel like speaking it all the time.... which is a big deal for me! 

The summer flew by, and now I am at school, running cross country, like I always wanted to do. Its amazing to me how faithful God is. I was so hesitant about going to Paris... I felt like I was having to give up running and so many other dreams. But God gave me my dreams back because I trusted him and followed him. Its crazy to think how everything has worked out so perfectly, so intricately. Every detail. 

Its a little more difficult getting used to college life than I expected though, to be honest. After having to be so grown up last year... having to figure out a different language and culture and city by myself and work there... its weird going back to the state of a college freshman. I love it though. I love being constantly surrounded by people (because my job in Paris was somewhat of a lonely one). There is always an opportunity to meet someone new, and always someone to talk to. I am only into my second week of school now, and I'm sure its going to be a good year. And I know I'm supposed to be here, so I'm just trusting God about everything. And I'm excited to see where my life will go from here... but I need to live in the moment. After all, that is what its all about. Embracing life and living in the moment, in the present with God. 

A New Season

I honestly wasn't exactly planning on keeping up with my blog after I got back to the US. I just didn't figure I would have time, and I knew that people would probably stop reading it when my life wasn't quite so cool anymore :) I have really felt like blogging lately though... I'm getting a lot of inspiration from other blogs I follow, and the truth is, I just love to write. I constantly carry around a composition notebook with me for journaling and thoughts.

I am a college freshman who runs cross country and track. (I just moved back here at the beginning of the summer after taking a gap year to live and work in Paris, France.) I don't know my major yet, but I am working on figuring that out while I get my core classes out of the way. I love my family, I love my life. But mostly, I love God, and try to make him the center of every other part of my life.

So, regardless of whether anyone reads this, I'm going to start posting things. Thoughts I have, experiences, opinions, things I find interesting... just like a normal blog. It won't have a theme yet. It will mostly just be a collaboration of many different things. I may post on religion, running, food, art,  or something else that interests me. Maybe later I'll make the blog more specific, but for now, this is what it is :)