Ok. So it’s obvious I’m not winning the Blogger of the Year Award anytime soon. Well, that is unless Blogger of the Year Award goes to the blogger “most likely to fall off the face of the Earth,” or “most likely to not do anything they said they were gonna do.”
I’m gonna blame this hiatus, temporary or otherwise, on the stress of being 22 in Paris. Okay, you in the back – stop laughing. Yep, I said it. Stressed. At 22. In Paris, France. My experience there was incredible. Irreplaceable. Indescribable. And any other word starting with I you could imagine. Truthfully – it was the best, worst, hardest, easiest thing I’ve ever done.
I’m home sweet home now, back in the safety of my family, enjoying my cozy room which was beautifully rearranged and jazzed up in my absence, and much to my surprise, life still went on without me 
My last month in France was…amazing. My parents came to visit for a week…and ended up staying an extra eight days thanks to Mount Eoiuaslkdjf;asidugfo;aelhrngkajsdnfkasjdf in Iceland which began to erupt the day before their departure, crippling travel in Europe for a solid week. Not to mention (in true French fashion) trains to and from Paris were on strike at the exact same time, making travel unreliable and any possibility of getting out of Paris nearly impossible.
I bid my parents an unexpected adieu in Paris, and headed to the south of France for a week during the third week of April, and holy moly, might I say I’m in love? I wish I had spent more time on the coast, as every second of my country side and Mediterranean adventure was blissful. We spent a night on a winery in Les Arcs, sipping the literal fruits of the land, as well as cooking a Provencal feast with the olive oil that was “fait a la maison.”
My heart was bursting out of my chest during every moment at the winery, and I was reluctant to leave the next day, although the train ride through Canne, and on to Nice served as an instant mood booster. 
Nice was…nice! Well, if that’s not the understatement of the year than I don’t know what is. The food scene wasn’t to impressive, but the views. Oh my, the views. I do believe I left Nice with bruises on my arm, leftover from the 93284 times I had to pinch my self in disbelief of what was before my eyes.
I tried my hand at gambling too – a little trip to Monaco, anyone? Okay, so I didn’t win big. In fact, I lost a euro checking my camera at the door. But heck, I went to Monaco!
My last few days in Paris were spent being lazy…half dreading ever leaving, and half counting down the seconds until I’d be whisked away to the airport to start my 20 hours of travel back home.
I said my see you later’s to my humble 7th arrondissement neighborhood,
and hugged my strangers turned best friends goodbye as the shoved chocolates and the sweetest letters I’ve ever read into my trembling hands on the day I left.
I’ve been home for about two weeks now, and everything is eerily the same. My friends have seamlessly introduced me back into their lives, as if I had never left. My yoga practice, which I fretted over way too much while in Paris (hindsight: always 20/20), feels mildly uncomfortable thanks to the tightness lingering in my hips from many afternoon walks through Montparnasse and Jardin du Luxembourg, but yet still feels comforting – like coming home for real. Coming home to myself.
My experience is slowly starting to sink in as I settle into my daily life again. Sometimes I’ll be doing some mundane task like washing the dishes, or taking my dog for a walk, or driving to school and have this vivid flashback of a Parisian afternoon. Was I really there? Was that just 2 weeks ago? Did that really happen?
I’m taking my last two finance classes this Summer and will be graduating in August. For now, I’m mooching off of living with Mom and Dad until I really have to put my big girl panties on and venture out into the “real world.” Whatever that means.
But until then…I’m here. Just playin’. And writin’. And takin’ pictures. Talk to you soon 
{ 42 comments… read them below or add one }
Welcome back, Courtney, we’ve missed you!
Yay! Glad you’re back safe and back online ;)
glad you are back!! You and your lovely blog posts were missed big time!! :)
I’m glad you enjoyed your hiatus, but I’m REALLY glad to be reading Hungry Yogini posts again!
I’m so happy to hear you were enjoying your time and living the life! Amazing journey!
i am so glad you’re back! i can’t wait to read more about your time as it sinks into reality :)
I’m so glad you’re back!
Welcome back! I was sad to see you missing…your blog was really taking on a great tone while in Paris! But sometimes blog breaks are very important and it’s good to see you have returned :).
Welcome back, in more ways than one! I definitely missed your little corner of the blogworld. Its always so cozy. :)
Welcome back to the bloggy world! It’s great to see your wonderful photos once again. You were missed!
I remember coming home after a semester in France while in college, and I was expecting this giant tsunami revelation when I returned to the US….expecting to be immediately overcome with wisdom and totally blown away by the deep, mindful epiphanies! Not so. The aftermath of studying abroad came in gentle ripples, slowly ebbing and flowing, memories intertwining with the present moments (sounds like you have already begun this process).
My most potent memory from that time period is that whenever I was approaching a frightening experience (example- job interview), I would cheer myself on with “You’ve lived in France, so you can do anything now!” You can do anything!
You will be blessed with truths and feelings from this France adventure for a long time…re-bienvenue, Courtney!
Glad you’re back!
It is amazing that when you return home from an experience like that, things really haven’t changed all that much (besides your bedroom in your parents home). That’s all the more reason to go! I felt bad for my friends who, in college way back when, didnt want to go abroad for fear of missing out. On what?! You are awesome for being bold enough to go and coming back without regrets.
I remember being surprised how quickly I adjusted back to my real life after long adventures in New Zealand, Africa and Austria. It seems like a dream to be in those far places, and I know you feel the same way about Paris. I was changed by each experience, but able to slide back into my life in the states all too easilly–hopefully a better person than I was when I left.
Welcome Home! Can’t wait to hear more about your trip!
i welcome you, and your beautiful photos, back! yippee!
I’m so excited that you’re back to blogging…I’ve missed your fabulous posts!
I was definitely excited to see the post pop up in Google Reader this morning! Welcome back! : )
I know exactly what you mean regarding your Paris experience. I spent a year living in Taiwan and I felt incredibly lucky to have that opportunity. BUT, it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It challenged me every day and I wouldn’t trade the discomfort of it for anything. I didn’t realize it until I’d been back home for a while, but that constant feeling of discomfort, of feeling like you don’t quite fit, or of getting lost – AGAIN – in a foreign country, taught me more than I could have ever imagined about who I am and what I’m capable of. Look forward to that realization hitting you like a stack of bricks one day soon! : )
It’s good to have you back :) Your semester in France will surely be something that will shape you for years to come. And isn’t it great that no matter what happens, the yoga mat is always there? Looking forward to your next post!
I’m so glad you’re back to posting! I was a bit of a lurker, but I really enjoyed your posts. Two of my most dear friends are headed to France to study for a year in September, and I can’t help but read your blog and be assured of the amazing time that they will both have. Have a great day!
So glad you’re back! You sound like a new woman. :)
It sounds like you have an incredbile journey behind you, and another on the horizon! Good luck with everything, so happy you’re back online!
xo
K
I was sad when you disappeared on us, but I have trouble balancing blogging with my normal life, much less if I was in Paris! Glad to hear you had such an amazing time, and hope to see you here more often from now on. :)
Welcome back! Your blog was missed, but I’m so thrilled you took time for yourself and enjoyed!
all i have to say is YIPPEEEEE i am so glad you’re back. Seriously, the blog world needs you. Can we please have a bloggy meetup one day soon? :) Welcome home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Glad you made it back! France is a place I would love to visit sometime, I really enjoyed your pictures and stories. Can’t wait to hear more!
Glad your back! I really like your blog! Have missed your postings very much!
Greets from Austria
Claire
Welcome home my friend. Your last month in Paris sounded amazing, and I’m so happy you had the experience of living there. Must be weird being home but familiar and comfortable at the same time, no? I remember it well. :)
YAY YAY YAY! I’m so glad you’re back…at least for now? Travelling in the 21st century – I know what you mean thinking about being across the Atlantic one day and in your bedroom at home the next – so surreal! I hope you’ll share more of your final experiences from Europe in the future. I loveee your writing.
Congrats on graduating in August! <3
welcome back! paris changed my outlook on food in a HUGE way (for the better! i’ve stopped feeling so guilty about having small treats!) i couldn’t wait to hear how the end of the semester turned out -love the photos! my next trip to france will def include a jaunt to the south. i’m a total beach bum :)
Hey…glad you’re back=)
Awww, so happy to see you are back! You are one of my faves. :) Don’t worry about falling off the edge of the world for a bit. Sometimes it’s COMPLETELY necessary. I did the same thing when I decided to leave college and move to Chicago. Those big culture shocks/homesick/loneliness/shocks of being in a beautiful place where you don’t know anyone is INTENSE! Can’t wait to see your new blog ideas! :)
Hooray! I am SO glad that you are back! I am also glad, though, that you took the break that you needed.
I myself am about to return home from my semester abroad and it’s good to know that things will go on the same as before I left. Enjoy the rest of your time at UF!
YAY!!! So nice to have you back!
I think being in a totally different country would be an overwhelming, sometimes very stressful experience for anyone, at any age.
Welcome back Courtney! You lived through an amazing experience, and I think it is great that you took a blogging break to deal with life :) Sets a good example to be true to yourself. Glad to have you back!
I haven’t read through all of this yet b/c I am at work. BUt I am SO GLAD you are back. Welcome back!
It’s great to see you back. I really enjoy your blog. Write when you want, what you want . . . that’s what it’s all about and we’ll all still love you. :)
Hey Court, welcome back. I used to be obsessed with the notion of living in the moment — until I realized that I was trying so hard to live in the moment that I wasn’t really living at all. I was fretting. I’m slowly learning that sometimes, we live so that we can remember. Moments are like snapshots; but memories are panoramas. They’re things that you can piece together, step away from, look at from afar, and truly realize how grand of a scene it all really was. That’s called appreciation. And that, my darling, is priceless.
Welcome home! And welcome back. I missed your writing! This is such a lovely blog.
Well put. I am soon ending (in three short weeks!) a year and a half stint out of the U.S. and I already had the odd realization that soon my travels and life abroad will be just surreal memories! And it is so true that life at home never changes as much as you expect, which is comforting and frustrating all at once.
I think blogging is about doing things on your own terms, whatever that means. And to some extent the longer I live (at my wise old age of 27) I’ve realized life is about doing things on your own terms and so what with expectations.
WOW! What an amazing experience. Love seeing all the pictures. What I would give to go where you did. Glad you were able to do something like this. I bet you were stretched and grown in so many different ways.
yea i would imagine it would be a BIG shift in the frequency and duration of yoga when abroad… at least in terms of your schedule and routine.
you know i love ur blog so much! i havent been commenting much lately but ive been reading posts like mad! i must say that since u left for France til now- uve been on quite the life journey! you are amazing and SO INSPIRING <3 <3
xoxo
Welcome Home!!!
Wow! What an experience. I’m glad you’re enjoying being back home, though. :)