Âllo, les chouchous

So I have decided to create a blog (like that surprises you, right?), in hopes that this will help me clarify my ideas on life and the world.

First things first, I leave in one week for Paris.

This makes me incredibly nervous, despite the fact that I have already lived with the Dubrules and had the same experience only a few months ago. Yet this time around, I feel much more uneasy about leaving friends and family behind. My family is dealing with serious hardship, what with my Grampy’s rapidly-failing health and my estranged uncle coming home to bid his father a final farewell; my friends are feeling disconnected and confused; I find myself questioning things that seemed so basic in months past. I am afraid that my leaving all of this behind is a selfish move for my own best interest, yet I know that not going would disappoint Sophie, François, and the children immensely. As I stated before, I leave in one week. I am leaving. There is no question about it. I just hope that I am making the right decision, if such a thing exists.

Secondly, my parents’ anniversary is this weekend. This makes me supremely happy and gives me reassurance in the idea that good things happen to good people.

Thirdly, a bit of good news comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The rebel fighters in the East, a large portion of whom are Tutsi and Hutus who have travelled from Rwanda and sought refuge in the DR Congo, have been raping and pillaging locals for the past 15 years. The President of the DR Congo has announced that all rapes and acts of violence will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, which serves as a lesson (if enacted properly) to those who have committed horrible acts, and to those affected by the acts, both young and old, men and women. Voici l’article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8140039.stm

Finally, I have come to the conclusion that emotions are entirely relative. For example, I am happy only because I was sad before. Nothing exists in a vacuum. Voilà.

This is all for the time being.

Completely yours,

Christine