The Winds of Change – Part 2

Hey Guys!

Well, nothing better than a whole evening of homeworking to get a little pressure off by writing some stuff going over my head.

Here we are, the 22nd of April 2010 in Austin, Texas. I was looking at the date and suddenly came aware : WHAT? Has it been 3 months and a half that I’m here ALREADY?

Yes, so is the truth. Days are flying by, minutes just evaporating, wiping out everything, except from great memories. And boy, do I have a lot from here!

I can still remember this Thursday, 6th of January when I first set foot at Austin’s Airport. Unlike what my traveler’s soul could tell people, I was really frightened. It is the first experience on my very own for such a long amount of time, in a totally different country.

As weeks passed, Austin has become my second home. The lifestyle is truly amazing, the weather terrific, life is cheap, and classes are interesting and fun. But the reason why it has become such a memorable experience is the friends I have made here.

May they be Europeans, Americans, Mexicans, and whatever else, they mostly helped me getting used to the culture, enjoying time here, and not feel too much the burden of missing the loved ones back home. Of course, you still have one of those days where you miss your family so much that you feel depressed. But the good thing about this town is that you will NEVER be alone. There’s always something going on, somewhere to party, and someone to share experiences with.

7 weeks away from my return back in France, I can’t help but thinking that at some point in life, we all need to accept the change. One of the classes I’m enrolled in, “Consulting and Change Management”, has been an astonishing asset through the course of this semester. I have learnt a lot about others and myself, about our ability to change and the apparent reluctance we might have.

My conclusion on the topic is that any change, whatever it is, has some good into it. You might be fearful, threatened, incredibly scared about having to change your habits, adapt to a new environment, get out of the comfortable life you’ve built yourself, and go out and grab an adventure. I feel like this trip cannot embody more perfectly this statement. Seeking this exchange program was in itself the beginning of the journey. And the same way you cry as a little kid when your parents leave you at school for the first time in your life, but don’t want to leave once you’re used to it, this is pretty much how I feel.

I plan on living these few remaining weeks at their fullest, get every grasp of life and breath of fresh air possible. I want to make this change worth of being told for the years to come.

The first (I would say TREMENDOUS) step to this feeling of change was a dramatic haircut I decided to have. Judge for yourself :

Diego, Me, Jake and Truls out in the Texas Country

I think this is the ultimate proof that I AM NOT RELUCTANT TO CHANGE! haha.

This is getting late, and I want to save some stuff for my next post. Y’all have a good night…

Juju