L’Etudiant Etranger || Season Two, Episode One

Hello friends! Are you guys ready to begin our first photo series of 2022? I am!

This is the first of four episodes that comprise Gisselle’s return to France. You might meet some new characters along the way! I’m excited to wrap this series up. I really like how it turned out.

Also, the lighting in these photos may be a little off. That’s because I’ve been a bit busy lately, and I didn’t have a lot of time to make this post. But otherwise, I’m happy with how it turned out, and I hope you guys are too.

It wasn’t easy to put the contents of your life into a box. 

I was quickly learning the truth of that statement. I wouldn’t have thought that I’d acquired so much stuff in under a year, but apparently, I had. I was grateful for friends who had given me gifts…though I did a good bit of shopping too. America offered such great things, and I didn’t want to forget my time here once I was back in France. 

I grinned as I picked up a journal with the Statue of Liberty on the cover. I hadn’t gotten the chance to see the real Statue of Liberty during my time in the US, but the journal was filled with memories from my stay. 

I was going to miss this place. 

Claire wandered into my room. “Are you packing already?”

“Well, I must get an early start! I have a lot of things to pack.”

“That’s true,” Claire chuckled. 

She sighed as she sat on my bed. “I don’t want you to go.”

I met her eyes. Truthfully I didn’t want to go back either. I loved America, along with the people who lived here. But I had to return.

“I know ma petite sœur,*” I softly smiled. “I am going to miss you all so much. But I miss my family. You will see when you meet my sister.”

“When does she get here again?” Claire asked. 

“A week before I leave.”

_{*my little sister}

My heart soared when I thought of seeing my dear sister again. It’d been so many days since we’d been together. If there was anyone who’d appreciate American culture as much as I had, it was she.

Claire sniffled. “I just don’t want you to leave! You’re like the big sister I never had.”

“And you are like a little sister to me as well,” I replied. “I do not want to leave either.”

I looked at the ground. It wasn’t as if I could stay in America.

I returned my attention to the boxes upon my bed. “Would you like to help me pack?”

“Only if I can put myself in that box and ship myself to France,”

“I do not think that is the best idea,” I laughed. “But you will have to visit me sometime.”

My mood lightened with that comment. This wasn’t goodbye, not forever. I would still visit my host family and they would visit me. So…why did I still feel sad?

Days later…

“Want to tag along when I go to the airport?” Madame Clarice asked. “We can pick up Chick-fil-a on the way.”

Even if going to the airport wasn’t tempting enough, Chick-fil-a sealed the deal. I didn’t know how I was going to survive in France without it.

“Is that even a question?”

Clarice and I hopped into the car and headed to the airport. After a quick trip to Chick-fil-a, we were off to pick up a special visitor from the airport.

It seemed to take forever, but I finally spotted a familiar face coming out of the airport doors.

“That is her!”

Clarice and I exited the car to help my sister with her bags. 

I ran up to her and gave her a hug. 

“Oh Adeline! It is so nice to see you again!”

“Nice to see you too, Gisselle,” she replied, returning the hug.

I couldn’t wait to spend the next week in America with my sister. Even if it was my last week in America.

Now you’ve *finally* officially met Adeline! And she’s Gisselle’s sister from France! How cool!

I’ll see you on Sunday for an Easter post and then hopefully on Friday with the answers to the Q&A. But we haven’t gotten a lot of questions yet! Don’t forget to ask them here. I’d love to have a bunch of questions!