Back in a Western country again....

The internet is so fast here!!! I'm blown away how it takes just mere seconds instead of many, many minutes to load a page. I know this must sound strange, but it sooo true.
Anyway, I'm in Paris, working away on the last bit of my project. Saying goodbye was difficult last night, and I will admit that there were many tears. Madagascar had become a home and it's always hard to say goodbye to a home, especially when you're not entirely sure when you'll see it again. However, I know deep in my heart, that I will be back there soon.
Paris now feels both comforting and strange. Nearly everyone is white and everything is clean. I don't have to worry about going to the bathroom because I'll always be able to find acceptable toilets... trust me, it's important. I'm staying with the same woman in the same apartment that I always have, so that is wonderful and reassuring, because it is also like a home here to me. Everything is soooo expensive!! I had to take a cab from the airport because my bag was incredibly too heavy and I spent more on this taxi than I did on groceries for a week in Tana.... or my taxi fare would have paid for one night in the nicest hotel in Tamatave (a city on the coast). It's just hard to part with that kind of money now.
It's wonderfully warm and light here (it's nearly 6pm, usually dark in Madagascar at this time), and I love Paris at this time of year. It really is a beautiful city. My plans for this week are: to finish my work (priority), see Star Wars (probably tomorrow... I'll let you know what I think), go to my favorite cafes, and avoid shopping (I always spend too much money shopping in Paris... it's like a curse!). I get back to the United States on June 24th, and I'll try to write once more before that. Until then, je vais profiter de mon sejour a Paris!!