Vacation

In less than a week, Jube and I will be going to Norway. It was a Christmas present from my mother, who will be meeting us there with my crazy little mohawked brother.

I've been looking forward to this trip for a long time, and I can't wait to go! Belle-maman's dream has always been to go to a Scandinavian country, so she was going to come too. Unfortunately, Pépé, her father, who has been ill for a long time, was just hospitalized. She called us last week to tell us to cancel her ticket. So now, I'm feeling rather ambivalent about the trip. I can't wait to see my family (not only are my mother and brother coming, we'll be staying with my uncle and aunt who live in Oslo), but I know how much Belle-maman had wanted to be able to go. She had her first passport made and had already changed her Euros into Norwegian Kroner.

I've also been feeling guilty for awhile for wanting to go back to the US and bring Jube with me. I know how much le Pacha and his parents will miss him, and I feel like I haven't given him the choice to say no. He assures me that he wants to come, too, but I still worry. I feel like I've managed to adapt relatively easily to French life, and because of that, I should look for a permanent job here instead of continuing my education in the US--and expecting Jube to leave his secure job as a civil servant to take up something like substitute teaching or data entry in Virginia.

I am still somewhat optimistic about the future, but it worries me a lot.