One day in September

As another school year begins I have been very busy the past few weeks. I came to school earlier to start my job which for the most part has been great. I have 5 classes two of which are online so this will be a little different but I'm hopeful all the glitches will get worked out over the next few weeks. I am so happy to be back at MU class wise I missed my professors here so it's great to finally be back with them. I'm also really looking forward to this year with French club and allies. It has been very bittersweet, I miss France but it’s been great getting to see everyone the past few weeks. There hasn't been a lot going on lately besides training, working and tons of school work so this post is nothing more than a stepping stone till a more (hopefully) important subject matter. With the elections coming up I'm sure I'll have to add some commentary to the topics being talked about. I've grown to really enjoy writing and getting all those thoughts out. At last here I am rambling and digressing so I shall keep this short for now. Since I already touched base with a little update on life, I'll try and write more this year. *Cheer for goals* :-p

Summer

After completing my finals (hell week= 9 tests in 4 days) in France I packed up my backs and said cya later to Caen and all the amazing people I met there. I am pretty sure it goes without saying that it was difficult to do that. As hard as that was it was really great to come back and see all my friends and family back home…and of course it was great seeing my puppies again. It’s amazing how much can change in 9 months; for me they flew by fast. Since I’ve been home it’s been a little interesting adjusting back to everything from the food/sights/driving/language etc. The time difference has also really messed with me. I don’t remember ever getting jet lag for this long in the past. But I’m finally starting to come out of it. My summer is going pretty well I have an interview on Monday and I’m taking two summer session classes. I’ve been reading a few books I brought back from France and listening to a French news station. I’ve just trying to keep up with my French so I’m prepared for the fall. Aside from that stuff I’m just relaxing and enjoying being home. I love Pennsylvania summers so it’s really the perfect time for me.

In other news the LGBT movement has really been taking off these past few months. Recently President Obama (following VP Biden’s lead) has come out in support of marriage equality. Soon after, the NAACP came out in support of marriage equality for the LGBT community. All of this support is huge for the LGBT movement. I have heard a lot of criticism about Obama just now supporting marriage equality just to help get re-elected. I don’t know…for me I’m not really concerned with his political motives. I’m just happy he is fully on board now. Another big development for the LGBT civil rights movement comes from the APA. This past week they finally acknowledged that LGBT people are just as good as heterosexuals at raising children. All of this support is really helping to change people’s ideas and opinions of LGBT people. I only hope we can continue with this progress.

Spring

Spring has finally seemed to come, all be it reluctantly, on the part of the weather here. These past few months have been interesting and fun to say the least. Leaving France in a month and a half is definitively going to be bittersweet. I've met some amazing people here and have had some great times. Studying abroad as a whole has been a great experience. I still have some issues with the academic program at the university here, and I regret not "shopping around" so to speak and investigating different study abroad options. I feel I probably could have found something better. But at the time it was the easiest & cheapest option available. My french has still improved so much since coming over. I'm really looking forward to getting back to Millersville and continuing my studies. I've got all my classes picked out for next semester and it's looking like it's going to be a great semester!! I get asked a lot "which do you like better France or America?" and honestly I don't know how to respond...I like certain things in France better than in the US and vice verse, so it's hard to say. I'm looking forward to going back home, but only because I know eventually I'll make my way back to France. I don't know that I would be content living here full time but coming back for work/studies/travel is a must. 


The nice weather makes me so excited for summer and everything I love about summer. The trips to jacobsburg, the dog park, the drive in. seeing all my friends from high school all back in town for a little while. I guess this summer will be more meaningful as we have a lot of lost time to catch up on. 


The following weeks should prove to be hectic. I'll be going to Monte-Carlo next week for a few days, thankfully these spring break plans still seem to be panning out, since the euro rail pass was a waste of money. After that there are just 10 classes before the 2ish weeks of finals. It's hard to believe this semester is just about over!! I'm not sure when my next post will be maybe once I'm back in the states, wide awake at strange hours trying to adjust to the times :-p 

We shall see :) 

An "American Dream" in the process....

So with the upcoming elections in the states I have been reading more and more about the different views that certain political hopefuls have been taking. One such issue being gay marriage. I guess it goes with out saying that I support gay marriage...not just because I'm gay but because I believe it is truly the right thing.

One of the most compelling arguments is simply the fact that marriage is a joining of two people in love. Who among us is so worthy/able to judge and condemn that? Why would anyone want to take away the opportunity to bring more love into a world that, lets be honest, isn't the kindest place sometimes. One of the politicians and presidential hopeful, Rick Santorum, has been one such ignorant hater so to speak. Growing up I always believed all the talk about America the great, Freedom and Liberty for all etc. etc...And don't get me wrong, America is still great and we have so much to be thankful for, but lets also be honest with ourselves we are not all equal. It's scary to think that in 2012 there is still a large population of Americans living as second class citizens. We are deemed not worthy of the same "American Dream" just for loving someone of the same sex. Really this is bullshit!

I truly believe this is the civil rights movement of our time, and right now it's just a matter of picking a side. The right side of history or the wrong side. Rick Santorum and those that have his mindset towards gays are undeniably on the wrong side of history. It is extremely dangerous and irresponsible for us to give someone like Mr. Santorum that much power and publicity. We have high rates of LGBT bullying and consequentially high rates of suicide among LGBT youth. How can someone like that even begin to reach out to help those in need?..The sad answer, those problems would most likely get swept under the rug. Those kids doing the bullying are not going to change or become tolerant if they see/hear public figures breaking down other peoples dignity. And obviously if the LGBT youth are hearing all of this hate talk how are they given a fair shot to a "normal" and pleasant childhood? 

I guess for some people its easier to judge/disapprove/condemn/dislike someone than to love them. I think the world needs more love, acceptance and tolerance. We can't really move forward without it.  

3 years later

As the new year begins a lot has been going on. After coming back to France we had a pretty long winter break....It was very nice just being able to relax and teach part time. I've really come to love teaching the kids are cool and most of the time they actually want to learn and speak English.

We just started the second semester last week and it seems like it will be pretty interesting and a bit challenging. I took the economic route which has never been my strong point so we shall see how that goes. So far it has been pretty good, my schedule is so much better then last semester.. I only have one early & long day of class on Thursdays, the rest of the week I start pretty late, and did I mention I get Fridays off!! This is a first in my academic career so I'm pretty happy about it. It worked out perfectly now I'm able to continue teaching on Fridays.

In other more important news this past week my dad was hospitalize for what the doctors believe to be pneumonia. He has been on a ventilator the past week. As you can imagine with all that happening at home France has sorta been the last place I've wanted to be, luckily between teaching and classes I was able to distract myself enough...Thankfully he has been improving and the doctors are very optimistic he will be off the ventilator later this week as well as conscious again. So please thoughts and prays to a speedy recovery.

On another pretty important note this past weekend has marked the 3 year anniversary of me coming out!! I can't believe it's been 3 years already. In a lot of ways things have changed so much for the better...It was just the start of me coming to terms and accepting myself. It's never and easy life lesson but it's very important, as I've said in past post I feel like I've made a lot of progress with regards to this...Of course we all have good days and bad days but c'est la vie!

Aside from all of that nothing else is really new...we finally got a little bit of snow here, so the snowball fight/sledding at the castle was pretty epic!! Now I'm getting pretty antsy for spring/summer to come!! :-p