My Brother is Gone

After about a month and a half of meandering around Europe together and living in extremely close quarters in a quiet French town, my brother has taken off on the next chapter in his journey around the world and has left me all alone in Valenciennes.

Ok, now I am just being a baby. I am not all alone. I still have my awesome roommate Chelsea and the other characters of Val. Plus, I have my own agenda to stick to: this weekend, a trip to the country with my famille francaise. Then it's back in Val for a few days, and then I actually get to go to London to meet up with the Big Bro again. So, yeah, it's actually not even really goodbye either.

Nevertheless, I am feeling a bit down, and more than I expected. To be perfectly honest, I was definitely apprehensive about Jordan's extremely long visit over here (3 months it will be in entirety).

When I first arrived in Lille I was freaked because I was homeless, and how could I have my brother come visit if I was living in a tent with the other SDFs?

Then I got an apartment, but it was small, and there were only two beds--one for me, one for the roomie. Where was he going to sleep? Did I need to venture to the big Carrefour to find a foam mattress for him? And do I really want him around, in my space, for that long? What will he do all day while I work?

Um yeah, I'm kind of a worrywart. Can you tell?

Well, to my pleasant surprise, this has been the greatest month and half I could have asked for. I've been a little bit more homesick this time around abroad and it was great to have a comfort from home.

It was also great to really get to know my brother. Sure, I've known him over 23 years now, and we've hung out a lot and even traveled together quite a bit as well. But this time, I got to actually live with him. Because of our close proximity physically in my apartment (and our bedroom, aka the living room/kitchen/dining room), there was not much room to hold back conversations, opinions, snores and maybe sometimes even farts. Gross, I know.

But really, it was so incredibly wonderful to feel so comfortable with my brother and to know that we really are a lot alike. To know that we live rather similarly, and that we are excellent travel partners.

It is my personal belief that siblings are your best allies and friends in life. They know where you come from, why you are the way you are, and are the ones who can understand your quirks, worries and phobias the most (I have many).

So, now I will have to go and watch The Office alone tonight. Jordan, it was a blast. Can't wait to meet you in London, I'm going to see what I can do about Barcelona, I can't wait to have you back here in Val for even just a little bit, and I am going to hate having to say goodbye for real.

Love you!