As the end of the semester approaches, its pace definitely seems to be getting quicker. And I can't help but find myself listing all of the things I can hardly wait to have or see again when I get back. That's not my only list, though. The list of things that I'll be sad to leave behind is getting longer.
One of the nicest things - something I think will be one of my fondest memories of living in France - is going to my nearby boulangerie-pâtisserie on weekend mornings and hearing, "Bonjour, madame!" An exclamation point isn't the correct punctuation because it doesn't really describe the tone of the petite, friendly salutation of the lady behind the counter. There's nothing falsely exuberant about the way she greets you when you enter her business. Aunt Dede described it best when she said it's like they're singing to you.
