Mum, Dad and Zoe arrived this week!!!

This week started off with the loud screeching of a terrorist attack alert at school. I think ears nearly fell off. Fortunately it was just a practice. I was in the library with Floriane when it went off, we were the only ones in there apart from the librarian. We barricaded the door with 3 book shelves, closed the curtains and hid in the storage room with the lights off for 20 minutes – it was super intense!

Mum, Dad and Zoe were due to arrive on Monday night. To be honest I didn’t really believe that they were coming to France, my France, my Bazas. I felt so conflicted about mum and Dad coming, one half of me was thrilled while the other was upset – them arriving was a symbol of the end of my exchange. Goodbye lovely host family, goodbye bestest friends ever, goodbye freedom. Maybe I’m being a little dramatic, but you get the picture.

Monday must have been the longest day of my life waiting for school to end. I caught the bus home, like normal, had dinner with my host family, like normal, and waited for ever for Flo to finish eating, like normal. Everything was so normal that I sort of convinced my self I wasn’t leaving. When the time came for Nicolas to take me to the rental house in Bazas where Mum and Dad had arrived, it hit me like an angry french driver – I was actually leaving.

Saying goodbye to everyone took about an hour to be honest, Flo leech-attached herself to me and Mili was just as bad. Elisabeth and Gwen wanted to keep talking to me. Saying goodbye to Laurence was the hardest – I just burst into tears and so did she. This Sunday I am going to see them again so I find it a bit funny that we have to do our emotional goodbyes all over again.

When we drove up to Mum and Dad’s house I was totally calm – I just didn’t believe that they were there. I walked up the steps to the door when Dad came running out. I did an ultimate double take and BAM the damns burst again. Dad cried too! I couldn’t believe it! I ran straight into Mum’s arms after, and we sobbed like two idiots, I had to keep pulling away to look at her face to make sure it was really her. I said goodbye to Nicolas, and then stayed glued on the couch with Mum and Dad for the night. As for Zoe, she had already gone to bed so I didn’t get to see her until the morning after!