Since I was an exchange student with the Rotary International in 2004, I have not returned to Lille, France… Until now! I arrived in Lille, a large metropolis in the north of France, right next to Belgium, on Friday morning and immediately went to my first host family’s house. It felt so crazy to get out of the train station I used to walk through every day to get to school, then walk to my host family’s house without a second thought. Maybe it had been four years, but it was all the same in my mind. It’s crazy when you’re apart for something so long–I would think and dream about going back to Lille, and I assumed everything must have changed so much in my absence, but everything is pretty much the same. My host families’ homes are the same, my host parents are the same, and even my youngest host brother hardly looks different!

I walked around the city, which is known for it’s fabulous architecture for having historically been a rich, textile-producing town. I visited the Parc Matisse where my best friend, Cait, from Canada and I would always have picnics and get harassed by questionable men. I walked to the center of the town where the magnificent Opera is located, the Vielle Bourse (or old trading point), and then the centre, where there is the huge Christmas ferris wheel right now! Five or so years ago, Cait and I rode that Ferris wheel after a harsh period of adjustment to France and it was the first time both of us really started to feel like we belonged in France. It was an inexplicably sentimental moment, so it was cool to see this Ferris Wheel again.

Right next to the Ferris Wheel is the Marché de Noël, which is a tradition in many towns in Europe. Vendors set up little shacks where they sell Christmas-y items and food. I walked around the Christmas market then headed into Vieux Lille, or old Lille, which is the most quaint section of Lille. There are tons of different boutiques and Christmas decorations everywhere, and I made my way to my host Mom’s jewelry boutique. It was cool to see what she’s done with her life since retiring from teaching. My host parents imported a bunch of silver, Mexican jewelry and created and awesome boutique called Au Fol Argent (check it out if you’re ever here!).

I’ve been doing some Christmas shopping around town, and my two favorite hobbies as of now are nostalgia and wanderlust. Last night, I went to the opera to see “Pinocchio” but I wasn’t too thrilled with the interpretation of it. It was pretty bland.

Unfortunately, I don’t have my camera-adapter-thingy, so photos must wait until the end of the weekend. Tomorrow I’m gonna check out my old high school and eat some foods indigenous to the Flanders region.