C'est Comme Ça

Today was my last day of my trip, and it was such a beautiful day! I'm so glad I got the chance to come to New York before I came home. The gloomy Parisian weather followed me to New York and today was just the kind of last day I needed...
I woke up early to go grab a bagel and coffee at this wonderful place called Bergen's Bagels in Brooklyn. Then of course I had to grab a bunch to take home! After breakfast on the go, it was time to head to Coney Island. Today just happened to be the Annual Sandcastle Sculpture Contest which was beyond crazy. Some of the older guys must have been building these sculptures for a long time because they were real works of art. There were several castles, a couple of turtles, mermaids. After a few days of rain that has been following me around, it was incredibly sunny and so warm today and it felt amazing to walk along the beach with the sun beating down on my face. As the day was starting to get to the hottest part of the day, it was time to move on from Coney Island and see Chinatown! Here I tried some kind of Asian pancakes and dumplings for the first time. I had never been to a Chinatown anywhere so it was really interesting to see. About a block from Chinatown was Little Italy which wasn't as big as Chinatown. Nevertheless, the sudden culture change in the span of a block was drastic and caught me off guard. It went from never ending Asian restaurants and markets to cafés and guidos.  Much of today was spent walking, eating, and putting endless amounts of sunscreen on. It was a wonderful way to end this phenomenal trip, I couldn't have asked for anything better!
I cannot believe that I will be waking up in a few short hours to go home. To be honest, I've been gone so long I don't quite know what to think of it. Living out of my suitcase for the last two months has become kind of comforting. Not knowing what's going to happen to the day is quite exhilarating. Seeing my friends will be such a relief but I don't really want to stop traveling. Transitioning back into America has been exhausting, especially emotionally. This last week in New York has made me take notice how much I've really changed in this short amount of time. This entire experience has given me the clearest view of my future. As nice as New York has been, it's been nothing compared to Paris. I really wish I could go back. I don't know what to expect when I get home, but no matter what happens, I'll always have this time to look back on and remember fondly.

To everyone I met, everyone who pushed me, everyone who helped me during this trip, everyone in slight passing, I could not thank you enough. Thank you to everyone who has listened to my long rants, long emails, to everyone who supported me until the very end of this trip. I could not have done it without you. Most of all, thank you Mom. If it weren't for you and your support, I could not have done this. Your words kept my spirits up and kept me going this entire time. Without you I wouldn't have had this experience to remember.

To everyone, thank you :) I'll be seeing you.
- Tyann