I first wrote about this subject the summer before I left for Paris, but I have noticed the phenomenon of "last minute friends" every time I prepare to leave a city. In my last two weeks in Gourdon, I have made more friends than I did in the first three months of my trip. This is partly due to the sunny weather, which invites les Gourdonnais to venture out from winter caves to mingle at local cafes and outdoor markets, but I am starting to believe this must have a psychological aspect as well. I recall meeting and befriending a host of people my last semester at Berkeley. I have close friends that I met in Los Angeles the month before I left for Toulouse. I met my boyfriend just three weeks before leaving Paris. And now, in tiny Gourdon, I am experiencing the same thing. Why do I make friends now, just days before I must leave, so that I only realize how much these people matter to me when it is almost too late to establish a relationship?
I wonder if I am too timid when I first move to a new city. I wonder if I prioritize school and job searching over personal relationships. I wonder if I need the ticking time bomb to reach out to those who matter and schedule book exchanges and wine tours.
(sightseeing with new friends)
After weeks of twiddling my thumbs in a quiet French town, I find my schedule bombarded with going away parties, packing, and last minute homework assignments. For the first time in months, I must juggle a busy social schedule with my responsibilities as a student and with my preparations for the future. It is a well known fact that students procrastinate on schoolwork, but is it possible that we procrastinate when it comes to relationships as well?
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