I have now (re)posted my last experience in France (at least for our first stay there, I’ve been back a few times). Thank you for following along. And apologies to those who weren’t interested, I know sometimes it was a big dump of posts.
I had a lot of fun reading those old posts and reliving those experiences. It is weird because in my memory banks, I thought I had written a lot more about the minutia of life in Strasbourg. I thought I had written posts about trams and post offices, restaurants, and dog parks. But I think maybe I added a lot of that to my Webshots page with pictures and captions. That Webshots page is long gone, but maybe I’ll upload all my pictures from France someday and post them here.
It is also weird to read those old posts and revisit who I was all those years ago. I feel like I complain a lot, and I griped about my wife more than I expected. Two things are responsible, I now believe.
1.) I was trying to be funny. My writing was very casual in these posts. I wrote like I was talking to my friends (which in those early days that’s pretty much all who were reading my posts). So, I complained, in the same manner, you’d complain to your friends about inconveniences you experience on a road trip. Even though you are really having fun.
2.) I was in culture shock way more than I realized. France was amazing, but it was also a shock to the system. While a lot of our friends spoke English, I was surrounded by people speaking a language I didn’t understand. That was confusing and anxiety-inducing. The culture was very different than mine and that was challenging. I’m glad I experienced it, but I can see now how that stress came out in my blog.
Anyway, thanks for reading along.
I will continue to go through my old posts and repost them. I honestly don’t remember what I did with my blog when we got back. I know I kept writing movie/music/book reviews and talking about pop culture. I also posted a lot of what we now call memes – silly little things I found on the Internet. I’m pretty sure the day-to-day stuff mostly disappears. I know you all are just as excited as I am to find out 🙂
themidnightcafe.org 
Hi Mat, i have not read them all as i have just moved, well two weeks ago. Although a small move for most, i suffer from amongst other things chronic fatigue. So for me it’s been major, but it’s a lovely flat in the same town. I just wanted to say i enjoyed the posts i have read, and the photos particularly also. I wanted to ask if you don’t mind, where is Bloomington in the US. Is it Illinois, thanks mate.
I hope you enjoy your new digs.
I believe there is a Bloomington in Illinois but we lived in Bloomington, Indiana. We no longer live there and haven’t for many years. When we first started dating my wife was in Bloomington studying French at Indiana University there. I moved there from Tennessee and we lived there for about five years. It is a lovely town, and I wouldn’t mind moving back.
Thanks very much mate, i forget being British, and never having seen the US how huge a country it is.
I forgot that you were British. Or did I ever know it? I don’t remember :). What part are you from, if I may ask? London is one of my favorite places on Earth (I say as just a tourist)
America is ridiculously huge. Beautiful in parts and amazing sometimes, but very, very big.
No worries Mat, i think i mentioned it maybe on Twitter. If i did though it was probably a while ago, but yes i live in Colchester a very old roman town in the county of Essex. I’m about an hour from London to the East. I too like London, but you need a full wallet and plenty of energy!
Interesting post. I’ve kept a journal for many years (40+) and it is indeed strange to look back and see “the young me” since I’m here in this skin with a few years on it. It’s all a certain truth though, all real, so it’s a gift to have it to reflect on.
For sure. I’ve tried to keep everything as I originally wrote it (with some spelling and grammar mistakes cleaned up). There are some things I cringe at and things that I’ve changed my mind on. But that was me for better or for worse.
That’s cool that you keep a journal. I wish I’d kept one.