Our Girl is in Perpignan, in the south of France on a month-long journalism study course. When she first told us of this project last year, she asked us "should I apply?'" No brainer for her Dad and me. Anything to do with travel and education is an opportunity not to be missed. Granted, we are financially in a position to offer these "perks" to Our Girl, but to her credit, she has contributed to this with her own hard-earned dollars. Our Girl is definitely a privileged child, who, as her godmother affectionately says, "has never had to turn right on an airplane".Her sojourn in France will, I think, be an overall, life-changing experience. She is seeing a different way of life, living amongst very different people with different mindsets. The Perpignan Project is a group of 15 students from North America, including four Canadians. Their website is www.inperpignan.net if you are interested in reading/seeing what they are doing.
I wrote, a long time ago, about letting go. I am still struggling with that. We are incredibly close and I love that about our relationship. There is nothing that we don't share...well, almost nothing. I love to see her Facebook posts (I admit to being a huge "creeper"), and we talk daily on Skype or via Facebook chat. I am living vicariously through her. She is doing all the things I could have only dreamt about when I was her age. Not going to university meant I was in the work force from the time I was 17. I did travel a lot, but not on the kind of adventure that she is on now. Our Girl is meeting people from different walks of life and with the advent of social media, some of those friendships will endure. She will gain a new perspective on how others live in a foreign country. This experience will be invaluable to her.
What I love most about our relationship is that I "really, really like her." She is fun to be around, has a wicked sense of humour and a laugh that is raw and infectious. And she's silly.
Her aim is to, someday, be a journalist. She has always been a good writer and she is continuing to sharpen those skills every day. A course like The Perpignan Project is a vital part of that growth. She will succeed at whatever she does.
I figure I still have one more year to let go of her, as she has one more year of university, and after that, possibly graduate school. I am easing up but it's hard to just go cold turkey. My greatest hope is that, from time to time, she will want to tug on my apron strings. And that will be the greatest gift of all.
Bonne chance ma cherie!
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