Coming to an end for some...

Hello all. Today is the last weekend before everyone goes there seperate ways for Christmas or to their respective countries. I am thankful for the time that I have shared with everyone here this semester. Although I am also very sad to say goodbye. I know that I will probably never have dinner on Friday night with Isa, Chrissy, Richard, and Mad all together again.
Hopefully I will meet new people and while I hope to build close realtionships with them as well it is inevitably going to be different. As is life I guess. I tried to also do some Christmas shopping today at Part-Dieu. That is the equivalent of Concord Mills here in Lyon. It is 4 floors and has everything that you could ever want inside. I walked through the crowds and decided to come back another day. If someone yelled "fire" I think that half of the people in the place would have been trampled.
I am having a little french Raclette tonight with Maddy and her friends who are in town. Raclette is a semi-hard cheese and you boil and slice some potatoes, some hams, and of course lots of cheese. You set up the trays and then put an raclette oven on the table and cook your own little creation. It is very good in fact and a lively conversation always is being passed around the table with the scent of carmelizing goodness. It is one of the reasons that I love cooking. Eating brings more satisfaction to a group of friends than anything else you can think of, barnone.
This is also the last night of the Fete des Lumieres. The entire city is lit up every night with colorful attractions. The Place des Terraux outside the L'Hotel de Ville is a cool little projection of different things from France. The festival is famous and there were thousands of people out every night to check them out. I imagine that tonight is going to be another late one. It seems that everyone is leaving just before the holidays and since they have become my family it makes me sad. Plus, of course I miss everyone from home as well. I thought that Maddy was going to come to Paris but since Fred's mother is staying over two nights it is not going to be possible. I want to spend time with Fred so perhaps it will work out for the best this way.

Well, gotta run and help out. Merry Christmas everyone