Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone. ~G.B. Stern

So, anyone who’e been paying attention to this blog may have noticed that last Saturday was my OFFICIAL One-Month Anniversary here in Dinan, France.  That’s correct, folks, I have survived one full month on my own in a foreign continent with no loss of life or limb; give it up!!

Alright, self-praise aside, I admit that the phrase “on my own” is not totally true.  Therefore I dedicate this post to paying my dues to the people who made this trip happen, as well as those who’re making it happen still.

Thank-you, first and foremost: Mom and Pappa.  For shelling out the big bucks for the plane ticket after devoting 16 years of your lives shaping me into Exchange Student material, and for possessing the great courage and love to let me go.

Chris and Corrina:  You’re two of the wisest and funnest people I’ve ever met.  Corrina, I wear your necklace often.  Chris, I love the book.  Thank-you both for knowing me so well.

Brothers:  Thanks for the laughs, I hold them close.  Can’t wait to return, set up the Wii, and kick all your @$$es at Super Smash Bros Brawl.  It will be epic.

Friends:  We’ve shared so much: stories about stupid classes, aimless walks through Chilliwack, cupcake-decorating parties, hilarious Youtube vids (Avenue Q comes to mind) and awful movies (Vampires Suck comes to mind) that were only worth the ticket price cause they brought us together.  Thanks for sticking with me and being the kind I people I love to be stuck on!!

Rotary:  Thanks for giving me the chance of a lifetime. I’m doing my best to make you proud.

Host Families (present and future): It takes guts to allow a stranger into you house and lives.  Thanks for having ‘em.  I wouldn’t be here without you.

The makers of Skype, Hotmail and Facebook:  I shake you all warmly by the metaphorical hand.  You’ve made the world a closer place; I thank you for that.

Have you ever stopped to wonder what makes you who you are;  what elements evolve you from day to day?  Me, I am a firm believer in the concept that every human interaction one makes influences one’s character.  So thanks to everyone I love for making me who I am today.  I don’t know where I’d be without you. (I really don’t!!)