Please Don't Leave

I have two full days left in Paris. Two full days of being a Parisian resident. Two full days to make the most of the city and the people. Two full days to eat my weight in lovely food (which I have been doing). As this reality sets in, so does a feeling of distraught. I don't want to leave. I didn't want to leave when I booked my ticket home, less so when it was a month to go, then two weeks and then a week. And now even less so now that my bedroom is just a room full of suitcases.

Even Paris doesn't want me to leave; check out the weather forcast for the week that I leave:

But seriously, I have never wanted to stay somewhere so much in my life. I even managed to come to terms with leaving my second year student house which still holds some of my best memories. But that was different; then I was actually embarking upon a new exciting adventure. Now I'm going back to Birmingham. Of course I'm excited to be living with two of my friends and I'm looking forward to being in the same country as the others. I know I'll visit Paris again (I'm already looking at flights for October/November) and see the friends I have here, but I won't live here. I'll just be a visitor.

For most people the magic of Paris is climbing the Eiffel Tower, seeing the Mona Lisa and strolling down the Champs Elysées. But for me it's wandering down side streets and coming across quirky shops or restaurants, discovering new hipster bars and just laying in the park near my flat, hoping that the greased-up, tan guy doesn't spot me on my own and come over to make conversation. It's all the amazing food that I can't eat back at home; the unparalleled fresh bread, the crepes and the variety of food from all over the world. It's speaking French. It's being angry at the French system but secretly loving the excuse to complain. It has been living in one of the worst areas Paris has to offer and having the best year of my life.

Who knows, maybe I won't feel this way in a few months time but right now I can't think of anything I want to do less than leave. Is it wrong to secretly hope that Kate and Sally's threats of stealing my passport and shoes are serious?