Settling Into the Country Life

It was another crazy day. I mean that in the good way. Turns out that we’re living practically in the countryside. I got up at 7:15 am (a lot more tired than I went to sleep) and got ready to go. It takes us about an hour and a half to get to the institute building, where we have school. The family has muesli, a great cereal I lived on for almost a year of my mission, and if all goes well, I’ll make that another 3 months of my life. It’s one of those things I really loved about Europe. That and the pastries. Mom, don’t read this next line, but I could and think I may live off of the pastries here. I had a raspberry tart yesterday, and today I ate a great baguette with parmesan cheese on top, baked in the oven. It think it may have been the most tasty loaf of bread I’ve ever eaten.

When I got off the bus coming home today, I walked around a bit. There are a number of large fields surrounding the area where we live (that’s right, we walk several hundred yards to get to a bus to take us to the train that takes us to the metro that takes us to the church. That’s four modes of transportation for those of you who are counting). The fields are big and green, and go as far as I can see into trees and the distant forest. It’s amazing to think of the history behind it all. It was this land that gave Louis XIV his strength to fight the nations, to wage his wars, and become arguably the most powerful man in Europe at the time. It was the French who fought his wars, and this is the land of Napoleon. How amazing is that?

As a side note, I find it interesting how the French look at their revolution as such a freeing moment, when in reality it unsettled their country enough for a dictator to take control and give himself unrivaled power (even if he did call himself the heir to the Revolution), without even mentioning the despotism of the Reign of Terror or the thousands of relatively innocent (and some not-so-innocent) people who were brutally beheaded. They’ve never really regained that stability in the 220 years since the revolution. For instance, I had the marvelous pleasure of witnessing a massive riot control today. There were easily 200 + police in full riot gear with shields and nightsticks and automatic weapons… (picture above) Let’s be honest, it wouldn’t be France without a riot. They are nice people, though.

So, I’ve had no internet for the past few days. I’ve been using my roommate/teacher’s computer (he is the TA who teaches the French 102 class I am in). Otherwise I would have written sooner. My roommate is going to Lyon to visit a friend of his for the weekend, so I’m probably going to be internet-less for another few days. Hopefully we can get this sorted out. I don’t really even have time on the computer to write emails. I’ve been working on French like a madman, and I think I’m doing pretty well. I’m attending the 201 class as well, and I think I’m catching on. I almost had a conversation in French today. I can say a few things, and I’m improving.

In the meantime, I’ve been reading the Story of Art and Charlie Wilson’s War. They are both fascinating reads, and my only regret is that I’m going to be done with both of them very shortly, and then I don’t know what I will do. I guess I could do my homework. One class I am taking is called “Paris Walks” and for three, that’s right, three credits I walk around Paris, take pictures and make notes about my hour to two hour walks each week. I know it sounds ridiculous, and it kinda is, but I like it. Oh, I just remembered that I’ve got the Aeneid, so I’ll be set.

This Monday we’re going to Brussels for a few days. That should be fun—we’ll see what kind of trouble we can make up there.

Paris, the City of Lights

So, I did finally make it, after a brief stop in DC. I spent the night at Staci's, then Staci, Seth and my cousin Camille went to IKEA. There was an incident involving a jeep, some root beer, and an oversized mirror. It will go down in the history books as one of the more ridiculous things the elder Wheeler's concocted. That's enough about that....

I made it to my flight on time, but left my phone in Seth's car, so wasn't able to make any more last minute phone calls. Sorry to those who I had hoped to call.

France is shockingly like Spain. That was the biggest surprize when I started wandering down the enchanted little streets. Except, I don't understand a word they say here... but life goes on. I am living with a French family (mom, dad and a 19 year old son) about 40 minutes out of downtown Paris, in the burbs. It's pretty quiet. They speak English, so if there's an emergency, they could help, but they only speak to me in French so I can practice. I told them it's a great idea. It's actually quite lovely here. I can see the starts. Orion's overhead right now. Kinda makes me feel like it's a small world.

I've got about 20 minutes of sleep in the past 33 hours, though (as luck would have it, I bought "Charlie Wilson's War" minutes before boarding my flight to Chicago, and was so entranced by it I only put it down when they announced that we were about to begin descending into Paris... and that I had already spent my whole 6 hour flight reading. My biggest regret is that I stopped reading to try to take a nap.... Until next time.

Jeff

Unexpected Beginnings

Well, I thought that by now I would be relaxing in the Hotel Etape in Paris. I think one of the last things I thought I'd be doing this Saturday morning was hanging out with Staci and Seth at Ikea in Northern Virginia. Funny how things work out sometimes.

As luck would have it, the only two storms in all of the Continental United States were in Mississippi and right over Chicago. Accordingly, of all the hundreds of flights going through snowwy Chicago, they canceled three to places like Lancing and Des Moines, and the trip to Paris. I found this out as my flight landed in Chicago, and I got a voicemail from United telling me that my flight was canceled, but that they had already re-booked me on a flight to DC the next day (today) where I would catch another flight to Paris.

Well, I figured that as long as I was going to DC, I might as well go a day early and see the fam, so here I am! My second attempt to make it to Paris starts at 5:10pm this afternoon... So, better luck this time. At least I had somewhere fun I could go. While in Chicago, I did get to play cards with some of the other students from the study abroad. Good times in the Chicago Airport...

Humble Beginnings

This is my first attempt at blogging, so we'll see how it goes. I've often thought of my journal as a record for the future, and so I write it as if I were sitting talking to someone. It makes it more fun to write, in any event. I suppose, then, this will be a much more... public version of the same.

In any event, I am starting this in response to several requests to "stay in touch," etc, while away in Paris. I plan to update it at least once a week, if not more often, with takes of my excitement and adventure. We'll see. I've heard it said that in life, one should

1) Have fun
2) Make a memory, and
3) Live to tell the tale

It doesn't do much good to live to tell if I don't actually do the telling, so here I go!

Jeff