On the (Rail)road

Hey all,

I haven't posted much of anything because there hasn't been a whole lot to say. I'm sorry to all those who have been disappointed by the long silence; rest assured that I have at least one or two big posts left in me before leaving the country in the beginning of June!

I'll be interviewed by some French college students tomorrow morning about education in the US. Check out the previous post for the answers I have prepared to their questions!

I had a nice visit with my mom and sister, who came for ten days to visit France. We spent a few days in Paris and then went down to Bordeaux, where they got to meet my host family from last year! It was really wonderful for me to be able to reconcile these two families; after this visit, I almost consider my mom and sister witnesses of my time here in France. They met the people I stayed with, they met a friend I made in Bordeaux, they walked the streets I walked every day in the beautiful city. They can now corroborate my story; it no longer exists simply in my memories and those of the friends I've made in France!

Going to Paris was nice, not just to see my mom and sister, but also because it is for me a breath of fresh air. As much as I love Angers for the small, quiet, beautiful town that it is, I definitely need to go to Paris once every two months or so to reacquaint myself with the fact that there is a world outside of mine own. I read the New York Times and the New Yorker, I hear about events through Le Monde and word of mouth; but until I go to Paris and see the international hustle and bustle, it doesn't really sink in that things such as the passing of the health care bill, Sarkozy's alleged affairs, and the rapid development of my life and the lives of my friends are really happening.

Friday night (tomorrow night) I embark on a serious journey: I will go from Angers to Bordeaux, the first leg of the most ambitious trip I have ever made in my life. On the 13th I will go from Bordeaux to Paris, spend a few days with friends there, and then move on to Strasbourg on the night of the 18th. Strasbourg is supposed to be one of the most beautiful places in the world, playing host to a unique combination of French and German culture. On the evening of the 20th, I will go from Strasbourg to Lyon, another beautiful city of which I have heard many good things; and then on the 23rd I will go from Lyon to Marseille, home of Marius, IAM, and la bouillabaisse! On the eve of the 24th I will go to Montpellier to visit my buddy Lera whom I met at Bordeaux last year. On the 26th, I'll head off to Nimes, a lesser-known but reputedly very beautiful city a half hour away from Montpellier. I wanted to go to Nimes because I had read Le Charroi de Nimes, a famous story from the 12th century, and was curious to see for myself what it's like. Finally, I will leave Nimes on the 27th for Paris, where I will spend the early afternoon wandering and then head back to Angers. Should be wild! My goal is to write a poem for each city I visit, as a reflection of my impression of the environment but also my state of mind. Given how much I'm traveling, it could turn out to be quite dynamic, to say the least!

Of course, this whole journey has been made possible (affordable/feasible) by France's high-speed rail system. Let's hope California and the US manage to get their hands on a similar technology soon! I recall California purchased France's TGV2 technology in the November elections of last year, but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore considering the news popping up about China offering to sell us technology...

I have news about what I will be doing with my life next year, but full disclosure of the juicy details will have to be postponed until the end of April, at the very earliest. Know that I will not be living in California come next Fall... very exciting news for this globetrotter. (Am I a globetrotter? Don't feel a particularly forceful wanderlust...)

Thanks for checking the blog and I look forward to giving you more updates soon!

Ben