Life (How to Look, Feel, Act and Smell Homeless for only 100 Euro's a Day)

I think the most plausible reason for my prolonged absence here lately has to be that after my pilgrimage to Oscar Wilde's grave I had to face the reality that I will never be even half of his stature as a writer. So, i spiraled into depression, and every time I tried to write, I couldn't go through with it.

Either that or I have been too busy living la vie francaise to stop and write about it.
Maybe a synthesis of the two.

At any rate, sorry to all who still check here, in (almost a) month since my last post. Rest assured, my life is still amazing, and I am both alive, and frenchish. See, the thing is the French schools have a lot of paid vacation during which I am practically forced to travel. Oh well, it could always be worse.

So, since I have let so much time slip away, I am not sure of the best way to systematically update the masses on my life. I think bullet points are necessary, then a brief exposition shall follow.

• Teaching is still pretty good- the good kids make it all worth it, those who really want to learn. In general its pretty easy, and I have been somewhat lazy when it comes to prepping for classes. Oh well.
• Vacation was amazing. I went to Paris for 4 days, which was what I expected it to be-- Big (too big) and packed with stuff you have to see when you go to France. Though by the end of the trip there I was ready to head back "home" to Bordeaux
• Also during the Vacation I spent 3 days in Lourdes, in the Pyrenees. It was amazing, and I took an excursion even deeper into the mountains. It was really important to me to see the mountains again before it got too cold. Cirque de Gavernies is something everyone should try to see.
• Bordeaux feels like home now. I know the city well, and I am there literally every weekend. Myself and several English assistants have settled into a solid core of friends. Its a good thing. I am now completely certain that I will be moving into the city after Christmas.
• I climbed the tallest sand dune in Europe, then ran down it to the Ocean. hell yeah

So yeah, thats my life in summary. That and I've been drinking alot of wine. Its been alot of fun. I've given up on drinking beer simply due to economics. I bought a 7.50 E beer in Paris, which pretty much convinced me that I would never live in Paris. But since thats about the only negative I have to report, things must be going well.

So I lied. The other negative is FSU football. But isn't it always like that this time of year? You can set your watch to it. Oh well, by October, I am used to looking forward to Basketball season, which should probably be a solid 20 win season for the third year in a row, not that it matters, since we will still just be in the NIT. Because we are FSU.

As described above, my vacation pretty much kicked ass. What I failed to mention is that I was literally forced by my school to live on the road for the duration. Right before the vacation commenced, I made what I believed to be small talk with the people at my school about my plans for vacation. I told them I would be out and about, which they mentioned to be a good
idea.

What they didn't tell me was that the internat would be locked up and inaccessible during the holidays so unbeknownst to me, the things I took in my backpack that friday would have to last me for two weeks. Glad I brought a change of clothes. So, i lived on the kindness of friends, and hotels for vacation.

Evan and I went to Paris, and did all of the necessary things there.
We climbed the Eiffel Tower, because you know its so much better than taking the elevator. Sans doubte. Did the Louvre for a solid six hours. It was neat and all, but by the end it was just a painful walk through.

I did experience something crazy though, as I was leaving the Eiffel Tower, Evan and I ran into our friend Esther from Bordeaux. How do you have a chance meeting like that in a city of 5 million? Then to top it off, when I was in Arcachon with some friends to see the Dune De Pyla, we ran into Esther there! Crazy.

So, after Paris, and a couple more days in between in Bordeaux, I was ready to go to the mountains again to pass the time. So i headed to Lourdes in the Pyrenees. It happens to be the largest Catholic pilgrimage site in France. Wow, the cheese factor was high there, enough kitsch to make Christian bookstore owners blush. But the mountains were incredible, and the train ride into the city was amazing as well. Unfortunately, my camera, which i did not charge before the holidays died before I saw the truly impressive stuff past Lourdes. Oh well, I guess i'll have to go back sometime.

So that was my vacation. Now i am back in La Reole for school, and yeah... I am moving into the city after christmas. I'd only be there for the weekend, but its quite awkward begging for couches from friends literally every weekend. So i am going to get a room at one of the Youth Foyers, and still sleep at the internat during the school week, and then have a place to live on the three day weekend in Bordeaux. I think it will be worth it, since my life really is in Bordeaux, and I have made plenty of friends. Yeah, sweet.

Upcoming... Mr. Jon Boyette will be moving to Europe in December. He'll be in England for his job, but you best believe he'll be visiting, and me the same. But before he starts the job, he's going to stay with me for a week or so in France and then we are gonna do it up in Paris before Christmas. Its going to rock.


So, sorry about the infrequency thing. Paix.