Transitioning

Transitions are always hard, but they're a necessary part of my life right now. I'm a nomad; movement is my way of life. Endings are sad but new beginnings are terrifyingly exciting: there's no other rush like knowing that in a few days you're moving to a new place, with no idea about where you'll be laying your head but a foolish faith that it'll all work out the way it's supposed to, and that in a few months or weeks it'll all be settled and you'll look back and laugh. I try not to worry and stress too much about things I have no control over, but that's easier said than done (don't think about the pink elephant in the room).

A few nights ago I went to my 10 year high school reunion. It went exactly as expected: I saw people I had given nary a thought to for a decade, I didn't see people I'd wished would have been there, I felt good about my life path and choices, and grateful for my blessings: my life and my health. Disappointed there weren't any fist fights or dancing.

Before that I was in Reno for a few days. It was nice to see Lyndsey Bunn, an old friend who is living exactly the fierce life I would have expected. We picked up as if it hadn't been five or so years since we'd last seen each other. My brother, dad and I hung out all together for the first time in ages as well. Family is who you're from, family is what it is. I'm realizing that I can't have expectations, and when I don't, great things can happen. We had a supreme time hanging out, eating a buffet, swimming in Lake Tahoe, and watching the History channel. Who knows when that'll happen again?

I'm glad to be 'home' in Portland for a spell, though it's not really where I live, so can I really call it home? My mom's PO box (what I use as my 'permanent' address for school and forms and stuff) is now in Washington, and I just lived in California for 2 months and in 8 days I'm moving to DC for school. Can't I just be a resident of where my heart is? Then let's just say I'm a resident of the west coast.

This sojourn in Portland is/will be perfect: seeing old friends, the good people in my life who renew my faith in humanity, the world and myself. Touching and hugging people for the last time in awhile. Getting errands done (this morning has been incredibly productive: sorted out bank account stuff, made plans for the rest of the week, applied for an internship), and doing enough for myself and my future to calm my nerves and try to just relax and have fun.

Thank you thank you milles fois merci to all the fabulous people in my life whom I can't begin to adequately show my appreciation.

My summer in images

Usually I'm a writer, but here are images from my phone (from my phone! blogs are getting so fancy these days, how can I keep up?) of what I've been up to in Santa Cruz this summer. This is just a taste of what I've been up to. I'm going to miss this place, but everyone's gotta get serious and grow up and save the world at some point, right?

view from Riva's on the wharf:

lunch with Madeleine:

Walking and being with Steve:

Being in the forest:

With Madeleine:

This is too small to do it justice:

This happens on the regular:

Mime party:

Daily:

This is near us:

Puyerh (I mutilated that spelling, but it's sure good relaxing tea):

This one:

Intergalactic Barbie weddings. And wine:

Stimulating Conversation

Aunt Robin and Reid came to France, and I was lucky enough to spend about 3 days with them, tourist-ing it up in Normandy. Besides the WWII beaches and museums and history, the Bayeux tapestry (depicting William the Conqueror's conquest of England in 1066), the delicious cuisine (I ate duck, pork, cod, a camembert pie, Ile Flottante, creme brulée, a few apple tarts, not to mention what I drank! rosé & red wine, cider, kir, Normandy kir, which is cider plus calvados...), I was blessed with stimulating conversation! My aunt is one of the most amazing people I know, and Reid is the most well-read 15 yr old I've ever met (better-read than I was at that age, and probably even better-read than I am now), so we were able to talk about history, politics, current affairs, and of course, family gossip! I love those conversations, because the only conclusion I ever reach is that I come from crazies, all of whom I love the more for it, for keeping things interesting (and making me look good)!

I've been starved for thought-provoking discourse of late, which I attribute to 3 main reasons; 1. I've been spending a lot of time lately with a 20-month-old. As you can imagine, topics of conversation range from horses to cows to eating and bathing, and back again. Exciting. 2. I've been surrounded by francophones. I focus on being understood, and trying to understand. Correct grammar and simpler ideas are the goal of this short and sweet interactions. And 3. I haven't been around inspiring people anyways. I'm sure these Frenchies have convictions about some important things, but I'm 'the help' right now, doing my job, trying to do it well, and beyond that, who cares? It's fine, but being with Aunt Robin and Reid made me miss people who read The New Yorker...(and drink wine...I was a thirsty girl when they found me, and thankfully a little reliving last summer helped)!

This month I've become proficient and confident in changing diapers, feeding a kid, entertaining him, and making sure he doesn't die or kill himself (well, I still have a week to go, better not speak too soon...) I don't want a screaming crying eating pooping irrational little beast of my own. I don't want to be a nanny for any extended period of time, but babysitting here and there is definitely something I can handle. Go me, living up (or down?) to gender stereotypes. It is what it is. I can be nurturing and caring, if I must.

This time next Friday I'm going to be on a train to Paris! I'm stoked to get on with it, and get to the next thing! Paris, London, Phnom Penh...bring it on! I'm in a good traveling place right now...I'm super excited about where I'm going and what I'm doing the next few weeks, but I'm also really excited to be headed home shortly. I'm already making a list of things to do once home. So far, it's:

• eat Mexican! lots of it!
• drink spiced rum! Sailor Jerry, I've missed you! (real-life Jerry, not so much)
• see Miles!
• see family!
• see friends! (I miss you, Mr. Quinn, Hannah, Megan, Alison, Alisha, Danny, Yuliya, et al!)
• get drunk with you all!
• be on a boat!
• go to some idealist.org sponsored career & college fairs in October!
• bike!
• run!
• swim!
• triathlon?
• take micro and macro! (youpie!)
• take the GRE! (things just keep getting more exciting!)
• visit Corvallis
• visit Santa Cruz
• visit Seattle
• visit Utah
• discover Portland (hipster hangouts, watering holes, free fun stuff, local businesses, and what have you-a 'rediscovering-my-roots-reunion-tour/bonanza!)
• apply to...the next big thing (whatever that ends up being)
• have a kick-ass Christmas...somewhere! ;)
• get out by...September 22, 2010 at the latest! I'm not moving home or anything, just visiting for a calendar year MAX!

Bonheur

Have steady (and free!) internet access, will blog! Following, my thoughts on the good life-

"...il n'y a de bonheur que dans le ciel" -Madame Grandet, in Balzac's Eugénie Grandet
There is no happiness except in Heaven.

"la vie c'est du bonheur" -a bracelet I paid too much for and lost a few days later
Life is happiness/pleasure/good.

Glass half-empty or half-full? Is your glass Christian or not? Madame Grandet is a very religious character, who's had a rough family life, and my bracelet was awesome. When life is getting you down, circumstances suck and things aren't going your way, it's Christian (and easy) to say 'life sucks, whatever, things will be wicked cool in Heaven. I gotta get thru this!' But I say, make and be your own happiness. Embrace what comes along, learn from everything, good and bad, and create your own destiny. Don't blame other things or people for what happens, and don't take it lying down. Happiness is here, happiness is now, it's yours if you want it.

"Beaucoup du bonheur"

Lots of happiness -a traditional blessing you'd give to a newly married couple, especially if they're American and can appreciate the double entendre of 'bonheur,' as it sounds like something else you'd like to have a lot of in a marriage! ;)

The following passage has been lifted from my journal, originally written July 31st:

I know I will look back on this year as an incredible time, and also significant. I have some FABULOUS memories (Tunisia, Salou/Barcelona, Avignon, Geneva, meeting Robyn, teaching, meeting Kathleen Riley, Christmas in Hampshire, Ruth and her mom, Simon, Steve, Sarah, Zandra, trains, Alicia in Lyon, the Tour de France, hanging by the Sorgue, when my mom came to visit, hitchhiking, the Avignon theater festival, Whitney in Pertuis, Marseille, Paris with Daniel, &c.), and have read some good books, learned a few lessons (I hope! Though I still stupidly gave my phone number to a Chezch I never planned on seeing again in Geneva), made a few decisions, changed them, ammended them, changed them back, realized a few things (like I like France, I LOVE Europe, I won't know if the Foreign Service is the right thing for me until I do it but for right now it feels like a right and good and exciting direction), can cook a *little better, can travel a lot better, have weathered a few things, and am addicted to travel, wine, cheese, patatas bravas, Tabasco sauce, bastogne cookies, plain croissants (as opposed to pain au chocolats, which are nice, but not the same), trains, coffee, writing. I'm working on being more spontaneous and open to what the universe has to offer. I'm learning how to be an au-pair/nanny right now. At first I felt Seignosse (first nanny gig of the summer) was a failure. Now I see it was how it had to be.

***

Today I took a sailing class for 3 hours! I was sailing around on La Manche, learning hardly anything but I didn't mind because I had fun and perfect weather! Enough wind and lots of sun! Now that's what I call bonheur!

And I thought 20 months was young! Try 6 weeks! I'm currently babysitting a 6 week old, who I met 2 weeks ago, so I guess I've 'known' her for 1/3 of her life. Sort of. Anyways, WTF? Honestly, how do people do this parenting thing? And more importantly, why? Trying to get them both taken care of tonight was a handful...good thing the grandparents are next door to lend a hand! I have an even huger respect for anyone who dares have kids...especially when they're close together, or multiples.

Geographic Literacy is Special

Check out this article (which I just noticed is 3 years old...why haven't I heard about this yet? Maybe because I don't work in public schools in the US?):

http://www.redorbit.com/news/oddities/489062/poll_shows_many_cant_find_la_on_map/

Some of what this article talks about I found in my research for the thesis I wrote last year (nobody can find Iraq on a map yet we've all been hearing/seeing/arguing about it and America's policies there for years now).

"...just 14 percent believe speaking another language is a necessary skill."

As an American abroad, who has interested herself in learning a foreign language (or two, sort of), I am the anomoly. I explain this to Frenchies all the time: a lot of Americans think we're the best country ever and don't want to travel or even learn about what's beyond our borders. This isn't all their fault, however: America is A. massively huge, and B. extremely (self)-important on the international scene. For those who don't plan on traveling/living/working abroad or at an international level, speaking another language wouldn't necessarily be necessary. But Americans should start learning second and third languages to higher levels of proficiency, and everyone should at least be able to read a map! These are fast-paced, interconnected times we're living in these days, so I totally support this move by National Geographic (but really, when wasn't the NG the epitome of cool?).

Living as I do right now in a real French family (I don't get out much), French is becoming commonplace...in a group of 13 or so, children and adults, I realized that I was the only anglophone in the group...and the shocking part was that it isn't so shocking anymore. Yes I've been in France for many moons now, but usually always with my 'safe' American posse just a text away. Being the 'American' (a.k.a. the odd one out) has become my accepted, kooky role (one of the many appealing things about the grad school in Geneva I want to go to is that only 6% of the student body are from North America. That's including Canada and Mexico too, presumedly). I don't know what I'll do with myself in September when I'm back in the homeland, and being American isn't necessarily special anymore...perhaps I'll be the snooty Francophile, baguette-toting, French literature-reading, fancy cheese-eating, high fashion wino in the crowd. Wait a minute, minus the high fashion, that's what I've always been, (and I did just pick up a nautical-themed pashmina afghan at a vide-grenier last weekend)!

Things I'm looking forward to:

1. There's this character in the French book I'm reading right now named Annette...we haven't exactly met her yet, but she's the fancy Parisian current-love-interest of Charles and is currently abroad in Scotland...I'm sure that when she enters the scene she'll stir things up and wake up the so far pretty ho-hum tale! I mean, she is an Annette after all!

2. Sailing on Wednesday (weather permitting)! It occured to me today that I'll learn French sailing terminology. Interesting.

3. Aunt Robin and Reid next weekend! I can't believe they're going to be here in a matter of days! Aunt Robin will be coming at the perfect time...mid-month, midway through this au-pair gig, and my summer wine consumption so far has not nearly been what it was last summer in Santa Cruz (yet I still managed to outdrink two recent high school graduates from Memphis while in Sète, like that says anything).

Dear Cos,

As I find myself just across the Channel, ("That's not the ocean, that's 'la Manche'," was the response upon my gushing over the Atlantic when at the beach the other day) from many of the cities Jane Austen writes about, voila a letter to my cousin, Ms. Erin Heinz, in the spirit of that greatest of novelistes:

the 4th of August, year of our Lord 2009

Dear Cos,

I write to inform you that I've been getting on exceptionally well here in Normandy. I was able to procure a post as au pair to a most agreeable child of 20 months (Matyas) for the month of August. I arrived on the 29th of July to find a family and environs most suitable to my tastes. Eleonore, his mother, is employed at the sailing club here in Villers sur mer, (she has promised to take me sailing one day!), which is situated only about a dozen or so kilometers from Deauville. We live in a small lodge on the farm of Eleonore's parents, Jacques and Danielle. The great house is absolutely divine, the grounds and rooms exhibiting exceedingly good taste. I am fortunate to visit there nearly every day, as Matyas and I call there to see his grandparents.

I am told that in his day, Jacques was one of the premier horse trainers in the whole of France, and indeed, there are many horses on the grounds. It is all excitement here, as various gentlemen are always coming and going, either bringing new horses or taking charge of one or another. Just the other day I watched a horse arrive whom Jacques informed me had injured his ankle in a race that day. You can imagine how animated Matyas can become, with the animals about! He is particularly attached to the foals, (of which there are four!), and the cows, or "meus" who live just down the lane. I am often taking him on walks to see if we cannot spy the calf (or "bébé meu") amongst them.

The environs are perfectly pastoral...today I took my exercise in the neighborhood and saw horses, cows, dogs, butterflies, flowers, cottages, fields, gardens, corn, &c. Indeed, my only little pleasures (outside of the wonders that come of being in the company of one so young and new to life) I find in the fauna and flora of the neighborhood. The pastures, orchards, wooded bits, and farmhouses are so charming and lovely, I am ever calm and content, and never cease to wonder at my good fortune in finding myself in my present situation. Please do not take this to mean that my life here is all leisure and ease--nothing could be further from the truth!

My duties with Matyas are trying, but as I apply myself to them with vigor, are rewarding in the end. He is becoming more accustomed to me every day, and I am growing more proficient at performing the necessary daily tasks of having a baby in one's charge, (changing diapers, bathing, feeding, playing, &c.). Indeed, as I am learning how to care for a small child, I find myself in awe of those among my acquaintance whom I know to have begun their own broods. I find it is the most exhausting work I have ever undertaken! While I am firmly decided upon not marrying or having a child of mine own at present, still I think I might not be entirely adverse to the idea, after another decade or two has passed.

Indeed, I find myself so occupied with Matyas that I hardly find time to read or maintain communications! His naps each afternoon fly by much too quickly, and I find I have half as much time for reflexion as I would like. As this is a temporary post, however, and I am busy and well-fed, I find I have no reasonable grounds for complaint.

I expect our mutual relations, Mrs. Robin McFarland and her son Mr. Barbier, soon. Projects are not entirely in place, but they are expected in the neighborhood in mid-August. I am eager to see familiar faces from the old (new) country, and especially my dear aunt, who has always been a treasured confidante to me. I confess that except for little Matyas, who is all energy and keeps me entertained and exhausted all the day, this interim would be passing ever so solemnly and slowly, in such anxious anticipation I am, to see these dearest of connexions!

I do hope everyone in your branch of the family is well, and that you are most excellently satisfied with the diversions you have engaged in for the summer season. I have heard reports that your work has been most daring and quite dangerous...please do take care, for all of our sakes! I don't know what I would do with myself if I lost such a witty and companionable fine friend such as yourself! Please write when you have anything of report to report, and know that I will never be satisfied until the day I can see and touch you for myself, and we can pass a great many half hours engaged in the most amiable and entertaining conversation imaginable.

Until then,

Ever Affectionately,

Your dear cos,

Annette

Dispatch: from Normandy

I've arrived in the family where I will be an au pair for the month of August. They live in Villers sur mer, a little beach town right next to Deauville and Trouville, where apparently there's an American film festival coming up in September. I've been here less than 24 hours, but I can already tell that things are going to go well. They are relaxed and fun and the little boy, Matyas, is an adventurous handful! They live on a farm in the country, (the grandparents live right next door), and there are horses and chickens! The mom works for a sailing club, so it looks like I'm going to get to go sailing after all (being on Lake Geneva I was sooo tempted to look up sailing lessons; now I'm glad I didn't)! I'm excited to discover this region, which is already completely different from the south (the cute houses, the weather, the accent). France is incredibly diverse (there's more to it than Paris, you know), but there are some universal truths: wine, cheese, baguettes, dressing well and talking softly (I'm always getting shushed, but maybe that would happen no matter what country I'm in).

Everything happens for a reason. At first I was bummed when I was 'let go' from that first family I au pair-ed for, but now I'm so glad. I got to go to Geneva, where I found the grad school I'm going to go to! The Graduate Institute of International Studies...I just have to live some more fabulous life first! I got to re-connect with old friends (Whitney, Steve, Sarah, Xuan), and make new ones. Life is an adventure, I'm learning, and I'm working hard on going with whatever's thrown at me! I've been impressing myself lately: I am a competent traveler! Yesterday I had slightly less than an hour to get through the Paris metro system from the Gare de Lyon to the Gare St. Lazare and I did it, with time to spare to grab a sandwich. I can stay at a hostel by myself and make friends, or spend days alone in unfamiliar cities and have an amazing time! The second to last night I was in Geneva I found live music by the lake, where I drank some delicious caipirinhas, kept creepy guys at bay by approaching Model UN kids and asking them to pretend to be my friend (a Russian, a Lebanese, and an Uzbekistani!), rocked out to the DJ in the rain, and got home safe and sound. I'm amazing! Never cease to be amazed by the world and oneself.

Switzerland!

After my rambling tour of the south of France (I should call it 'There and Back Again,' as I went to Biarritz/Bayonne/Seignosse and promptly came back to Provence), I find myself in Geneva, and I'm in love! Absolutely no night life to speak of, (though my Malaysian-via-London friend and I tried to go out on a Sunday night, granted), but it's gorgeous and soooo international! I went to the UN today and jizzed my pants over the assembly rooms, the art, and the totally cute Uruguayan tour guide/Ph.D student in int'l law (he led the English tour, of all crazy things). I can see myself there, on at least an internship, rocking the international scene and brainsolving the solutions to all the world's problems, or something along those lines. As these things go...

I hiked around a 'hill' (we'll call it that, since the Alps were in the background and 1000-something meters just doesn't quite compare) yesterday with Fwi Mee, the Malaysian woman I met at breakfast. She's amazing! Works 9 months in London and then travels 3 months every year, everywhere, a.k.a. living the dream! The hill was technically in France, so we crossed the border, rode the cable car/funicular thing up the side, and at the top saw parasailers taking off and hiked around. We even saw a 4 and a half year old Heidi!

Last night at the dead Irish pub we went to, we met a Thai girl who married a Swiss man. They both said to go to Thailand, so I think SE Asia is my 'next big thing.' I hope I run into Fwi Mee again someday, somewhere...she was too fun not to!

Today I also went to the Red Cross Museum, which they should seriously warn you about. Shit! Did you know that since it was started in 1850-something, not a year has gone by without at least a couple armed conflicts somewhere in the world that resulted in at least 10,000 deaths?!?!?!? Either wars, civil wars, takeovers, genocides, or my favorite, "internal troubles," as it said in French, and that's not to mention any disease outbreaks or natural disasters...there should have been a sign outside saying: "Expect to cry. This is holocaust museum-level shit here."

In brief...

Biarritz: wandered around this 'Nice-of-the-west' as I've christened it, for 8 hours. Beautiful (but too small and crowded) beaches, nice shopping, &c, &c, &c. Saw a sweet Lipschitz exhibit, (he was a sculptor, friend of Picasso, and if you can find pictures of 'The couple' also known as 'The Cry,' look it up and prepare to be blown away!), the best part of which was that I saved a bunch of money saying I was a student and getting the discounted ticket price. I'm continuing with that theme, as I'm A. young enough to be a student, and B. planning on being a student again, someday, C. poorish at the moment, and D. and most importantly, I am and always will be a 'student of life,' as it were.

Sète: little known on-the-Med French town that was breathtakingly gorgeous and boring. The hostel was full of old people or un-fun youngins, and was miles away from the train station...thanks to a nice French woman on the way there and a Belgian guy on the way back, both with cars, I was spared the worst part of the hill with all of my crap.

Pertuis: small typical French town whose best claim to fame is that my good friends Whitney and Jen live there. It's also cool that it's just a half hour bus ride out of Aix-en-Provence, a shishy wanna-be Paris near Marseille.

Avignon: since I was in the neighborhood, I had to make a stop. In less than 24 hours, I saw some of my best friends in France, Sarah and Steve, and another play (festival's still on, you know; this one was Tim Burton-esque). Perfection.

The Whole Story. The Month of Crazy

I knew this month was going to be exciting, but I didn't quite realize how exciting. It began with moving out of the apartment I had lived in for the past 9 months, throwing stuff, giving some away, and hanging on to more than I should. The family in Seignosse who I would be au pairing for contacted me via email and said they didn't need me until the 11^th of July. No problem. I stuck around Avignon until then and caught the beginning of the world-famous Avignon theater festival, of which I'd been hearing since the day I arrived on the scene, late last September.

I saw 6 plays and only paid for one of them (now that's the way to see a theater festival)! Two of them were final dress rehearsals at the Theatre Etincelle, the theater where Sarah has an internship this month. One of them wasn't all that good (a period piece about convincing a beautiful country girl to fall out of love with the foolish nobody who had won her heart and into love with the local prince...uninspired, dreary, and all the actors were too old...one of the love interests was balding!), and one of them was pretty decent (three guys, talking about and doing random shit). In one line, they gushed about what a fate it would be to spend an eternity in a theater seat! In another, they urged one to be the creaky floorboard on the stage. It resonates, it dares, you can dance and sing... The director of the theater asked us to stay afterwards and congratulate the actors, as some audience members had left halfway through the performance (and being that the audience was only a handful of people, it was noticeable).

Zandra, Sarah and I paid to see a play called Ronald, the clown of McDonald's & I bought a shovel at Ikea to dig my grave, or something along those lines. Three actors, kooky commentary on consumer culture. It was dark and delicious and yeah, we've heard it all before. Then Sarah snuck us into two shows at her theater on the opening day (by now Zandra and I were familiar faces around there). We saw an adaptation of Romeo & Juliet that would try to be funny, but never quite got there, and would always pull back to being serious. They stuck too close to the original, in my opinion, and the final scene was them lying there, dead. No wrap-up speeches or nothing. AND, I'm sorry, but practically every man in the play was tolerably cute except Romeo! He was sweaty and goofy and looked about 12 years old. I was careful not to be too critical, though, as the writer of the thing was there in the audience! The best part was when a gel fell from a light onto an audience member...classic!

My favorite show at Sarah's theater was called The Operation of the Holy Spirit. Set in Heaven, Mary full of grace was played by a man in drag, Jesus was SOOO gay, and Gabriel ran around singing and squeaking in a very high-pitched voice. At one point God gives the angels penises to lower their voices, and Gabriel starts chasing Mary, so he takes them back. It was kooky and awesome, in a very good way.

One of the best parts of the festival is walking around the streets during the day. You see all sorts of troupes of actors singing and demonstrating and handing out fliers to come see their show. One of the fliers I got was actually a free invitation for two people. So Jeff and I went and saw Rockstar, an amazing one man show about...everything and nothing, as these things go. For part of the time the dude was in his own brain, meeting different people on the different levels. It was awesome, and totally worth the price!

On Monday, July 6^th Jeff convinced Zandra and I to ride our bikes to Les Beaux de Provence to catch Stage 3 of the Tour de France! He estimates we rode about 60-75 km round trip, all told. Which is really nothing compared to the almost 200km Lance et al rode that day, when you think that it's still going on and they're still riding up mountains and crazy shit! We met some American army dudes who are stationed in Germany right now, and I got lured into being interviewed by some dudes with a camera and microphone who asked leading questions about whether I thought Lance dopes or not. I ended up comparing him to Batman, training himself to physical perfection and all that. We got some free shit in the parade that comes around before the racers (sausages, crackers, candy, beer opener, stupid hats, glasses wipe) and we looked ridiculously awesome with Jeff's 6-foot American flag. I know I saw Lance, (he was in the peleton), but I couldn't pick him out as I tried to take a picture and it was all over in a matter of seconds. Overall, a pretty good day (even though my butt was really sore afterwards).

Continuing my typical French experiences, on July 10^th I headed to Carcassonne, one of the coolest castle/fortresses in Europe. Very touristy, very awesome. I was going to take myself out to a nice dinner to celebrate my getting paid finally by the commie French government to help out with my rent for the past 6 months, but instead I ended up staying at the hostel and drinking my dinner with a rag-tag bunch of 'Europeans' late into the night. There was John from England, the hostel barkeep, Mathias from Germany, Cairan from Ireland, (pronounced Kir-on), Vincente from Spain (who was going to do part of the Santiago de Compostollo pilgrimage and was trying to convince me to join him...in hindsight I should have said yes), two Belgians who were also pilgrims (although they were more serious about it), two other Belgians who looked like twins, matching blue shirts and shiny bald heads, and later on a Danish guy and Nick from Canada joined us for awhile. It was one of the best hostel times I've ever had, and made me fall in love with 'the Europe' even more (they made fun of me, referring to Europe as we Americans tend to do, as one entity). I need to get one of them to marry me, if only for the treasured EU citizenship!

The next day I headed to Seignosse, outside of Bayonne, which is outside of Biarritz, to be an au pair. Marnie is 2 and adorable, Stephanie (the mom) is gorgeous and pregnant, and Stu (the dad) is English/South African and owns a hip little surfer joint called the Cream Cafe, right off the beach. Well, there was a miscommunication about September (I changed my departure from the 14^th to the 4^th without telling them until I got here), which was apparently a deal breaker for Stephanie, so she found another au pair and told me two days ago that the new au pair was coming yesterday. Yeah, she gave me 24 hours notice that I was jobless and homeless for the next two months. I freaked out and started desperately looking around (I even called John from Carcassonne about any leads in the hostel biz, and called the hostel in Sete and said my friend John told me they might need someone...unfortunately the dude wasn't looking for anymore foreigners...damn I need that EU citizenship)! Within hours I had many welcoming friends with many couches and one au pair gig for the month of August. I've decided to take it, so I'm going to be an au pair in Normandy for a 20 month old boy...ah! A little young, but I (hopefully!) can handle it. I was hurt and mad at first, but actually I think it's for the best. Stephanie was kind of a bitch and very particular (I had to iron Stu's t-shirts so he 'wouldn't look like a gypsy' according to her), and I think I'm going to be happier with my new plans. Which are?

I'm in a hotel in Bayonne for two more nights (the weather is gray and gross and windy and rainy right now...I think I'm going to go to a movie by myself tonight...sad!), then off to Sete for two nights, and that hostel I tried to get a job at (hopefully they forgot that an 'Annette' called them a few days ago...). I've heard Sete is nice, and it looks pretty...then to see Whitney in Pertuis, (which is good...it would have been sad to go back to the states without seeing her again), back to Avignon for probably half a day (where my deposit check for my apartment will hopefully be waiting for me with Sarah), then to Geneva to visit my old roommate Xuan from China, who's currently doing an internship with the World Health Organization! I've never been to Switzerland, and it's about darn time! As the saying goes...when life gives you lemons, find someone whose life gave them vodka. I'm making martinis out of these lemons! July 2009 will forever be known as 'The Month of Crazy' by me and my close associates.

Then I'll head to Normandy (I don't even know exactly where yet...I'll talk to the woman on the phone later today) for a month of hanging with a baby. Somewhere in there Aunt Robin and my cousin Reid will swing through. After that, around my mom's birthday (the 25^th of August), I'm planning on heading up to the UK, to hang with my pals Ruth and Simon and party our asses off until my flight on September 4^th to Cambodia to visit my dad! So you see, as my godmother Irene always says: it all works out when you let it!

Rushing Around, Keeping Busy, Doing Things

As I'll be changing locales soon, I've been packing as many adventures and good times into my schedule as possible!

Last Wednesday: Sarah, Steve, Zandra and I headed to Armand's parent's house in Tavel, home of France's #1 rosé. Apero (pastis for me, as usual), great BBQ, great local wine grateful Frenchies (Armand's dad thanked us for our ancestors' kick-ass bang-up job in Normandy, on a June 6th way back when...we said, "Uh, you're welcome?"), the sun, a pool...idyllic. The day ended with Steve scootin' me home...did I live that day or did I dream it?

Thursday: Party chez Julie, the Arizonan mom-of-a-5-year-old-1/2-Frenchy who lives here in L'Isle. The party guests were 3 English truck drivers (one of them Charlie, my 2-doors-down neighbor), 2 North Carolinian girls from Peace University (no joke) who were "studying abroad" in L'Isle sur la Sorgue (what?!?!? In a 20,000 person tourist trap in rural France? Yeah, that's what I thought...), and a partridge in a pear tree! We sat on Julie's sweet terrace drinking wine, laughing, getting drunk, and eating good eats late into the eve. Then I had to wake up and teach the next day. Suck!

Friday was my last day of teaching little kids! I checked out weeks ago, so this was a VERY welcome turn of events! I got some presents from some of my students (a cell phone sock and some sweet black and red feather earrings), and it's true I'll miss the little buggers, but I'm stoked to be officially en vacances!

This last weekend was Avignon's first pride festival (I think), and I was there! I saw part of the parade (yeah tourist trains finally being put to good use!), and got bubbled (it was basically a foam party in the street), but other than that, it was pretty underwhelming. San Francisco it ain't! We went to L'Esclave Saturday night (translation: The Slave), but there were too many people (among them too many straight American girls...didn't my friends and I have a monopoly on that??), and I wasn't rockin' the Sardine scene. [Though I was rockin' my new H&M dress with parrots on it...my mom sends me 6 fab dresses in the mail and what do I go and do? Buy another one...I'm a mess...a hot mess!] Plus we ran into a confused French friend, (cruising solo but has a girlfriend...uh huh, that'll last), and as Steve says: "It's annoying when people don't accept themselves." So we went home and I promptly fell asleep.
Like I said, underwhelmed. Maybe the gayest part of the whole day was all the Michael Jackson music videos we watched. And that's not a comment on MJ's sexuality or alleged pedophilia, but rather on his fashion sense...that man can dress himself! Rest in peace Michael, and thanks for Ben, my new favorite song...oh those homicidal rats!

Today, Sunday, was another spectacular day, beginning around noon. Zandra and I woke up and promptly ordered all our friends over to Zandra's house for coffee...and to bring food. So in short order we had baguettes, pain au chocolats, and croissants at our fingertips, and we hadn't lifted a finger (unless you count texting)! I bought Carly's bike for 15 euro because the bike I'd borrowed from one of my teachers was stolen...and I felt bad. [Plus I have to even out my karma: I broke a pinkey swear I made to a couple kids on Friday promising them to come to their end of the year spectacle and raffle...sleep was just way more important.] So Jeff and I had bikes, Steve and Zandra had a scooter, and Sarah had a train (well, she could catch one). We all headed to L'Isle sur la Sorgue. That's right, I rode a bike from Avignon to L'Isle sur la Sorgue! That's like 22 kilometers (or about 13 1/2 miles)! WOOT WOOT! I'm so proud! I had thought about doing that before I came here, but then I saw how far it is, and how big that hill by Chateauneuf de Gadagne is...which today I made my bitch!

Once here, we got ice cream and walked to Partage des Eaux. On the way we saw water jousting! Jousting, on boats, in the river! None of us had seen anything quite so simultaneously ridiculous, amazing, bizarre, and stupid before. Oh these L'Islois! It was kind of like this, only minus the music, and the boats we saw were motorized.

What's next? Two days of cleaning, packing, recycling, distributing of things to their old or new owners, mailing my modem back to my internet provider, checking out of my apartment, and by Tuesday night I'll be in Avignon again! Last week I got an email from my summer family (the family for which I'll be au pair-ing this summer) that something came up and they don't need me until July 11th. So I'll be living with Patrick (South African/Irish Settlers aficionado, among other things...therefore, cool as shit) for about a week and hopefully catching the beginning of the Avignon theater festival I've been hearing about for 9 months. Sarah, Zandra, Patrick, Jeff and I will be crying into our beers, missing Steve like crazy by that point. Then I'm hoping to head to Carcassonne (really old French fort action, ho hum) on my way to Biarritz (well technically Seignosse, a beach town a bit north of Biarritz). Phew! This adventure continues...

16 Days and Counting!

Being one who aspires to live for today, I usually try to focus on the moment, here and now. But JUNE! Students and teachers alike across the Northern Hemisphere must feel my pain and agree that June is the slowest, hottest, ickiest, stickiest, most antagonizing and desperate of months. One can't help but dream about how great July will be, lament that it isn't here already, and count the days, hours, and minutes until it gets here!

I have been spending my days dragging myself from cup of coffee to cup of coffee to nap, living for my evenings (spent avoiding sleep with a book or my favorite news websites) and weekends, which are always over too fast, even when I skip Friday, like I did last week. June weekends are all about reconnecting with friends I don't want to lose after we part, and making sure I exploit the locales (Lyon, the banks of the Sorgue, the patch of grass above the Rhone my friends and I have shanghai'd from couples in love) which I will miss terribly the second they're out of my reach (well, except for Lyon). And it's only the 14th! Not-quite-but-almost halfway through this hellish nightmare. I am dreading everything about the next two weeks: packing, showing off my apartment to possible future residents (um, doing my rental agency's job???), shutting down accounts, getting my mail forwarded (can/do they even do that here???), working (ugh! still! i'm not clear yet!), cleaning, throwing things away, checking out of my apartment (what will she say about my broken bed and window?), and not to mention (dramatic pause and inhale): saying good bye to the people who have made this year...well, what it was. I won't complain too much, c'est la vie, after all. And I will shortly have Carcassonne, Biarritz, surfing, and eventually Cambodia with my dad to keep me occupied.

In honor of this impending change, things France has taught me (or rather, things I feel I've learned, or learned better, in the past year; France doesn't deserve all the credit, not a chance):

• How to be alone and like it. I love curling up with my computer or a good book (or a good miniseries!) for hours on end.
• How to be well-informed. What am I doing for hours on end online? Browsing Slate.com, thedailybeast, (in addition to MSNBC and CNN) or other people's blogs for the latest in news and opinions. Listening to the latest podcast of NPR's 'Wait Wait Don't Tell Me.' Crying if the internet wigs out. (Credit goes to Whitney and Steve for turning me on to these)
• That teaching is hard. And (probably) not for me in the long run.
  
• That being an American is cool again, or more accurately, that I enjoy being an American (thank you Obama and crew, Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert, staples in my life as much as any 'real' news, and no thanks to Sarah Palin). Also, being an American gets you things, like border crossings within the EU where you should have had your passport but didn't...
• How to cook...a little. I can sautee veggies, boil noodles, use herbes de provence on everything, and make a bravas sauce. It's a start!
• That I'm not going to be friends with everyone I meet. Obvious. But still, a lesson driven home a lot recently. It pays to be discriminating: the good friends are REALLY good, and worth the time, effort, energy, thought. The others...will always be there, and are not worth getting too worked up about.
• That fresh market produce is always, ALWAYS better. Worth the difference in price. Worth planning out my shopping a little better (ok, I'm still working on that second part).
  
• That Oregon isn't inherently bad just because I'm from there. I'm really excited about coming home in the fall.

Annette, new and improved, everyday.

Me: Too Cosmopolitan for Wasilla, Alaska

This summer I have been content to lead a provincial life, knowing that adventure lies on my horizon. I ride my bike one mile to work almost every day, and the only people I see with real consistency are my family and my coworkers. I guess my little life is clearly evidenced in the fact that my two current crushes are the guy who works at the local liquor store and the "middle-aged" (late 30's? mid 40's? the family is not agreed) checker at the grocery store. As Uncle Jeff so sagely points out, he gets benefits!

Thankfully, to this mundanity came Alisha and Phil to the rescue! They promptly whisked me off to the big city, where my eyes were opened to the wonders of a cosmopolitan lifestyle. First, we visited Berkeley, a trendy urban campus full of forward-thinking hipsters, and tree-sitters. Then we went to Union Square, to traipse around in Neiman Marcus ogling the gowns and shoes and pretending that we belonged there. As I was half-heartedly perusing the scents (since I don't have one, and feel I should if I'm going to be hanging out in France), I somehow got caught by a pretty young woman who informed me that Chanel was giving free makeovers that day and that someone was here from France for the occasion. After making sure there was room for Alisha too, I was on board. It was an exercise in humility. The Chanel woman helping me and the products she rubbed onto my face made me feel simultaneously glamorous and hideous. I was better off than Alisha though, who got a lecture from the Frenchman about skincare. He told her he'd have to start at the beginning. "This...this is makeup" he informed her. She was finished before me, and decided she would buy the bronzer. Unfortunately, her money was no good there. Neiman Marcus only takes American Express, the Neiman Marcus credit card, or cash. No lowly Visa or Mastercard for them. I guess it's not everywhere we want to be...

Looking fierce, we headed to H&M and each bought a shirt to wear out for the evening. We headed to the Castro district, which took three times as long as it should have thanks to poor city planning and our lack of a map. Phil called his friend who was from San Francisco but who was in Corvallis at the time, and with her help, we were able to get on the right street (who needs an iPhone when you've got friends?). We parked on a side street and got dressed in the car. We went to a Thai restaurant called Nirvana for dinner, where we spent entirely too much money on delicious cocktails. We traipsed around for awhile, before Phil called Jerred to get the address to a club he'd heard of, Badlands. After making our way past the hermaphrodite dancing around in a little bathing suit on the corner, we found the club, and gratefully stumble inside, only to run into...the Frenchman who did our makeup at Neiman Marcus!!! Uncle Jeff was astounded that in such a large city we would run into the same person twice, but actually, when you do the math (vivacious international make-up artist + notorious gay bar), it's a no-brainer. It was awesome, and he and I are facebook friends now! A Chanel makeup artist is always a good person to have in your coterie, for partying in Paris or at the very least, free samples!

It was a great day...I always have a great time in San Francisco. I'll have to keep that in mind when I'm looking to "settle down somewhere," if I ever get that urge (haven't yet)! Until then, I'll keep busy by flirting with grocery store checkers (last night we discussed the alcohol content of rum...Sailor Jerry's at 46% is the more economical choice than Captain Morgan's, at 35% alcohol...I think he was impressed) and befriending international badasses. And rocking out at karaoke bars with Aunt Robin. Definitely one of the raddest times I've ever had, and hopefully an encore will be in order next week!

Less than a month...

Yesterday I called my mom in tears because McCain had picked a woman running mate and it is all over my friends! She assured me that it was nothing to worry about: Sarah Palin has less than no experience and will be the proverbial nail in the coffin for McCain. We hope. It's Obama's campaign to lose. Today I called Nevada residents to tell them to vote for Obama. Just for one hour, but it was more than nothing.

If things don't go the way I want them to in November (on my birthday eve! And I want a happy birthday...)...I won't come back. I won't come home from France. I'll live abroad and essentially expatriate myself!

Less than a month. Just over 2 weeks left at the silver shop job, about 2.5 weeks left in California, and I guess just a *scoche* more than that in the country. The South of France, here I come! I'm going to get as much volunteering for the Obama campaign in as I can before then! And then hope and pray.

I saw Ever After just now. That will be my life in France, hell yeah! Beautiful scenery, beautiful men, what more could I ask for?

Bob Costas: sexist!

Shocking, right? This evening, the first opportunity I've gotten to seriously watch the olympics (goddamnit! I've been too busy living a fabulous life, going out in San Francisco, etc.), Bob Costas literally and seriously offended me when he referred to the 4x100 meter relay in swimming as...the 4x100 meter relay. What's wrong with that? You (and my 14-year-old cousin Reid) might ask. Hey Bob, don't you mean the MEN'S 4x100 meter relay, as opposed to, oh, I don't know, the WOMEN'S 4x100 meter relay?!?!? Effectively, by referring to it as THE event, he implied (or did he infer?) that the other one was the OTHER one. Thanks. Because men are the center of the universe and women fill peripheral not-as-important supporting roles. I'm disappointed.

I have so much to do before I leave for France. Which is a good thing. Otherwise I would spend my time until then being morose about the fact that I'm not there yet. Work. It. Out.

Tuesdays with Madeleine

Heckled by the French

Today I drove up beautiful highway 1 to San Francisco, where I had a quite fabulous day with my little cousin Madeleine. First we waited around in the French consulate for a couple hours where I got my (free!) visa for France, but only after getting heckled by a French woman. Apparently the last time I went to France I stayed 2 months longer than I was supposed to, and SHOULD have applied for residency, but didn't...hence I had been illegal! I better not be pulling that shit again. ...She said to me dryly. As she handed my passport over. We've all got to get our jollies somehow, I guess.

An Object Lesson: Wine Glass Half-Full, or Half-Empty?

Then Madeleine and I bumbled our way through the city to Fisherman's Wharf, where we had a delectable lunch on the 3rd floor of some building, where we paid twice as much for the same food that was being served down on the street. BUT, we had a view of the Golden Gate bridge, and a tablecloth! When my glass of house Pinot Noir came, Madeleine was shocked that it was half empty. Upon which I had to explain that the way Aunt Robin and I do things at the house (i.e. fill wine glasses to the brim) is not exactly "the norm" or "proper etiquette" everywhere. Later, Aunt Robin pointed out that the a full wine glass is A. perfectly normal for home-drinking and B. completely depends on which restaurant you go to (Upper Crust, the local pizza joint, fills the glass)! Touche, Aunt Robin, touche.

The End is the Beginning

After buying a loaf of sourdough bread in the shape of a turtle, Madeleine and I headed to the next item on our list: shopping! Of course this meant that we set out in the general direction of Union Square, which consisted of me navigating up and down ridiculous hills, Madeleine attempting to read the map, and one near-death experience (only one?!? I'd say we did pretty damn good). In our frazzled search for parking, we ended up parking a block and a half away from Union Square in...the very same parking structure we had parked in this morning, directly across from the French consulate. Wow. All in all, we spent $28 on parking today. Whatevs, I got a free visa, and 3 Mormons going to France had to pay $465 for theirs all told, so HA!

God-damned Christians!

A very frazzled and upset me headed to Union Square, hoping to find H&M and DSW (shoes!). Instead, I heard some live music. 'Oh that's nice!' I thought. But no, some youth group from Southern California on their mission trip performing some High School Musical-esque song-and-dance numbers talking about how great Jesus is. I'm sure the only people who were enjoying it were already Christians, hence already saved, and I'm also betting they were shopping and ignoring homeless people just like me when they weren't deluding themselves into thinking that their little performances were doing God's will. Some people build houses on their missions, some people sing and dance. Work it out. They didn't make my day better, so HA!

Thanks, Cheesecake Factory Lady!

Macy's was overpriced, and the kindly concierge of the Cheesecake Factory pointed us in the direction we needed to go. On the way, I found a FABULOUS jewelry store, 10 times more fabulous, in fact, than the silver store where I'm currently employed (and, consequently, 10 times more expensive). There's this one necklace I may decide is necessary for my life to go on...we'll see... H&M was everything I remember it to be (I bought a maroon vest and a black jacket, woot!) and DSW was a pretty great shoe store (Madeleine bought some sweet little Rocketdogs). Then we fueled up at Starbucks and hit the road, which consisted of a couple rainbows and a rad sunset. So all in all, a win-win-win-win-win kind of day.

Triathlon & Steve, my life as of August

O.M.G. I am officially a "triathlete" as today, I completed my first-ever triathlon, something I've been dreaming about for years. It was awesome, chafing and slight sunburn and wanting to die and all! The Sandman Triathlon in Aptos, CA included a .5 mile ocean swim, a 15 mile "moderate" bike ride, and a 4.2 mile run on the beach, a.k.a. sand, a.k.a. hard. I'm more exhausted than maybe I've ever been, but it is good, so good. I finished in about 2 hours and 14 minutes, which is faster than what I was expected (though admittedly, I didn't know what to expect). I was pretty slow, but not the slowest. (I kicked the swim, though: 22 minutes)! I felt like I belonged. And I want to do more! Then we saw dolphins...how cool is that? I'm super proud right now, if you couldn't tell!

A balanced life is a happy life. A balanced life includes work and play, exercise and reading of books, wine (and margaritas!) and good food. At the beach. Surrounded by good friends and family. What more can we ask for?

A good day (last week) in the life of me: went to work (blah), Steve picked me up (my new friend who will be teaching 15 miles away from me in France, what what!), and then we went to El Palomar, downtown Santa Cruz, and promptly downed 2 pitchers of margaritas before catching the matinee showing of Mamma Mia! (accompanied by a gaggle of middle-aged moms), complete with a $5 medium coke which we drank down a bit and then filled with rum I had in my purse (we're such badasses)! We gorged ourselves on snacks from the Jelly Belly store (also snuck-in contraband) while singing our hearts out to ABBA, then went out to coffee afterwards (after discovering that American Apparel is not limited to freaky ads on facebook, but also has actual store locations, buying a cute pair of sunglasses at some other store, and having Steve talk me out of buying a necklace I didn't need), while making all sorts of evil plans about what and who we're going to do while in France together. Then we came home and had delicious crockpot food prepared by my aunt and continued drinking (wine) as we played the piano and sang together.

A perfect day, no?

It's a charmed life, but somebody's got to lead it!

Life is almost too good to be true at the moment. It feels like I'm due for a really big disaster here soon. Please, loved ones: don't get yourselves hit by buses, and make sure you survive any and all hostage situations of which you find yourselves on the wrong end. Here is a sampling of the things I have been doing and learning here in sunny California (because I love lists):

• how to drive stick shift. I've driven over 200 miles in the last 2 weeks on the thing. Go me! I'm still figuring out gears and hills, and I still stall every now and again (to remind myself that I'm human), but all in all, I'd say I am now competent at driving standard cars!
• where to shop. specifically, for wine. I went to Safeway (because I just found out that a US Bank is inside! this is big news because previously I had thought the nearest one was up in the bay area...boo), and they were charging $6, $7 for a bottle of Barefoot! As if! So I spent $10 on food (for me and the cats) there, and $20 on 6 bottles of wine at Trader Joe's. 3 bottles of 2-buck-chuck (Charles Shaw), and 3 other reasonably priced bottles ($4-$6). yeah!
• i have also been hosting BBQs, going out dancing, hanging out with Hannah (SO fun! I think reunions are in order every so often, wherever we are in the world...it's healthy for my soul to be with her and laugh at other people, making each other feel good that we're us, and not them, ugh!), and watching great movies. The Lost Boys, filmed in the 80's in Santa Cruz, featuring Keifer Sutherland, is actually not half bad. But Corey Feldman, with a crazy deep voice, really took the cake in the film. Hannah and I watched the movie and then went to the Boardwalk later in the week...we rode this ride where it's like you're in a hang-glider and I felt like a vampire: flying above the boardwalk and swooping down on unsuspecting citizens...I couldn't stop cracking up. We also saw: the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Conclusion: I still love oceans! They (and the creatures in them) are so grand! Screaming kids and crying babies, not so much.

I have also been trying to keep up with my reading. The New Yorker, Entertainment Weekly, and currently The Road by Cormac McCarthy are keeping my occupied and informed...The Road is definitely going to make a sweet film with Viggo Mortensen. That's all. I'll end with this: don't be jealous, just come visit!

Graduate from college: check and check!

I officially did it. The pomp. The circumstance. The wine! Moving on.

To my to-do list for the summer:

• figure out all necessary French documents, so I'm legit when I get over there.
• study for and take the GRE. Continuing to nerd it up: school, I just can't quit!
• read for fun (still).
• rock the silver store (still).
• art projects (including: Courtney's, mine, more drawing, that collage-like activity with broken plates whose name escapes me at the moment...)
• learn how to cook. (HA!)
• visit Steinbeck's house.
• host friends and cousins and all visitors to SC.
• Fulbright application. Life: it's never done.
• drink wine with Aunt Robin, Crystal, Limber, etc.
• drink beer with Uncle Jeff, Crystal, Limber, etc.
• swim
• bike
• run
• compete in a triathlon with Aunt Robin in August.
• lift weights, do yoga, eat healthy, and in all other aspects of my life continue the yuppy-fication transformation.
• SLEEP! (it's good. really good)

Employed

I have a job, as of yesterday! It's a dream job: a little silver shop down in Capitola Village (read: tourist central). I can ride my bike to work (downhill, mostly), and it's easy, the coworkers are great, and the customers are nice, for the most part. I get a 70% discount on everything in the store, which is going to be a challenge, but I just have to chant to myself: "saving for France! saving for France! saving for France!" and I hope that can work.

Why is it that when I'm unemployed I'm stressed about not having a job, but that once I get one...I'm working! This is going to be nothing but chill, though: the nicest bosses in the world, the easiest gig, in the sunniest place. The biggest challenge is going to be keeping hydrated on the bike commute!

Last night we had a party for the biology department faculty of the college my aunt works for. These people were great...apart from the fact that they feel some affinity for science...ew! They do have a penchant for travel, and I heard some great stories about Cameroon, Johannesburg and Harare. One guy was even from France, and I was stoked to tell him I'm going there in a few short months! Some lab tech even gave me his number. He was the only other unmarried person at the party over the age of 15, so it's not like it was some great feat on my part or anything. For many reasons, I threw it away today. Nice gesture though, I guess?

Apparently I'm the unhappy owner of 3 credit cards right now. That sucks.

My brother is going to Iraq in less than a month now, I guess. I'm going to see him in a week and a half. It's weird, but ever since he joined the army a year ago now, "family member of military" has become a huge part of my identity. How could it not?

To relax is a challenge. There is so much I want to read and do and be!

The first week

In a new place. Santa Cruz, (and Soquel, and Capitola, and Watsonville, I suppose, to be more exact) is amazing. This first week has been a whirlwind, involving a bladder infection, a drive down with the mom and a great cousin, a birthday party for my aunt, grading anatomy papers, good god!, turning in a job application, watching my aunt take the brain out of a cadaver, hanging out with Reid and Madeleine, reading a weird book about the end of the world, watching the first half of the 6 hour Pride & Prej (the good one, with Colin Firth), finally going to the beach, joining the gym, and beginning the arduous task of learning how to drive stick shift. Oh yes, and finding out that I'm going to the Aix-Marseille region in France next year, which was both amazing and my first choice. WOW! I've been busy, and waking up early, but loving life, and I only plan on it getting better! My aunt and I will sign up for a triathlon and start training for it. I will find a job...somewhere! I will continue reading and edifying myself, and perhaps even learn to prepare a few meals for myself here and there.

Becoming a better person. Everyday.