Move-in Day +1

Well, I didn't quite have the chance to post yesterday as I was discovering my new neighborhood and re-discovering mon petite amour. But I'll certainly recap the events to the best of my ability (I never promised to have a memory at all, let alone a GOOD memory).

These past few years have been a bit tough on me.. I was slowly but surely reaching a plateau at work, the long distance between me and Alix seemed to become longer and longer as the intensity of our relationship increased, and I felt as if I wasn't challenging myself mentally. That last part was the hardest. I was tired from my workdays, reading less often, and not really learning new things. Recently I've started feeling dull and uninteresting, which is a terrible downward spiral that I'm sure eventually ends in depression. Now, all that is to say that those days are over. While I'm about to deal with things like missing my family and friends terribly, all of a sudden I see brightness where before was only darkness. I'm about to begin my studies in French language and culture, I've already put together a list of over 20 things I have to do before I even start my studies, and I'm living in the epicentre of culture. Needless to say, I think I've begin my climb from the plateau.

A few moments after posting yesterday, a Vietnamese professor named Martin asked me to watch his bag in the airport. I wondered if he was looking for some sucker to safeguard his bomb, but my better reasoning prevailed and I said sure. After browsing the net for a few minutes he came back and struck up my first interesting conversation en route to Paris. It seems that Martin had been studying theology at UC Berkeley and was on his way to London to continue his studies in philosophy. (His graduate work had been in literary studies, thereby rounding out the academic profile). Martin had spent the past 10 years of his life studying and working his way up to a doctorate so that he can return to Vietnam and open a school which promotes free-thinking. It seems that youth in Vietnam are yearning for expression, and their oppressive Communist government is anything but promoting that mentality. We talked about the importance of education, the changing landscape of the developed world, the belief in god as it equates to the belief in love, truth and goodness. We talked for a bit about my path, my interests, and my potential future in sustainability and I realized that with all my privelage I was blinded to just how lucky I've been in my life. I basically decided right then and there that this year (or 2?) in Paris is an incredible gift, and I have to take full advantage of it for myself, but maybe also for those who I might influence in the future. I took his name and friended him on facebook, with a promise to later visit him and his colleagues in London.

Interesting conversation #2 was my 5-minute friend-ly neighbor on the plane. We were two of the lucky ones not to have someone crammed between us in a 3-seater, so we seized the moment to instead crane our necks for 5 hours by talking with each other. Sian works in sustainable development (coincidence? not so sure..) working for a non-profit who matches sustainable fisherman with sustainable retailers. She also has spent the last 12 years of her life studying, obtaining a pHD in some very detailed studies of fish schools (sorry Sian, I know you explained it better than that) and also living and working in the Phillipines, Australia, and other various parts of the world. Sian was incredibly passionate about her work, eager to tell me about her brother's newfound success in life and his plans for travel, and equally eager to hear me out once again about my future plans. Really, she gave me some excellent advice: focus specifically on what I want out of a sustainable development degree, not just to help in the choice of school, but more so career - do I want to work nonprofit? government? private sector? as a consultant? in the field? as a researcher? etc. We chatted in more detail about all of the disconnects and miscommunications she had working in the field, and eventually she shared her discovery with me. The biggest disconnect between her and her volunteers abroad was not gender, race, language, or wealth, but education. When dealing with those who have only reached grade 2, even if they were able to communicate in the same language, the logic applied to even the most simple of tasks would confound the conversation. Interesting, education. I took her business card with the intention of meeting her for a drink before she leaves town on Thursday. (She's in Paris to attend a WorldWildlifeFoundation conference on "labels" for use in the sustainable fish market).

Well, I promised to talk about my arrival, not necessarily these two great people. (But.. could I have found 2 more appropriate conversations to kick off my desire to "re-interest" my life?) So I arrived yesterday to Alix waiting for me at the airport. Fantastic. It was probably the best reunion we've ever had, and that's saying a lot since we set ourselves up for many, many reunions over the past 2.5 years. We quickly picked up my 150lbs of bags (ouch) and managed our way out of the airport and into downtown Paris. Emerging out of the subway and almost directly onto the Rue Montorgueil I instantly fell in love with my new quartier. I think I told some people I'm living in the 1st arrondissement... sorry, it's the 2nd, but we're on the borderline. (oops!) We walked through the crowded streets and I saw 2 open pharmacies - on a Sunday, in Paris, this is something QUITE amazing. We found our little street, Rue Dussoubs, and ascended the 1 spiral staircase to the apartment.

It is incredible. If I can get this camera to work I'll post some pictures. We quickly ran back out to the market which was closing in 5 minutes and bought 3 dorades (fish) and a sandwich kabé viande, a Lebanese delicacy. And yes, it was delicious, with an incredible mix of a savory brown sauce, spicy vegetables, and ground meat. Without too much more detail into the mundane, we napped, we went to a nearby park with free internet (yep, no internet at home for at least 3 weeks... I could practically die), and returned home for dinner. I promised some discussion about food, so let me say that yes, you can microwave dorade with some spices and it tastes quite good, but I would recommend you put it in the oven which we would have done had we an oven to use last night. Anyway, I highly suggest an Alsacian wine called Gewerztraminer - it's a light, sweet white wine that's actually practically clear in color, it compliments fish very well, and it's the perfect ending to a perfect day. One episode of Flight of the Conchords later and we had to sleep.

Today was Alix's first day at Celsa, a school which is part of La Sorbonne. Me, well I don't start at the l'Institut de Langue et de Culture until next week, but I took advantage of a random opportunity this morning to attend the recording of a TV show at a nearby studio. When we were in the park last night a solicitor named Jamel approached the two of us and kindly invited us to the taping, well he more begged us, but I was pleased to accept (if not a bit weary of whether this was a legit offer). I found my way up to the Garibaldi metro stop on the 13th this morning and arrived at the movie studio, a modern white building with red columns (as was texted to me last night). It was all in French, so I caught about 60% of the show, but I had a great time! Jetlag prevailed before the 4 hour taping was over, but it was a great way to gain some minor independence this morning and make my way through the center of Paris. If I had my Navigo pass (the new Carte Orange) setup I would have taken the Velibs (the Paris city bicycles) back home, but as it was I took the metro back instead.

And so, that's the beginning to my French journey. This post was probably more minute-to-minute than each successive post may be, but I look forward to your feedback to steer me in the right direction. If you like this kinda stuff, I'll keep writing it. Like I said, this is for me, for you, for.. random people (it IS the internet, after all), and I'm sure my posts will range from enthusiasm to frustration (here's looking at YOU, French administration) to sadness to utter joy. I love this place. :)