A Journey, An Adventure, A Life
My dad- the great adventurer himself- wrote me a short verse of pure wisdom before we left for our trip to England and Ireland back in 2003. It inspires me more than you can imagine, and hopefully is able to inspire others:
"A journey is a backpack- packed light, packed right; is a curiosity to learn, to discover; is a propensity to have fun, to create fun, to be fun; is a destination- and a commitment to get there.
An adventure is a journey to the unknown; is a collection of stories both new and recently told; is a communion with the people met along the way; is a taste of the beauty found in every place in this world.
A life is full of adventures to learn from; is to share and to teach what little you know; is a compassion to bring peace where ever you go; is a journey for you to be at one with your soul!"
January 29th, 2009 is when all of this will start! My amazing boyfriend, Samuel Demski, and I will be flying to Paris and then continue to hop on a train to the quaint, and beautiful town of Angers, France. We'll be attending a school called CIDEF (Centre International D'Etudes Françaises) and will be living with our very own French families near the university. This is Sam's first time EVER traveling anywhere outside the US (besides to my visit my relatives across the border into Canada).
What I know of my homestay right now is that Veronique Beziau is a single mother, and a nurse, with two sons Elcio and Bruno (12 and 15 years old), and have an 11 year old dog named Mali (setter and lab mix). They have une petite jardin (a little garden) at their house as well.
So there are several reasons why I'm very excited to embark on this trip! It really does seem like I'll be starting a whole new life there- living like a local, eating like a local, studying and embracing the language and culture, reading and drinking at cafes, roadtrips to Paris, or Madrid, or London, or Rome, inheriting a French family, and when I come back home at the end of the trip nothing will be how I left it.
Pour un nouveau départ
To a new beginning
Best of luck as you leave today. I look forward to reading how everything is.
ReplyDelete-Andrew
I'm really excited for you! Especially because when you come back this summer we'll be able to speak French together...I bet you're going to be better at it than I am!
ReplyDeleteHi Abby
ReplyDeleteUnderstand you arrived safely. Good start. We had a birthday party for your Mom with the Vazaquez's and Brenda. Met Jeromy's new girl friend Laurie - very nice girl with lively personality. Brenda made a great chocolate cake and Nigil made cup cakes (with Paula's help). I know you will like the area - Grandma and I travelled the Loire valley in 1965 and had a good time - lots of good wines. You might take in Le Mans race in spring, more of an event than a race. Hope you settle in quickly, so that you can enjoy the many amenities of the Loire.
Love Grandpa and Grandma