Interversity.Org

I think I understand you. Your group went to the library, where Blanche, your teacher, admired a painting by Orozco. Tomorrow--which has now passed--your group was going to a museum. Right?

I am fascinated by your experiences. In 2007 summer, I hope to have enough frequent flyer miles to travel overseas again, health permitting, and one of the things on my "to do" list is the 3-week Berkeley-sponsored seminar in Paris. I'd take the study course on "la belle epoch" - turn-of-the-century. I'd probably go on then to spend a few days with my sister-city-Palatine hosts again, and finish up, or start, with my friends in Maidenhead, an hour from London on the train.

So what's the beef? The aloneness of a strange country and classmates? The structure of the class and the environment? Tell me more, either in yur blog or to janetwbone@yahoo.com--I "did" a month in rural Poland in 1999, teaching conversational English, but came back with a love of Polish history and culture, and two new California friends from our we-met-there team. We are still good friends, and I stay with them when I am in LA or SF.

I need to know, so I can add your thoughts to the potential-Paris mix. I might also add that I wrote to Mike every day, and one day three separate letters. And this is before we were quite as involved... He got the equivalent of your blogs...I could pour out my frustrations and joys (and there were plenty of both), although he didn't write back. We did talk once or twice by phone.

So I remember what it is like to be immersed (we weren't quite that into it, as there were 7 on the U.S. team) but to wake up in a strange country. I wouldn't go back in Global Volunteers, but I loved Poland and would go back easily if I were traveling... and I'd absolutely, joyously, go back to France even in the slightest corner of that wonderful country.

I look forward to hearing from you soon again, either via blog or personal e-mail. I've been busy getting classes started, but am currently under the weather with cold and related issues, so am taking a nap, even if not yet 11 a.m.

janetwbone@yahoo.com
posted 2/8/05