The Odyssey

Here we are. One week into our adventure. Perhaps an "Odyssey" is a better word. The first day, after disembarking my plane with a bachelor party, I had never been so happy to see Jen. After learning that Fifi and I were the only ones to have arrived on time, Jen and Dave put us in the van and we set off on our first adventure (sort of). Pulling over to overlook the Marseille bay (very deceiving because it isn't actually part of the Mediterranean) Dave stepped out of the car to remove his jacket and along came a gust of wind that almost tore the door off. This should have been the first sign. But we went on our way and picked up the rest of the crew. The first couple days were a blur of classes, getting settled in and exploring our new home town of Aix-en-Provence. We noticed that our van, dubbed "Eddie", had a couple scratched and dents but as Jen said, we could cover those with paint.

A day later, upon arriving at Van Gogh's mental hospital, the warning alarm didn't beep causing dave to bump into a wall. Another misfortune of Eddie. The mental hospital was interesting however eerie. Perhaps it was due to the fact that there were still patients in the hospital but it sent a shiver up my spine as soon as we entered the grounds. We tried to locate where Van Gogh had painted starry night but didn't succeed after much wandering.

The next day we visited a small town known as the Venice of France because of the canals winding their way throughout city. One the way home we truly experienced the curse of Eddie. Speeding along a back road a rock flew up and hit us, causing the windshield to crack. Boa, our church goer, has been praying for him. So fingers crossed the curse of Eddie will be broken soon.

There’s not much to complain about after week one in France. The food is good and the conversation better. Sitting, looking out at Cézanne’s mountain under the warm sun, reflecting back on my first week I am filled will a sense of belonging. Being here, making art, writing and just enjoying the moment is what life is about. Exploration and finding happiness. Despite the moments like the cracked windshields we have made the best of everything that has come our way, an important lesson to learn for those of us who strive to be optimists.