Saint-Cernin-de-Labarde Trips

Thousand miles down the road | Jul 15 08'

We have traveled a thousand miles since I last wrote. It feels like it. Nice on the Cote D'Azur is so different from Normandy it could have been on... Continue reading »

At your service, Dr. Boobology | Mar 15 08'

"But I save my enthusiasm for later. Right now, I’ve got to push my boobs up against a machine."

I am on my way to Bordeaux for my medical visit, a seemingly useless procedure that is needed for my carte de sejour and my ability to stay in this... Continue reading »

Tibetan yoga... in France? | Mar 17 08'

"One thing I detest is loud, heaving breathing. And I am in a forest of it. "

My second attempt at being a joiner happens the following day when I finally get up the guts to go to a Tibetan yoga class. After spending two mont... Continue reading »

Sweating it out for the Chateau de Biron | Mar 14 08'

"I desperately try to read the road map Nadege has given me, hoping I look up in time to dodge the wandering goats... "

In preparation for my three-hour stick shift nightmare to the castle, I do the following things: First, I begin by having a full-on panic attack, m... Continue reading »

Exercising the family webcam | Jun 14 08'

"With that, my dad stands up in front of the camera, lifts his white polo shirt up to his chest and slaps his stomach with a thud, then turns to the side and slaps it again."

Finally, after weeks of ignoring the situation, I cave in and call home. I’ve been in France now for four months and haven’t heard the sound of my... Continue reading »

Depositing my sanity at the local bank | Mar 02 08'

"Oh, the ups and downs of living abroad. It’s like being on your period every day for three months in a row."

What just happened here? Was that a bait and switch? I just opened a bank account, yet I have returned to my apartment empty-handed, even more b... Continue reading »

The Dordogne Valley | Apr 30 89'

"We saw the paintings almost as if we were wandering torch-bearing Cro-Magnons ourselves."

The Dordogne was a priority for Lew, who had enjoyed reading Jean Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear se-ries, which is evocative of the area. We stayed... Continue reading »

A light slap...in the face | Mar 09 08'

"In the mix of thoughts, I realize the depths of my own ignorance."

The next few nights are spent relishing my television. I have more than a slight crush on it. I have never been a couch potato but now? Well, the d... Continue reading »

There's no place like home... but is it? | Apr 28 08'

"I never knew when I could call myself a journalist. Now, the moment has arrived."

It's taken me two and a half months in France to finally write about my job. Shame on me. But it's hard when everything you want to write will prob... Continue reading »

Another deflating moment at the bank | Mar 13 08'

"Amid all the confusion of both of us talking at once, I am under the impression that I am being denied."

It started off innocently enough. All I wanted to do was pick up my brand new credit card at the bank. It’s always nice to be able to access your h... Continue reading »