google earth moment

I like to call these feelings "google earth moments." I remember lying in my bed, awakened very early by a cacophony of strange birds and the inevitable effects of jet lag, on my first morning in Australia last fall - and as I looked through my window and into the trees, my vision rose from my bed, my new house, Brisbane, to looking at the whole Australian continent - and then, as if following my command to search for "Vallejo, California," I was swept across the Pacific ocean and lo-and-behold, that little green dot showing the results of my search is where I came from just a few days before.

That happens quite frequently here - the views from the surrounding mountains invite such sensations. As do the circles I find myself running in around campus... if only I could teleport myself from one person's office to another's.

I've spent most of the week doing laps around campus (and it is, mind you, of a size comparable to ucsd - and I am unfortunately sans skateboard) - but things are finally coming together. I've assembled something that resembles a class schedule - as of now I'm taking one, possibly two geology courses (field studies in the alps! wahoo!), a Francophone lit class, two French language and writing courses, and a History of Litterature course. And as of today, I am officially enrolled in two different universities. It's comparable, administratively, to being enrolled in ucsd and uc berkeley at the same time, but fortunately the geology classes are only a 10 minute tram ride/15 minute hike up the mountain to the Institut Dolomieu from main campus where the rest of my classes are.

So slowly it all starts to come together...

This Saturday I have my first trip with the university's climbing club. Here, it is mandatory for every student (at least the native ones) to participate in some sports in order to graduate. In my opinion, an awesome requirement - great for physical and emotional health, and well-roundedness. But, this is not as we would have it at ucsd, by any means. Here, appropriately, most of the sports are mountain-based. So, essentially, if I were a "real" student at this school, I would be getting credit for rock climbing, and possibly even have the opportunity to join the school's rock climbing team (though I'd have to be a heck of a lot stronger - good grief everyone climbs so well here!). How cool is that? There are similar things with snow sports, track and field, mountain biking, tennis, badminton, dance, judo, trampoline jumping (yes, I'm serious - I think the freestyle snowboarders are into it for the off-season), swimming... there are some things the French really do well (bureaucratic organization is not one of them) - something is so right in life when people prioritize food and meals with friends and family, and encourage exploration and adventure.

On a random note - I had one of those true travel adventure moments today. You know, the really random things that can happen - and the small things that can totally make your day? I was listening to music at La FNAC - a huge Borders/Best Buy kind of store - continuing my endless search for the lone good French rock band. Not much rock in France, mostly rap/hip-hop and pop or the classics like George Brassens or Renaud (definitely still awesome!). As with the theme of this country so far for me, I was doing laps around the rock section, listening to this and that, not really noticing the smirk of a fellow listener as I put yet another rejected cd back on the shelf. Here, try this. Nonchalantly, he handed me a strange blue labeled cd with a warped early 1900s version of Mickey Mouse on the cover. No name. I scanned it into the listening station. First track - raw guitar melodies, lovely French vocals, more guitar layers. Next track - violin? Cello? No way. Next - some hip-hop rock fusion. Oh my. And all for 7 euros?

My first French musical purchase. Artist: simply called "M"