Hairway to Steven

Adjustment has occurred! Being frustrated and homesick that first week was like having a non life-threatening illness -- knowing you'll get better soon (but never soon enough) is almost as bad as having the illness itself. So here it is: my slowed-down, chilled-out, mountain-time mind and body state of being. My definition of the word "adventure" has already adjusted to its current circumstance (as it always does and should, eventually), so that even the tiniest of events becomes something great. It's a wonderful little adaptation skill that I didn't really know I had until now -- until the urgency to adapt confronts me face-to-face. Some recent adventures that you city folk ;-) might find a bit rustic:

>>The market. Every Thursday and Saturday morning, the town of Gerardmer hosts an open-air market in the church parking lot. In addition to your regular fresh fruits and veggies (apples, carrots, potatoes) there are some great Vosges specialties: chanterelle mushrooms, munster cheese (so stinky!), muscat grapes, mirabelles (in the prune family), locally-made wine from Alsace. I bought some honey last Thursday, in addition to a loaf of "pain complet" (whole grain bread), "tartine de feta" (feta cheese and herb spread), and some fresh eggs, among other things. I'm living the gastronomic life I've always wanted to -- buying fresh bread every other day or so, going out to the market and getting the ingredients I need for my meals that day. It goes without saying that you buy what's in season -- some of the season's last few grapes, strawberries, raspberries, and apples are still out, but squash, potatoes, and carrots are becoming increasingly popular among the vendors.

>>Leaving town. I tried taking the bus to visit a fellow assistant in Vagney (about 17 kilometres from Gerardmer)... but I missed it. I took a different one instead and hitched a ride with an elderly French woman who was just returning from a grape-picking stint at a vineyard in Alsace. I arrived at Vagney around sunset and, though I didn't know where my friend lived, managed to find him using the help of another friendly French woman. Had my first social night out "on the town" (at the one and only pub in town) with another American, who has turned out to be a really great companion.

>>Experiencing "la langue courante" (familiar speech). I saw a movie last night ("Rien de Personnel") with my roommate and another British assistant which, while I did have some trouble following the dialogue, turned out to be a great exercise in learning French slang and common speech. I've been chatting with a French acquaintance of mine, Sara, who is a constant source of colloquial expressions and counterintuitive phrases, as well as reading a music magazine, Tsugi, which is both interesting on a base content level (Animal Collective, Kanye West, and Busy P were all featured in the magazine, as were a ton of fascinating electro artists whose music I can't wait to steal -- Europe is so ahead of the curve) and on a language level. Interviews are great sources of snappy phrases and slang words.

I've been catching up on a ton of things I've always wanted to do, but never had the time: cleaning up my resume, organizing my photos, reading more often, exercising and exploring. And while this isn't exactly a luxury activity or something that I've been longing to do, I've also been doing all of my laundry by hand, in the sink in the bathroom. I hung a clothesline in my room next to window, and let my stuff dry for a bit while I'm out during the day (or while I'm sleeping, ha). Cleaning, cooking, chores, et cetera -- not exactly intellectually-stimulating stuff in its own right, but thought-provoking in its execution. I've never really had to think about "what it means" to live like this -- in the country, terrible transportation, slow food, beautiful isolation -- but it's quite a trip. Doing so-called mindless chores lets your mind wander, to wherever it pleases, without provocation or arbitration. What am I going to think about next? On which part of my life will I reflect? How will my body respond to this? How will my mind react to what I'm doing?

TAKE TIME