"I have wandered all my life, and I have traveled; the difference between the two is this --- we wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment." -- Hilaire Belloc
Travel. It seems that that word in itself carries such a heavy weight. It invoke feelings of a well-remembered family vacation, or a road trip where the ultimate goal was to arrive in one single piece, or it can refer to times in foreign countries, be it for pleasure, business, education. In my case, I have strived to make 'travel' much more than its singular definition. A road trip always beats out traveling by plane, a trip to Europe beats out a weekend at a Florida beach, and the ability to survive by oneself beats relying on groups for every single little detail.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that the Hilaire Belloc quote above defines 'travel' for me and that definition is what has brought me to Lisieux. A remote place in a foreign country where I must rely on the locals. Geez, I make it sound like I'm in the outback somewhere, even though I am really in a small country town in Northern France.
Lisieux. A very catholic town, where everything takes place in the town center, where the two schools where I am working are located a 20 minute walk in opposite directions from the town center, and where if you don't live in the town center, you need to shop at the big super-u supermarkets that are still not quite close to town. Another highlight of travel: walking. My days consist mainly of walking - to the boulangerie 17 mins away, to the town center 25 mins away, to Michelet 35 mins away. Clearly, I will either be in really good shape or forced to figured out the bus system.
So, I guess I'm basically all settled in here in Lisieux. Between the welcoming people and the awesome food, I'm looking forward to a year here. Now if only a bus run more than once every other hour, I'd be all set, but for now, I'll walk in order to continue to travel.
À bientôt,
Caitlin
PS I promise that next time, maybe I'll include some pictures.
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