There and Back Again / Hello 2011

After a two week break, teachers and students will make their bittersweet return to the classroom tomorrow. While this moment is always a bit sad, it is a cloud with a silver lining. After all, vacations can't last forever, or else they stop becoming vacations. I am happy to get back into a routine and see familiar faces.

My last post was about hitting a wall here in France. Without family, my closest friends, and a home that feels like mine, it gets tough. But taking a break from France to travel to Budapest, Vienna, and Prague was a great reminder of how much I do really love life here in the hexagon.

To recap the travels:

Budapest - The people here were very friendly and helpful. Beer was cheap, the boulevards were wide, buildings were old, and the castles were majestic. Highlights here included Frank Zappa Cafe, which had great food and a very cool, musically inspired ambiance. Also, a Gustav Klimt exhibit at the Arts Museum was particularly good.

Vienna - Vienna impressed us from the moment we got there. Because we only stayed one night, we stuck to the main center of the city, where we had a glass or prosecco at the original Julius Meinl. We also saw the most enchanting Christmas market I've ever been to (complete with brass band playing carols). Vienna was very charming and sophisticated, and had some bomb chocolate cake.

Prague - Having been to Prague before, I felt a little bit like I knew what I was getting into. While some things were familiar, Prague held lots of great surprises. The arts district is paticularly cute in Prague, and the castle will never fail to impress. Memorable moments include slamming back Slovakian liquor with locals, and our very last night, during which we stayed out all night at a dance club and left at 7:30am -sans shuteye- for our 9:30 flight.

Coming back to France was relieving. I guess you know you're getting old when just one week of travel gets you tuckered out. After a few days of rest chez moi, it was time to celebrate the New Year. Two friends of mine from Grenoble came to stay with me, and after a yummy dinner we headed out with some French friends to Chamonix, a ski resort town not too far from where I live. Good company, raclette (traditional dish of Savoie, including meat/cheese/potatoes), champagne, snow topped mountains, not to mention a fire twirler plus a ton of people in Chamonix center - it doesn't get too much better than that.




And finally, some reflections on the year before and ahead...(sorry in advance for the US slant).

After looking at a photo essay that recapped 2010, I was reminded very poignantly that while I am lucky, our world is full of tragedy, both natural and human-made. The earthquake in Haiti, floods, wars, the BP oil spill, lay-offs, and political unrest have pierced our lives. I nearly cried mulitple times while scrolling through the pictures. It's difficult to recall what -if anything- is good about that state of humanity.

But many good things have happened too - Don't Ask, Don't Tell has just been reversed (as was the same-sex marriage ban in California), healthcare reform passed, and the US is reducing the number of foreign troops as the end of the Iraq war becomes official.

We will never be able to live in a global world free from tragedy and grief, but I do believe the world would be better with more peace and respect in our individual lives - which you can create simply by starting with your neighbor, your lover, or your friend. What is in your vision of a better 2011? Once you define it, you can embody it - and as Gandhi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world." Best wishes to everyone for 2011, especially the friends and family reading this blog! :)