Since Taco Bell, I have flown across six timezones and landed safely in FRANCE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw1P7gdtAeY)! All went smoothly, and my return to Nantes has been a fantastic mixture of nostalgia, anticipation, and happy coincidences.  Just as I stepped off the TGV in the Nantes train station, I saw my old study abroad buddy Michael Goldfien who had also just returned to the area.  The other evening we were able to enjoy a wonderful meal with our former classmate, Cara Lowry, and local buddy, Lise Dubois.  It was quite the reunion.

It has been so wonderful to see the ole sites, brush the dust off my language skills and smell the country once more, and no, that smell is not that of a dirty armpit, but the mixture of a fresh rain, cigarettes, boulangeries, and adventure.  It still feels like home, but I have yet to find a home.  Unfortunately, many of the apartments in the city were taken by students before I was able to arrive, so it's slim pickin's at the moment. Currently, I have been scheduling appointments to view places in the area and figure out what would be the best spot for me as I commute between two schools on opposite sides of town.  Has it been frustrating/stressful? To an extent, yes, but even when I am frustrated by this dilemma, I am able to find relief in the simple task of grocery shopping. For example, my lunch today: local goat cheese, blueberry jam, and fresh baguette. To think that I am able to eat this well for 3 euros makes homelessness the mildest of irritations.

Of course, I could not have been able to do any of this without the help of others.  From the moment I arrived, I have been humbled by the overwhelming kindness and hospitality of my good friend John Gilmer.  John, a fellow Sewanee grad and current teacher at the University of Nantes, has opened his home to me as a place to stay until I could find my own home.  I am so grateful for his counsel and encouragement.  I also owe so much of my well-being so far here to Nicolas and Elvire Stefanni.  These two former members of the Sewanee French department and current residents in Nantes have been so helpful in teaching me the logistics and strategies of everyday living and homemaking in Nantes, and they have been kind enough to advise me and John on so many things as we begin our ventures into what I like to call "the big kid world."

I must also say thank you to those of you who have read these LONG postings and to all of you who have called, texted or messaged well wishes over the past week or so that I have been here.  It is truly empowering and humbling to have so many people looking out for you, and I will try my best to return the favor. THANKS!

Next week: Orientation and the start of work, wrangling me a place to live, and continuing to live the good life.

In the classic song, Big Yellow Taxi, female vocalist and 70's teen heartthrob Joni Mitchell sings, "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone."

This often over quoted lyric rang true to me when I sat down on Wednesday to what would be the last cheesy gordita crunch to touch my pallet for at least eight months. Though to many it may seem insignificant, Taco Bell's heavenly cacophony of taste, texture, and barely legal ingredients bring me a type of joy that is only acceptable in Amsterdam.  I take a bight out of culinary bliss and think to myself, "America never tasted so good."

Like the cheesy gordita crunch, America is an imperfect, messy, forced concoction that can at times cause indigestion, but that I always find to be delicious. It is not the pinnacle of fine dining, but every time I bite into that cheep crunchy cheesy shell, I am satisfied with life and feel like every problem has a solution because some regular dude for a fast food chain was able to create bliss out of extremely simple ingredients: cheese, gordita, and crunch.

On Thursday, September 20th, the problem I am out to solve is why the cheesy gordita crunch can't go with a baguette and a glass of Merlot?  That is to say, why is there such a sharp social contrast with America and France and why do people think they clash? My hope is to use this venture to understand and appreciate those contrasts, but I also want to bring the "charm" of America to France and have it be seen as more than a cheep piece of fast food, but as the quirky goofballs that desperately grasp for the metaphorical merits of value menu items.

This may be my last visit to Taco Bell for some time, but I will always remember what the cheesy gordita crunch has given me: satisfaction in the little things and a hunger to share that satisfaction with others. You taste pretty good, America, now its time that other people know why....how cheesy.

ETA for Nantes: Friday afternoon.  Lodgings, work, pictures, movies, and adventures to follow.