New road

I had a very relaxing week end. Just what I needed after traveling so much. I have been reading, sleeping, walking around today. And this evening I finally decided to get on my bike and explore my neighborhood.

In a couple of days it is 2 years that I live in France. Wow. Time passes so fast. I can't believe that it is already two years. But if I think about it, it seems that living in my other apartment was just in another life and that all the past, my life in Germany or Holland or the USA was at the same time not too long ago and very long ago, depending on what I think about. Time is so relative. It always amazes me.

Anyway, after moving so much around the world, I realized that I need about a year to start to get comfortable in a place and about two years to actually start to feel that I live in a place (this with the exception of Amsterdam, where I felt home after probably just a few weeks living there). So, today I felt that it was about time to explore a bit the territory around my apartment. I fought my allergy (pollen allergy. Terrible in this season in the Mediterranean area. I don't have it as soon as I move away toward Northern Europe or the USA). I biked around and I saw some nice area and I also discovered that there is a small park near by. I never know where to go running, since I don't like running on the road with cars passing near by. Now I found a park (very small.....I don't know if it would be good for running) and I realized that there is a short cut to go to work from my place, with a bike road. Quite cool! It took me exactly a year to find it.

Thinking about a year ago, I realized how many things changed in the last months. A year ago my fellowship was just ending and I had to live with another fellowship giving me only 1000 euros a month. And then, out of nowhere, when I was close to get jobless, I got a job offer for two months and then for a year, so that I could keep working and living here. And everything happened in such an expected way...Life can play some weird games for us....
All this to say that what started from very little, now gave me a life in France for over two years, some friends and starting to feel comfortable where I am....not so bad after all!