My favorite yogurt flavor so far is coconut, and other neat stuff

Things on my mind:

My favorite yogurt flavor so far is coconut, but pineapple, letchi, and mango are close behind.
I live here!
Water is really important to the human body. Like, really important.
You can't soak beans indefinitely. They go bad.
America is wonderful and sucky, but neither all the time.
Reunion is wonderful and sucky, but neither all the time.
I miss being busy, and using an agenda planner. Yes, it's true that I don't use one here. True.
I really like French.
I brought too many shoes.

Saturday was a sortie scolaire (a field trip) with my culture class. We went to this guy's house where his kids played with land tortoises (as much as you can play with one) while he taught us how to string a traditional drum. He played some freaking awesome music with his son. Then, we went to a Hindu temple (living color, smooth statues, a peacock [!], well-worn bare feet, chilis and roses in the garden), followed by a park for lunch. I went for a walk with my cornet de glace (ice cream cone) and did some yoga before heading back on the bus for a visit to La Vierge Noire. It's a statue of the Virgin Mary on a site where both Catholics and Hindus come to worship, leave hair shavings from exorcisms, dip their children's hands in the streams, and mash little intentions scratched on paper into the rock wall that supports Her. I decided to pray, or talk in my head, or get more confused there for a little bit. So I did, and it was pretty alright.

In Reunionais cemeteries, their rectangular graves have neat little white pebble walls and are packed with flowers, herbs, and color. That's what I'm talking about.

I don't have anything really awesome or exciting to add. I'm in a semi-weird feeling right now. I cannot believe I'm actually here- I've waited and worked my whole academic life to get here, and now that I have two months left, I'm tredding water. Go, go, go! I'm seeing more places, meeting more friends, and simultaneously planning my life once I get back home. It's awesome and bittersweet and inevitable- I have a life to return to, after all and yet so much more to learn here. It's a limbo that extends across the planet, two languages, two countries, two very different cultures, and the ambitions and evolution of a young adult. Pretty damn cool, n'est-ce pas?



Skype: chelseacbarker (I'm on the Maryville, Tennessee network)
Email: chelsea.barker@my.maryvillecollege.edu
Mailing Address:

BARKER Chelsea
Chambre 628
Cité Internationale
Université de La Réunion
15, Avenue René Cassin - BP 7151
97 715 Saint-Denis Messag.9 Cedex
LA REUNION
FRENCH OVERSEAS TERRITORY


I love you all very much.
Chelsea