Chatting With Jaana

This morning I had an unexpected conversation with my friend Jaana. Via that all-encompassing and time-consuming social network know as Facebook, I in Southern California was able to talk to Jaana in Southern France using written words on its online Chat.

Of course the technology of Chat is nothing new, but since I rarely use it, I feel it is worth noting. Jaana and her family recently moved to a new home in France, but they may move back to Belgium (where Jaana and I met) in a few years because her husband’s business is based there and I’m sure the constant travel between Belgium and France must be tough and tiring for him. Jaana is happy that she will be skiing on the French Alps this winter. I only Nordic skied once in my life and I’m amazed I completed the trail!

Agree with Jaana that living in France is wonderful and I hope to do so again someday. There is no place quite like Paris! Regret the lack of traveling since I’ve been back – only to San Francisco. As I have some free time lately, I’m doing more writing, especially for this blog. Perhaps I’m improving? Also I’m planning on gaining more technical knowledge by taking a website building course in January.

Alas technology is not always perfect and our Chat session abruptly ended before I was able to ask about the children; but at least we connected and I’m glad to know she’s happy and healthy. The chat was a nice surprise to start my day! I’ll have to do that more often. So who wants to chat?


Images:
Left: California map is from the website geology.com
Center: “Adrean chats, Jaana chats” graphic created by Adrean Darce Brent
Right: France map is from the website upload.wikimedia.org

La Fête Nationale

My first experience of Bastille Day was in Paris while on a travel/study program through the University of California, Berkeley. Recollections are hazy, but I remember celebrating with other program students in the general area of Place De La Bastille (near my future neighborhood); taking a break from the immense, jostling crowd and eating a pita on a stoop off Boulevard Henri IV; being startled by the small firecrackers the French were throwing on the ground in the midst of people – crazy! From La Bastille we somehow ended up on the Champs-Élysées (probably via the over-packed Metro) and were amazed by the squeezing in and the shouts of people on that ionic avenue. Although we were “enjoying” the novel experience of the French festivities, soon enough the group decided to head back home. Supposedly the Metro was to be running until 1:00 a.m. or 2:00 a.m.; though we waited a long time, with tens of others, on the platform in Roosevelt for a train that never came. The only thing to do was walk. So my first Bastille Day ended with walking from the eighth arrondissement to the sixteenth arrondissement in the company of fellow students and other celebrants trying to reach our respective homes. It was one of the longer walks I’ve taken in Paris, but I wouldn’t have missed the whole, insane, claustrophobic, noisy night for anything – not even for a really good red Bordeaux. Vive La France!

“Happy Bastille Day!!!” graphic created by Adrean Darce Brent