Heading into a hole in the wall...

Just as my father at 21 risked all he knew to pursue his dream job in an African country he was so foreign to that he had to check it existed on a map, I too can relate to how he must have felt that day. I can picture him waving his tearful mother goodbye with a one way ticket in hand.

Although my adventure is not quite as dramatic, I can still identify with a poem he wrote called “Headed into a hole in the wall.” It describes how he would know no one and no one would no him, disappearing from his family and friends sight. This felt significant to me last night as I walked away from my smiling loving parents as they began to appear smaller and smaller. In turn, with each step I was drawn closer to my independent uncertainty and nervous excitement overwhelmed me.

13 hours later... I've finally arrived in Villesavary France! I’m off to a good start having mastered 3 modes of public transport throughout my tiresome journey.  Recap: Firstly my 6 hr flight of no sleeping, terrible choice of a sappy stupid movie “Letters to Juliet” and a large Nigerian man sitting next to me, whose excitement for peering right over me every 5 minutes to look out my window seat resembled a 3 year old. I arrived in Heathrow airport in England for a taste of brief nostalgia of WHSmith chocolate and a snoop around Harrods.

 My connecting flight to Toulouse consisted of herds of cockney british males in uniform black suits and matching brief cases. Yes mum- I changed out of my sloppy American student sweat pant attire! 
Next, I began my french adventure navigating my way two hours south to the countryside, what I can only describe as "I'm an idiot, why don’t I know French!” My bus ride out of the city was successful as I avoided all good looking French men who seemed overly helpful in the hope of luring me into a global human trafficking ring... any one see the movie "Taken".. ?!?

I then jumped onto a very flash fast train that impressively ran through the endless green and brown fields and beautiful hills with shiny white villas that appeared as distant boxes in the countryside. 

With a cell phone that had no service, I was left to figure out how to get a hold of a coworker to pick me up from the middle of nowhere, surrounded by only sunflowers and pumpkins!

 Luckily, after shouting the words "téléphone?" and lots of hand motions (I was always good at charades!) a man thankfully let me use his phone and I was successfully picked up. 

Chez moi La maision! Took this pic yesterday.. this is the Gîte I'm living in.
"The office" is the building to the right of the tree.

There is so much beauty here, I cannot wait to explore, meet coworkers and start learning all I can, soaking it all in like a spongebob.  For now, while I'm still jet lagged I will be settling into my hole in a wall...

View from my backyard!

FACT: Malaria was eradicated from the United States over 50 years ago, yet more than 40% of the world’s population today is at risk.