Bonjour de Montpellier.

I arrived here last Thursday after 19 hours of traveling (including layover time of course). First of all, the photos of the apartment I found on line were a bit embellished. Nonetheless, I’ve gotten used to my “student-type” of housing. I’m not here for luxurious pampering. I came here to get out of my comfort zone so that I could be inspired for some creative thinking and to gain a renewed sense of urgency for living – avoid the temptation of just passing time. You know, “everyone dies but not everyone lives”.

Some may think that I’m too old and have already paid my dues to be spending my leisure time in student housing. Well, I’ve already been to some of the most acclaimed resorts in different parts of the world. Honestly, those are all becoming a bit redundantly sterile for me. Here, after the initial shock, I’ve been rejuvenated by the challenge of living with bare essentials. I’ve spent quite a bit of time just cleaning my studio and shopping for basic supplies. I’m reminded of my life right after college when I went to Seoul and everyday was an adventure and at times a lot of physical and emotional effort

Embarrassingly, I’ve blown a fuse at my place a couple of times already. It’s just a reminder of my excess American habits. My Nike Fuel now applauds me everyday because I’m walking all the time. That’s a good thing since the advertised fitness facility here has all of three outdated exercise machines and nothing for strength conditioning. I brought with me a jump rope which is what I use to get my heart rate up (other than some of the good French wines).

I’ve eaten a lot of bread with some of my favorite cheeses and pate which are extremely “moins cher” here compared to the states. I’ve also already exchanged several friendly smiles and polite conversations. People here tend to be chatty, but that may just be the French. Nonetheless, I’m completely unknown here and a bit mysterious given my multicultural background. That’s what I was looking for: To be at base ground; to not let myself be comfortable; to challenge myself further; to achieve better clarity of thought. I arrived here with just a carry-on bag for a two month adventure.