ESC: Issoire, Saint Babel, and Puy de Pariou

"It all seems so very arbitrary. I applied for a job at this company because they were hiring. I took a desk at the back because it was empty. But no matter how to get there or where you end up, human beings have this miraculous gift of making that place their home."

- Creed Bratton, The Office

Thor, Noé, and I

We are on our way to Puy de Pariou. "Puy", in the Auvergne region, means volcano.

Walking through the mud

More mud

Puy de Pariou (and Everest on the right)

Due to erosion, the trail to the base of the crater is closed. It was very cold and foggy.

Small tree fort we found

Walking back to the car

Arm Wrestle with Noé

Football with Claudio

International Equipe of Football

Post-Football Pizza with Emre

Kung-fu Baguette 2.0

I am, in fact, still studying at school, even if my blog does not reflect it. As you can tell, we are up to important things.

Carcassonne

I finally got to play the version of Carcassonne I bought in Carcassonne. It's a fun co-op if you like the base game.

Hike near Puy de Dôme

Emre and I tried to take the bus to Put de Dôme, but we missed it. So, we decided to take a hike around the area. We could have walked 10km, but it was already too late in the day.

Royat

Sweet Violet growing in a rock crevice

Final dinner with roomies at Le Ghandi

Final lunch with church friends

Thanks to Emre, we decided to do a barbecue for Labor Day (1er de mai)

Couch-surfing at Jean's place

I closed my apartment contract at La Môme and spent my last week at Jean's apartment. Thanks Jean!

Ponies at Jean's family

For two nights, Jean and I went to his family's house in Saint Babel. 

Breakfast

I tried to make chocolate milk in my cup was corrected by Jean's mother that chocolate milk goes in the bowl (in France). It seems like Americans are the only ones who drink milk out of a cup. 

Abbatiale Saint Austremoine

We went to Issoire for a quick city tour. 

Knife Shop

Flashback to my Benchmade knife presentation, we saw a knife shop that sells knives from Thiers.

Inside the knife shop

I found a really cool lightweight knife, but resisted the temptation to buy it.

Central Plaza Issoire

Field in Saint Babel

Stone wall

Hibou (owl)

Standing on top of a stone cabin built by Jean's grandfather

Jenga games with Jean, Maud, and Marie-claire

Banana Flambée

Jean and I went back to Issoire to take the train to Clermont, but we made a pitstop at our professor's apartment where we ate Banana Flambée. 

Wingspan

Obviously, we made time for board games. This was my first time playing Wingspan and it is definitely on my 'To Buy' list now.

It's finally here!

Going to the movies

Since I have a reputation with some people as a movie spoiler *eye roll*, I will write nothing here. I hope you're happy.

Le 1513

After Guardians, we went out for a final dinner. I got a Steak Haché and cheesy potatoes; as well as a cheese and ham crêpe.

Saying Goodbye to Xining

Both Xining and Jean got me books in French as a going away gift. Xining also got me a nice fountain pen, which is characteristically used the whole semester.

Petit-déjeuner with Noé

We went to Waffle Factory and got some rich waffles (gaufre in French). 

The Marol Familly

Andre and his wife were kind enough to invite me to a sendoff lunch. We had delicious pasta with veal.

Dessert

We ate many different French desserts from Îles flottantes to Brioche aux pralines rouges.

Goodbye Clermont

It wasn't perfect; nothing ever is. But despite the language barrier, anxious nights, and so many unknowns, I made this place home. It's been 4 years since I left what I always considered to be my true home: my parents, my siblings, Oregon, etc. and during my long stretches away from all that, I always look forward to my "trip home"-- a few weeks or months I get to spend in Oregon each year. This time however, as I planned my trip back, I felt that I was leaving home, instead of going home.

I've liked the song Dancing in the Moonlight, by Toploader, for several years and it always reminds me of the commune camp in the book The Grapes of Wrath, by Steinbeck. Both works display the love and joy that can be found from being surrounded by good people, even with life's challenges. Whether you believe it to be spiritual, biological, or something else, people seek human companionship. And at the end of the day, I think that is the most universal of desires.