I'm leaving tomorrow morning, at 6:34 am. Some 11 hours later, I'll be arriving in La Rochelle. The journey is actually not supposed to be that long, but I need to change trains in both Strasbourg and Paris. There'll be a lenghty stay in Strasbourg, which is ok because it'll give me to chance to have coffee with Max whom I haven't seen in monts. Unfortunately, I won't have the time to see daylight in Paris, hurrying from one train station to another to board the next TGV to La Rochelle.
I can't wait, really. I'm looking forward to those three weeks a lot, albeit a bit nervous because I haven't spoken French on a regular basis for years. Anyway, I'm fairly positive that fluency will come back after a couple of days with my host family and internationals at language school. I'm excited to meet new people, explore La Rochelle and the supposedly beautiful landscape all around the city, and have lots of fun there. I'll take pics and keep you updated.
As for Ireland, things are getting into gear. The DAAD (Deutsch-Akademischer Austauschdienst), where I've applied for a scholarship, has eventually written and invited me to an interview on 21 February. I'm glad I've taken this first step on my way to Trinity College. True, travelling to Bonn and back to France, plus missing two days in La Rochelle will be quite laborious and, what's more, exorbitantly expensive, but it should be worth it, after all. I'm curious what will come out of it. Isn't it a pity that I'm going to France with the Lonely Planet Ireland and lots of Irish literature (Beckett, Joyce ...) in by backpack? I'd love to speak French, read French, think French within the next three weeks. But what can I do? Some preparation for this interview is indispensable, if I'd like to make a good impression in front of the committee.
Those past 10 days at home have been nice. I enjoyed the time with my family, met some old friends, found myself a pretty room from 20 March to 30 june in Berlin, spent quite some relaxing hours in the bath tub, didn't start the term paper that is supposed to be finished within the next few days ...
By the way, if you'd like to send me a letter to France, my temporary (10 February to 2 March) address in La Rochelle is:
Lucette et Bernard Rouaud
41/43 rue Pierre Corneille
F-17000 La Rochelle
For all those of you who'll be starting a new term at university in the next few weeks, have a good one and party hard during the first few weeks ...
Clara and me at our last party together in Mannheim
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