Welcome to Lyon

Lots of movement in the last couple of weeks. Just to give everyone an immediate update, I am safe and sound in my new home in Lyon. The family is great so I think this shall be a wonderful stay. During my first night out with the siblings of the family (all ranging in the twentys) we went to a small cinema and saw Woody Allen’s newest film “Whatever Works.” It was very funny, but in English with french subtitles, which was actually good for me to pick up some new vocab. What was even better was sitting around for about 5 minutes following the film trying to discuss the meaning of life in french. I’m stretching the limits of my language ability with every passing hour and I love it.

Now for a quick recount. West Point, having the magnetic grasp it does, pulled me back from Rochefort for a couple days to take care of any last bit of paperwork, unpacking, and to allow me to give my necessary “welcome” to the new cadets. Sam Kazmer, my great friend and former roommate from the Mike 4104 Duke D-4 days has a younger brother who is now a plebe. Sam is studying in Taiwan this semester, and had to come back for the first week, dubbed “reorganization week.” It is essentially West Point’s week long spin on orientation. He left on Tuesday, but before he left we marched back the new cadets as they finished up their last day of Cadet Basic Training, or “Beast Barracks.” They all looked pretty strong marching back in, and I’m glad Sam came up with the ludicrous idea of waking up at 3:30 in the morning to go meet a bunch of stinky scared freshmen in the middle of the woods.

The rest of the week Marc Beaudoin, who is adventured throughout Europe with me this semester, and I lived in our company’s day room-a common area we were glad to say au revoir to after a couple days. West Point graciously gave me about 10 days of leave before heading over here. This is a result of the French academic schedule not quite coinciding with ours. It was good to get back home after an entire summer away. The sad negative I did take away from going home was that many in our current American society are in fact….devolving. I saw many shapeless masses with appendages barely poking out that didn’t quite count for a human being. The contrast of skinny European to fat American is kinda disheartening. Hit the trail America, we’re better than this. As Dean Karnazes said "I run because walking takes too long, and I'd like to get a few tings done in this lifetime. I run because long after my footprints fade away, maybe I will have inspired a few to reject the easy path, hit the trails, put one foot in front of the other, and come to the same conclusion I did: I run because it always takes me where I want to go."

While home I was able to take apart in one of West Virginia University’s fine display of its number one party ranking status; Fall Fest. It really isn’t that bad, but it is kinda like chaos on the streets. It is one grand block party put on my the school the night after the first day of class. They garnered some big name acts; Third Eye Blind, Akon, GirlTalk, and Kelly Pickler. It was interesting feeling like a normal college student-but not something I really want to replicate.

After that, I headed back to West Point, gathered with the other cadets going on semester abroad to France, and departed. A couple of delays, many hours seated, and a more pages of a book about ultramarathoning later, I arrived at my host family’s house. The book inspired me to go for a run once I settled in and met everyone. Marc and I are running in the Athens’ marathon in November, figuring it will be good to go back to where it all began, so the train up has all ready started. My next big adventure starts tomorrow, when I go to class for the first time, so there will defiantly be more to update.

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