Thursday, 25 August, 2022 – After a flurry of text exchanges and two phone calls yesterday, we neither texted nor talked today, which is a sign that Elias, Kelsey, and Ian had a good rest and good day. Of course, I do not know that for certain but after the near-disaster yesterday, I hope they had a nice day exploring the part of Paris where they are staying.
Elias said they got an airbnb on the opposite side of Paris. Tonight, the location app tells me they are close to here: an area called Vitry-sur-Seine. When they decided to leave, they really did go to the opposite end of the city from Nanterre. Google maps says it is an hour from Nanterre to Vitry-sur-Seine by bus and train.
I found a few sites that give a little more information about the personality of Vitry-sur-Seine. There’s a lot of street art and the city has adopted a zero waste program, or at least, set it as a goal, which I appreciate.
I was thinking today about what a difference it made yesterday that Elias, Kelsey, and Ian had each other to rely on, and share that experience at the farm. I spent too much time traveling alone in China. I was fine but every time something weird or funny or scary happened, I had no one to turn to and say, “Hey, did that seem weird to you, too?” I did a lot of telling myself that I wasn’t crazy to feel scared or uneasy. Or simply, lonely. I don’t think I was always lonely and being lonely some of the time did not scar me. But it also clearly shaped my experience at the time, and my memories of traveling.
Elias has more travel ahead of him that he will do alone but I am so glad he has this time with his best friends. I can picture them looking around at the farm yesterday, realizing there was no toilet with running water, and saying to each other, “Hey, does this seem weird to you, too?”