A Traveling Fool (from my entry for the class blog)

There are a few things to which the title of this blog post makes reference.
1. This is a class after all...
A group of the students here just finished reading the tale Tristan et Iseult. For those of you not familiar with this medieval French soap opera, this book concerns Tristan, a loyal knight of the king Marc, and Iseult, who is engaged (for political reasons) to Marc. Unfortunately, due to some heavily "herbed" (magic) wine and a long and lonely boat ride, Tristan and Iseult find themselves given into the passion of the "sortilege" (spell). The resulting story includes love, trickery, suspense, Marc perched atop a giant pine tree, some pretty creepy statues, equally creepy "Irish customs", and about five different words for dwarf. Seriously, if you haven't read this book, you should. In one of the final chapters, entitled Tristan Fou, Tristan disguises himself as a fool. By this point, it is clear that he is going a little crazy. The complexities of the medieval novel amazed me: nothing was quite as black and white as I had anticipated, and the didactic morals about fidelity and social stability were intricately woven throughout the entire story. It was great reading this novel in Alsace of all places, as it has the most Medieval chateaus of any region in France (over 400!). I love Alsace, and find it a bit sad that we are leaving it in just a week!
2. Traveling
For some, this is the first time having ever set their feet on European soil, while others have returned from Thailand just in time to get over the jet lag before leaving again. Regardless of previous travel experience, I think this trip is going to make traveling fools of us all. I find myself very fortunate to be with a group of people who are excited to be here and who are ready and willing to try new things, like a Mozart rock opera, escargot, or hiking through a forest in the snow to visit Haut-Barr. This group of students, and dare I say, future travelers, have been pushed way outside our comfort zone in at least one aspect. And speaking of being outside your comfort zone...
3. Just being a fool in general...
So, there must be something in the French air that causes a few more embarrassing moments than normal. Rachel has been documenting a few of these said incidents, and sadly most have to do with my clumsiness. These include: my falling down an entire flight of French stairs in front of my host sister (but hey, I learned new vocabulary like "bruises" and "buttock"), accidentally setting off the elevator alarm in the hostel, and pieces of the delicious tarte flambee that just seem to hop off my plate.
But despite the momentary red cheeks (or the rather long lasting bruises), these events really make for some great stories. They humble me, remind me to not take myself too seriously, and provide great bonding experiences. Because once you have made a fool of yourself in front of others, its easier for them to be okay with making fools of themselves in front of you. And then you get to the fun stuff.