Oklahomans, Nazis, Eurasia and Going Away Party
Friday, the two study abroad advisers from OU were in town to tweak the program, such as it is. All the OU kids were invited for lunch with them at the international relations office on campus, but I was the only one that showed up. I had a moment of panic when I arrived and the staff didn't know what I was talking about and told me the Americans had already been and gone -- it turns out that even though those staffers were invited, they hadn't been informed. Score one for French efficiency. And so we had a very French box lunch, and some red wine. Alcohol plus university officials on campus was odd. One of the French staffers confused me for French and didn't realize I was American until I started speaking with Jack and Kye in rapid English. That made me proud but a little incredulous. Dan and Mary came and picked me up from campus and we drove out into the outskirts of Bordeaux, where everything is much less rich- and idyllic-looking. There's a Nazi submarine base t...