BEING bored going to the Cap d’Agde, Paris or the Mediterranean sections of France? Why not go to Strasbourg this April 7 to 11 just in time for Photonics Europe 2008. It’s all about photonics but the focus of this year’s conference is how to make biophotonics work to be more environment-friendly and to counter global warming. Sounds high falluting eh? But that’s what the French are for. They are the most intellectual people on earth and if you fall in love with a French man or a French woman, you are pretty lucky.

But to work together for the environment, world peace must first be attained. That is why French President Nicholas Sarkozy has constantly been in the limelight in the Middle East because that is the most relevant ticklish region on earth because it is the passageway to the oil for the West. The Strait of Hormuz has been the site of the near-clash between elements of the United States Navy and the marine component of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Sarkozy has proposed that the French maintain a naval force in the area to appease the two groups. France is after all, friends of both countries.

Another country that France is forging ties with is India and it will be on nuclear cooperation. As we know, both countries have nuclear capabilities. India is one fascinating country to be explored by France. During his private but official meeting with Sarkozy, I could imagine French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner whispering to Sarkozy’s ear, “Hit India! It has large of vast resources waiting to be tapped.” And indeed it is. There are lots of information technology professionals coming from Bangalore and it is dubbed as the Silicon Valley of Asia. French entrepreneurs can surely outsource these professionals in their respective businesses. Labor there is way a lot cheaper than if you employ people here in France.

Another thing about India is the Indian Ocean. Although it is located in international waters, the Indian Ocean has long been a contested hotbed between the United States Navy and the Indian Navy because as the Indians would put it; the ocean is named after them. Again, this is an opportune thing for the French to enter the scene as peacekeepers.

Regarding the nuclear deal, all the French and the Indian governments have to do is waiting for the approval of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the matter. During the visit of Mr. Sarkozy on January 25, he will likewise discuss with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on how to have a joint space venture. They have perceived that the United States and Russia have long been monopolizing efforts in space so the two countries now want a chunk in that sector. arkozy is also trying to court the Indians into lessening the emission of carbon dioxide because the French have long been advocates of environmental concerns. Aside from that, they are one of the most intellectual people on earth so visiting France in 2008 is really worth it.

It is really great to have a choose when travelling abroad - you should aim to make as many contacts as you can! Having a local show you round is an ideal way to explore. You can meet people through travel forums or through work - even if your job is not an international one, you can still enjoy the benefits of having foreign aquaintances by playing a “host family” to people wanting to learn English. For example, by taking on a post such as an EFL host teacher you can still go about your daily life yet by dedicating a little of your day to those wanting to learn , you will too reap enormous benefit - a new cultural understanding and worldwide contacts to say the least!

Bear all this in mind if you are planning a tour of a country - especially a country like France with so many different things to see!

FRANCE still remains to be the country with the most romantic people in the world. Foreigners from Asia to the United States, from the Middle East to Greenland can really attest to this. The New Year’s celebration has just faded yet France remains to be the beauty that she is. People in France are also described as intellectuals and they tend to be individualistic and being loners most probably because they are thinking just about anything else – from politics to romance, from sex to sports. They are constantly thinking and that is what makes them an asset. People who stop thinking are after all cannot move on with life. It’s just a practical and rational thing to do, right?

Anyway, let’s talk about Paris. Even though it is not located by the beach and River Seine is not exactly your idea of a skinny dipping stop, it is still a beautiful, serene and medieval city with a touch of class and style. Even though you have personal problems, all you need to do is stroll around the various parks in the city and inhale deeply. Paris parks and gardens such as Parc André Citroën are away from the major thoroughfares although most of the vehicles plying here are devoid of smoke already so there is really no smog in Paris at all even if you go to the roofdeck of Galeries Lafayette and bask at the skyline of the City of Lights. Roofdecks of high rise buildings are ideal for romantic dinners especially if you can see the fully illuminated Eiffel Tower at a distance.

If you are really the daring kind, the only thing to look forward to this summer is going to the naked city of Cap d’Agde. Cap d’Agde is actually a seaside nudist resort but it is not just a beach resort with European Union-stamped blue flag accreditation. It is more of a shopping mecca for naturists where everybody from the security guard (with only a gun holster belt as his apparel) to the attendants naked. But if you’re the more physically adventurous one or are craving to witness Tour de France, then check out the route of Tour de France for this year. Tour de France may have been marred with steroid scandals in the past but it remains to be France’s premier sports competition.

Participants of Tour de France must really be experienced cyclists however so if you’re not the kind who can beat Floyd Landis or Lance Armstrong anytime, then you better be on the sidelines. So if you really participate into a sport, try practicing parkour. It’s not a contact sport, not even a martial art but it is an escapist art. The concept of parkour is in how an individual can outmaneuver his peers by swinging through obstacles instead of merely running conventionally along pedestrian lanes. There are lots of parkour schools mushrooming in France ever since it has gained fame in two recent Hollywood hits – the James Bond film Casino Royale and Die Hard 4.0.

I am currently a high school graduate from the Philippines and I have won a grant to study for four years in fashion design at one of the posh fashion institutions here in Paris. This will entirely be my very first time in a foreign country. When the Philippine Airlines flight I boarded from Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila first took off, I almost puked not out of seasickness or jet lag but because I’ll be going to a Babel-like land – a land that is bereft of spoken English and everybody is speaking French. I have been told that English and French are cousins because they originate from one language which is Roman and thus they are called Romance languages. So that’s my only consolation. Besides, I have been told that people in Paris are intellectual in nature and thus are more romantic. So I have to keep that in mind as an inspiration and to forget my loneliness because I’ll definitely be missing family and friends back home in the Philippines. Besides, I want to meet foreign guys. I’m curious to know their culture.

When the plane touched down at Charles de Gaulle International Airport, that’s when I immediately went to the women’s room at the airport and puke. I also wept and sobbed there because it was really a foreign land. Everybody around me was Caucasians and there were only a few English signs at the airport. Of course, I knew the procedure beforehand on where should I go next but that numbness feeling still freaked me out. I later learned that not all of these people are Roman Catholics like me although Catholicism is still the dominating religion in the country. There are lots of Muslim migrants here from Morocco and at this point in time in December, they are celebrating Eid ul-Adha. It is the commemoration of the willingness of prophet Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac.

Then while resting at the airport lobby after puking the Philippine Airlines breakfast (which was actually still Filipino food), I suddenly remembered the movie I saw a few years ago called The Terminal. The Terminal was about a man who had no citizenship and had lived for more than a decade at Charles de Gaulle. I later learned that the French Red Cross took him into custody. The real-life movie was directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks. The cinematography which touched me so deeply was done beautifully by Janusz Kaminski. Then it dawned upon me that I was actually sitting in the terminal where the same person in limbo had his life. Then I slowly smiled. Paris after all will be a challenging experience. I may not be lonely here as I think.

And so, I slowly wormed my way window shopping at the airport – exactly the same area where the guy in The Terminal was strolling. There were lots of boutiques there, the same ones you see in Manila such as Valentino, Lacoste, Gucci and what-have-you. There were a few bistros and cafes offering authentic French delicacies but I begged myself off for that momentarily. There is time to enjoy bouillabaisse and other yummy French food later.