The content of this post is an adaptation of an original text written by Guy Laliberté.

I left Houston yesterday afternoon with my head stuffed full of information and the feeling that I had spent a week that was both enriching and important to my overall preparation.

One thing that made this week so important for me was the series of meetings I had with NASA people about my mission. I’m very happy with the feedback I got and pleased that my goals were well received.

I also had the great pleasure of getting together with my crew a few times—at the press conference, meetings at the JSC, and a barbecue hosted by Jeffrey and his wife. As this was our first chance to spend time together, I took the opportunity to ask them what they were expecting of me during our training in August. Jeffrey showed us some pictures he had taken from space, which just made me looking forward to it even more!

I also got to catch up with some of my astronaut friends, including Chris Hadfield and Mark Kelly (my friend Scott’s twin brother). Barbara and I took the opportunity to get some insights about travelling into space, training and so on from those who had been through it before. My only regret is that my tight schedule didn’t allow me to see all my friends in Houston, nor to enjoy Saltimbanco :(