A Quick Jaunt to Paris

Friday night I hopped on a train and zoomed to Montparnasse where I caught the metro to the Opéra National de Paris (I had about 45min to get there before the show….during rush hour.) It was really warm that day so my forehead was “glistening” by the time I made it through all the train changes/stairs and to the door at the opera..but I didn't mind. The opera was fantastic (four soloists, a massive opera choir, an orchestra, and a narrator) and they recounted the story of David. Emily would have LOVED it. I've never heard voices like that and the soprano was wearing Louis Vuitton stilettos and diamonds I could see from the fourth balcony! There were no microphones but it really resonated well.




After the opera, I walked to the Louvre just to enjoy the wonderful weather and then I took the metro to my friend’s apartment (her cousin is an ambassador of France and she was sent to another country for three years so Mathilde gets to live in her apartment which happens to be on the seine two blocks from the Eiffel tower!) She didn't tell me that before I got there so I was expecting a normal French studio apartment on a dark alley, miles from the center...haha

Saturday I woke up early and explored some more. First I got a croissant and a thing of strawberries for breakfast and ate them in a park...then visited les Invalides. On my way out, I noticed a crowd around one of the little courts and went to watch and it was the coolest thing. Tons of guys Tom's age playing “polo à vélo!” They were wearing hilarious team uniforms and self-decorated helmets (elephant, bunny, or dogs ears attached) and pinned on tails, and painted faces. So bergwall if you ask me. Anyway it was some kind of major tournament with several teams on the lawn waiting for a chance to play.


After I had my fill of that, I just kind of wandered around for a little while until I went to meet up with Mathilde at her brother's apartment for lunch. He lives in a beautiful little area on the east side but still close to all the fun. Her whole family was there so I had plenty of speaking practice! And some really great "chili." After dinner several of us went to my host dad's art show in the cutest little gallery in the saint germain area. His artwork was so beautiful and his whole family was there...I'm sure they are all very used to this, but I was super impressed!

Mathilde (a concert bass player) had to go to her rehearsal at that point, so her dad and brother took me to get "the best ice cream in Paris." They were right...I had pistachio and wow was it delicious! So kind of them to take me around too. When they had to get going they pointed me in the direction of the Seine and so I just did tons of window shopping and people watching until I had to be at Mathilde's concert. Her concert was yet again in a part of paris I'd never seen, but really really pretty and fun to take the metro to new places :) Mathilde has almost the same age as me so for her to be performing in Paris all the time seems really accomplished to me.


So her concert was great...a very lively conductor, and afterwards we ran to the RER and caught a train to her parents’ house in the suburbs. (They were having a party for her brother and invited me to stay the night there.) It was a group of maybe 10 others of my age just sitting around being goofy and nibbling on all kinds of little snacks...(Mathilde has two brothers and sister so it felt a lot like being at home)

We got there at night so I really couldn't tell what the surroundings looked like but in the morning I went down for breakfast and wow....their house was on a hill that overlooks all of Paris (and the house was super cool too..over a hundred years old and just massive) Anyway, we spent the morning hiking, playing badminton and just chatting and then back to Paris for the rest of the day. I said bye to Mathilde at that point because she had another concert...and took the metro out to la Defense (the modern part of Paris on the north west side).


Having never been there, I thought I would probably spend like an hour hanging around looking at the architecture....but little did I know there is an enormous mall out there! So, an hour turned into a few. haha. Then I went back to the Marais area to see some things I hadn't seen before...kinda got turned around coming out of the metro and ended walking to the point where I could see Montmartre! oops...but I saw some more of Paris at least. So at that point it was starting to get a little bit dark so I quickly hopped on the nearest metro to head back to Mathilde's appartement to get my things. There I just kind of lollygagged around taking pics of the eiffel tower and walking along the seine and then decided to head to Montparnasse so I could get some dinner there before getting on my train back to Tours. That was all fine and dandy until I saw the time on someone else's cell phone (we apparently did the whole “spring forward” thing yesterday) so I literally ran as soon as I got off the metro, up several flights of stairs....composted my ticket and found my seat with 5 min to spare. Crazy...but so glad I had built in sandwich time even though I had no sandwich. (don't worry I had some bread and jam when I got back to tours around 11:)

So there you have it...my whirlwind of a weekend! Couldn’t have been any better really!

Oops! Is it really the end of March already?

Haha...I guess I let a good bit of time pass without writing! Sorry about that, but honestly when things are going so well, there's just no time left at the end of the day. (so take my lack of writing as a good sign) The last month has been just incredible. First of all, the weather has been just beautiful and I'm close to shedding my winter coat for good and maybe even pulling out some of my spring skirt and tops that I bought this winter during the big sales:) My classes are super interesting this semester with top notch profs (exception of one elderly boring story teller.) And best of all, I've been going out with my friends much more often...and that does wonders for the French progress. With the lovely weather, we spend hours on the terrasse of tel ou tel café and just chat...and then take a stroll along the loire or in the garden by my house. I've also become friends with a professional concert bass player who lives in paris but plays with the symphony here from time to time! She's about my age and is really talented...I've been to several of her concerts:) Anyway, this week-end she invited me to stay with her at her place in Paris while my host dad has his expo in a gallery there (his art is amazing by the way!) So, should be a fun weekend! Hope it doesn't rain!

This week is kind of a crazy one...I'm a tutor at the language school for some for some of the undergraduate students in my program. This is their last week here and so they have several papers to turn in today...hence lots of correcting work for me! But I have to admit, it's fun for me to still play teacher while I'm here. I'm also giving English lessons to a French girl too! And, since I last wrote I've read la Nouvelle Héloïse and I'm in the middle of reading the 2000 page les misérables, so I guess you could say my lit class is keeping me busy.

Speaking of keeping busy, Ana (one of my good friends in my program) and I planned several little trips for the end of the semester!!! So excited...and it gives me something to look forward to while I'm finishing up all of the final projects next month! We'll be going to Strasbourg, Bordeaux, and then we'll spend a week in Provence just kind of hopping from one costal city to the next! What a dream come true.

Well, I better get going...I have some work to do and then tonight I'm having a friend over to watch Pride and Prejudice together! Or maybe Sense and Sensibility depending on the mood. Can't wait!

Hope you are all doing impeccably and can't wait to catch up soon!

oh and I went on a trip to Avignon a couple of weeks ago....so pretty. here's a pic!

Out with the old, in with the Older

It's a new semester! A fresh start! Don't you just love freshly sharpend pencils? Well, the last few weeks have been a blast...sorry you won't hear all the stories, but I'll give you a quick recap.

Christmas- Pretty sure Emily, Jen, and I packed as much into four days in Paris as possible...and still managed to watch movies in the hotel in the evenings! The Christmas markets, museums, fancy dinner night, boat tours, the ferris wheel, endless treats and shopping made for an excellent vacation! And I got to share it all with my sister...and ps she's the best. Sunday morning, we went to the early mass at Notre Dame and we're so happy we did. When we left the hotel that morning, snow was calmly falling and had completely covered Paris in a blanket of white! Kind of a rare scene for Paris!

Well, we spent the rest of our time togther at my place in Tours, mostly cooking, shopping, and watching movies...oh and drinking hot chocolate:) Emily and I really got in some good seester time and now it's not all that long til I'll see her again!

So after Christmas, I spent my time working on homework and lounging a bit here and there. And yes! I moved out of my apartment and into a host family...the biggest blessing (kind people, progressing in french, great food, good sleep, encouragement, a cat, and just a happy place to be). For all of you who prayed me through my first semester here...send out a prayer of thanksgiving today! This is going to be a wonderful semester surrounded by great people.

Well, we just finished final exams last week. (they do them after break here) Now I'm all done with last semester...and good riddance! So, this week was my first week of the new semester and I have my work cut out for me...but I'm ready to dive in! Actually, I have a cup of hot tea next to me right now and am ready to start reading for next week:)

Sorry for the lack of blogging...I'll keep up a little better now that finals are out of the way:)

Have a great weekend everybody!

La soupe, ce n'est pas la fête!

The last couple of weeks have been pretty busy....but I think this is probably the case for everyone in the world. Who ever came up with the idea of final exams and research papers? Probably the same group that thought acrobats should have to "stick" the landing at the end of a gymnastics routine! Why make it so difficult? Oh well, c'est comme ça! Anyway, after finals are over then it's Christmas which equals seester time.

Well, things are going much better here in Tours. I think I'm through the rough patch thanks to your prayers and emails. After all the drama here, I will be moving out of my apartment after Christmas and back into my host parents house from the last time I was here! I couldn't be happier really. To live with a family(not just any family but the best of the best) and just be in a calm, warm environment,where I'll be able to sleep and study.... not to mention the soup that Sylvie makes!!!! Ah, what a blessing. The last few weeks were quite busy tring to figure out the ligistics of it all with my university, but it all came together and....yep!

Oh, and last week I bought some new boots! That's fun right? They're leather so I just finished giving them a second coat of waterproofing spray and will probably where them tomorrow to break them in!

I hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving. Talk to you soon....probably after finals:)

Rollercosters are fun...for a couple of minutes.

I'm not even sure what to write today...but something. We'll just start with last weekend and just see where we end up. Okay? Saturday morning, I woke up early and meet mom and dad at the train station! Not a bad start, right? I was so glad to see them and tried so hard not to cry...I didn't make it very long. The weather in Tours was on the chilly and rainy side, but I didn't mind. I was just so glad the strikes didn't cause mom and dad to be stuck elsewhere. During their two days in Tours, we went to the markets, took a tour of town, rode a train to a chateau, went to chuch together, and of course had some delicious food! Sadly, I was more than emotional the entire time they were here. Things haven't been a piece of cake lately and they just happened to see all the pent up tears. Sorry. Seeing them go wasn't easy either Monday morning...I so felt like buying a ticket home. BUT I know things have to get better and I LOVE France, so I stayed....obviously. Ha

The next day, I pulled myself together and told myself I was just going to work as hard as possible to make things better here. Well, that worked well until my best friend here, Jenna, told me she was going home on Thursday. Shock...! I knew she was considering leaving the program at the end of the semester, but I had no idea it would be that very week. Well, such is life and I know she had her reasons for leaving. Best of luck Jenna.

I just have to say...through every little trail, God is really showing me how much He cares. I've never felt alone here, probably because I'm not! His Word and Spirit guide and comfort me even when I'm being tested. And the Church...I couldn't be more grateful for the bond we share in Christ. In fact, Wednesday night our Bible study group got together and just laughed and had the best conversations about being joyful. Then Thurdsday, I got to "tutor" one of the undergrads who goes to my church. Did I mention I'm tutoring this year? Well, I am! Anyway, she's such a great girl and we really just went out and got hot chocolate in a nearby cafe and practed our French together. And Friday, I had a double dose of fun with friends from church. First, after my test in the morning at school, Kate (a really sweet English girl) and I went out for coffee. Acutally, she had tea...go figure:) We speak in French together most of the time, but near the end of our time together we spoke in English a bit. Her accent is FANTASTIC! And she was teaching me some of their cute little British idioms...so funny.

Since I was freezing after being out all day (and i kind of left my coat chez moi!) I hopped in the bus and got home, took a quick shower, turned around twice and headed out again! This time I was headed over to Nelly's house to hang out with some of the "young adults" from my church. It's weird not saying teens anymore. She met me at the bus stop that's not far from her house and then we walked to her place. In the end, I think I was there til about 2 in the morning just chatting, eating pizza, singing, and having a movie night complete with popcorn!!!! What a relaxing time.

So as you can see, this week has been a rollercoster and I think I'm starting to get a little woosie. Maybe it's time to hop off for a while and try another ride that's a little less crazy...maybe the carousel? All I know is that in 5 weeks, my seester will be here!!!! Better get my homework done...have a great weekend everybody!

Mountain Madness

Last week was fall break...oh how I miss you already. As most of you probably know, France decided to go on strike pretty much every day, so that was a story in itself. Jenna and I left early in the morning on Wednesday with the intentions of going to the Alps for a few days. We knew when we climbed into the taxi that we might be coming right back home, but we wanted to give it a go anyway. Our trains were mostly functioning that first day so that was a relief. Eventually, we made it to our destination...Chamonix.


It was completely dark at this point, but we knew there had to be some amazing mountains all around us, so we were anxious to wake up in the morning and see where we were. That night, we found our gite which was the coolest little bunk house for hikers...one night we even got to share our room with a French couple that was vacationing/hiking in the mountains..ha! We got settled in our little room and put our sleeping bags out on our bunks, and went out and just kind of wandered around the cute little town. Most everything was closed at this point, but it was still enjoyable to window shop.

The next morning we woke up to the most beautiful picture outside our window...snow capped mountains! We hurried around and ran outside to see what we had missed the night before. Incredible. There were mountains completely surrounding us...north, south, east, and west....not that I knew which way I was facing!



The weather was perfect...at least after the sun came up over Mont Blanc! We spent our time in Chamonix just relaxing, eating wonderful pastries, taking pictures, eating pastries, and of course going up the mountain. Jenna and I ventured out on Friday morning on two different tours. First, we went up the side of a mountain in a train (that lost power on the way up....scary right?) to see a glacier. So cool.



Later that day we put our fears aside and took a cable car to the second highest peak in the alps to get a better view of Mont Blanc (right next to it.) The scariest momoent of my life no doubt...but i'll never forget it! The cable car was packed with tourists and took a total of 30 minutes to get to the top...including switching in the middle. To really understand the thrill, you just need to take the ride yourself. I can't really explain why my heart felt like it was going to pop....other than the fact that I was in a tiny car hanging by a cable that could fall to it's doom at any moment! Ha.





We survived, obviously, and that was for sure the highlight of our trip....at least for me. Jenna is super afraid of heights so I can't speak for her! Ha. Well, once back on the ground we had to go to the train station once again to make sure that our trains were running for the next day...nope. Of course not. So, the lady told us we would just have to come to the station and ask the controllers if there was any extra space the next day. Yeah right?!

We came back the next morning and asked a different woman, and she printed us new tickets to get where we needed to go with. The strikes endend up in our favor because we got to take a double decker TGV instead of a normal slow train across the country(we didn't even have to pay any extra)! We did, however, have to take a two hour bus ride through the mountains to get to the departure point! That was trilling to say the least.

All that, and we made it to Paris....got a quick view of Notre Dame while running to switch train stations, and then we made it home. Couldn't have been a better day or trip.

Béni soit le nom du Seigneur!

This weekend has been the biggest blessing. No, I haven't finished all of my homework, dishes, or cleaning that I had planned to do, but I spent some quality time with my friends from church and my roommate! Friday, Jenna and I finalized our plans to go to Annecy and Chamonix in the alps for a few days during fall break! We had a great time booking tickets and a hostel together. Only a week or so until we'll be at Mont Blanc!

Yesterday, I woke up and went into town to get breakfast with some of the undergrad students from my university. We got some chouquettes and a pain aux raisins from my favorite stand at the markets, and I had to get my fruits and vegetables for the week. Good news, the first clementines of the season came in yesterday. I bought a bunch and have already had three! So so good:) Anyway, we had a great time wandering around together and I showed them some of my favorite spots to go.

Then in the afternoon, I took a much needed nap and then met up with our "youth group" from church. We went to a few different forests nearby looking to collect chestnuts.....but alas, they were already mostly taken. All around there were round bright green thorny shells, but we think that too many people had already come through because they were all open and empty. Oh well, we had a great time and good weather! And there were even little goats and what my friends called "Bambis" to pet at one park! So cute.

When I got back, I was freezing so I had some soup for dinner and then some tea and a cookie for dessert! Not just any cookie, but a sablé nature from the bakery! You should probably be jealous!

And finally we come to today! This morning I wasn't feeling super great but I knew that if I skipped church I would really regret it. After all, it's my favorite part of being here and it only comes but once a week. So, I pulled myself out of bed and took a hot shower and already I felt much better. And wow am I glad that I made it to church today! Worshiping God and knowing that He is just as present in France as He is in the US really struck me today. He is a great God and such a personal God. Il est le pain de chaque jour et sa présence vit en moi!
The sermon was so convicting today too. We looked at Jacques 3 (james 3) and how the tongue is more powerful than we realize. It was interesting because we also looked at the first chapter and saw how listening is sometimes more important than speaking but both are useless without action. The pastor depicted it much more elegantly, but that was the essence:) And finally, this week was their welcome week for the new people in the church so we each got to introduce ourselves in front of the church and tell a bit about what we are doing in Tours! Then we all ate some "apéritifs" together and chatted a bit. I really feel at home in this church and am so thankful for the friendships God has provided.

Well, I just finished eating lunch (a baguette from the bakery down the road that was still warm and some tomato soup!) so I better get a little homework done! Hope you are all having a great weekend. I'd love to hear what you're up to if you feel like emailing me:)