Three Weeks

“Voici mon secret. Il est très simple: on ne voit bien qu’avec le cœur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.” (Here is my secret. It is very simple: one can only see well with the heart. The essential is invisible for the eyes.)

In three short weeks, I will be boarding a plane to the next nine months of my life: France! After five years of French classes, what started as an interest in the French language and culture has grown into one of my strongest passions. I graduated high school with the intention of going into French and International Studies at Aquinas College. At first, I was worried that Aquinas wouldn’t have a French program that could fulfill my needs as a French major and keep that passion alive. In the beginning of the school year, my French professor, Monsieur Pichot, could tell that my interest in French was very strong. We went over all of the different classes on French language, philosophy, politics, and so much more! I was blown away. However, it was his next comment that took me by complete surprise. He mentioned studying abroad in France, and that if it was possible for me, I should go for a whole year. At this point, I nodded my head and said to him “Yes, that sounds amazing.” In my head, I thought, “He must be joking! A whole year?” Of course I was planning on studying abroad, but not until my junior year, and only for a semester. I began to seriously consider what he had said, and felt God pulling me to go to France for my entire sophomore year. And here we are today, so close to the most exciting, yet most demanding step I have ever taken.

As said, I will be in France for nine months. I leave September 19, 2009, and return on June 12, 2010. In this time, I will be taking classes at l’Université Catholique de l’Ouest (The Catholic University of the West) in Angers pronounced Ahn-zhay, the ‘zh’ being like a soft g in ‘garage’). The city of Angers is just about 100 miles southwest of Paris, and it is in the Loire Valley, which is famous for its chateaux. In a letter I received from my host mother, Béatrice, I found out that she has a daughter who is married and living in the south of France, and there will be another student who is originally from China staying with us. The other student, Ylan, is returning to Angers for school, and actually stayed with Béatrice last year, which is very reassuring to my family. Béatrice will help me to embrace the French language and culture, and Ylan will be wonderful in showing me around Angers, making me more comfortable with the school, and she will be a great friend to have around.

All summer, September 19 has been a date that has seemed so far away. Even today, I don’t know if the significance of only having three weeks to go has sunk in. I have packed my bags to see how much I can bring with me. I have been watching French films, listening to French music, and reading French books. I am still going through my French books to review verbs and vocabulary. I can’t describe my anticipation to go to France, and wonderful as it will be, I know that the first couple months are going to be unbearable at times. Because of this, I hope that you all will pray for me and support me while I am in France! I’ll be writing new posts hopefully ever week, and I’ll be seeing you all soon!

“I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:21)