Debout les fous

On ne dit jamais Adieu. We never say goodbye. In ten hours I will be boarding my train to Paris and will thus begin my trip home. In twenty-four hours, I will be on the metro in Paris on the way to CDG airport and will take flight shortly after. Every day over the past week, at least one of my friends has left Angers, and today it's my turn.

After finishing my exams last week, I have had this week to have fun, explore again, and reminisce. I walk through the city and everything from magpie birds to men in army uniforms brings back a memory of even the small and insignificant parts of my stay here. I have been able to go out with friends that I was close with at the beginning of the year, and also those who I have just gotten to know this past week. Now that I am not overwhelmed with classes and tests, I have been able to truly enjoy my last week here and to fall in love again with not only France as a language or a culture, but as the place that has become home.

Today I woke up early, just after the sunrise and I decided to take a walk around La Roseraie, my neighborhood. The moment I stepped outside and began to walk on the sidewalk lined with gates with intertwining rosebushes and vines, I began to cry and did not stop until I came home a half hour later. Last night as I said my farewells to so many close friends who have become my family here in Angers, the floodgates opened. Difficult as it was last night, it was even more difficult to comprehend the incredibly contradictions I found as I was taking my little stroll this morning. I felt emotionally exhausted already and was crying, but everywhere I looked showed signs of life, beauty and calm. The flowers that go through the gates and drape over you as you walk on the sidewalk, the blackbirds singing and chasing each other from one rooftop to the next, the scent of freshly made bread and croissants from the boulangeries opening their doors. And of course, the French. Always seeming to be in a hurry and indifferent to their surroundings, they were going about their normal routine at an unhurried pace and with a smile on their face.

Sometimes it is incredibly easy to remember that in the hardest times, you come out stronger. When I left Grand Haven in September, I cried because all I could see was what I was leaving behind. Now I am crying because I see what I have here and also what waits at the other side of the ocean, and I just can't believe it's already time to go back. This summer I will finally be able to reconnect with my family and friends without a computer screen (skype) and being physically at the same place as my family seems so unreal to me. I will also be working at the nature center as I did last summer and taking two summer classes. This fall the road leads to the Golden Dome for I have been accepted as a transfer student to Notre Dame and I feel so blessed and so excited for the next chapter of my life to begin.

Right now, I want to live my life by this quote from a song "Debout les fous, le monde sans vous perde la raison. Suivons jusqu'au bout, les fous qui dérangent sont des anges." Of course it sounds great in French, but the literal translation is "Stand up those who may be called crazy, the world without you loses it's purpose, follow through to the end because the crazy people who seem disturbing are angels." I'm crazy about France and about helping and loving others, and now is my time to stand up and meet the next part of my life. I am going to follow through to the end, and this is definitely not the last time France and I meet.

A la prochaine fois

Summer 2011 here I come!

Three Weeks, Take Two.

Nine months ago, I wrote for the first time to describe my future adventures in France. It was three weeks before my departure and I mentioned my decision to study abroad, my worries and fears, my anticipation to finally arrive in Angers, and of course my desires and hopes for this year. I can’t believe I am at the point in my journey where I have, yet again, three weeks until my life flips 180 degrees as I return back to my sweet home of Grand Haven, Michigan. However, I do not plan to spend those three weeks packing and dreaming of what I will do when I return. I am going to embrace the time I have here and live la vie française to the fullest.

I absolutely adore summer in Angers. Granted, I still have a week of classes followed by a week of exams, the weather clearly shows that it is summertime! The last two weekends have been long weekends, so I have spent a lot of time outside, which has been such a blessing. My allergies have finally stopped giving me grief and I have been able to enjoy the lovely weather by having picnics with my friends at the lake here in Angers, exploring various parks around the city, and strolling along the lakeside with Béatrice, her daughter and grandson, and Yilan. I had to buy sunscreen because I have already gotten a little sunburned, which makes me so excited for the next few weeks of sun!!!

The highest priority for me right now is exams, sadly enough. Starting tomorrow, I will be plunging into studying for my exams that start on Saturday. No, I am not procrastinating, and yes, my first exam is on Saturday! The teachers are absolutely crazy in my opinion to sacrifice a Saturday to give an exam, but c’est la vie en France! I have at least one really easy exam, français familier (my slang French class), but all of my other classes are going to require some serious review. I have a lot of notes and a lot of rereading, but this semester will be an incredibly good test of my progress. And I can’t forget to mention that on Tuesday, May 18^th, I completed and turned in a twenty-page dossier, all in French, about the modernization of the church in France. I can’t describe the huge weight that was lifted from my shoulders the second I handed it to the secretary at my school. I do not yet know how well I did on my dossier, but I am so incredibly thrilled to have that project done!

As a side note, while I was intensely devoting my life to my dossier and other papers and stories for school, I discovered the most amazing music ever!! Well, maybe it’s not the most amazing, but I can’t seem to get enough of it. It is called the Mozart l’Opéra Rock, and it is the soundtrack of a musical/show about Mozart finishing his tour in Paris and returning to his hometown of Salzburg, Austria where everything has changed. The songs vary in style, from lullabies to love songs to vindictive declarations, and they are all in French. Even if you don’t know French, I highly encourage everyone to go onto YouTube and search for the songs and check out a few. A few of them are kind of scandalous, but it’s the country and language of love and passion, so what can you really expect? My personal favorites: Le bien qui fait mal, Je dors sur des roses, Dors mon ange, l’Assasymphonie, Tatoue-moi, and Vivre à en crever.

This coming Wednesday, I will be singing at the soirée internationale for the second time this year. If you don’t recall or didn’t read the blog post in which I mentioned this occasion in December, it is a chance for all of the international students to share a part of their culture with the other students at our university. It is kind of like a talent show, because the majority of people do some sort of performance that represents their culture. I am going to be singing a blues/jazz song and I have a friend who will be accompanying me on piano, so it should be a fun and exciting night :)

Once I finished my dossier on Tuesday, I realized that I had virtually nothing to do after school and in the evenings, so I have done quite a lot this week. I saw Robin des Bois (Robin Hood), and though it was a decent movie, I didn’t think it was anything amazing. However, it did make me incredibly eager to get back to Grand Haven to watch BBC’s Robin Hood with miss Sara Luckey!! My friend Rémi had a concert in Angers and he asked me on a whim to sing with him. Since I only knew a couple of songs on the list, I sang “I’m yours” with him, and having not practiced at all together, I think we did pretty well. I had the most amazing soufflés EVER on Friday evening! One was a soufflé nordique and it had salmon in it, and then for dessert I had a soufflé chocolat. They were so delicious, I felt like I was on cloud nine for that entire meal. One of my favorite times this week though, was when my friends and I went out for someone’s birthday and Donald, my friend Heidi, and I all started doing random Star Wars voices such as Princess Leia, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, R2D2, Chewbacca, Jar Jar Binks, and the Ewoks. Oh yeah, we had a riot!

Today, I had the chance to go with Béatrice, my host mom, to an orthodox church that is about an hour outside the city. Since she doesn’t go very often, the last time I went with her was back in October, just before All-Saints Day. This time, we were there for La Pentecôte, or Pentecost. I am so glad that I chose to go with her, because I felt so connected at this service. After writing my dossier, I have a much better understanding of the Orthodox Church, and since I have been here much longer I also was able to understand so much more of what was sung (words and prayers are rarely said, they are sung. I was able to take communion at the Orthodox Church because I have been baptized, and after I received it, I sat down and was surprised when tears started falling down my face. Today, I can say that taking communion was more than just a ritual to celebrate having Christ with you. It was a movement that I am making back in the direction of strengthening my spiritual life again. Honestly, this year has been a huge challenge in exploring what my standards are and keeping my relationship with God alive. God has been a driving force throughout everything I have done here in France, but my faith has suffered a lot because I have not had very much fellowship with other Christians. I have done a few bible studies recently with my friends Mark and Heidi, and it has been such a comfort to have Christian friends with me to pray, read the bible, and hold each other accountable in areas where we may be struggling. And as far as my standards and ideals go, I had another interesting thought during the church service today. Throughout the entire orthodox service, you hold a candle that is lit in the beginning of the service. While I was sitting there with my candle, I watched the flame flicker as a breeze came in through the door, as people walked past me, and as I breathed toward the flame. Depending on how strong the force was against the flame, it would fade into almost nothing, and then return to its bright and shining state. This is what I feel like I have been doing with my standards throughout the entire year. I arrived in France with many ideas about different issues, and being in France without my family and friends has given me the chance to determine my standards and limits without outside influences. I have not done anything shameful by any means, but I have definitely been able to explore and test my limits, just as I observed with the candle. After this year, I have figured out that the standards I arrived in France with are pretty much the same as those I am leaving with, and I am really at ease with that.

Tomorrow I will have 19 days before I leave what has become my home. I left Grand Haven as a relatively naïve and sheltered girl, and am returning with a completely different worldview and sense of self. I love the lifestyle I’ve developed here: I walk everywhere, I make my food myself, I am constantly working to improve my French, and I don’t have to prove myself to anybody, which frankly is something I have been doing for the last ten years of my life. Don’t get me wrong, I adore Grand Haven and it is my home, but France has also become home to me. The next three weeks are going to be challenging with exams, but also so much fun. Tomorrow I am having a picnic with my friends Kai and Yilan, and after that Yilan and I are going on a photo shoot around town! I’ll be going to the lake a couple more times I am sure, and I have no doubt that I will be surrounding myself with those who I am close to whenever I am not studying. 35 weeks down, 3 weeks left!! A très bienôt mes amis et ma famille aux Etats-Unis! Je vous aime!

Le Printemps!

Bonjour encore ! It is finally springtime and much has changed here in France since my blog posts in February.

A la Catho…

At school, everything is going very well. I adore all of my classes and my teachers are so great. In histoire de la musique, we listen to a very interesting variety of music and we just finished learning about the romantic period of music in France with Berlioz, Gounod, Bizet and my favorite, Saint-Saëns. In philosophie, I find it incredibly difficult to pay attention, so I have begun drawing and doodling, which has been highly amusing. Traduction (translation) is difficult, but I know that in the long run it is going to be one of the best classes for me of the semester. Histoire de France is still a really awesome history class. However, the teacher loves tangents and sometimes I feel like we spend more time interrogating and comparing all of our cultures than learning about history. My language class is becoming more and more intense as the semester goes on, and it’s really crazy to think that I have only a few weeks of actual class left before exams start. I have quite a few papers to write in the next few weeks and also a few presentations to give so I’m hoping to get a good start on them over the next week.

Le Bénévolat

I’ve done a bit of volunteering during these past couple months, and it has been a great feeling to be even the smallest bit involved in the community here. I went into a class at my university to speak English with students who are learning it as a second or third language, and I also went to a middle school and taught about ten students various questions and phrases in English related to vacations. It was so much fun to teach them and help them along. Perhaps the most interesting volunteering experience here was with something called the Banque Alimentaire, which is the food bank here in France. I went to a few different supermarkets where I distributed bags and collected goods to be donated to the food bank. I had some really good conversations with French people, and also encountered some who were much less inclined to give, mais c’est la vie.

Les Aquarelles

I had a concert with the Aquarelles in the middle of March and it was so much fun! We got together rather early in the afternoon to practice before the concert that night, and I spoke so much French that day. I talked a lot with the other girls in the choir, met some of their families, and also talked with other people who were performing in the concert with us. The majority of the songs we sang were in English, and our director forgot to look up the translations of the songs for the audience, so he asked me to be “la petite traductrice” (the little translator). So, before every song, I would tell him what each song was about, what they represented, etc. Needless to say, everyone in the audience knew I was American, but I was so happy to show that I was competent in French. Since the concert, I fell sick and then had spring break and have not been to any practices. I will not be able to do any more of the concerts because I will be gone, but my time with les aquarelles was so much fun while it lasted.

Holidays abroad

St. Patrick’s Day! For this fantastic holiday, my friend Jess and I got all decked out in green and went out to the bar the often frequented, klypso. The night before, we had gone and decorated the whole thing because we had some awesome ideas and they told us we could have free drinks if we decorated. Perfect, right? I ended up not staying out too late that night, but it was a good time with my friends.

A few weeks later came Poisson d’Avril (April Fools Day). In France, the typical thing to do is take a paper fish and stick it to someone so that they don’t notice that they’ve been walking around all day with a fish on them. Well, I was not ‘fished,’ but my language teacher played a terrible joke on us. She came into class and told us that we were really awful at writing and comprehension and that we needed to do dictées that were noted. For those of you who don’t know, a dictée is when someone reads a passage from something, and you have to write down what you hear, so it is a good exercise of comprehension and grammar. Anyways, the words and sentence structures in this dictée were terrible and as she continued to read, we all lost any hope of doing good. Soon enough, she smiled at us, laughed, and said “Poisson d’Avril mes amis!” Oh, we were so happy it wasn’t true.

Poitiers

Jess and I went for a weekend to a place called Futuroscope, which is a virtual theme park. I thought is was so incredibly cool! We saw this little movie called Les Astromouches, which was about little flies that go on the Apollo 11 mission to the moon with Neil Armstrong. It was such a cute little 3D story. We watched a few other movies with really cool effects, went through a sensory sort of attraction where we experienced how things would be if we didn’t have our sense of sight, and then a ride called les danses avec les robots (the dances with robots), which was insane! The greatest part was being able to watch all of the movies and understand everything that was said. All of the movies were in French of course, but I had virtually no difficulty in comprehending the words and content. That, my friends, was a big moment in my realizations of my progress.

Les Mecs

Okay friends, I guess this is the part you have been waiting all year for. There’s a boy. A French boy. While having a French boyfriend was something I never anticipated, when does life ever present exactly what you expect? Anyways, his name is Donald (pronounced like Doe-nahld), he is 25, and works at the hospital here in town, loves sailing, and is a pretty great guy. He plays guitar and can sing decently well, which is always a plus, haha. We have been going out for a couple months, and it’s been fun! He isn’t been like the creepy or egotistical French guys that I’ve mentioned in previous blogs. He really likes me and respects my ideals, and I appreciate that so much. He and I both know that I am leaving in June, so we’re enjoying the time we have while I’m here. So…voilà!

I hope you all feel relatively caught up with what has been going on in my life since late February since I last wrote. Also make sure to check out the Spring Break entry I posted just a few days before this post. A plus tard!

Les Vacances de Printemps

"To do nothing is sometimes a good remedy." Hippocrates

What a crazy two weeks! For my spring break, I visited southwest France, Barcelona, Paris, and Normany. I have divided this blog by the different parts of my two weeks, so even though it’s long, hopefully you enjoy reading! Enjoy!!!

Southwest France

Oh, la vie en France. We stared our voyage by going to Bordeaux, Biarritz, and Bayonne. Though I was in Bordeaux in February, it was fun to return and see the city in the springtime ad explore some different places. We visited some of the parks in the city, a gallo-roman theater, the waterfront, and le miroir d’eau (the mirror of water). While in the southwest, we went couchsurfing. For those of you who have never heard of couchsurfing, it is essentially a networking system where you can stay at people’s houses for free and it is a cultural exchange sort of thing. The couple that we couchsurfed with was doing something called an Assistantship, which is where they teach are given a place in France to go teach English for a few hours a week. They were such wonderful hosts and made our short time in Bordeaux totally worth going again.

The next day, Claudia and I made our way down to Biarritz to meet our next couchsurfing host, an English boy named Charlie. He was also in France doing the assistantship. We met him at a bus stop, dropped our bags off at his house, and then he took us on a tour of the city. It was so beautiful and the view of the Atlantic was indescribable. We went to the beach, saw some markets, and walked along the coast of the ocean. That night we met a lot of his friends and we had a fun time mingling and playing Werewolves (essentially the card game, Mafia, but cooler). We did a lot of exploring the city on our own and fell in love with it. However, I feel like it is incredibly touristy and rather ritzy. Nice to visit, but only for a few days. We left on a Friday, explored the city of Bayonne for a few hours, and then plans changed a little…

FranceàBarcelona: (I wrote this part of this blog entry as I was sitting on a train Irun in western Spain, to Barcelona, which is on the opposite coast).

Qu’est-ce que l’on fait lorsqu’il y a des grèves? What does one do when there are strikes? An unforeseen change of events is causing me to arrive in Barcelona tonight rather than spending one more night in southern France. Ah the French whom I love, the ones who believe in liberté, fraternité et égalité, the revolutionaries who make changes when needed. My friends, les Français have done it again and j’en air as le bol! J’en ai ma dose! Ça suffit! The SNCF railway strikes have altered my plans and they have inconvenienced a large number of people. They better get what they were striking for, because these past few days have been full of a little too much improvisation and compliance with the SNCF.

Qu’est-ce que l’on fait lorsque la terre décide de changer enormement? What does one do when the earth decides to drastically change? Even though there are strikes going on in southern France, I had a beautiful first few days of my break and am still making it to Barcelona. However, as we all have observed, mother nature has been a little vengeful as of late…I personally think she was after those of you who have neglected the environment. Multiple earthquakes, tsunamis, and to cap it off…a volcano, in Iceland! Joy. Of. My. Life. My parents called me today and told me that over 16,000 flights were cancelled today. If my flight with Drew to Paris is cancelled, I will be super upset. Excuse me, I mean that it is highly unfortunate for those poor souls who are truly plagued by this natural phenomenon…

Barcelona

What a beautiful city, Barcelona. Claudia and I arrived Friday night and Saturday we explored the neighboring streets of our hostel. When Claudia went to meet friends she would be staying with in Barcelona, I went to the train station and met Drew. He and I took the metro to our hotel and were overjoyed about the quality and the centrality of its location in the city. That night, we went to the magic fountains on Montjuïc, and they were so incredible! These ornate fountains that have light shows synchronized to a fun variety of music honestly put the musical fountain in Grand Haven to a little shame. I will however have a lot of fun memories now whenever I see the musical fountain. We walked up the steps to the palace near the top of Montjuïc and though we could no longer hear the music, it was truly a magical experience to see the fountains down below and the sunset at the opposite end of the city. That night we walked down Las Ramblas, which is like the Champs Elysées of Bacelona. We ended up eating dinner at a nice restaurant right on the port, and I had the Spanish version of a crêpe (though my allegiances stay with the French).

The following day, we went to mass in the cathedral at Barcelona, and it was amazing! It was a beautiful cathedral, and though I don’t know Spanish (or rather Catalan, which is the mix of French and Spanish spoken in that region), I was able to understand certain phrases and words thanks to my knowledge of French. It made me miss church back home a lot, but it was a good experience. After that, we walked to a park at which many non-profit organizations were gathered. People were sitting in the grass, playing games, having picnics, and so we went and sat in the grass for a while and just took in the atmosphere. It was really cool. We then went to the Picasso museum, which was rather interesting, took a cable car up to Montjuïc, and spent a few hours exploring and getting lost in the parks on the hill. Eventually we reached the castle at the very top and had a breathtaking view of the ocean on one side and the city from the other side. I could have sworn that when I looked down at the ocean, that I was actually in Kirk Park or Rosy Mound Park back home overlooking Lake Michigan.

Our last day in Barcelona was spent visiting different places designed by Gaudi. We started with the Sagrada Familia and then went to the Casa Mila. Both of these places were so cool and any pictures that I took would not have done any justice to the crazy architecture. That night, Drew and I took a bus to Gerona and found a bus that would leave the next day from the airport and take us into Perpignan, France. Clearly, our flight to Paris was cancelled because of the volcano, and because of the train strikes, trains were not allowed to cross the Spanish border, as they normally would be.

Tuesday, we left for Paris as planned, but it took so long!!! Two hours by bus from Gerona to Perpignan, a two-hour wait in Perpignan before we were able to take a train up to Paris, and then eight hours on the train. There ended up being a delay of almost four hours because of a fire that was on/near the train tracks, so we didn’t arrive at our hotel until almost three o’clock in the morning. The train ride was well spent though, and our hotel reservation was still valid, thus we were content and at ease…and in Paris!

Paris

Wednesday morning, Drew and I woke up and went to the Sacré Coeur and Montmartre to explore the area a bit. We made our way to Châtelet by metro and had our baguettes with chèvre cheese and a bottle of wine right by the Eglise Saint Eustache. We then continued on our way to the Musée de l’Armée (Les Invalides) where we saw Napoleon’s tomb and a lot of interesting exhibits about wars in France. We ended our day by walking down the Champs Elysées, passing by the Arc de Triomphe, and seeing the Eiffel Tower.

The following day, we went to Versailles and had a blast. I have already been there twice, but it was so cool this time because I listened to a French audio guide and understood almost everything that was said. We also relaxed a lot in the gardens after exploring the château. We went back into Paris and visited next the Musée d’Orsay. My personal favorite part of the museum was the paintings by Camille Pissarro. Van Gogh was also grand, just not my favorite. That night for dinner we went to a wonderful restaurant called Ty Yann, which a man from Bretagne owns and he makes amazing crêpes and galettes. That night we walked along the Seine, and it was really peaceful.

Friday, we went to Châtelet again and did a little shopping, and then we went to Notre Dame and La Sainte Chapelle, both absolutely stunning. I can’t imagine how cool it would be to go to church every weekend in La Sainte Chapelle! We followed this up by walking through the Jardins de Tuileries, and going to the Louvre. That night we went to a really nice French restaurant for some authentic cuisine, and it was très délicieux. We ended our stay in Paris by going up the Eiffel Tower and it was absolutely fantastic. I have been up twice before, but this time was really different from the other times. At the top, I reflected so much about home and I wanted nothing more than for my mom to be there with me…one day both of us will be here.

Normandie

For the weekend, Drew and I visited Normandy. Because of train delays, we didn’t arrive in the town of Bayeux (close proximity to the beaches) until late afternoon, and so we saw the cemetery, Omaha Beach, and Pointe du Hoc right before sunset. Again, it was a super cool experience, and I was happy to have the opportunity to visit these places for a second time.

All in all, my two weeks of travelling were very busy, a little stressful at times, but a spring break that I will remember for the rest of my life. If was wonderful to escape the pressure of school for a while, to discover new places, and also to return to where I had been before. It was a huge relief that Drew and I got along so well and have become friends, especially seeing that we never talked in high school and that we were with each other virtually incessantly for a week. Lastly, I was able to laugh, smile, experience new things and cultures, and just breathe easily.

Une Princesse Cherchant son Grenouille :)

Classes

The day after returning from Ireland, I took a writing test to determine my level for classes at school this semester. I ended up testing into level 351, which is the third highest class offered here. I jumped from 323 to 351, which is excellent. There are I believe eleven kids in my class, and my language class is going to be so incredibly challenging, but I am gearing up for it. We have to do a lot of reading, oral presentations, and we have an 8-10 page paper due in May on a French polemic. I am also taking Philosophy, French history (from the French Revolution to present), Translation (English to French), Familiar French (to learn slang/familiar terms), and Music History. I am going to love love love my music history class, because we listen to classical French music and learn about how the music reflects society and different movements.I am super stoked!

Bordeaux

Last weekend, Jess and I went to a city called Bordeaux, which is in the southwest region of France, and oh my goodness it was fantastic! The first day there, we walked around the city for a few hours and we went to a fromagerie. We both got a cheese buffet, which came with a salad, multiple types of bread, and access to the cheese cave in the basement of the restaurant to taste and eat as much of any type of cheese that we so desired. I don’t think I have ever been in a room that smelled so amazing as the little cheese room. And of course we had this meal with a bottle of famous Bordeaux red wine, and it was so good!

The next day, Jess and I went to an art museum and then a natural history museum. Both of them were so cool and interesting. For lunch, we went to a seafood restaurant where I had the best foie gras and fish of my entire life.Bordeaux was a terribly expensive city, but the cliché cheese and wine experiences I had there were so worth it, and I will never forget my time there.

Miscellaneous Fun

Everything with les Aquarelles (the choir in which I sing) is going wonderfully. We are singing an interesting mix of songs as I mentioned before, but it’s always good fun to go and sing with the French girls.

For the Chinese New Year, Yilan and Béatrice wanted to throw a little fête. After each of us invited friends, there ended up being ten of us altogether. It was a splendid time, and we had food from the French, Chinese, Japanese, and American cultures. We talked a lot about different traditions and some people got up to do little short spectacles. Yilan got up and sang a song, Béatrice and one of her friends each recited a poem, and of course I was coerced to sing again. I hate singing upon command, but I guess it’s better that I come out of this little shell, haha.

There is a big celebration called Carnaval that happens after mardi gras, and to celebrate it, my friends and I all went out. The typical costume for Carnaval is a mask, but this soirée was a little different, and my friend and I decided to dress up as 80’s punk fairies. We had such a blast getting dressed up all crazy-like, and it was super fun mingling that night.

For all my girl friends back home, I still have yet to meet my prince charming. After seeing La Princesse et le Grenouille(The Princess and the Frog), I was hoping maybe he would come sauntering along, but all of the French guys that have presented themselves to me here have been either extremely attractive yet overconfident, or just awkward and creepy. I’m content with being celibataire (single en français).

Religious adventures

I do want to touch on the whole concept of Christianity here. I don’t recall if I have mentioned this in a past blog, but the religious atmosphere is really quite grim. The only people who really attend church regularly are very old senior citizens, and even then, church attendance has been going down more and more over the years. The thing that is most difficult to understand is how the French culture is so rich with religious history, art, music, and figures, yet it seems to be nothing more than a landmark of a lifestyle that has been left in the past. My friend and I have decided that it is time for us to try and understand this a little better, so we are going to start going to different churches (the majority being Catholic, which is different for both of us), and I personally want to talk with people about how they view the role of Christianity in France. For my dossier in my language class, I have decided to write about the current approach to Christianity for my generation and for children being raised today. I’ve already found out some really interesting trends, but I am curious to see where God takes me in my discoveries, even if I dislike some of what I hear.

Songs I like

“Les Voyages en Train” by Grand Corps Malade (This a slam poem that relates love to train rides), and “It’s Your Love” by Hillsong.

Watch this video, it shows the little prince meeting the rose and in the end she sings a song to him. If you find the lyrics and translations, it's even better. LOVE IT! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxM6czX2ads

Quote I love

Keep the faith, don’t give up. Remember this: amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic. ~Unknown

Irish Blessings

‘May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be at your back, May the sun shine warm upon your face, May the rain fall soft upon your fields, and until we meet again, May you keep safe in the gentle loving arms of God.’

I voyaged to Ireland!! I arrived in Dublin on a Sunday and my friend Jessica picked me up and brought me back to her house where I met her family and had dinner with them. They were so incredibly welcoming and I had a great time getting to know them a little bit. That night, Jess and I went and saw the movie “Brothers,” which is the first movie I’ve seen in English since leaving the states. The next day, we went into Dublin and I saw the Book of Kells at Trinity College, we visited Christ Church, and just had a nice time walking around downtown Dublin. That night I had my first Irish pub experience. Being in Ireland, I of course had to try Guinness. It was disgusting, and I can easily say that the taste of beer is one will never acquire, no matter how many times I try it. Never. The next day, Jess and I went to a tiny town called Glendalough, which just so happens to be the city where my ancestors are from. I sadly didn’t have their names with me, so I wouldn’t have been able to find out any information, but it was still really cool to see the area they lived in. While in Glendalough, Jess and I walked around a mountain and a lake for a few hours, which was so long, but really fantastic all the same. We also saw a sheep just lying on the mountainside, and we tried to help it move by prodding it with a stick. It didn’t work, but we heard the farmer was coming to take care of it. It was definitely a fun story to take back with me, haha.

The next day, Jess went to Amsterdam and I went out to Galway to visit my friends from Aquinas! On the way to Galway, my camera died completely and thus I was forced to buy a new camera in Ireland. It’s a nice camera, and it has panoramic picture-taking capabilities, which is the coolest thing ever. I arrived in a little town called Clifden, explored for a while, and then went up to Tully Cross to meet my Aquinas buddies who are studying there this semester! I felt so amazing when I saw my friend Katie, because she was the first person from home I have seen since arriving in Europe. While in Tully Cross, we visited Kylemore Abbey, went to a couple pubs to celebrate a couple birthdays, and we walked to the ocean a few times. My friend Nicole, with whom I was in an a capella vocal group last year, gave me a huge hug when I arrived and asked me if I would sing a song with her while I was there. I of course said yes, and she and I sang the “Flower Duet” by Lakme. It was absolutely beautiful and it felt good to read challenging sheet music again. I explored the surrounding area with my friends Sean and Katie, and it was so great to be with them. There came a moment that I was standing on the ocean shore, looking out at the waves crashing over the rocks and I was suddenly overcome by so much love that I began to cry. There is no doubt that I had a wonderful set of friends first semester in France, but they were very quickly formed friendships, and it was hard. There is an enormously special part of my heart that cherishes everything about home, and for the past five months that part has been aching for something familiar. At that moment, I felt like God had lifted me up and reunited me with not only my friends from home, but with other Christ followers.

A week after I arrived, I was on a plane back to France and reflected on my experiences. I absolutely loved my time in Ireland, and there are so many things I still want to see. Therefore will be going back at some point in the next few years I hope. However, the atmosphere in Ireland is rather similar to the USA, and I really missed France while I was gone. I found myself going through a sort of reverse culture shock in Ireland: I heard English all the time and had trouble remembering to not speak French, I felt less inclined to eat certain foods that I’d eat normally in the states, and there was an aura that was very different from France. I was really relieved and happy to get back to France, and even though I still miss my family and friends from home, I can truly say that I am not homesick in the least. I have less than four months left before I’m home, and I am going to live up and embrace the time I have here!

Pictures of my time in Ireland at this website: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=147256&id=567399020&l=9fb7aeb2c5

Le Cycle de la Vie

SALUT TOUT LE MONDE!!! It is almost February, can you believe it ? I am so shocked that I am halfway through my journey here. I hope you have all passed wonderful winter days, and that January has been splendid.

SCHOOL: I just finished my first semester on Friday, and I feel so accomplished. My classes have been pretty good for the past few weeks, and I’ve noticed a lot of progress even in since the holidays. In my history class, we spent a few classes talking just barely scratching the surface of the Renaissance and the Reformation, and the history geek inside of me was dying. I’m still alive though, so that’s good ;) I feel like all of my exams went so well, and I’m really anxious to find out how I performed. The majority of my exams were rather difficult, but it was a really good chance for me to see how I’ve progressed and what I’ve retained. Of course, with it being the end of the semester, more students left to go back to their native countries, but I was more prepared to say goodbye this time to people. The next semester starts February 8, and I am going to have to take a writing exam to determine into which level I will place. I am so incredibly excited to start the new semester with new and exciting classes, and also to meet new students too. I have a few friends from Aquinas College who are studying here this semester, and I’m really excited to see them and hang out with them. Hopefully I’ll be able to show them around and we can explore different things in Angers, because there is a lot that is yet to be discovered by me in this city.

FRENCH FRIENDS: I am sadly not going to be getting together with my French friend Isabelle anymore. She had an interview for a job in Paris, and she received the post! I am so excited for her, and the company she works for has a great reputation worldwide, but I am going to miss the fun times she and I had. However, today I went to buy some train tickets and who do I see at the station…Isabelle! We were so surprised and she bought me a hot chocolate and we talked for about a half hour before she had to catch her train. It was great to see her, and hopefully we’ll be able to visit again before I go back to the states. I have a few more French friends though who I am hoping to start hanging out with once the new semester starts, so that will be a fun and new experience.

LES AQUARELLES: I really love the choir that I joined here in Angers. Right now, we have a Latin piece, a strange song called “Boogie Woogie Llanoogie,” a Chinese piece, a Gaelic song, “Le Cycle de la Vie” (The circle of life), “Hallelujah” (as heard in Shrek), and “Suo-gân.” This last one is also known as “A Welsch Lullaby,” and it seems that no matter where I go, I cannot escape this song. I’ve sung it twice in the United States, and now I’m singing it in France, but I am not ready to dominate, haha.

ADVENTURES! I am going to…. Ireland! I leave tomorrow morning and will be there until next Sunday! I will spend a couple days in Dublin with my friend Jessica (who is Irish), and then we’ll go to a little city called Glendalough, which is the town of my Irish ancestors. From there we’ll go to the Cliffs of Moher, and then she is going to Amsterdam and I am going to visit friends from Aquinas in Tully Cross. I am so excited to see old friends and to go on a vacation!

RANDOM HAPPENSTANCES: I went and saw Avatar, and even though the graphics were insanely awesome, I was a little disappointed in the lack of creativity in the storyline. But it was worth seeing, and I got to practice my French comprehension, for it was spoken in French and there were no subtitles. Next, I realized a tree that I thought was inhabited by birds is actually occupied by bats. When I realized this, I got so excited and it was really cool. My New Years Resolution to learn to cook is going well, and I’ve enjoyed my creations thus far. My friend Claudia came over yesterday and she taught me how to make some Brazilian cuisine, and that was actually really delicious. Last but definitely not least, I had my first dream in French this month! I woke up so excited when I realized what had happened.

This month has overall been a really big month in figuring out where my priorities are and what is important to me. Because my closest friends all left to go back to the US in December, this month has been filled with spending more time with new people. It’s been frustrating, because I have realized that for some, I am nothing more than someone that they want to try and change into someone else. I am here to learn French and embrace the French culture, not to be someone’s little social experiment. I know that I have high standards, that I am really old-fashioned about some things, and that I wear my heart on my sleeve, but I like it that way. My faith in God is the most important thing to me, and to walk away from my faith is not a change I ever want to make.

CHANSONS QUE J’AIME:

The Wonder of Your Love and I Will Exalt You, both by Hillsong. These are beautiful songs that really help me focus on the number one in my life.

VERSETS DE LA BIBLE:

Psalm 86:11 “Teach me, Lord, what you want me to do, and I will obey you faithfully; teach me to serve you with complete devotion.”

Psalm 100:5 “The Lord is good; his love is eternal and his faithfulness lasts forever.”

PROVERBE FRANCAISE:

“Il n’y a qu’un bonheur du monde : d’aimer et d’être aimer.”

Hope you all have a wonderful Singles Awareness Day on the 14^th of February!! Or for those of you who find yourselves in a not-so-single condition, have a happy Valentine’s Day :)

Bonne Année!!!

Bonne Année! I can’t believe it’s 2010!! I hope everyone had such a wonderful holiday season with family and friends. Here is the latest with me:

For Christmas Break, I went with my host mom to a little French town called Caussade to stay with her daughter and son-in-law. After two hours of delays at various train stations, and a ride from a crazy taxi driver, we finally made it to Caussade. It was such a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of Angers. Caroline and Jean Gabriel (Béa’s daughter and son-in-law) live in the country, and there were rolling hills and farms all around us. Every evening I saw a beautiful sunset, and I could see the stars at night…it was really great. Caroline and Jean Gabriel are patissiers (bakers), and their baked goods are all made with BIO products, which is to say all ingredients that are eco-friendly. And oh my gosh, I had some amazing chocolate and cakes while we were with them! They also have a three-month-old son named Thomas Mael, and he was the cutest thing! I would talk to him in both French and English, and by the end of the week, everyone started saying “hey babe”or “awww sweetheart” in their French accents, haha. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were both spectacular, and I will never forget my holidays spent here. We had a lot of food, such as foie gras (duck liver), which is actually quite good, and some amazing Moroccan meals. I tried some wonderful cheeses and wines, and we all told fun Christmas stories and traditions. I got to explore some cities and towns in the area, and it was really interesting.

While I was in Caussade, I got to sleep a ton, and I think because of this, I had some rather bizarre dreams. I feel like sharing the most bizarre with you. I dreamt that we lived in a city that had a space station kind of attached, but for some reason it was being destroyed. While we were trying to evacuate the space station, I saw my love running inside to accomplish some grandiose feat, and he told me to keep going on and that he would make it. Well, the door ended up shutting like right behind me, and then the ship went away and blew up in the sky. I went back to my life but cried at losing my one true love. Then, it turns out he had escaped, and the dream ended with him finding me. How romantic, now if only I would find this boy outside of my subconscious, haha.

Béatrice and I returned to Angers on the 29^th, and of course it was raining when we stepped out of the train stations. Surprise, surprise. I got home and I had packages waiting for me from my family with Christmas gifts, and that was fun! The next day, I met my friend Claudia in the centre-ville and we went shopping for New Years outfits and whatever else we felt like we needed. I found some fantastic outfits, and I’m very excited to find occasions to wear what I bought. And from what I heard, there are huge sales in the middle of January, so that shall be grand.

And of course New Years happened, and what a good night! Claudia came over to my house to eat a New Years dinner with Béatrice, Yilan, and I, and after that we took a bunch of crazy pictures before meeting our friends downtown to ring in the New Year. We ended up meeting a bunch of friends at a bar called Klypso, which is perhaps frequented more by students from other countries than French people, which makes for a really fun atmosphere. There was music and a little dancing, and a French guy tried to dance with me, but I gracefully spun out of his arms, told him I didn’t like the song, and sat down. It was true, but it was also true that he was a little awkward. Other than that, we had fun with our fluorescent necklaces and sunglasses, and I was there with my friends til 4 in the morning. After that we went to my friend César’s house to chill a bit while we waited for buses to start up again. We eventually all got home, and now my sleep schedule is all screwed up. It was worth it though; I had such a fun time with my friends.

Since then, I have been lazy in my apartment, watching Christmas movies, doing homework, writing, and reading. Today I went walking around downtown for two hours or so, and that was a good time to reflect on things here. I have made it through December, and it was perhaps the best December of my life. Yes, it was lacking in some very important people from home, but the experiences I had were once in a lifetime and so much better than I ever would have imagined. God is so amazing, and my faith in him is growing stronger and stronger. I have 5 months left. Or you could say 23 weeks. Or 161 days. However you look at it, my time is going by so incredibly fast, and I’m totally living it up!

Love you all so much, and I can’t wait to hug you all when I come home! Can’t guarantee I’ll be able to write anytime soon, because exams are here in a few weeks. Until then, adieu!!

Psalm 73:28 “But as for me, it is good to be near God.” Simple, but could not be more true.