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 :)