Lucky Charms

Sorry for not posting. The internet is not working consistently so I can only post at certain times.

My second and third days of classes are complete. Yesterday I had two electives. The first being Provence dans le literature (Provence in literature). Super duper boring...and it seems like a hard class so I was thinking I would drop that one since I have to choose three out of the four electives.

After that class I met with Grace and Sarah (the other girl from Gordon who finally arrived) at the cafe across the street. Next I had English to French translation a class that would have been extremely enjoyable had it not been for the group of girls next to me talking the entire time in English. I wanted to kill them! I couldn't hear the professor at all. But I think I will like that elective and it's definitely going to be useful.

After class I headed back to the seminary for a while until it was time to go to dinner.  Sarah's host mother, Simone, invited us for dinner. Now, you see, Simone is a vegetarian, so I knew going in that there were going to be cooked vegetables on the menu. Unfortunately, said vegetable was broccoli...of all the vegetables...I ate it anyway so as not to be rude. We also had crepes filled with cheese which were pretty good. Then we had cheese and bread. Followed by pear flan. I really wasn't a huge fan of any of the food, but the table conversation was very good. We talked about everything from guns and politics to our families, to the prices of college in the US versus in France. French college costs maybe one thousand Euros a year.

After dinner Grace, Sarah, and I went into Sarah's room (which is infinitely better than mine!) and just chatted for about 3 hours or so. It was really nice.

Fast forward to today. Today I had class starting at 8. Now this may not seem very early, but considering class starts before the sun comes up, it sure feels early. Class was good, I talked to some of the other students, so it's progress. After class I met briefly with Sarah for lunch. We have the same schedule so it works out well. Then I had my Le Mot et L'image (words and images) class. I thought literature was boring...HAH! However, I think I might take it because I like its time slot better and I just really don't want to take the literature class.

But that class was actually a blessing in disguise. Remember those two girls that I said I hoped would be in my class, the ones I met the day of the test? Well I forgot to tell you that I saw them at the English speaking church and I sat next to one of them today in class. Her name is Essie and her friend's name is Naomi. Essie actually went with me and Sarah to a cafe for a pain au chocolat (basically bread with chocolate baked into the middle). I think I'm going to like her and Naomi. Essie even told me about a Bible study I can join! So I am pretty excited. Only said thing is she isn't staying in my class, but that's okay.

Finally I took Sarah a bit more of a tour of the town and showed her where some places were. But most importantly I bought Lucky Charms and Aunt Jemimah pancake mix! It was expensive, but it was worth it! Then I came back to the seminary and made dinner. I was planning on making chicken, but unfortunately the chicken was bad. So I made pasta salad with tuna instead. Oh well...you live and you learn. I don't know when I will post next but I am hoping it will be soon.

First Day of Classes

Sorry I didn't post last night. Absolutely nothing of note happened yesterday except that I went to the English speaking international church yesterday for the first time. I really liked it, I think I will be worshiping there for the remainder of the semester.

Today I had my first day of classes. First off, it doesn't matter what country you are in, you never want to wake up early for classes. But I really enjoyed them! I had a four hour language class (which meets 3 times a week) as well as a two hour phonetics class. I liked both a lot! I especially like my language professor which is a good thing since I will be seeing a lot of her.

Some interesting things I learned in class today.

1. To the French there is a difference between sex and faire de l'amour (making love) the first is mechanic the other is true pleasure (yes we talked about this in class)

2. For the French working is just a way to make money and truly enjoy life. They work to vacation. (I like that a lot! I think I will adopt this part of French culture)

3. French female celebrities talk with a hilarious accent.

After classes I went grocery shopping again. This time by myself! I'm so proud :)
Then I came back to the seminary for our weekly "family" dinner! Tonight was African style chicken in a carrot, coconut and peanut butter sauce (it was delicious) and then for dessert were THE best brownies I have had in a long time! I was a happy girl!

My night ended with messages given by Ingvild (which I really needed since I have a sorry excuse for a pillow) and just general hanging out with people in the common room listening to music and chatting. That's one thing I love about the common room! The music variety is fantastic and includes music from around the world!

Tomorrow I have two elective classes and I am going to dinner at a French home!

Chateau de Lourmarin

Today I visited the Chateau de Lourmarin in the French countryside.

First off, the French countryside is every bit as beautiful as you would imagine. Grace, Mme Coates and I as well as a Chinese student went exploring the Chateau which was built in the Middle Ages but was renovated during the Renaissance. Instead of just talking about the chateau I will show you some pictures.

This is the guy who renovated and preserved the Chateau. Unfortunately he died very shortly after doing so.

This is the spiral staircase that went up about 5 stories, it is made of stone but is so old that the middle of the steps have worn off to cause indentations. Okay now some pictures of the local vegetation. While we drove by a lot of vineyards I wasn't able to get pictures of them since we were moving but there was an olive grove at chateau.

 This is what olives look like right on the tree. But don't eat them straight off the tree...trust me it would be gross.

 Olive trees

And this is a fig! I had never seen one on a tree before so I actually didn't know what it was at first. Once we had finished exploring the chateau we went down to the village situated below it. It was really cute but creepily dead. It's a tourist town so there was hardly anyone there on account of it being winter. So here are pictures from that. 

In the above picture is where women would wash clothes back in the day. As we were leaving the town, we came across a marriage caravan. It is similar to how in the US in a funeral all the cars follow each other with emergency lights flashing, except instead of for a funeral this is for a wedding. Also the cars all have bows tied onto the antennae of their cars and they honk at everyone passing by. It was actually really fun! Especially when all ten cars were honking at once.

Then we headed back towards Aix, but Mme Coates had one more surprise. Remember how I talked about the Aix version of Nativity scenes? Well I got to see one and it was HUGE!!! Here are some pictures of that as well.

 Recognize the fountain? Its the same one that is in Aix!

My Saturday then ended with catching up with some friends back home and then watching Friends for the first time ever with Grace and Ingvild. Apparently I am almost not American since I haven't seen it...

Chocolat Chaud

First of all, Happy Weekiversery to me!!! I have officially been in France for one full week!!

Today I got the results for my placement exam so I had to get up early and go to the language institute and find out all about my level. I was placed in 2C which may or may not be too easy for me, but if it is after the first week you can tell them so. I really like the people in my class and my schedule so I kind of hope they put me at the right level. There are about five Americans in my class, two Norwegians, a Swede, a New Zealander, and Irishman and a Korean. And they ALL speak English so maybe I can make friends after all!

After I got the results and got a tour of the institute. Grace and I went out to lunch at a "Mexican" place. I put that in quotes because the people running it certainly were not Mexican and the food wasn't very authentic, but it was good nonetheless. After lunch Grace and I met up with Josh and Mme Coates for coffee. I asked for water but somehow ended up with hot chocolate (chocolat chaud) but that's okay because it is the only hot drink I can tolerate.

We then went to the one class that Gordon provides for us, which is on the history of Protestantism in France. We go to Professor Berthud's house for it and oh my goodness his house is gorgeous!! It is really old and typically French. I wanted to take pictures, but I figured it would be rude. There was a lot of French going on for the three hours that the class lasted. We watched videos in French on the reform and I'll tell you one thing, if I didn't have previous knowledge on the reformation I would have been soooooo lost.

The class ended and Grace and I headed back to the seminary for dinner. I made myself rice and cooked vegetables which was very good. Mme Coates is taking Grace and I into the countryside tomorrow for a day excursion so I am quite excited! I will end with a few things I discovered today.

1. I am not as ignorant as the other Americans (thank goodness). The other Americans were having a hard time communicating even in English. One misunderstanding was the fact that in Europe college is university and high school is college. Also in Europe there is a language test that places you on levels like B1 or C2 (not the same as the levels of our classes).

2. There are three Subway restaurants in Aix

3. I have discovered a Froyo place...this is not good...

4. I want milk!

Norway

Today was a good day! Mostly because I actually had human interaction for long periods of time.

I started my day late and headed into town to grab lunch with Grace. We went to this cafe she had heard about from a friend. The cafe is great! The woman who runs it speaks English and they have a lot of American foods to buy like Poptarts and Lucky Charms but they also had a nice cafe menu. I really liked it there! I will most definitely be going back! So Grace and I sat and chatted for about two hours, which was really nice. I am still bombarding her with questions about what to expect in the coming semester and she has been ever so helpful in answering them!

After we left the cafe we headed out in search of a patiserrie because I wanted something baked and chocolate. I actually really wanted a donut but I settled for a beignet filled with chocolate and it was exactly what I was craving! We actually walked around town for quite some time. Then the sun started to set and it was getting colder so we headed back to the seminary.

When we got back, I went down to the common area and ran into Ingvild and she and I talked for about 2 hours. I got a crash-course on Norway and Norwegian culture. It was actually really cool. Here are a few fun facts that I learned from the conversation.

1. You can tell West Norwegians and Swedes apart just by their appearance.
2. Finnish is nothing like the rest of the Nordic languages. It as different as Russian is to English.
3. Norwegian has two official written forms.
4. You can be imprisoned for spanking your child.

One of the most interesting things that Ingvild and I talked about was race, diversity and immigration in the US versus Norway. Interestingly enough in Norway, unless you are Asian or African you are white. So even Arabs, Hispanics or Native Americans are considered white in Ingvild's eyes. I found this extremely insightful. Where is the line actually drawn between white and black? It was very interesting. She also talked about how there is next to no diversity in Norway. Overall, it was a very eye-opening conversation! Also interestingly enough she was able to guess my heritage just by looking at me! So that was pretty cool!

I then had dinner and showered and spent some time relaxing. Tomorrow I get the results of my placement exam and have my first actual class!! So tomorrow should be a busy day!! Until then, au revoir!

I Love the Internet

Well, the internet is back and so is my nightly blogging!

Today I had my placement exam for the language institute, so I got up at 8:30 to get ready and eat a breakfast of leftover baguette and an apple. Mme Coates then came to pick me up to go to the institute since I had never been there before. We drove only because it was raining (yet again). For a place that isn't supposed to get much rain, they sure have gotten a lot of it since I got here. We arrived at the institute where I was ushered into a classroom with about 40 other students from all over the world. There were some from Norway, Columbia, Australia, Ireland, and of course the United States. We had our written test first which consisted of listening comprehension, reading comprehension, and finally grammar. I think I did pretty well, though I guessed on some. But they said to do as much as you could and that's what I did.

Then I went back to the cafe that I went to yesterday in search of internet for a brief lunch of a quiche. The cafe was packed today though!! So many people!! Then I headed back to the institute to do the speaking portion of my test. I had to wait a while so I just sat and observed those around me. There were girls speaking Spanish and it was extremely tempting to go talk to them, but that would have been a really poor decision right before my speaking test. There were also two girls from the US who were friends with each other from back home. I really liked them and I hope that they are in the same level I am. There was also a girl from Switzerland who asked me if I was looking for an apartment and if not where was I staying. I told her I was staying here at the seminary, but that was the end of the conversation. 

When it was finally my turn. I went in for my speaking test with a professor who just asked me basic questions. One question that I keep getting asked is about my heritage since my last name (and first name) totally throw people for loops here. In fact, I was supposed to clean the kitchen last night but I didn't know because the name on the list was Kelly. Since I don't know everyone at the seminary yet, I just assumed there was a Kelly, but no, Kelly is me. Another interesting thing of note is that people keep asking what I am going to do after college and "I don't know" is not a sufficient answer here. But in reality that is the honest truth. I don't know.

After I was done with the speaking test he told me that I would most likely be on level 3/5. Which is where I expected to be placed, but I think my written test might help bring it to the next level. I then headed back to the seminary on my own. All the while hoping and praying that the internet would be working. I know it sounds rather pathetic to be so dependent upon it but when you have nothing else to do and no one else to talk to it is REALLY lonely. The internet wasn't working, but I figured I would go sit in the common room and see what was up. I asked Daniel if the internet was working or not and it turns out they changed the router. So it's a good thing I was there to get the new password! Except, they still couldn't get it to work on everyone's computers. I was so close but yet so far. Thankfully, a girl was kind enough to let me use her laptop which was working with the internet. I think she saw how desperate I was.

Finally the internet did get up and running so I had a nice chat with my mom who gave me some encouragement. Then Grace and I made dinner together. We made pasta salad with tuna. Remember that girl from Switzerland? Well apparently her cousin lives here at the seminary. What are the odds? Dinner was actually really nice tonight. People talked to me and I felt much more accepted. So I am feeling much better now! It's amazing what a little human interaction can do for you!

A few interesting tidbits to leave you with tonight.
1. French snacks may be the death of me (so much for losing weight)
2. The sun doesn't rise here until 8:30 am

Shoes Made for Walking

Sorry this is a day late everyone! The internet didn't work here at all yesterday, which I think was a push from God to go out and actually get out of my comfort zone. (As if I’m not already by just being here) I was so excited to blog too! Because…I have lots of pretty pictures to show you!

Today I got off to a relatively early start. I got up around 10:30 and headed down for a brunch of a peanut butter sandwich and an apple. I was joined by Adalain who tried very hard to make conversation with me. I tried my best to answer all of his questions and pose a few back but needless to say it wasn't the best conversation I have ever conducted.

Next I headed out on my own to explore the town and take pictures. I spent about an hour and a half just wandering the streets. Nothing really of any note happened so here are a few pictures.

As you can see there are a lot of fountains in Aix. Also on this walk I bought my first French baguette from a boulangerie (or bakery).

I then returned back to the seminary around 1pm in the hopes that the internet would be up and running. Sadly it wasn't  So instead I read a book about the differences in French and American culture for a few hours while eating my baguette every now and then. As well as chatting a bit with those who came in, the big topic of conversation being the lack of internet. Then I asked Grace where I could find internet somewhere in town. She suggested a café right across from the language institute where we take classes. I hadn't been there yet so off I went in the hopes of finding and internet connection. I found the café just fine, but much to my chagrin the internet was locked. The annoying thing was that they advertised wifi. Maybe in France you have to ask for the password or something? I don’t know. I stayed in the café for a little while anyway and then headed back to the seminary yet again.

When I got back the internet still wasn't working so I read some more until Mme Coates came for a chat at 6:30. Basically she wanted to know how I was adjusting and get to know me better. I told her all my frustrations and fears as well as my excitements for the semester. She asked me what my goals were and I sadly came to the realization that I don’t really have a goal for the semester. Well actually that’s not totally true. Secretly I want to be able to pass for a French person and of course be able to speak French fluently. But to be honest I am not really a goal oriented person anyways. We talked for an hour or so and then she left. 

I then went to make myself an egg sandwich for dinner. I have now showered and since there is STILL no internet. I will read for a bit and then turn in early for the night. Tomorrow I have my placement exam so I should probably be well rested. But before I go here is an interesting fact about French life: the French ALWAYS wear shoes!!! Not just outside but in their homes, all the time I tell you!! How crazy is that? The French must have some really comfortable shoes.  

Cat Tongue

Well, today I didn't really do much. I'll tell you that right off the bat, but it was still a day full of new lessons and interesting conversation.

I got up rather late and got ready for the day. Then headed down for a lunch of a peanut butter sandwich. After I finished lunch, Grace took me out for my first grocery shopping experience. We went to the cheaper of the two closest stores. However, the cheaper one is farther away, a good fifteen minutes more. I say it took us about 25 minutes to get there. The shopping experience wasn't anything special. French have pretty much everything Americans do (even some American brands). One interesting thing is that their milk is ultra-pasteurized and therefore doesn't have to be refrigerated. I found that a bit unsettling so I think I will be on a milk fast for the remainder of the semester. Which is actually quite tragic since I love milk. Another interesting thing of note is that grocery stores do not have plastic bags, if they do you have to pay for them. It's the French way of saving the planet I guess.

On our way back from the grocery store. Two people asked me for directions. They could not have asked a worst person for directions. Not only is my French terrible, but I don't know where ANYTHING is yet. I deferred the questions to Grace, who wasn't much help either. I asked Grace how often that happens to her and she said hardly ever. I just found it interesting that both people specifically asked me and not Grace. I must look like I know what I am doing or perhaps I even have a French air about me?

When we got back I put away my groceries and decided to hang around in the common room since the internet is best there and I figured I would get to talk to some people who came passing through. I was able to catch up with some friends back home and chatted (very briefly) with Daniel and Celine. Celine was kind enough to give me a piece of chocolate. It was delicious! I also met a girl who came in to meet with Yasmine.

Then I had to meet with Jean-Paul the director of the seminary. He went over some rules with me. Interestingly enough, they allow smoking on the property, just not indoors. They also allow candles in our rooms. He told me to just make sure I blow them out before I leave...yeah that wouldn't happen at Gordon. Also, every student has a different job during the semester and you have to do 14 hours of that job before the semester is over. We think that my job will be helping Jean-Paul but we aren't sure yet since the person who assigns the tasks is not around right now.

I then helped Grace make le repas, which is dinner for everyone staying at the seminary. Every Monday someone cooks dinner for everyone and then everyone eats together. Again Grace made pasta...I wonder if she ever gets sick of pasta. While I was helping her, Adalan came in and asked me if I smoked. I found this question odd, since in the US that isn't exactly a question that you ask people. He offered Grace and I tobacco anyways, which we graciously declined.

Dinner was a fun experience, though a bit overwhelming since everyone was talking at once. I had a hard time hearing and understanding. I did okay though. I was even able to understand some of the jokes. Adalan asked me at one point "Are you boring" I knew he meant "Are you bored"  so I just said no. However, some of the other English speakers at the table started laughing. I felt terrible! He attempts to include me and he gets laughed at. This is exactly how I feel when I speak French. I don't want people to laugh at me and my poor grammar! For dessert we had sorbet (le glace) and langues des chats (literally translated to cat tongues) but they are actually just oval Nilla Wafers.

After dinner Grace, Daniel and I talked about different accents in France, England and the United States. It was actually a very interesting conversation. One thing I like about conversations like that is how easily everyone just flows from English to French and then back again. I find that really cool. Tomorrow I am going exploring on my own. It will be my first day without Grace by my side, but I have no doubt I will be fine! I've got God by my side guiding me every step of the way!

Faire le bise

Day three is complete and today was even better than yesterday!

I did have a bit of trouble falling asleep last night unfortunately. I didn't fall asleep until around 1 am, but once I fell asleep I was out until it was time to get up around 8 for church. So I got up, got dressed and went down to the common kitchen to grab an apple for breakfast. There were about 5 other students down there, all speaking French. Feeling rather awkward, I went to the other room to eat and read my Bible a bit before Mme Coates came to pick me up for church. It was a good thing she was picking me up too, because it was down-pouring!! Though I secluded myself, one girl named Yasmin, came and asked if I would like to go to church with them. Which was very sweet of her, but it was actually Mme Coates who ended up giving her and her friends a ride since it was raining so hard outside.

We arrived at church and I was showered with kisses. It's French custom to give two kisses, one on each cheek when greeting someone. You always start on the right side. (unless you want to awkwardly kiss them on the lips)  It was a nice service, two hours long. (Though it did not feel that long). The music was really good and they had the words projected so I was able to sing along and worship just as I would back home. Mme Coates was very impressed with my ability to pick up the songs so quickly. She clearly doesn't know that singing is kind of my thing. After church we talked to some people (which was awkward for me since I didn't know anyone) then we went to a store called Picard. This store is pretty cool. It's like a grocery store, except it is all pre-made frozen foods. We don't have those back in the states! Then we headed back to Mme Coates' house for lunch with Grace and Joshua (another student in the program).

It was during lunch that I learned some basic French table manners. (All explained in French). First of all, your hands are ALWAYS on the table during meals and it is not inappropriate to put your elbows on the table. It's going to be very hard to unlearn such an ingrained American tradition. (At least it was stressed in my home). I also learned that when you eat salad you either use a knife (couteau en Francais) or a piece of bread to put the lettuce on your fork. I found that rather odd. By the way, lunch consisted of salad, bread, chicken and pommes frites (french fries). After the main course, the French serve cheese, so I tried an assortment of local cheeses with bread and determined that I much prefer the milder cheeses but I do not mind the stronger ones. Then for desert was a clementine, which I am guessing is in season right now.

Then Grace, Josh and I walked back through town to head back to our respective homes. Josh does not take classes at the language institute that Grace and I study at, nor does he live at the seminary. Instead he attends SciencePo for international relations and is living in a home-stay. On our way through town we met some fellow classmates of Josh from SciencePo. Three girls, one from Mexico and two from Brazil. The girl from Mexico quickly switched to English when she realized we were from the states and talked about how she has a hard time expressing herself in French. I know exactly how she feels!!! It was maddening today to understand almost everything but not be able to interject anything intelligent to the conversation.

The sunset was beautiful tonight (it stopped raining) and once Josh parted ways from Grace and I. We saw a beautiful rainbow! I took it as God saying that things are going to get better. I really found that rainbow a special blessing. Grace and I then returned and made dinner. More pasta...we are going to work on that girl's cooking skills!! In the meantime I am going to unwind. Today was a lot of French and my brain is a bit fried. But every day it is getting better!

Pancake Day!

Today was a much better day! While I still feel a bit out of sorts I am much better than yesterday. First, a few things I have learned today.

1. I am the only girl on my floor...
2. You cannot watch any TV shows online internationally
3. I have a February break that coincides with my birthday!
4. There is a Pancake Day in France.
5.I am useless when it comes to speaking French (but I understand everything)

Today I woke up at noon. I slept for 13 hours straight and they were blessed hours of sleep! I then got ready for the day and went to meet Grace to go to Mme Coates' house. When I arrived in the common room Grace had not yet arrived, but I made a friend somewhat last night in Ingvild who allowed me to eat an apple from her food supply. I chatted with her and John I think his name is until Grace arrived. Grace, Ingvild and I then walked into town. Ingvild was not going to Mme Coates' so we parted ways and Grace and I grabbed a slice of pizza from a food truck in town. (Apparently food trucks have good food here). We then arrived at Mme Coates' who subsequently gave me more information about my time here. In a way I wish she had told me some of it last night but oh well c'est la vie non?


Then we went to Paul Cezanne's studio.

 In case you don't know Paul Cezanne is a very famous painter from Aix. His studio is has been virtually untouched since he died. So it was really cool to look at the very objects that inspired his paintings. His favorite subject however, is Mt. St. Victoire. Which is a mountain on the outskirts of Aix. I hope to climb it at some point this semester. (I brought my hiking shoes!)

Next we went back to Mme's house where she fed us galette which is a pastry traditionally served on Epiphany Sunday (which is supposedly when the magi arrived to see baby Jesus). Inside the galette is a small  object and traditionally whoever's slice has it has to by drinks for everyone. So in a way you don't want to find it. (Some people even swallow it) It's pretty fun how they decide who gets each slice though. The youngest in the family gets under the table and the server points to the pieces and the child says who each piece is for. We then talked about how in Aix the nativity scene is quite different than the usual nativity scene since they not only include the shepherds and the magi, but they also include people who work in Aix like the fish monger for example or the baker. Recently even Paul Cezanne has a figurine. These nativity scenes are kept up until February 2nd, Pancake Day! Pancake Day celebrates the purification of Mary 40 days after the birth of Christ. However, we couldn't quite figure out its connection to pancakes.

Then Mme took me to the grocery store to pick up so food to hold me over until tomorrow. I didn't quite know what to buy myself. I think I need to make a plan of the meals I will make myself each day and go off of that. Then I came back to my room and skyped my parents. Tomorrow I am off to church! Hopefully God will have some encouraging (French) words for me!

Arrival

Well, I am here in France and boy has it been an emotional roller-coaster getting here. First saying goodbye to my family was the worst thing I have had to do in a long time. Although I felt total peace, I still cried a lot. I am so thankful to my sister though for holding it together for me. She hardly shed any tears (only because she knew it would help me).

Next were my flights. Unfortunately, both of my flights were in Spanish. This is problematic for me since it got me in the Spanish mindset rather than French. On the positive side I didn't have to sit next to anyone on either flight so I could lay down. Not that I got much sleep on the first flight since the baby behind me was crying constantly. But I arrived in Marseilles without incident.

After I met Mme Coates at the airport she took me to her and her husband's apartment where I had lunch with the other girl from Gordon staying at the seminary, Grace. Grace was at the seminary last semester so she already knows the ropes. Lunch was a pumpkin and potato soup, which tasted fine but I couldn't get past the consistency. Thankfully there was bread, I wasn't really that hungry and Mme Coates was very gracious.

Then I was escorted to my room at the seminary which is quite small and dingy and COLD! Strangely, my floor is coed and we share a bathroom (quite the contrast to Gordon).This is where things start going downhill very quickly for me. I wanted to take a nap so Grace said I could find her in her room or in the common area or if I didn't come to her, she would get me when it was time for dinner. So, being the wimp that I am I attempted to wait for her to come to me so that I didn't have to talk to anyone. (Mind you this whole time I am EXHAUSTED...still am actually) So I Skyped with my family for a while. But when 7:30 rolled around and she still hadn't showed up I decided to be brave and go look for her. I started with her room, no luck. Then I ventured outside (which was risky since no one had told me the code to get back in) to the common area where I found a bunch of students cooking. I asked if anyone had seen Grace and thankfully there were two other Americans in the room. I was informed that Grace had left but one of the young gentlemen was kind enough to let me use his phone to try and call Grace. No answer. I asked them for the code back into the building and left.

I don't know if you have ever been in a foreign country with no contacts, no phone, no knowledge, no food or water, and no sleep. But let me just say it is an extremely terrifying situation. I felt like I was on an island of solitude. So I promptly skyped my family again crying. However, thankfully, Grace arrived during this skype session and made me dinner and gave me some basics. But not before my parents informed Gordon of their poor reception of me. Now I am fed, showered, and ready for bed. Tomorrow is a new day! Hopefully it will be 20 times better than today. In fact, I really hope this isn't a foreshadowing of my entire experience here. That's where I have to just trust God.

Trois Jeurs

I'm three days away!!! You know its close when I have to start packing. It's been surprisingly easy to pack...I think I'm not totally grasping the idea that I am packing for four and a half months. But I am also keeping in mind that I am going to want to shop in France. I mean come on!!! I also have some Euros which is pretty exciting! My dad was trying to explain the exchange rate to me, but I don't really know, I just know its not really that good. Thankfully, my friends who are already in Europe are getting me pretty pumped for my trip.

 It's hard though cause the other night my sister was crying because she is anticipating how difficult its going to be for her. (My sister and I are really close) Of course, her saying that does not make my departure any easier. But yesterday in church the pastor spoke about "necessary endings" but this really isn't an ending exactly, but I would prefer to call it a necessary interlude in my time living at home. Eventually I will move out permanently so this will be preparation so to speak.

 But God has been good this past week, keeping me in good and excited spirits! But I'm sure on Thursday I am going to be a bundle of nerves since I don't think I have fully grasped the fact that I am indeed leaving for almost 5 months. I'll let y'all know how I am on Thursday as I take my 8ish hour plane ride.  

I officially have my visa, and after the horrible time I had acquiring it, I am thrilled!! Now it's nine days before I leave. I should probably start packing, but I really just want to spend as much time in the now as I can. I love my family a lot and while I am extremely excited to embark on this journey, I'm not overly thrilled at the prospect of leaving them behind. That isn't my only concern, but I am trying not to worry about things that haven't happened yet. I have no idea what to expect and that is what scares me the most. I also have a hard time relinquishing control to God. But I'm slowly learning and I'm sure this semester is going to give me even more opportunity to practice that.

Anyway, just a brief update to tell you all to keep an eye out as my adventures will begin shortly! Next time I post will most likely be at the airport as a way to keep my mind off of my nerves. A bientot!