a bit of meandering

I have been blessed with both many more adventures and more wonderful new friends since I updated last. When we got back from our trip we were met with four more girls who were going to be in our program for the month of July.

Two weekends ago the girls who were with me during the month of June and I went to a charming small French town laden with tourists shops called Annecy, which is know as the “Venice of the Alps”. After visiting the must see hot spots (certain buildings, churches, etc…) we were able to escape the swarms of visitors by renting a paddle boat and going out on the lake. The four of us enjoyed the fine and weather, and two of us worked up the nerve to go into the glacier lake! Getting to swim there was one of the most tranquil and surreal experiences as I could hardly imagine anything else that would make the environment more enchanting. Pictures and words can not do the refreshing swim in a clear lake surrounded by mountains justice.

Also, I was able to go on a trip to Dijon, France with just one of the other girls in our group. Dijon was like a mini Paris, without the dirty streets and city stereotypes that make people not want to live in Paris. It was towards the top of our favorite cities in France list, and it was good for Caroline and me to be able to get away and have quality time together.

I went to Avignon last weekend with a girl in our group named Chloe (Avignon is where the papacy was located in France for about 100 years). It was wonderful, but I unfortunately realized that I have become a self proclaimed museum critic. The palace there was rather unique in construction which was fun to spend time in, but after all the museums I have been to I now have very strong feelings towards good set ups, arrangements, information given, etc.... After being there a while I found myself critiquing the museum rather than trying to read the French history. Chloe and I laughed hard towards the end as we made it through the museum because its audio guide was like an audio version of someone’s dissertation. All that to say, I will be eager to give free consultations to those looking to construct a museum exhibit.

Also to our enjoyment, there was a theatre festival going on in Avignon while we there. This resulted in numerous people walking around in all sorts of costumes all of the city, advertising to go to their play while street performers were putting on acts almost anywhere there was free space. Chloe and I also visited the city of Orange before stopping in Avignon, getting to see the best preserved Roman theatre in Europe. Chloe is getting her masters in theatre history and absolutely loves being on stage, so it was wonderful to get to experience these things with a theatre enthusiast. It is always a treat to get to see people do and experience what they love, so I am so thankful I was able to share all those things with Chloe.

It was initially hard transitioning back to classes after we had the week off, especially when it would be 98 degrees outside with no air conditioning anywhere. But I found that things like a day of for Bastille helped break up the week as I watched the most beautiful firework show I have ever seen. We had one professor for two weeks, and then he went on vacation and so we have another professor for the last two weeks, whose first day was this past Monday. I think the change up, in both structure and teaching style, helped kick a bit of enthusiasm back into classes. I leave in about two weeks, and getting to speak the language and have it all around me is one of the things that I will mist the most. Other things that top my “to miss” list are the mountains, the walking culture, and general French life. When I was showing the July group of girls around when they first got here, we ran into a Tunisian friend of our who owns a Kebab shop (Kebabs are a Tunisian thing- imagine good Pita bread and mystery meat inside). He is a quirky man who has always been very nice to our group as he stops to talk to us almost every time we pass by, consistently inviting us in for a drink or a Kebab. Often time when he stops us to talk we are headed to go somewhere or do something, never really taking him up on his offer. It was same on this one particular day... As he asked us sit down with him and I declined he responded to the other girls in his broken English, “I always invite Claire to sit with me, but she is always headed somewhere”. I was reminder that I am not French. Rarely do I leave the dorm merely to meander around, or take time to enjoy where I am in the midst of a task. I was speaking to another American student while waiting outside the room for class to start, and he asked why he had beat me to the class room when we were on the same tram. I responded with the confession that I meandered my way to class, talking to different people and what not. He sternly responded that he never meandered. If he had a destination, he went straight there... we continued to talk about that being a stereotypical American thing to do. Not that this is good, bad, or always true, simply different. I appreciate the French’s meandering, and I am looking forward to trying bring a bit of French-ness into my life back in the states.

Comparing the cultures is a frequent conversation among international students. For example one day I met a lady who taught French in Philadelphia while I was waiting in line for something (in France, there is a lot of waiting in long lines), and she was awful deterred that day about the French. She found them all particularly rude for some reason or another. I find it intriguing that what some see as rude, other see as respectful; and what some see as hospitable, others see as offensive. Thinking on what is “right” verses what is simply cultural; I began to see a lot of things I do just to strive to look good in an American Christian Culture. A wonderful reminder for me that holiness is not found in comparing myself to those around me, but I am to strive toward a standard of holiness- a standard that transcends culture. As an obedient child, to not be conformed to the evil desires I had when I lived in ignorance, but just as He is holy, I am to be holy in all I do. For it is written, ‘be holy because I am holy’.

A rock skipping session of the past few weeks…

The week before I left I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with a French family from the church I have been going to. The man and his wife had been missionaries for two years in Africa, because of that they understood that it was hard to be in a different culture and were eager take me in and explain several cultural things to me. It was an eye opening time to both French culture and to the French Believers worldview.

Last week I had my very own “tour de France” as I went to Paris, Loire Valley, Bordeaux, and Nice with the other girls in the program. The time was filled with a whirlwind of museums, old churches, and tours- though on the last stop we were able to catch our breath a bit on the beache
Just a few highlights from all of our stops:
-Paris we hit all the major monuments; my favorite museums there were the Louvre, the WWI/WWII museum (it was so interesting to see it presented from a French point of view!!!), and a small museum called the Marmottan Monet Museum that had lots of wonderful Monet pieces. It was also a treat to get to spend some time with a frined of mine from the states who is a Beliver serving in Paris for the summer.
-Loire Valley we saw a couple of châteaux’s and admired a lot of the medieval architecture in Tours, and I loved the Leonardo da Vinci museum that was in the house where he spent the last few years of his life
-During our one day in Bordeaux we all loved the atmosphere of the town and enjoyed lots of fun things like an area that you could play in where it looked like you were walking on water.
- By the time we got to Nice, we were all pooped. It was a treat to lay on the beach and relax, but it was also a treat to visit the Picasso museum our second day there. We finished our very own “tour de France” by getting to see the actual Tour de France go through Nice.

Please feel free to ask me more questions about places or specifics about the trip… I just didn’t want to type a thorough ten page report, and didn’t think people would enjoy reading one

I love going on walks, and wonderful for me our trip involved a lot of walking. The combination of walking and getting to admire old architecture provided lots of time to let my mind rest and also to chew. This provided a great place of looking forward to things when I get home and enjoying where I am at. The things I am looking forward to are a blend of silly and serious, entailing things like missing having a cup of coffee with flavored creamer while sitting in a home, to worshiping, conversing and studying the Word with those who speak the same language as I do. But I am also very thankful that the Lord, who is the giver of all good things, has allowed my heart to fall in love with the town of Grenoble and with the French culture here. My heart is at a wonderfully complex state of a healthy longing and content enjoyment. For this I am thankful, and pray that in a similar way I will have a consistent holy longing for my heavenly home yet still striving to serve the Lord with my vapor of a time here.

I was excited about getting to spend a lot of time within close proximity with the girls and praying that I would be able to serve and love them as we spent almost every moment together. A verse that I read the other day seemed to describe the time well, as well as now being my prayer for the people I interact with: “But thanks be to God who in Christ always leads us in the triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere” 2 Corinthians 2:14-15. Your prayers were felt as, by His grace, I was able to live in my identity as the aroma of Christ and still praying that the Lord will draw those in my group to himself.


Thank you for all your prayers and support, would love to hear updates from each of you! Pictures of the trip to come soon!

Gifts

First picture- garedens at the Revolution museum... how much more picturesque can you get?
Second- Fantastic mural- this took up a whole wall in the museum
Third- Museum of the Revolution
Fourth- The Chateau the Revolution museum was in
Fifth- chatting it up with Calvin at the Reformation museum

Looking back at this week, it has been one of simple and beautiful gifts. Let me count the ways:

-Last weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Geneva and stay with good friends parents. They provided a wonderful taste of Switzerland (that included a visit to the Reformation Museum!) and made me feel special. It was a gift to have a piece of familiar in the unfamiliar, like a nice shower or praying out loud before meals.

-Also this week, I got to visit the art museum that is across the street from my residence hall. It was simply beautiful, with beautiful time of conversation over ice cream afterward. The director of the program I am in is an artist and has been giving me sketching lessons, so it was great to have him their to give us fantastic tidbits of information.

-Came across a French old bookstore, and came across one of my favorites- The Chronicles of Narnia, in French!

-Had dinner with the church I have been visiting and was able to communicate with them better than usual. After dinner I got to listen to them preach on Mark for two hours.

-Yesterday I got to visit what has been my favorite museum thus far- the museum of the French Revolution. It had the most picturesque and breathtaking gardens I have ever seen.

Listing these things out does not seem to do any of them justice, I think what made them all so special was that each of these things was just what I needed, though I did not know I needed them at the time. Looking back in gratitude also helps me see my ungratefulness for the Lord’s continuous provision. Both now and in the hard times he has continually provided enough for each day, though I often doubt that He will or that He has.

I started reading John in French this week, which has provided both a challenge and a fun adventure. I feel as though every word looks so much different (not just literally) as I read it in French. Next Saturday I leave with the three other girls in my group to have our own “tour de France”. We will start in Paris, then visit the Loire Valley, then Bordeaux, and finish in Nice. This will provide a lot of together time, so please pray for the non believers in our group- that the Lord will draw them to himself, and that light will shine in the shadows and the shadows will not accommodate the light (as translated from French in John). Please pray also that I will not give way to the selfish desires of my flesh, but remember who I am in Christ as I seek to serve the other girls.

love for creaky steps

This week has flown by. I could hardly believe that it has almost been a week since I posted the last blog. Though this week was wonderful, I also encountered my first couple bumps in the road. By Monday, French class transitioned from creating enthusiasm and excitement to creating a strong desire to bang my head against a wall. Walking in these new shoes of life in France for two weeks has made me aware of where blisters can rub in regards to things within the culture, within our group, and within me. Though becoming aware of the soft spots is not pleasant, I am thankful to be aware before a huge blister formed.
These soft spots have allowed Grenoble to feel more like a home than a vacation spot. This week has been one of spotting the creaky steps and the leaky faucets, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! Each home has its quirks that make it unique, and make you love it. I was able to be switched to a French class that is on a more appropriate level, I am becoming more and more in love with the French people and culture, and I find myself thanking the Lord several times a day for placing me with the girls who are in my program.

Random tidbits and some of my new favorite things:
-I love French old people. I went to a church on Sunday and had lunch with people from the church afterward. I talked to two old ladies for about two hours (the standard time for a French lunch or dinner), and it was wonderful hearing their stories. One of them was in Grenoble while occupied by the Germans in WWII, and spoke with joy as she descried the Americans coming to liberate it six days after D-Day. Also, her parents were Jews, so they hid in the woods of a small French village- one of the pastors of that village was the dad of the other old lady sitting next to her!
-The French love to talk politics. The two ladies mentioned above had no problem asking me point blank who I voted for and gave a large and longwinded reprimand for not voting for the French’s new favorite politician.
-I love French little kids. For some reason, I think they are adorable.
-I love Grenoble in the morning. I have afternoon classes a couple times a week, so I have had the opportunity to walk around in the cool, crisp mountain mornings. Initially I would simply walk around discovering all the different shops and markets while watching the city wake up. The favorite mornings though, have been getting to sit in the cafes while I read or try to eavesdrop on conversations to help with my French. All has been marvelous!

Sorry no pictures thus far, I have been having trouble getting them from my camera to my computer. I will try and snag some from other students and put them up next week. Thank you all for your prayers and support!

"...His greatness is unsearchable"

First: Waterfall by the caves
Second: Roman temple
Third: Roman reinacments
Fourth: More Romans
Fifth: Roman ampitheatre


I have been here a few days over a week and the great things I have been able to do and people I have talked to have made me find myself saying a phrase that has been very familiar in my life, "I never would have guessed me here".
Classes started this week- we have it five days a week, four hours a day. We took a placement test Tuesday and we started classes on Wednesday. The first day was a bit intimidating, primarily because as the professor was “reviewing”, she was asking us to do things that I have never learned before. But after getting over the fact that I will simply have to play catch up with the grammar aspect, I am really enjoying class. The cultural dynamic of my class is very interesting. It is made up primarily of Chinese students, a few from Saudi Arabia and Japan, one from Sweden, and another girl in my program and I are the only Americans. Sometimes at the end she will pare us up with people from another culture and we talk in French about things that are different between us. I have loved getting to find out so much more things about the Chinese, as well as the French culture! I often leave class enthusiastic to take what I have learned in the classroom and use it with the new French speaking friends I have made.
Before I left I had looked up churches online and found that was having a get together for international student’s night before last, it entailed all of the churches in Grenoble met for a “Barbeque”. When I say Barbeque, it was nothing like one in the States- but it was lots of fun! It was also very humbling. Usually I am the one ministering to a different people coming in or organizing an event, but it was weird being the guest. Sometimes I felt like a three year old, because I initially had a hard time communicating, but I met a group of really nice people and combined with my broken French and their broken English we laughed a lot and had a good time. At the end, they taught us all four different old French dances- I didn’t catch the name of them, but they were so much fun! I also enjoyed hearing people who love Jesus sing His praises in the tongue that I am trying to learn. I had a very good time and look forward to continuing to get to know and worship with the great people that I met.
Today we went to a city in France called Vienne; it used to be a major Roman city and we got to see LOTS of Roman ruins. Also, once a year the museum there hosts an event where people dress up in authentic Roman garb from different eras as they run different stations about original Roman culture. It was fun to see a lot of what I learned in my history books come to life!
Day before last our group went hiking and got to see some very neat caves. Interesting note- they started giving tours of that cave in 1867! Right next to the cave entrance was a lot of beautiful landscape to hike through with access to a breathtaking waterfall. If you know me well or have been on a tip with me, you know that I am not really one to take pictures. I would rather write down what is going on, or simply experience it and then mooch off of the five other cameras that are taking the same picture. But this day I felt inspired for some reason to try and capture the beauty I saw through taking a picture. Of course, I tried from all different angles and all different settings… and none of them would suffice to do the place an inch of justice. As I continued the walk through the area, frustrated with my camera, I was able to marvel and thank the Lord that both He and His creation seem to be that way… unable to be summed up or done justice. Sure pictures provide opportunity for great comparisons and metaphors, but those always fall short or break down. Praise our Father that we serve a God whose neither depth we can not capture or greatness we can not comprehend. “Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, His greatness is unsearchable”. I hope and pray that the life that has been given to be may be one that is filled with searching this unsearchable greatness-for the Lord's glory and fame

Open windows...

First pictures is all of the girls in the program on the hike down the Bastille
Second: View of Grenoble from on top of the Bastille
third: Back entrance to the dorm I live in

Salut mes amis!

Well I have spent a three full days in Grenoble and have gotten to see and experience quite a lot. The first night here another girl and I went to a pizzeria on what is called “pizza row” (it has about 30 pizzarias in one small area! Many Italians moved here to France after WWII) to eat dinner and made friends with the owner who was from Italy. She helped us with French and we helped here with English. I have been fortunate to meet many people like that. They want to talk to us to work on their English, and we are eager to talk to them for them to help us with French. We seem to always make friends most places that we go. I have also met people from Tunisia, Germany, and of course France. Getting to communicate with these people has probably been my favorite part thus far.
The first day here the program director, Patrick, showed us all around Grenoble and where we would be going to school. It was quite the day filled with seeing new things and having new experiences. Yesterday we rode the beulle (it’s like a Gondola) up to the Bastille, built in the 1400s, where we got to have a birds eye view of the city. After climbing up the rest of the mountain we were able to see clearly the Roman Road that came right down the middle of the city when it was inhabited by the Romans. By observing the different architecture, we were also able to see where the borders of the Roman city would have been.
Besides satisfying the history major side of me, the view from atop the Bastille was also beautiful! Grenoble is surrounded by three mountain ranges, and we had a breathtaking view of all three: the Vercors, the Belledone, and Chartruse.
Today we visited two of the Museums here in Grenoble. The highlights were getting to see a 3rd century baptismal and being able to read part of an inscription on an old Roman tomb stone. I also was able to spend a lot of quality time with the girls in the program today. Thank you for all of your prayers, the Lord has provided another believer in the program. I am really thankful that the small size of our group (four girls total) as it enables us to get to know each other well. We are already rather close and have had many laughs together! I look forward to seeing what the Lord does in and through these relationships.
Overall, I am really enjoying my time here. As I was walking down from the third floor of my dorm this morning (it used to be a convent before the revolution), all of the windows in the place were open and the stairwell was filled with the gongs from St. Andrae signaling it was 9, the bustling of the French market, and the cool breeze of mountain air. It was an underserved gift to simply enjoy the beautiful environment from the steadfast place I was in. I feel like my time here in these three days has been that of open windows. I have been simply able to enjoy the breeze, the smells, and the sounds of a different culture from the steadfast place of being a disciple of Christ. I am thankful and loving it!

today, I leave.

I have been very blessed in my 20 years of life to get to see and do many beatiful things and today I will get to add one more adventure to the list as I will be boarding a plane for France. I will be studying French in Greboble this summer. I am thankful for the opportunity to be an observer this summer- an observer of language, of culture, and of people. I have no clue what to expect (which I am thankful for), and I look forward to getting to sit down with people when I return in August and tell stories of the wonderful things the Lord did in me and through me during my time abroad. Please pray for me, that the Lord would provide communtiy and that I would be able to rest in Him after a long year of transition.