Dramatic experience!

This past weekend was quite an experience! Not one I would have ever expected in France. A bonding experience, to say the least, for me and Anushka and Rachel.

I barely escaped with my life from a riot in Marseille!!

Here's how it happened.

On Saturday we went to Marseille, ostensibly for me to do some research for a history presentation, but when we asked at the Office of Tourism, they said there wasn't much to see. Since we were in the city anyway, we walked around some, and hung out with Rachel's friend Flo, a French boy who goes to university in Marseille. We were ready to head back to Aix, but he convinced us on the spur of the moment to stay and watch a soccer match between Algeria and Egypt, which is a big deal in Marseille because there are a lot of immigrants of Algerian origin and it's part of the qualifying rounds for the World Cup. We'd seen some people getting hyped about it, honking their horns and sporting their flags.

So we decided, why not? It could be a fun cultural experience. A little more than we bargained for. After watching the match in a bar in the Algerian quarter, then heading to the place of a friend of Flo's, we decided it was time to head out. Flo suggested we take the train back to Aix instead of the bus, since Algeria lost the game, but we figured, how bad could it really be? We didn't hear or see any riots going on. He was probably exaggerating. He's treated us kind of condescendingly throughout the evening so there may or may not have been a hint of spite involved . . . We didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but when we got to the bus station, on the street right over there was a pretty crazy riot going on--crowds, noise, cars honking, shouting, fires, smoke, sparkler/firework materials . . . so maybe Flo had a point. We thought we'd wait for our bus in a McDonalds, thinking the mob wouldn't reach that far--bad idea--a fire started right nearby, crazy Algeria fans started throwing things at the windows--and didn't stop. Pretty soon they shattered all the floor-length windows, and the security guards were telling us to get to the back for shelter. We huddled in a store room, realizing there wasn't a very good way out, and we were scared that the locals were scared. I knew the Marseillais are known for being distinctive (no one ever said exactly how, just "oh, yes, the people from Marseille . . .") and the French like to have demonstrations, but this was a little dangerous! And scary! And violent! The police had been stationed several blocks away in anticipation of the riots, and they chased away the offenders. We ran outside to the bus stop, passing a line of police in full-out helmets and riot-stopping gear, then watched from the safetly of the bus as giant trash bins were set on fire and smoke covered the night sky, hazing over the street lights. We were rather shaken up! The worst part was that Flo was right! Remember the pictures of enthousiastic supporters? This is what it devolved into. Big change. We were just glad to be ok. Oh Marseille, who are you? Why do you have to be so hard to deal with? My host family was kind of concerned, but not at all surprised. "Oh, yes, the French and their riots," commented my host brother. "They don't respect McDo very much, so that wasn't a good idea," he added. Thanks. I'll keep that in mind next time there are riot conditions. I didn't capture the riot on film (though Anushka and Rachel were brave enough to take a couple shots), but I felt justified to look the next day and find that the demonstration had made it into some news articles. It was fire and smoke and looked like the end of the world. http://news.fr.msn.com/m6-actualite/article.aspx?cp-documentid=150876789 and http://www.france24.com/en/20091115-violence-erupts-marseille-over-algeria-egypt-football-match were some of the articles, and if you watch the video clip on the second one, I'm pretty sure that's the MacDonald's we were in. Awesome. I was gratified by the reactions of other Americans when I told them what happened--riots aren't normal for them either :)

Breaks are nice!

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS TO RACHEL AND ANDREW!!!! I hope you don't mind I've been bragging about your engagement to everyone who will listen :)

Can it possibly be November already??? How did that happen? I just finished my week-long fall break, and the whole time I was in disbelief that my semester in France is half-way done. I've been anticipating for so long, and it's quickly slipping by without my noticing it.

I was so grateful to have a week off from classes since the French univeristy students don't get a fall break, until I got back and realized all the primary and secondary students--K-12--get ten days off of school. And the IAU students who come in the spring have three breaks, as opposed to one. But the break was amazing, and I'm glad I'm coming back to easier classes at IAU than I would be having at Wheaton :)

The weekend at the beginning my week off, I took an overnight bus to Barcelona, Spain with Kayla, a friend from some of my classes. Neither of us speak Spanish, but we were so proud of how well we got by! With my mission trips to Spanish-speaking countries, her Italian, and our combined experience over the past two months of navigating a new culture, we felt like we did really well. Not to mention the helpful strangers who noticed us looking lost and directed us to the right place. When it came to Catalan, the language also spoken in Barcelona which is kind of a mix of Spanish and French but also its own dialect, it was fun to "translate" and hope we knew what it was saying. We did find out about free museum entries on Sunday afternoon from a random Catalan sign, and were pretty proud of ourselves. The architecture in Barcelona took my breath away; I'm no expert, but the buildings and parks designed by modernist architect Gaudi were astounding. We gladly paid the fee to get into the Cathedral Sagrada Familia, which blew my mind: I love cathedrals for their intricacy and their history, yet here is one that is in the middle of being built, that ingeniously combines the well-known symbolic and historic basic structure of a cathedral, with beautiful modern organic shapes. I sound like a nerd, but if you've seen it you know what I mean. The Park Guell was the same (once we hiked up the hill at practically a 90 degree angle!). Sangria and tapas on Las Ramblas, the big (touristic) district were delicious . . .The museum of chocolate was pretty exciting, and the chocolate bar included with the ticket didn't hurt. I definitely found a kindred spirit in Kayla in our love of museums and all things old; we absolutely loved the Museum of the History of Barcelona which had an archeological site from Roman times that you could tour. Yes, we're that awesome! Since I still don't have a living, breathing camera, I'm hoping to still get the pictures from Kayla.

The train trip from Barcelona to Paris was less than ideal though; we got to the train station only to find out that we were supposed to have our tickets but couldn't pick them up in Spain; we had to pay extra to take the train to the Spanish-French border, wait in a little station while loud teenagers on some kind of group trip took up all the seats and precariously threw a baseball back and forth (kind of a strange experience, and Kayla and I were both tired and out of it), then found out that our student discount didn't apply unless we had our cards with us, which neither of us did, so we shelled out more money . . . but we made it to the City of Lights. From there it got better, and I have to say, I'm not so much of a city person but I was charmed by Paris. Three of us, me, Kayla and Anushka, stayed in the apartment of one of Anushka's friends; it was nice and cozy and at the top of five flights of stairs (it should have been no problem since 5E was at the same altitude, but it's been a while!) and had a view of the Eiffel Tower. Here's a picture of me and Anushka, in the Luberon before my camera bit the dust. The whole week I had moments of euphoria--I was in Paris! I've wanted to go ever since high school! For those of you who've seen the movie "Paris, Je T'Aime" our metro trips reminded me of the creepy scene in that movie the first several days . . .

We saw a lot, but there is SO much more to see and I'm just glad I'll be going back with the family!! Kayla and I kept up a fast pace in Barcelona, but had to slow down in Paris because we were exhausted. How is it that touring and having fun and taking a break can be so exhausting?? We decided that if we had legs of steel and didn't need to sleep, maybe we could do everything we wanted to. But we picniced under the Eiffel Tower, ate crepes, saw several museums, saw the Opera Garnier (which is the one that inspired Phantom of the Opera; I wanted to break into song in the street!), went to mass in the Notre Dame Cathedral, went to a cemetery and saw many, many famous graves (this is from the Luberon too, the village of Lourmarin, but it's the same idea) . . .

We also benefitted from the excellent student discounts for anyone under 26; the U.S. should really take a lesson from Paris on this count! I got into the Louvre twice for free, as well as Versailles. Can I just move to Paris and educate myself by going to museums for free every single day? Oh my goosh, all of the above were spectacular . . . So much history and beauty all in one place. It was slightly overwhelming. And yet as much as I loved Paris, I'm really glad that I'm studying here in charming Southern France. In some of my classes we've talked about the perception that many people have that Paris equals France, which is just not true. Admittedly it's very important and influential in France, but Provence has its own unique qualities, as do the other regions, and I'm glad that I'm not perpetuating that misconception by studying there. Sorry, little plug for the temperate, pretty Provence :)

And now, suddenly I'm back in school. Presentations are building up, the weather is getting a little colder, and I have 45 days left and counting . . . I saw that some people were counting on Facebook and couldn't resist doing the same! How much I want to take advantage of what time I have left. How thankful I am for the friends I made in my program, the French people who have welcomed me in, and the international English-speaking Christian community here that has become a base of spiritual support, which I need more than I realize! We talked in Bible study about living by faith, and I was reminded of how I am called to walk intimately with Christ in faith, both for the "big, important" life events (teaching in the Czech Republic, and beyond) and for each precious moment here in France. It is through a close relationship with Jesus that we learn to trust in the goodness of our Lord. As I took in the awe-inspiring cathedrals I saw on my trip, and as I continue to be a living sanctuary here in Aix, I am astounded by how God manifests himself and how he loves us enough to come and work in our lives in time and space, making us a part of his heavenly Kingdom! Love and blessings.

Some things change, some things don't

I really had the best of intentions for blogging again sooner, but an unfortunate mishap with my camera malfunctioning delayed me. . . it gave a sigh and breathed its last, in the middle of a trip to the Luberon. Lovely. Thank you, technology, but on the bright side, I don't feel guilty for not taking pictures like I usually do! So I tried adding a friend's pictures from Facebook, but it didn't work . . . you'll just have to take a field trip and look. Procrastination is like a snowball effect, and excuse led to excuse--until now!



So. Where do I start. Lately this week I've been thinking about having a thankful, trustful heart. While I'm feeling much more settled in here, as far as routine and culture go, I feel like I'm still waiting for some kind of French friend to appear or a community to come up around me. I'm realizing more and more what a short time I have here, and at the same time waiting for the days to go by . . . I suppose I'd say I'm contented but not happy right now. I was talking to a friend Rachel about how being abroad can bring out the worst in you. The stress and changes bring out characteristics or struggles you didn't know were in there . . . so it's hard, but good. I was thinking the same thing as I was journaling the other day, how easily I complain. This is not what I expected, I'm not being challenged enough, people aren't welcoming me enough, I wish I were better at French, I wish the people here were different, I wish there was a gym, etc. etc. . .


But when I look at what I do have here, I am so very blessed in my time here so far. I have a kind, helpful host family. They really, truly want me to have a good time here. I have some quality friends in my program, who I connect with and who share my motivation of actually being here to learn! They are rarer than I expected, but they do exist! I have encountered a strong Christian community at ICCP, which is an English-speaking church. At first that turned me away, but I find that as much as I want to surround myself with French, it's important to have fellowship and spiritual nourishment, which at this point for me means in English. This weekend I was very thankful for Anne-Claire, a dynamic, sweet, energetic woman I met at the French church who has taken me under her wing in a lot of ways, reaching out to me and meeting with me at least once a week so I can speak French and she can speak English. I'm amazed at how God places people in our lives when we need them. She invited me to go with her and a couple friends to Cassis, a beautiful seaside village. We hiked the calanques, inlets of the sea which are bordered by blindingly, beautifully white cliffs. I've never seen clearer water, and as I swam in the chilly ocean I was thankful for the chance to be with people in this wild, beautiful place. Although, try changing into your swimsuit behind a bush and under a towel when there are no changing rooms on this busy beach . . . I guess I was grateful for the bush! I am thankful for the hiking I've done--on Sunday I got to hike Mont St. Victoire, a mountain near Aix that Cezanne painted many pictures of. I went with young people from evangelical churches all around the area, which was a fun opportunity to meet new people. While the view from Mt. St. Victoire at maybe 1,000 meters doesn't compare to the fourteeners of Colorado, seeing the countryside and the hills, the brushy landscape, and the far away Alps was breathtaking in a different way!

So, I don't know what's going to change and what won't as the semester goes on. At six weeks in, I can't believe how fast the time is speeding by. I hope I continue to deepen relationships and my language skills, but I am so thankful for what has already happened here. I am grateful for the consistency and faithfulness of Christ, for his joy present in all circumstances, and for the reminders of his goodness that he gives if we only look. Until next time, friends--I love you and I am also so grateful for you! I hope one thing that changes is that I figure out the camera situation . . . ;)

(One of my favorites by Picasso, Jacqueline assise dans un fauteuil)

(I couldn't resist taking this picture of cute Japanese tourists in Marseille!)

(The fountain at the end of the Cour Mirabeau in Aix, which is the main street)

This week or so has held a lot of interesting cultural events for me, which has been so exciting. That's what I'm here for! Last Monday was l'Aïd, the festival at the end of Ramadan, and my host family, not being practicing Muslims but still claiming that part of their culture, had some friends over for an amazing Moroccan feast, compete with fish, couscous, vegetables, wine, and a spread of delicious pasteries that one of the friends had made--apparently it was her first time baking Moroccan desserts, but I never would have guessed. The evening went late with lots of talking, laughing, smoking, and singing traditional songs in Arabic that they translated into French for me and Emily, the other student in my house. Having learned about the large North-African presence in France, I'm so excited to be welcomed into a family of that heritage. I appreciated how they know I'm a Christian but did not hesitate to include me in their celebration--you can appreciate a good time with friends for any occasion.

(One of the many markets in Aix, selling typical Provencal stuff like lavender)

I've seen two French movies, and I mean "French movies" in every sense of the term--rapid dialogue, depressing plot, strange twists, thought-provoking themes. Not gonna lie, I can't say I actually liked Non Ma Fille, Tu N'Ira Pas Danser (No my daughter, you will not dance) or Je Suis Content Que Ma Mere Soit Vivante (I'm happy my mother is alive). But they had some interesting food for thought about relationships and family. I was gratified by the fact that while I didn't catch every word, I got the gist of the plots. For the second one, Emily and I went with our host sister Hana and brother Timour, at the invitation of one of the family friends who came over for l'Aïd, since he was the director of the cinema--I think it was a special showing we went to, and there was Q and A with the two lead characters afterward!

I've recently converted into a Picasso fan: not wholesale, but I really enjoy some of his works. This is quite a transformation for me, since I really didn't appreciate modern art so much, but nine hours in a museum can do things to you . . . I'll back up. Aix was the home of the artist Cèzanne, who was a major influence on Picasso, and the Musée Granet has a temporary exhibition about the two of them. It finished September 27, and after procrastinating until the last minute rushed to get tickets with my friend Rachel for Thursday night. It was ok, but I still was not such a fan of the distortions and crazy colors. Maybe it was that we were both tired, and kind of rushed through . . . enough extreme art is enough. However, the next day I discovered that there was a "Nuit Blanche" (white night, a.k.a. all night) on the last day of the showing, and decided to go with another friend Anushka since there were also other events--food, music, dancing, films, lectures. We decided to stay for the whole time, 9pm-4pm, on principle, to get our 5 euros worth. Somewhere between the early-on discussions about squiggly faces and the free coffee at 3:30 am in the courtyard as the last museum-goers, my opinion changed. Something about Picasso's vibrantly colored people, surreal countrysides, and blocky still lifes captured the inner essence of the subjects, if not the outside. I can't really explain the transformation; maybe it's from repeated (intense) exposure, maybe it had to do with the time of night, or maybe it's from being in the countryside that inspired Picasso and Cèzanne. There's something magical about art, though, that I haven't remembered to feel in a while.

(Marseille, the second-largest city in France, is a sea port. Hence the little escargots, with no idea they will soon be bought and eaten!)

Finally, I've done a little traveling the past couple of days. Sunday was spent in Marseille, which I truly think I could like, but I need a better experience to cancel this one out. Anushka and I set out with the reasonable intention of finding the Red Bull Flugtag, a crazy cultural event that reminds me of camp plus youth group. Teams of contenstants build their own flying machines, and see how far they can get off the edge of a pier--you can imagine the carnage in the water below. Team themes included Star Wars, Snow White and Born to Fly. But in order to see this nice event, we were compelled to take an hour-long bus ride in the midst of hot, sweaty, crowded people who pushed way more onto the bus than should have been there . . . I really shouldn't complain because that's common in many places, but somehow it was unexpected in this case. After a bit of viewing, we got hungry and set off to find a grocery store, only to find that everything in Marseille was strangly closed. Thank you, Marseille. We appreciated the smallness and the openness of Aix upon our return. Well, that's life, things don't happen as you would expect them to :)

Today I took a field trip with my History of Provence class to Entremont, an archeological site of an oppidium. These are settlements of Gaulois tribal inhabitants two thousand years ago, and Entremont was the capital of the Salyen tribe who lived around Aix. The history major in me was thoroughly pleased.

So, dear family and friends, these are some of the things going on in life recently . . . I'm feeling more settled in and content, which is lovely, though I would still very much like to make some real French friends!! You can be praying for me in that, as well as being a light to those around me and seeing God at work here, in his word and in the believers I know, who are very much a blessing. Even as I'm re-capping the past several days, I'm so thankful to reflect on the richness of my experience thus far, and how God's splendor can be seen in so many ways! I love and miss you all--you are in my heart and thoughts.

Well friends, I've been waiting until I can post pictures to say any more, and since the internet has been surprisingly hard to get a hold of, it's been a while! I can't believe I've been here for over a week. It feels like much longer, because every day is something different. I think this week I'll start to settle into a routine with my classes, homework, etc. I think the most surprising challenge so far has been to surround myself with French; it's so easy to just fall in with the other American students and speak English for most of the day. I found a Protestant church (one of very few) that I went to on Sunday, and I hope very much to be involved there--practicing French and fellowshipping at the same time. I'm also looking into other activities around here, and there are so, so many--too many that I'd like to do: rock climbing, dance classes, cultural events . . . there's so much going on here! I find that it's hard to find other students in my program who feel the same way as I do about wanting to speak as much French as possible, which is kind of frustrating. It's an effort to go out and meet real French people, and I'm hoping that as the other universities (there are tons in Aix) start up, I can meet more people through different activities. Well, I can't fault southern France for not being absolutely gorgeous. We often eat dinner outside on the front patio, and I leave my windows open all the time. If I come back browned by the Provencal sun and weighing 200 pounds from the amazing food here, promise you won't judge me? We took a trip to Nice this weekend, which is where the pictures are from. It is a beautiful port about two hours away from Aix. There are the ruins of a castle on top of a hill overlooking the city, as well as beaches and the old part of town. I'm not usually one to take the initiative and make plans, but there is so much to see and do here in the area and all over Europe--how will I have time for classes?? I miss all of you. You are in my thoughts. Continue to pray for me; I am very much enjoying France, but I miss my close relationships at home and in Wheaton. Pray for language learning--lots of opportunities to speak French, accepting French people to talk to, and mental endurance--speaking another language drains me so fast!

Je suis arrivée!

Well everyone, I am here in Aix! After anticipating it for so long, it`s hard to believe. Just for the record, I am typing on a French keyboard which is a little different, so I may keep this short for the sake of time. When I got to the airport there was a little fiasco because IAU was not there to meet me; apparently there was some miscommunication, and they were looking at my old Itinerary, or something; I`m not really sure what happened, but at least there was another student in the same boat to take the bus with from the airport in Marseille to Aix. My host parents, Abdul and Palmyre, are so sweet, and I`m really glad to have a fellow study abroad student, Emily, in the same house. Today Palmyre showed us around town some; it is so charming, quaint and beautiful. Then an open house with large numbers of new people met, and an overwhelming sense of freshman year revisited . . . not sure how to feel about that, but I`ll get settled in. What a long day, with more to come tomorrow with orientation! Iam having mixed feelings of smallness, joy, fear, anxiety, joy, excitement . . . a little strange, and a lot exhausting, hence I think I will head towards bed. And process a little in my journal. As if this isn`t a form of processing. Consider yourselves my pre-thinking. Thank you for your prayers, friendship and support! Hopefully I can get access to some internet on my own computer and show you some pictures of this beautiful area soon.

Contact information

I would appreciate contact from anyone and everyone . . . email me at jamie.patrick@my.wheaton.edu. Skype me. Facebook me. If you're feeling particularly thoughtful and old-fashioned, send me snail mail at

27, place de l'Universite
BP 30970
13604 Aix-en-Provence CEDEX 1
France

Note: the 'e' on Universite has an accent but I haven't figured out how to put that in yet . . . I'll have to work on that one.

The moment before take-off . . .

I couldn't help but join the trend. It's such a better way of staying updated with friends and fam around the world than email updates! (No offense to those of you who do, I appreciate them:) I'm spending four months studying in Aix-en-Provence, France! I'm leaving on Friday, September 4 . . . so soon . . . but if you know me, you'll know I haven't started packing yet. This will come in time, I promise.
A word on the title: who knows what to call their blog?? It means "What else?" or "anything else?" because I didn't know what else to call it, and because I find that I say it to myself a lot--making sure I remember everything important in a paper, when I go somewhere, etc. It doesn't always work, sometimes I forget something, but whatever. What else?