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.