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.