Pictures to share

Eagerness and anticipation: Advent.

Sleep and reading. My life for this week in a nutshell. I've been catching up on any sleep that I lost during the fall semester, and it is rather gratifying to sleep in at whatever hour I wish, even if it is 10:00 or 11:00 in the morning. Perhaps I've already mentioned that I am a gros dormeur (deep sleeper). It helps me to have at least 8h30 to 9h30 of sleep. I actually feel that I am at the optimum level after getting that much sleep. Looking at the statistics posted by the National Sleep Foundation, it seems that each individual person has a certain optimum number. Mine tends to be higher and has been at that level since I was a teenager. Funny looking back to teenage years as I am now in my twenties (early twenties, mind you, but still...).

I've been reading through the "Pensees" by Pascal, especially the proofs for the existence of God, which I savor every time. His section on the limits of human reason as well as the case for Christianity as the only religion that can work, because of Christ as the mediator through which we have access to God. The Pensees (which translate to thoughts) are profound statements, written in the form of aphorisms that touch on the most profound things in the universe. You have to really dig into them to reach into what is incomprehensible but that which we are able to know through faith. Truly amazing and remarkable.

The time is coming for my departure, and I am exceptionally excited. I booked a ticket to see "Mozart, the Rock Opera," (musical comedy) in French, on December 25, so that I'll have something to do before meeting my family at the Gare Montparnasse (the main train station for Bretagne) in Paris, 14th arrondissement, on the 26th. I do feel like a kid again, waiting for Christmas, but, in fact, it's coming to me this year. My parents will be here in just a couple days. I don't think it could get any better than this. I'm planning on giving my parents and little brother the biggest hug I've given them yet. (Intense, we're talking close to a minute of embrace! Haha.) I have my gifts wrapped and ready, including a bottle of Bordeaux rose wine that we can share (speaking of which, I need to buy cork-screw-- tire-bouchon) and enjoy as an aperitif in our hotel. With my train tickets in hand, I'm ready to go. Just have to pack my bags and then I'll be ready to head out.

Tomorrow, which is Christmas Eve, will be spent at home with the Griffon family. We'll have a Christmas Eve dinner and probably head out to the mass at the Basilica Notre Dame, which is only a few steps down the road from my house. On the 25th, I will be at the house for opening presents and then leave on my TGV at about 10am. I can't believe it's finally almost here!

Charlie Brown Christmas and skyping for the holidays

One of my favorite holiday traditions is gathering around to watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas." This entire afternoon, I was listening to the Vince Guaraldi Trio playing the music that is very festive and memorable. I was so excited about listening to the music that I decided to find the actual movie on iTunes, which I proceeded to purchase on iTunes so that I would have a definitive copy of it, rather than searching YouTube all the time. Of course, I am a sucker for wanting to do everything the legal way. Doing any kind of illegal downloading frightens me, since you never know what an illegal file could do to your computer. Anyway, I enjoyed downloading music and watching the classic Christmas special today.

Also, this afternoon, I spoke with my middle brother, Jeff, via Skype from his Air Force base in Altus, Oklahoma. He seems to be doing well. Jeff wrote me a very frank and brotherly message the other day that I was very happy to read on Facebook. He will be spending Christmas in Austin, TX with his friends in a not-so-shabby hotel, the Sheraton. Jeff seems to love Austin for the cultural things that there are to do there. He mentioned going to a death metal concert and entering into a fist fight to "save" his friends from an attack. Anyone who knows my brother, Jeff, knows he doesn't "take no shit" from anyone and will ensure that justice is taken care of, even if that involves blood and scaring off people with his physical prowess. (He's in such great shape, as he has had intensive physical training both during the football season in high school and in the military.) Anyway, he told me about that. He seems excited about seeing the whole family at his return in May. I'm looking forward to seeing him after I return home.

This evening, I will speak with my parents once more as they get ready to come see me in Paris. Hopefully, there will be no weather-related delays or cancellations as England and surrounding areas have been hammered with terrible weather. It looks like the "all-clear" can be sounded, looking at the meteo web sites for the Paris (Ile-de-France) region. Later, this week, I will have a skype visit with Elizabeth (my childhood and lifelong friend) and Devin, a good friend from college. Looking forward to communicating with people back home. So many blessings with technology these days.

Volubilis presents Schubert Mass No. 6 in E flat major

I finally learned the name of my choral group this afternoon and evening, Volubilis, a mouth-full if you ask me. It was a beautiful day. The snow melted, clearing the roads and making it possible for Antoine and I to arrive safely and soundly in Evron, 20 km to the north. We left promptly at 13:30 to head to the Evron Basilica. It was rather cold when we arrived and on the inside of the basilica, it was freezing. Fortunately, there were pink-colored light heaters all around the stage and scattered throughout the building. The church is absolutely stunning with beautiful stain-glassed windows, dating from the 12th century, so during the feudal times in France. When I arrived, I had to go to the bathroom really bad. Ok, my strategy on hydration was to completely gorge myself with water and coffee before arriving so that I wouldn't have to drink anything during the performance. For the most part, that idea worked. I wasn't thirsty during the performance. However, I did have to go to the bathroom three times. (And it wasn't in the church either. It was in a toilet hidden right next to a feudal archway, marked "Publics WC.") Not exactly the cleanest but it served its purpose.

The choir warmed up, everyone in their coats shivering in the freezing cold church. I felt bad for the orchestra players, because anyone who knows anything about strings, knows that cold temperatures make strings go flat and can also create cracks in the instruments. For anyone, it can be miserable to play, no matter what the instrument. We managed just fine. During the rehearsal, I saw Sylvain, one of my friends from orchestra and asked if he could use my camera to take some pictures. He did and also used his professional camera with which he will provide all the members of the choir with quality photos. So I will have good ones to take home. I went to the dressing room in one of the wings of the basilica. Took off my coat and was left with only my dark grey/off-black sweater, which was all I had to keep warm. Some of the choir members were like, "you're not too cold?" shivering under mink coats. I sighed and said, "No." It must be my thick Netherlands pale skin that keeps me warm. I'm used to the cold in any case.

The concert started late (as is usual in the Mayenne, 20 minutes late at that), but with a packed house. My heart was warmed when it started and my spirits rose with each movement. For the most part, I knew the notes and most of the words in Latin. But there were definitely passages where I was unsure about the articulation of the words and synchronization with the notes. That's the tricky part with Latin texts. But then again, I only had 5 weeks to learn the piece, which in itself was a feat. It seems I'm learning to learn music quickly. Good musicianship takes certain things, though. Number one: a pencil. Listening to a recording. Attending all rehearsals, if possible. And most importantly, watching! That's what I did half the time during the concert. I watched our director, Annick, in order to receive the consonants and any tricky entrances. Sometimes, the tenors were together. Sometimes not. I did see some of them buried in their scores, which was not so encouraging. Certainly, this music requires concentration. But watching is an absolute necessity to ensure togetherness.

Now to the creme de la creme, the solos. In any mass, there are solo sections for a quartet of singers. Schubert, a truly gifted composer, created a beautiful section in the Credo movement entitled, "Et incarnatus est de Spirtu Sancto." I almost feel as if this area is a dance section in a slow 4 in which people could dance gracefully at a party. It almost reminds you of the party in the "Sound of Music," at the Von Trapp family house. So beautiful with the violoncelli leading in. The two tenor solos are absolutely out of this world, and I was so jealous that I couldn't sing them. (They're meant for professionals, of course.) And the soprano solo is clear as crystal at each melodious entrance. The baritone equally had a warm part in the quartet. These soloists are professional musicians, educated at the best music schools across France and England, and former students of Annick. In total, there were three main solo sections, but "Et incarnatus est" was my favorite.

At the end, we had a going-home kind of moment called, "Dona nobis pacem." So beautiful and exciting just to sing what means, "give us peace." Such a great way to end the mass. With love and warmth and dignity. And the mass ended peacefully with a quiet diminuendo down to a piannissimo and there was silence in the basilica for 30 seconds. Applause for a long while. One of the older guys asked me to present a flower to one of the soloists and do the bise (French kiss on the cheeks). So I presented a flower to the soprano (she's really quite beautiful and had an extensive CV in the program, having studied at the Conservatoire in Paris) and gave her the bise. Such a beautiful way to end with an appreciation of the soloists.

After the concert, I went to Annick's (our director's) house for a holiday party, complete with homemade cider, plenty of white and red wines to go around, pate, boeuf bourguignon, and other holiday desserts and such.) Elation and satisfaction.

And now, I will enjoy a week of rest and relaxation before heading to Paris with its illuminations and holiday magic.

The vacation arrives! And my host family goes to DISNEYLAND! And more snow!

Today marked the end of my teaching duties for the rest of the calendar year before the beginning of January. I was so excited, because at lunch time, I headed to the lycee and got a complete holiday meal, filled with traditional French dishes for Christmas time. I had foie gras, rolls, stuffed chicken, French cheeses to paste onto a piece of freshly baked bread, and a chocolate cake with raspberries on the side. Chocolate bars and candy, oh the fun. And yes, when I get candy with my meal, I sometimes feel like a little kid getting a toy in a Happy Meal at McDonald's (which they call, MacDo here in France). Yes, I used to love getting special surprises as a child, especially candy.

After my very lovely lunch at the lycee, I headed home to go with Emilie, Bastien's girlfriend, to Leclerc (a giant supermarket) to find foodstuff gifts for the host family. We ended up picking out a gift basket with coffee, hot chocolate, chocolate truffles, etc. for Nathy and Pascal, my host parents. We went in together to get these. And then, for the children, I decided to buy a box of Ferrero Rocher chocolates nicely presented in a tin that they will be able to share. Emilie told me that the children adore these chocolates. Score. I finished my Christmas shopping for the season. And then, I entrusted Emilie to wrapping them for me... (Yeah, I don't trust my wrapping skills. They're really horrendous sometimes. Plus, I was just lazy.)

This afternoon, I went to a meeting for the London trip, which went well, except I got a little bored. I know hardly anything about London. So I've never been, and I had no ideas about activities we could do with the kids while on the trip. So I found it was almost a waste of time. Nevertheless, I don't have to pay a dime for the trip, because I'm a chaperone (accompagnateur). Nice perk to assistantship in France, huh?!

I returned home to listen to music, complete my graduate school applications, etc. I submitted the applications for Brown and Illinois this afternoon. I also sent off the audio recording in the mail to the United States for Brown's application. I'm in high hopes that I will be going to Brown (in Providence, Rhode Island) next year. Meanwhile, I got an interesting email from an Illinois professor encouraging me to apply (after I had submitted; she must have not known) and looking forward to reading my application. This was the same professor who said that my research interests were almost exactly in line with hers and another professor at Illinois. So it looks like Illinois could be a choice that could be just as good as Brown. Who knows? Only the Lord at the moment.

Dinner this evening was good. We had meat (salami, ham, and other cold cuts), cheese, and potatoes. We cooked the meat and fondued the cheese over a heater/stove/oven thing that they use frequently in the Alps. Delicious and enjoyable.

Tomorrow, my host family heads to Disneyland for an all day affair, perhaps in the snow. I chose not to go first of all because of the cost factor and second, we have Disney Parks in the US that probably are better. Why experience Disney in France when you can experience the real thing in the US? It's almost the same attractions. Disney is Disney no matter where you go.

Here in Mayenne, I stay tomorrow, do some more Christmas browsing at the shops, resting, and a bit of reading. I'm trying to get into the Christmas spirit. Downloading some Christmas music should help. The Christmas present I long for: to see my family, will be here before I know it. Being away from my parents this far and long has shown me a true appreciation for family. I'm excited to get a hug for the first time in three months. (Hugs are not in vogue here, as I've mentioned.) It's going to be really special in a great place, Paris. Ah, vacation.

Better end to the week

It seems that even when I get sick as I was Sunday through Monday, I always recover very swiftly by the grace of God. I'm feeling in tip-top shape, returning to school this final stretch before the vacation. Notes that I have mentioned before about the church are just expressions of my frustration when I was sick and at the church. They don't necessarily reflect how I feel right now. I'm not keen on leaving my church family behind so soon, even though that's the way I felt a couple days ago. Mainly, I was miserable and needed some way to vent my anger, frustration, and misery that lingered over from Sunday to Monday.

So I feel much better and do intend to stay with my current church without a problem. Tomorrow, I will give a class to the middle schoolers (my last one of the 2010 year) and then have a nice Christmas dinner with the faculty of the high school, complete with four or five courses and only paying 2 euros for the entire thing! Afterwards, I will have my meeting for the London trip with the English teachers. Finally, I will send in my audio CD to Brown as well as my Brown and Illinois applications. So by the end of next week, all my applications will be in and I will relax for the remainder of the holidays!

Some things do have to get worse before they get better, but I just think things are getting better in any case.

A terrible day in Nantes but I got my visa stamped and validated!

I'm just going to go right out and say it. My visit to Nantes really sucked. It was freezing cold and I had to find my way around in the cold to get to my medical appointment. A couple mishaps made this lightning fast visit miserable. At the beginning, I was able to meet a group of female assistants from Laval (an area right near me), which was helpful seeing as I could walk around with them and help them find the place where we were going, which was the OFII (French Office of Immigration). It was nice to simply walk around and go shopping. Of course, I was surrounded by a bunch of females, who just loved to spend two hours in a shopping center, time that I would much rather have spent in a cafe, brasserie, or restaurant, sipping a glass of espresso and eating a French meal. Nonetheless, I gave in and let the females do their "shopping" or rather looking and trying-on, mostly without buying. Ladies, of course you know what I'm talking about. Meanwhile, I did my own shopping and found presents for my dad and my brother who's in the Air Force at H&M, a nice clothing store in Nantes (which is also very popular in the United States). Happy to have found my presents, I left with the girls and we proceeded to buy tickets for the tramway. We bought them out of a machine right in front of where you board the tram. I bought two just in case, not realizing that they expire exactly one hour after purchase.

Nevertheless, I didn't foresee what an ordeal not having the ticket validated would become. The girls boarded and apparently, validated or composted (time-stamped) their ticket right before I boarded and I didn't see. So I assumed you had to compost afterwards. The controleur (or conductor) came up to me and I showed him the unstamped ticket. I said, "Sir , I forgot to stamp my ticket. I didn't mean to and didn't know when to stamp it." He said, "let me see your card." I showed him a driver's license. We got off at the next stop. I then proceeded to show him my rail reduction card. Next, he wrote me a ticket for 33 euros for not validating the ticket. I felt incredibly humiliated and embarrassed, maybe a little angry that the girls didn't tell me that you had to validate the ticket right before the tram left the station. Apparently, most French people would have made a scene and then filed a complaint to avoid paying for the ticket, but I was in no mood to do so. I just followed orders and paid with my debit card on the spot, without question. Very American of me-- following the authority. I hardly ate anything afterwards because I was so upset over being publicly humiliated by the transportation authorities in Nantes.

The medical visit was fortunately much more enjoyable. I had to get an x-ray of my lungs, which are perfectly healthy as I do not smoke and take care of myself. I talked to the medical doctor about my eating habits and exercise (which as of yet, has consisted of swimming regularly at the pool-- "the perfect sport" in the opinion of the doctor). After this, I waited to get my passport stamped to officially validate my visa, stating that I am indeed welcome in France for the next several months (or until August). The lady finishing the validation also explained the procedure of renewal in case I do return to France next year as a student, for example. I would have to go and see the Prefecture and provide an acceptance letter from a French university to do so. Perhaps that will happen. Anyway, it's done and I can stay in France until August and then renew two months in advance, if I intend to return next year.

Coming back, I got sick with a virus that infected my entire system. I found my way to the train station in Nantes sans probleme, fortunately. But I was freezing, had a headache, and felt that I had a running temperature. At the very least, the trip home was agreeable. The TGV train ride of 35 minutes went fine and then a bus ride home got me home around 7:15pm. And then I had to wait an hour for my host mother to arrive to pick me up from the train station. By the time I finally reached home, I was ready for a tea and sleep, which I promptly took care of.

This week, I have been talking to the sophomores and juniors about superheroes and sidekicks. I think they've been enjoying the topic. I thought it was a pretty exciting topic to discuss. The British Council seems to be providing me with the ideas I need to produce a good lesson that can be enjoyed by most, if not all, the students in the class. That is encouraging. I will return to their site often for further resources in the future, if need be. The vacation is two days away. I cannot wait.

Another weekend, one more week...

It was a fairly good weekend. The concert at the Basilica of Notre Dame went very well and the church was packed the evening of the performance. Afterwards, we had a late-night party, which was thoroughly enjoyable. I've continued to have trouble sleeping at night. It seems that my system has trouble at night, perhaps because I'm a night owl. It is difficult for me to have restful sleep all the time, and that has caused some problems with chronic fatigue. Hopefully, that will be remedied with the vacation and rest.

I went to church this morning exhausted more than ever before, especially after going to bed at around three o'clock in the morning. It was a rather miserable time in church for me, to say the least. Not to mention, I had to hear an hour of a sermon from the over-energetic, fiery, and sometimes charismatic elder of the church. He said several things that I didn't agree with theologically. Not the first time actually. What unnerved me the worst, was when he talked about how it was not "normal" to be single today and how man was meant to get married from the beginning. His words about singlehood and marriage were not at all encouraging. And also, he was yelling practically the entire time, which is a huge turn off when it comes to lecturing and delivering the Word. Add to that, I didn't feel "in the Spirit" at all this morning and even the morning worship songs did not speak to me in ways they had previously. Adjusting to this church has been hard, and I don't feel I've completely made the adjustment. I have a couple friends that I don't want to lose if I were to choose to leave. But it's difficult to stay at a place, where I'm not feeling completely part of the atmosphere and disagree with several theological points. So, at the moment, I'm contemplating looking for another church at the beginning of the new year.

Tomorrow, I head to Nantes for the final step in validating my visa at the "medical visit." It's so disappointing, because I have never actually "done" Nantes. Every time I've gone (this makes three times), I've gone for business. This was the original city where I wanted to go from the selection process for the assistant program. Oh well. I might just have to make the trip sometime else. At least, I get a day off from school, making my week a four-day week before vacation. It's so close, I could reach out and touch it...

Tenor Power!

This evening I had a great rehearsal with the tenors, a much needed supplementary rehearsal after all the other general rehearsals with all voice parts. And of course, I'm still learning the music. This evening, it was so much better. The tenors had a homogeneous sound and we felt much more together, working as a unit rather than several individuals trying to sustain the tenor part. My voice this evening was in much better condition than Monday. We honed in on all the difficult spots of the music and made adjustments as necessary with our directrice Annick Vert directing at the piano. This tenor section is truly a dream, and I'm loving every minute singing with them.

The rehearsal was the end of a wonderful day. Everything at school went smoothly without any problem. I enchanted the middle schoolers while singing Christmas carols and teaching them the words to "We wish you a merry Christmas." This afternoon, my high schoolers enjoyed talking about consumerism and materialism, remarking different aspects that pervade the entire world. Encouraging day.

More music on the way with the orchestra concert in the Mayenne basilica on Saturday. Such is the life of a musician at Christmas time. Happy Holidays!

Relaxing plunge into the pool

After a long morning of classes and a nap in the afternoon, I decided to go to the pool to continue my swimming routine that I have enjoyed numerous times. Swimming, for me, is a sport I love, and it's perhaps the only one I can truly appreciate, because for one, it's relaxing, two, it's a total body workout, three, I love swimming under water with gills like a fish (Think King Arthur and Merlin: "Be a fish!"-- I am the fish, the beastly fish.) What I do for 50 minutes is I swim laps alternating between breath-stroke, swimming underwater, butterfly, and freestyle. There's something about being in the water in my shorty maillot de bain and wearing my goggles that is so therapeutic and cool that all my cares drift away into the cholorinized water and I just think about swimming and being the fish that I mentioned above. It's exhilarating and relaxing.

The simple joys of going to the pool, things we cherished in childhood days, continue on. I take advantage of these moments to be thankful and to feel the blessings that I receive from the Lord every day.

Losing things and Consumerism

Perhaps, the people that know me well know that I tend to lose things, even though I have them right under my nose. Mostly small things such as pens and pencils. When I lose them, however, I feel as if my whole world has been overturned and that I've made such a grave error. Those mistakes seem to happen more frequently than I thought possible. And I'm getting tired of it. Last Thursday, I lost my key for the middle school. I retraced my steps as much as possible, cleared off my dresser, looked on and under furniture, basically overturned my whole room. I checked my cubby at school, thinking that perhaps it was there. Vanished. It's awful, because I think I have everything and then I leave the key some place, go take a nap, and forget where in creation I put the darn thing. And as I've mentioned before, my memory tends to be fuzzy, even short term memory. So I feel lost in that sense, hoping that I will be able to recover the key that somehow slipped by without my realization. It's incredibly frustrating. And I wish I had photographic memory or at least, a better memory that could pen-point exactly where I put things and when. It seems it should be just as easy as putting things back in the same place every time, but it seems that I sometimes don't think and end up forgetting my placement of things. I wish I could be more conscious of where I put things, so that things would never get lost. Such is my hope and perhaps a New Year's Resolution to remember where I put things so that I won't lose things as often. Sometimes I feel the problem is having too much stuff and not knowing where to put everything... having less seems as if it would eradicate many of these complicated problems.

This week, I'm talking to my students about consumerism, an appropriate topic for the Christmas holidays. The students seem to think that we are overusing our resources as we spend and spend and that we would do much better to conserve rather than consume. Interesting insights from the terminale students. In a world, where buying the latest... has become the norm, it seems that we are overrunning our resources to the point of scarcity. Greed seems to be on most people's minds and less satisfaction with anything they currently have. People are unhappy because society creates their "needs." The media controls how we think and act. It's a scary thing to think we are so much influenced by the media. Yet, it's an undeniable reality. I'm looking forward to hearing the opinions from the other classes this week.

Sous le soleil exactement (Exactly under the sun)

Just a little update: we had a nice snow storm a couple days ago which actually covered the ground all over the area and made driving conditions treacherous. Today, all of that waned as the rain came and temperatures rose to 8 degrees Celcius (translation: in the 40s). So going to orchestra in the cold rain was not particularly fun. Our rehearsal lasted for three hours today exceptionally so that we could be more than adequately prepared for our concert next week. And I can tell for a fact that we will have a great concert complete with full orchestra, a Christmas story, and, of course, the basilica lit up with candlelight. I cannot wait to participate in this concert.

After the rehearsal, I went to the library and picked up the first volume of "In Remembrance of Time Past" by Proust (in French, of course) and "L'homme revolte" by Camus. These will be my reading for the next couple weeks. Then, I walked home from the library in the rain but with a parapluie (umbrella). I spent the afternoon sleeping, revising my statement of purpose for Brown, and listening music. A quiet afternoon, just the way I like it. No worries. Just relaxing. I found a song that one of my friends posted on facebook and reveled in its inherent happiness and wishfulness. It's called "Sous le soleil exactement," sung by Nouvelle Vague (1960s) actress Anna Karina. Apparently, she had quite the career in France and this song was a huge hit. The song made me want to bask in the warm sun, maybe on the beach. (The video was shot on a beach with Karina dancing on the beach). I would love to see some sunshine sometime. It's been grey for days here in Mayenne. And yes, that's where I want to be... « Sous le soleil exactement, pas à côté, par n’importe où, sous le soleil, sous le soleil exactement, juste en dessous. » (Exactly under the sun, not to the side, or anywhere else, under the sun, under the sun, right underneath.)

Just a little note of happiness

Despite my usual grunts with getting out of bed on Wednesday mornings, I have some good news to share. I talked with the administration about renewing my contract, and it looks as if it may be possible for me to stay an extra month, still working, but it will give me additional time to travel around Europe, etc. That means I would return to the States in the middle of June. I have no problem with this, seeing as I would return to complete boredom with an awfully long summer with not a lot to do, if I returned in May. Of course, the game of finding a summer job is also at stake, but I would be earning money through the assistant program that I could bring back with me. I want to stay in France as long as possible. Hopefully, this will work out.

On another note, I am planning on going with the high school students to London as a chaperone during the month of April right before the vacation, or the time when I go with the orchestra to Barcelona! Never been to London, and this would be an awesome opportunity seeing as I wouldn't have to pay. Teachers go free. Another perk to being an assistant, I guess. ;) It seems every month is getting better, and in a mere three and half weeks, I will see my parents and younger brother in Paris.

Pleasant Evening in Evron

As it was rather cold this evening and the temperature was dropping to below freezing, I got out my beanie and gloves to wear outside while waiting on my ride to choir practice. Little did I know, Antoine, my usual driver did not show. It was a little frustrating to be outside in the freezing weather (-4 degrees Celsius, which translates to in the 20s Fahrenheit). I looked around to see if anyone else was going to meet me in front of the Chateau de Mayenne. Then, I looked over and saw a group going to Evron, in a full car. And then I saw an older man (60 years old) in a red jacket, who came over to ask if I was waiting to go to Evron. I said yes and that I was waiting on Antoine to take me. I waited with the older gentleman, but Antoine did not arrive, so this gentleman kindly took me to Evron. His name was Bernard and he hailed from Lille but had a house in Mayenne. Barnard was very kind, showed an interest in classical music, and was enjoyable company on the ride to the Ecole de Musique. See there, not all French people are rude and unfriendly, contrary to popular belief. In fact, many people are kind, helpful, and hospitable. Bernard was generous to offer help and even stayed at the rehearsal for two hours just to take me back. The rehearsal was great tonight as well. We went through the entire Schubert mass and it's beautiful. I still need to listen to the entire thing on Naxos Music Library. Anyway, after the rehearsal, I left with Bernard. I am very thankful to have met Bernard. He's a great person to talk to. We together talked about the power of music to channel negative emotions, to bring out the best in people, and to bring stress relief. It's great to share these things with a music lover, who although he doesn't play an instrument or read music, he can still appreciate the sounds of beautiful music. Surprise encounters are great. They show how much the Lord has a sense of humor and brings people into our lives for a reason, even though we may not see it on the surface. Look to the things unseen rather than seen. There, you find faith.

The Successful and Famous, Lessons for this week

To start off the week, I decided to talk with my high school students about who the successful and famous people are in the world. I will admit first that I received help from the online resources of the BBC through the British Council Teaching English website. There are many helpful things on the web, but I find that the British Council website and the Michelle Henry Teaching English to Middle School student in France site are among the most helpful. Back to the distinction between famous and successful. Granted, there is a separation between what makes one famous and what makes one successful, but my students seemed to understand the difference as the class unfolded. To start off, most students said to be successful, one has to know a lot of people, do something great that is recognized by others, has a lot of money and power, etc. Together, we worked through this definition further, examining quotations by famous people such as Winston Churchill and George Bernard Shaw. Most of my students seemed to get the gist of what I was suggesting with these activities. My TSTGB students and TLA (both terminale groups) said that to be successful, one has to be able to keep going even when one fails. I wrote up on the board once today the word, "perseverance," or the ability to try harder the next time. Another aspect of success is learning from your mistakes so much that you don't repeat the same silly mistakes. My students at the lycee seemed to note this distinction well as the discussion continued.

As our lesson continued, we moved into scenarios, which explained different situations where a person looked successful but really was not. For example, a guy quits his job and builds a business that becomes a multi-million dollar enterprise, neglects his family, who in turn leave him. My students seemed to spot these 50-50 success stories quickly. They did see the one story that proved to be successful: a student is in a car accident and breaks his leg. But he fully recuperates and finishes his exams at the end of the semester with flying colors. This was an example of a success story. My students saw that successes could be small and still be of great importance. For some of my high school classes today, I asked my students to write down 4 or 5 things that they had done that were successful. Each student had something that may have been of little importance to the rest of the world but was in actuality, something great. For example, one student helped an elderly man who had fallen in the middle of the street up, called an ambulance, and assisted the older man as a first responder. I was taken aback at this. Clearly, the student had recognized this little thing to be great, because he did something for someone else with compassion and love for another person. That was another thing we talked about-- success as not self-seeking but others-focused. This was a great lesson to talk about with the terminale students, and I felt as though it really made the discussion rich and lively. (I.e: not everyone agreed, so we moved into debate mode a couple times.)

A truly enjoyable experience for a Monday that did not carry "That Monday morning feeling," all day but rather a sense of refreshment with a readiness to improve my pedagogical approaches all week long.

A French Thanksgiving meal (if there ever was such a thing.)

After a week at school, I thought it would be nice to cook a Thanksgiving meal for my host family. As I've already mentioned, they mean a lot to me, and I really wanted to render thanks to them for being so hospitable and caring for me. And it was fun cooking. There is something therapeutic about cooking a meal that I'm sure every mom, every chef, every true food-lover savors. Cooking in France and elsewhere comes from the heart. It's something that you're doing to give of yourself to please other people. I think it's a selfless act to prepare a meal for another, because you think of others before yourself and aim to create something delicious and filling for family and friends. That means something special here in France, because the goal is to have a high quality of life and family meals are such an integral part of life. Whenever people gather together for a meal, it's huge. For me, cooking a Thanksgiving meal meant sharing my American traditions in cuisine and feeding a group of seven this evening.

I went with Nathy to the supermarket to purchase the goods for our meal. The only thing that really lacked was French fried onions (ironic, isn't it?) for the green-bean casserole. Instead, we substituted dried onion pieces that you find on the herbal aisle. We returned and I prepared to cook a meal for a French family. The chicken (instead of a turkey) was already in the oven cooking-- (I received help from Nathy on this part.) Next, I started making the stuffing with bread pieces, onions, celery, eggs, and herbs (a recipe I got from a friend). I put this dish in the oven, and then prepared a green bean casserole with all the necessary parts. After this, I peeled the potatoes to get ready to become mashed potatoes.

In the living room, we had an aperitif. For me, it was two drinks of white wine mixed with a fruit liqueur. While watching the soap opera, "Plus belle la vie," I was a little light-headed and felt slightly disoriented. Went back into the kitchen fine, set the table for seven, and voila. We ate together happily and with a humorous discussion. Nathy and some of the others especially liked the stuffing mixed with green bean casserole, topped off with sauce from the chicken. It was a delightful meal, and I received some nice compliments from my family. Such a great feeling to have pleased the kids and the adults. And to prepare Thanksgiving for a family, I felt honored to share an American tradition with my family-away-from-home.

My thanksgiving thought: Being single and living in France

It's interesting to note the number of relationships that I have seen budding, break-up, flourish, or become engagement and marriage. I feel very happy for people who find the right person and hope that the bliss of youthful love can continue on and mature into a much deeper love. I've never been in a relationship before, at least not seriously. Sure, I've had crushes on girls. I've even wanted at one point to be in a relationship, but in many ways, I feel God has given me a desire and gift to be single for the moment and perhaps, for the rest of my life. I'm not ashamed of it in any way. In fact, it gives me a reason to smile and thank the Lord for all the wonderful things that singlehood entails. To me as a single man, living life that is pleasing to the Lord is perhaps more important. I intend to live for the true love of my life, Jesus Christ, who loved me with a love that is far greater than any human love could ever be. If I am to remain without a woman, so much the better. If I am to be with a woman later, then praise the Lord, for bringing someone special into my life with whom I may spend the rest of my life. At the moment, though, I'm rejoicing in singlehood for the blessings that I can savor while in France and while preparing my next steps as a future researcher and teacher.

Being single has, in certain respects, brought me to France in a program that is meant for young single college grads. I can't imagine any couple living off a teacher's assistant salary, if it were ever possible. Think about it: I'm spending a year away from my family, home, and native country (as well as native language). And yet, it makes me feel so incredibly happy and blissful in ways that I never thought possible. I've always dreamed of coming to France, and yet, here I am as a single man in a country where I am satisfying my wanderlust to explore cities and regions. I'm even thinking of staying almost entirely in France for the duration of my contract to make the most of the experience. All of this has been possible because of God's amazing plan for this year. And for that, I can't be thankful enough. I mentioned that Thanksgiving means something special to me this year, and I am finding that there are so many things for which I am thankful, including singlehood and France.

It's getting better with middle school

It's always fun to talk about Thanksgiving, but exceptionally, this year, I am enjoying regaling my students with stories about traditions and other things that are typically American such as football, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and, of course, holiday shopping the day after Thanksgiving. The middle schoolers are getting in on the action as well and enjoy listening to me talk about Thanksgiving and showing them pictures of delicious food. Well, not everyone is enticed by the idea of making pumpkin pie. But you get the picture. Most of them were gawking at the pictures of stuffing, turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, etc. This morning, I even sang a song about Thanksgiving to the tune of "If you're happy if you know it," except it was "If you're thankful and you know it." They're still little kids, so you have to entertain them as such. However, they seemed to have fun. And I felt like I was in elementary school again teaching a song, but whatever, it doesn't matter. It was to communicate the idea of being thankful. The middle schoolers are becoming more controllable. The more I give them things to look at, sing, and do on paper (like exercises, worksheets, word searches, etc.), the more they're likely to participate and, in turn, behave properly. I was very happy to not have any behavior problems today with the sixth graders, and it must have been an answer to my brief prayer before. (Before commencing, I was nervous, maybe a little stressed, and hoping things would go well. Of course, they went fine.)

After lunch (which was very good today as always, salmon, pasta, brownies with glazed frosting (which doesn't do justice to what it really is-- English cream), tiramisu, and a meringue. Very desserty this afternoon, and then a nap. After the afternoon, I went to the boulangerie and bought a pain au chocolat and classic coca cola (which is my personal sugary indulgence on a diet currently). I returned to the lycee with my photocopies at hand and prepared my lesson for the sophomores (secondes). It was my last night to talk to this particular group, which will rotate next week. So we talked about Thanksgiving. I used my PowerPoint from yesterday, showed pictures of the food, showed a Johnny Cash song ("Thanksgiving Prayer"), which was on Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman a while back, and led the discussion. It's funny. For most of these kids, they don't fully understand the concept of "thanksgiving," but they think it's a beautiful thing, with families getting together to celebrate being together, good health, blessings. One of my students tonight said that it seems you would have to believe in God in order to show thanksgiving. Otherwise, who would you give thanks to? I thought this was an interesting insight.

Tonight, I will get recipes together to throw a Thanksgiving for my family here. Sounds ambitious, but I will have some help in the process. Tomorrow, we will go shopping for the ingredients and Thursday will be spent cooking an American meal for a French family. For me, this Thanksgiving has newfound significance, because I feel so indebted to this family for all they continue to do for me, but it's also one in which I can give thanks to the God of the universe who has made my entire incredible experience here in France possible. It's a wonderful thing, and I'm starting to look forward to it with impatience, to use the French phrase.

To those of you in the States and those of you living abroad, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope God will bless you in ways you may have not thought possible and that this holiday will make us all sincerely thankful for the blessings that God gives us each day.

An adventure in Tours

For those of you who are getting to know me through this blog, you could already figure out that I plan out details scrupulously for any particular event, project, etc. Needless to say, many times what we plan does not turn out the way we expected and that can be very difficult for a person who wants so much to be in control of everything that happens so that things happen seamlessly. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Even if things don't happen the way I expect, somehow everything turns out all right. I'm reminded of a Disney chick flick called "Ice Princess," where the friend of the main character (and ice skater) says that her friend "glides" when other people grind. That image seems to echo with my experiences and mishaps. Sometimes, I almost slip and fall on pavement that's slick, but somehow, I pick myself up and have a rapid reaction time (first violinists tend to have super fast reaction time) and somehow, I glide. Some would call it smooth, but I call it "falling with style!" In any case, here's my introduction. I did have an adventure in Tours. Here's the story.

It all started when I made one phone call the night before leaving for Tours to a hotel that I thought was the youth hostel (The number was in my tour book and I overlooked the mistake in the number.) I was making sure I had a reservation and ended up making another reservation in a hotel I didn't even know where it was in Tours. I left with ease after having watched "The Social Network" dubbed in French with a foule (crowd) of high schoolers. The trains were fine, no delays, and somehow I felt so relaxed when entering the beautiful Gare de Tours. From there, the falling action (la chute, as we call it in literary analysis). I wandered out trying to find the main road but it was completely dark, so I got out my map and continued to ponder where my hostel was. I ended up asking multiple people where it was to no avail. So I went exploring the main avenue, the Galeries Lafayette and Hotel de Ville, all closed. I wandered into the university district, called the hotel (where I had an unintended reservation). After multiple phone calls, I met the owner of the hotel and got a room at 36 euros. I had so much trouble sleeping after being somewhat stressed but internally, I was thrilled to have a hotel room in a strange European city at night. I was in the university district so people were out and about yelling and singing drunk at 5am. At that point, I decided to check out of the hotel and find the hostel in the morning.

The next morning, I checked out and explained to the owner the mistake (clumsy, blonde moment it was). I then found the youth hostel and checked in with my stuff. Afterwards, I took off... The city was beautiful during the day. I wandered the streets, went to the Basilique St. Martin (older Gothic church) and the Cathedrale Saint Gatien (a much more beautiful Gothic church). I discovered where things were such as the Office de Tourisme and the musee des Beaux Arts as well as the Chateau de Tours. I explored the university district and took a photo of the Hotel de Ville, which has architecture similar to buildings in Paris but has no access. (The blonde tourist in me thought that the hotel was open as a museum. However, apparently, they hold classical concerts and events there.) Brought myself back to the Gare de Tours and found a quaint brasserie, cafe, bar (all together in the same building), where I set my stuff down and enjoyed a nice, leisurely French lunch. I had une jambonnette (mini ham), pommes dauphines (potatoes in little pastry balls), French bread, and a nice dessert of meringue, strawberry, and bananas toasted. Yum and only for 12 euros. After lunch, I headed to the Gare to pick up Jane, my assistant friend, so that we could be on our way.

Together, Jane and I made a congenial travel pair. We saw some of the same churches I had seen in the morning. Jane is actually a Protestant Christian and has gone to a Pentecostal church as well. She has had similar feelings as I have about the experience, which is sometimes disorienting. Jane is somewhat disenchanted with Christianity in Europe and is having some difficulty connecting with the Christian community here. I will be praying for her that she finds a stable church or grows to feel more comfortable with her current worship community. Anyway, Jane and I explored the university district, saw the Chateau de Tours with an art exhibit from an American expat, Harold James. Afterwards, we got tea and pastries at a little patisserie, where we spent about 1h20 talking. We ended up finding the hostel at night after wandering about in the dark, probably walking 1 mile more than we had to. Had dinner in the university district at a French restaurant. To Bed in the Hostel after an exhausting time.

The next morning (yesterday), Jane and I did a chateau tour of the two castles: Azay le Rideau and Villandry. Beautiful gardens, beautiful castles, had a good time, even with the gray weather outside. I love Renaissance castles and am looking forward to seeing more famous ones in the near future with my host family. Jane and I went to lunch at a very cheap Greek restaurant in the university district and then went to the Musee des Compagnons and a wine museum, both of which were disappointing as they featured the most random relics and basically crap that you could put on display. I felt like I went to a yard sale to see things that were on display and had little or no historical significance at all. The Musee des Beaux Arts, however, was impressive with nice paintings including one by Monet and live music, including a xylophonist who played an original piece that hypnotized the entire audience. It was incredible. Jane and I then went to the Gare, grabbed a cappuccino and crepes with Nutella and ice cream. Soon thereafter, we grabbed a drink at a local bar near the gare, I got a glass of locally grown red wine (Chinon) and she a glass of girly fruity beer beverage. So we drank and waited on my train to arrive. Went back to the train station and off I went completely exhausted and drained, but happy to have spent a special and adventurous weekend in Tours.

A spontaneous weekend

This post is mainly for my parents, seeing as I might not get to skype with them this weekend. (Well, all the rest of you can look...) Hi Mom! Hi Dad! (Waving intently)

Tomorrow: Middle School-- I'm going to try to teach my class about Thanksgiving. Here I am at 11:00pm at night and I still haven't prepared a lesson. Nuit blanche? (Late night?) I'm going to see the "Social Network" movie with the high schoolers. It will be laughable to watch it in version francaise (or in French), but whatever. I get a free ticket by going with the lycee.

After a long week with a few rough spots, I'm headed to Tours for the weekend, which is the capital of the Loire Valley and close to many of the famous chateaux in the region. My friend, another assistant from Nantes, is coming with me, and we will most likely have a great time. Jane proposed that we do something this weekend earlier this week, like going to Rennes. It was a good plan and we thought it might work. Well, Jane called the hostel and they said that there were no places. So plan B: Tours. I thought I would have to go to Paris in order to arrive in Tours, through the train system. However, there is a train that runs through Le Mans to get there and arrives within three hours. So I will take that train, which includes a correspondence in Le Mans and arrive in Tours tomorrow evening. I will be staying in a youth hostel for two nights. Saturday morning, I will meet up with Jane in Tours and we will do our sight-seeing tour of the city, including a visit to the Musee des Beaux Arts, the Chateau de Tours, Cathedrale Saint Martin, wandering through beautiful gardens, etc. Sunday is going to be even more fun. I've booked a reservation with the Office de Tourisme to ride in a mini-bus to two chateaux, Azay sur le Rideau and Villandry, two very popular chateaux. So Jane and I will be going together to see these sights. We will visit the remaining parts of the city on Sunday, get some great bites to eat in some wonderful restaurants, and return in the evening on Sunday.

Please do not misunderstand. Jane and I are not dating. We met once at the orientation. That's all... Yes, maybe we're going on a trip that to some may seem "romantic," but hate to break it to you, France is romantic. There's no escaping it. A certain magic and beauty comes with every square, garden, monument, or chateau. And Jane and I will be sharing in that. That may come as a little mushy. Not intended. Just trying to make a point and sometimes my soft side comes through in that. In any case, it will be enjoyable. Perhaps I can fatten up a bit by eating at restaurants the whole time and eating creme brulee desserts. Voila.

Hello world. I woke up at 6h30 this morning. Can you see the red in my eyes?

Another early start to a grim and grey day outside. My classes went pretty well. The first one at 8h00 was the better one, and I felt energized with coffee to talk with the students (1ESA) about facebook. It is a discussion-generator. On that point, I felt like it succeeded and even brought out of the shell some of the reticent girls in my subsequent TLA class (which is a class fulla girls). In that same class of girls, I have a native English speaker (Ellie), who comes from Wales, I assume on an exchange program. Ellie hardly ever participates in the discussions. In fact, never. And she spends time cutting up paper into patterns, etc. But she doesn't seem motivated to do anything in my class unfortunately. And to some extent, I can understand why. I am conducting an ESL class for French students (and she's not French but a native speaker). I wish she would contribute some to the discussion, but she seems to be in her own little world. What do I do to challenge a student that doesn't need the conversational practice? On one note, I could say give her extra things to do on top of what I'm assigning everyone else. But of course, that turns into something very nasty I like to call "busywork." I never like assigning busywork, because I hated it in high school. Perhaps, though, and I'm going to work on this: I can design an assignment that is complementary with what the rest of the class is doing, so that she can chime in during discussions and contribute meaningfully to our discussion. I don't know exactly what that entails. But perhaps I could ask her to contribute her perspective (British-Welsh) to the story. Anyway, I'm thinking "out loud." However, hopefully, there is something I can do to motivate this student to be in my class.

Aside from an early start, the rest of the afternoon was fine. I closed my shutters on my window, turned up my radiator, practiced violin, wrote emails, planned my middle school lesson (which entails US-France stereotypes), and talked to a friend about doing a weekend excursion in Rennes. So this weekend, I will be heading to Rennes to get a taste of a few museums, the Brittany Parliament building, gardens, monuments, and some tasty restaurants. I can't wait to get out of town just to enjoy some change-of-pace from the village life in Mayenne.

Things are looking up.

After my calamitous day yesterday, things are looking toward the better. Choir rehearsal was great and improved my overall morale at the very end of the day (20h30-22h30)Monday. I slept okay and today I'm "re-imagineering" my lesson plans for the rest of the week. Instead of focusing on the music lesson, I will move on to facebook for today and Wednesday and then start Alfred Hitchcock/Twilight Zone TV mysteries lesson on Thursday and Friday. I might let the students listen to one or two songs and rate them at the beginning of class. After that, however, we're just going to move along. This afternoon, I'm going to go and find a crepe with Nutella and do some personal shopping in Mayenne. I think the rest of the week is looking up, and I'm certainly glad to be out of a depressed mood.

It's going to be a good day.

Another "Monday morning feeling" all day long...

An ordinary morning, starting with Corn Pops and a warm cup of coffee. I thought I was fine ad that everything would turn out all right. However, soon, I realized it wouldn't be so peachy and enjoyable. My first course was at 11am, and it went okay, but the students were not engaged and didn't seem to want to do the activities I was asking them to do. This is the group that goes to lunch right after class, the 1ESB (juniors). Their discussion was not so wonderful, and even when I played the songs, they would not respond to my discussion questions. The next class was the TSTGB, and they were pretty good and engaged a bit more. They also chatted away in French most of the time, even when I tried to bring them into English.

After lunch, I was tired and frankly did not feel like continuing. Fortunately, the late afternoon class was canceled for a test (although, they are a very active and enjoyable group and could have redeemed my Monday afternoon). I had a final class at 15h00, and went to the wrong classroom again. I had not made a note of the change, and also, I had already been pre-approved for this same classroom (C4), but the teacher insisted that she was in that classroom. So at that moment, I felt like a complete idiot, had to run to the Acceuil and grab a key to a vacant room and then accompany my students to the new room in A14. When I arrived, I tried to boot up the computer and to no avail. I had no sound to give to my students. At the very least, I had enough activities to keep the students busy, including two PowerPoints with famous musicians and musical instruments, a vocabulary lesson, and a crossword puzzle. After it all, I was feeling very inadequate and frustrated. This is perhaps the worst Monday I've had at the lycee. It's awful to feel tired and not quite up-to-speed all day. But there is hope. I do have a choir rehearsal that will perhaps redeem my crappy morning and early afternoon. Here's to hoping it will be a lot of fun and less stressful than this "Monday morning feeling" that has pervaded my entire day.

Some encouraging news

All right, well it's not so new, but I thought I would update everyone who reads my blog on a regular basis. (To my invisible audience: It's funny, though, I really don't know who many of you are, because you follow me anonymously, and it would be nice if I could know exactly who is reading my every thought. I mention it because I do keep tabs on how many people are reading the blog on a daily basis, as my account lets me know. It can be anywhere from 15 to 40 people on a single day.)

Anyhow, I have been getting encouraging news from Brown University's professors when asking them about my research project for graduate school. One of them, who is retiring, said he would assist me next year before retiring from the program. This unnamed professor told me that perhaps three or four professors could be strong supporters of my project. That translates to better chances of actually getting in! I was thrilled to receive this news as Brown is my number one choice and Providence, RI would be a great place to live (situated 3 hours north of NYC and just an hour from Boston). Large New England town with plenty to do in its own quarter. We'll see what happens. I've been receiving encouraging news also from the University of Illinois, Columbia, and Princeton. It's all in the Lord's hands after I submit my applications. I'm feeling a bit more confident while matching my project with the research interests of professors of these well-established universities. Everything will be revealed in February or March.

Another weekend, another week ahead. Time is flying. My first deadline for graduate school applications is: December 1 for UVA and Princeton. I have time, but I'm going to have to finalize my statement of purpose soon.

Keeping moving...

The weekend ahead

Although it seemed slow at first, the week ended strong and well. I had pretty good lessons with the high schoolers and better-behaved middle-schoolers yesterday. What more could I ask for? This weekend is going to be pretty chill, especially after several weeks of busyness. I need some time to recuperate, since schedules can spiral completely out of control. This morning, I had another orchestra rehearsal under rainy and windy weather. It's tough to get out of bed on Saturday morning and worse on days like today. Going to the Mediatheque and Music School always seems to cheer me up. We worked on the Hummel viola concerto, transcribed for tuba. Then, we studied the Bydlo movement from "Pictures at an Exhibition." This movement is beautiful and has some interesting harmonies from the first violins, which are divided into six parts. Today, I was first stand playing the main part, and it was neat to listen to all the parts together in the rehearsal room. We concluded with a brief reading of the Gates of Kiev, which is probably my favorite movement from Mussorgsky's opus. Afterwards, I went to the library to check out a couple books that might be useful to my personal reading: Stendhal, Chateaubriand, and Camus.

This afternoon, I just took a two hour nap, perhaps induced by sleepiness and an afternoon aperitif. Now, I'm going to work on my lesson plans a little bit, maybe return to my graduate school statement of purpose. Sometimes, I wish the weekends were longer. Tomorrow, I have church in Laval, which should be good. I'm still wondering if the church itself is a right fit. I know there are things I don't agree with theologically in the Assembly of God denomination, including their doctrine of tongues. No one has pressured me to think that I should speak in tongues, so I think, for now, it seems to be fine. I certainly don't want to walk out on people that have become my friends, including the pastor's son. Yet, sometimes, I wonder if this particular church is where I need to be. Here in France, there's not much of a choice for Protestants. I feel that the church is either high church minded (in the Anglican tradition) or Pentecostal. There's no in between, really, which is what I would be seeking. In any case, I'll pray about the church situation, that I would really feel at home either at the current church or at another place. I would appreciate your prayers as well.

I miss academics, school, etc.

Teaching English has its advantages, and I certainly saw that this morning when I talked to my juniors about music. Normally, they're really quiet, but today exceptionally, they spoke up and entered into the discussion. It's great to see when the students are excited about speaking and interacting with me and with their fellow students, all in English.

Meanwhile, I'm missing university life, poetry readings, writing papers, and research. It's something I've enjoyed doing since high school. Sitting in class and listening to discussions have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Yet, with teaching, I feel more confident to speak in front of others, and I feel that when I go to graduate school, I will be more likely to interact with other students and with the professor during and outside of class. Before, I was self-conscious, shy, and didn't like much interaction, but I feel the Lord is giving me more confidence to express my feelings and thoughts. Perhaps, that's why I'm missing being in a university setting as a student. All these wonderful things I'm learning about expressing my thoughts could potentially carry over into a graduate program. So, I'm stuck... without a possible route to study at the moment. I feel somewhat lost as to what I should be reading and it's somewhat depressing. I have no real outlet to satisfy my intellectual passion at the moment. Yes, I have a library card and can go check out books. It's just that school always gave me a reason for doing things. College life was my organizing center, and now, it's just teaching English. I have tons of free time, and I wish I could be in a classroom at least part of the time.

At the very least, I'm thinking about graduate school, writing applications, etc., which gives me a sense of anticipation of what life will be like next year. It does give me some hope, something to look forward to. Don't get me wrong, though, France is great, and I am keeping busy. It's just the academic side of me feels in need, and that hopefully will be taken care of in the near future. A desire on my heart, and yet the Lord will meet my needs and quench my desires, in his timing.

The busyness becomes even busier and music-making increases

Today was an enjoyable day with my students as I did a music lesson with the TLA, 1ESB, and TESA, that is to say, Terminale (senior) and 1eres (juniors). That probably has to be my favorite level to teach, because I can speak at a deliberate and yet natural rate and the kids are attentive. The students really got into the lesson and enjoyed listening to clips of music. I had promised the TESA students that I would show them the "Prestige" after the holidays. (Of course, that is my excuse to wait since I currently don't have the movie in my possession.) Fabien from the TLA class requested that I play my violin soon for the class, since he loves hearing violin music. So I made another promise to bring the violin in a couple weeks (after we have finished the music lesson). High school classes are going just fine, and I think the students are enjoying my lessons. (I hope so.)

As my header says, the busyness is becoming busier. I joined the classical choir this evening in Evron, a town 20 km away from Mayenne. I rode with a friend from orchestra, who is really the link for me to the group. We rode together with a soprano and classical musician from around the Mayenne area. The choir met at the Ecole de Musique in Evron. I met the director, Annick, who is very kind and welcoming. She gave me the partition (score) of the Schubert Mass in E flat major, a thick score of 90 pages. I was like, whoa, that's quite a bit of music. But apparently, we'll be doing it on the 19th of December in a church in Evron. Lots of music to learn, and yet somehow, it was a pleasure to "dechiffrer" (sight-read) the whole way through. The music is sight-readable in its own way, except in spots with fugues that make the situation complicated. However, I'm loving it. The choir is very advanced and can read music quite well. It was a comfort to be surrounded by fellow musicians who are ready to make music. I'm already looking forward to playing with the orchestra when the time comes.

I'm a busy man, but in reality, busyness invigorates me internally as well as externally. Thank you, Lord, for giving us busy schedules so that we do not grow idle. I'm, of course, talking about the good kind of busyness-- the kind where you truly enjoy the fruits of your labor. That's where the heart is.

I've got places to go, people to see

The weekend was very enjoyable. Orchestra rehearsal in the morning on Saturday was so refreshing. We played the final movement of The Gates at Kiev from "Pictures at an Exhibition" by Mussorgsky. The movement is very regal and festive, invigorating, actually. There are some difficult passages, but on the whole, it's a joy to play. Someday, I would love to play every movement of the piece.

In the afternoon, instead of attending the birthday party at the house, I went to Laval for a youth group meeting at the church and spent the night at the pastor's house. That meant spending some quality time with my brother in Christ, Philip. Philip and I get along very well and it almost seems as if we knew each other for a while. We're pretty similar in many ways, and it's such a joy to speak with him in both English and French. I got to talk to the pastor's wife who is Welsh in English, which was good.

On the whole, this was a good weekend, but I'm somewhat tired and need a good night's sleep before tomorrow. Fortunately, however, I can sleep in a bit before my first class at 11h.

Short week with time to recover

I did so much over the holidays that it was almost too much when I got back to school on Thursday. My return trip from Paris was just the day before. The next day (yesterday) I was with the middle schoolers again, trying to teach them English. 6th graders are tough and yet they can be fun to work with at the same time. I had to take disciplinary action with two students yesterday by marking in their carnets (or behavior book). Hopefully, that will show the students that I'm not willing to take any of their bad behavior. The afternoon, however, was much better. I taught the terminale students, and they were absolutely wonderful. They listened, raised their hands with questions, and intervened whenever. Finally, I seem to be getting the hang of teaching and managing a classroom. For this group of terminale students (seniors), I did my introduction and then talked a little bit about Halloween. They seemed to appreciate this and were very attentive throughout the class. I felt much better after giving this particular class.

The next day (today) was much improved as well. The 8h00 class was attentive, even at that early hour of the morning. Teaching even at this early hour was possible and I felt a surge of energy even as I was tired and drained. I talked about facebook and mobile telephones (mass communication). Started out with a partner discussion of a list of questions about facebook, moved into a presentation of the functions of facebook, viewed the "Social Network" trailer with the students, and ended with a discussion of the uses and dangers of mobile telephones (especially on the road). The discussion concluded with a statement about how we are very much interconnected but must be careful with the technology that we use so much on a daily basis. After my early morning class, I walked over to the middle school to give a course (introductory, of course), and it was a success! The kids were attentive, raised their hands, and contributed to the discussion. I'm finally getting the hang of teaching middle school! (I had prayed fervently about adjusting to their level. The Lord clearly answered my prayer and has helped me in the process. Yay!) It was easy and smooth, just the way I love things to go.

The weekend has arrived after what seems like a long week of travels, vacation, and work. The Griffons are hosting a 50th birthday celebration of a friend, so that should be fun. I go back to orchestra rehearsal tomorrow after a three week hiatus, and church on Sunday as usual. Back to la vie mayennaise (and that's not "mayonnaise" that we like to put on our sandwiches. :P )

Days four and five in Paris

My fourth day was pretty busy as well with plenty of things to enjoy. I went with Camille on the Montmartre tour to get acquainted with the area. It was free, because it was unofficial and as I was a friend to Camille, it wasn't necessary to pay. So this friendly Canadian guy regaled us with stories about Montmartre including several about Vincent Van Gogh and Picasso. On the tour, we saw a Delida statue (don't have any idea who this is, other than a gay icon), the Basilique, charming streets, Vincent Van Gogh's old apartment, and other places I had seen before the tour. A couple hours into the tour, I left to meet a friend for coffee to talk about graduate school. My friend A. gave me some possibilities as to how to work and live in Paris if everything falls through with American universities. I'm intent on going to the Sorbonne if I can't get into the top programs for French literature in the States. For dinner, I went to a traditional Parisian cafe with my friends who were hosting me at Chez Prospers. Man, was the food good there! I got a steak, fries, salad, and mousse au chocolat, and felt completely satisfied and stuffed. It was wonderful! I don't typically like to stuff myself but coming to Paris, I felt like I had to spoil myself at the dinner table at least once. Totally worth it! We got there at 21h00 and left at 22h30, but I was so ready to hit the hay and sleep until morning afterwards.

Day five was also busy with meetings and such. I started my morning around 9h30 and went to the Halles to look around at their stores and shop a bit while waiting on my 11h00 appointment with Nicolas (professor at Middlebury) at the Sciences-Po. Left and got to the Rue de Bac Metro stop just in time and was waiting and got to the wrong building 226 rue Saint-Germain and spent 15-20 minutes waiting in the wrong building. I called Nicolas and finally went to the right building. Frustrating sometimes, my clumsiness. Nicolas and I talked about France, school, and graduate programs. He said if I want to study in France, the Sorbonne is likely the only institution I should be considering. It's where the best teachers are and where the most are as well. So I am strongly considering applying and hopefully end up going in that direction. (That is, if American universities are not going to accept my projects.)

After meeting with Nicolas, I went to see the play, "Le Medecin Malgre Lui" (Moliere) at a small theater at the Bonne Nouvelle metro stop. Lo and behold, the whole school group was there; kids everywhere! Kids and families; kids with their friends. It was an amusing play about a medecin perroquet (quack doctor) who beats his wife, chugs his canteen full of alcohol, poses as a doctor pretending to heal people all over. Moliere loved to poke fun at doctors of his time who were presumably questionable in their practices. It ended as all Moliere's plays end with happiness, mirth, and everything working out. Afterwards, I went shopping in the Saint Denis section of town, bought a sweater and jeans at a kind of European men's store.

I then went back to the apartment for a snack to eat (brioche and yogurt and coke). Then, I prepared to go to the Comedie francaise for another show in the evening! I was like, heck yeah, I'm going to get a seat for 6 euros at the Comedie francaise (equivalent of Broadway play in France-- but much more French and older than that). I looked online and saw the "Avare" by Moliere was playing and totally went for it. I took the Main Line 1 Metro to the Palais Royal Musee de Louvre and arrived right in front of one of the imposing edifices of the Louvre. Walked over and saw the Comedie francaise (est. 1680) and walked up to the door. I waited for about another half hour before the doors opened at 19h30 (an hour before 20h30) and saw other people my age were waiting-- students and youth. It made me feel a bit better. This was after all, bourgeois entertainment. Got my ticket and went inside and wow, it felt so amazingly comfortable, the seat red velvet, the theatre elegant. The show itself was spectacular. I couldn't have asked for a better night. The show was about an old man who is an avarice, holds his money to his heart and doesn't allow his children to marry and is completely miserable and ridiculous. He loves to dance and sing in a ludicrous, creepy way. In any case, things work out for good and the kids marry and somehow everyone is happy by the end of the Molierian comedy. At 23h20, I rode the Metro back to Nation station, went back to the apartment, talked to my friends, and then went to bed.

The next morning, I got up at 8h30, went and took the Metro to Gare Montparnasse and after walking forever through this crossroads station, I arrived at the actual station by following the signs to Trains Grandes Lignes. Went up to the automatic ticket machine, bought my ticket to Laval on the TGV and left within 35 minutes. I then took the autocar (bus) to Mayenne where I met Pascal. Home sweet home at the moment. The end of a wonderful vacation and I give courses again tomorrow at the college and lycee.

Other wonderful things about Paris

For the majority of my experience in Paris, I was all alone absorbing the sights and sounds like a sponge. It was enjoyable and invigorating to be in a lively city with plenty of things to look at and do. On Sunday, I did my own tour of the city starting out looking for the Maison de Balzac. Little did I know, the museum was shut down until the 3 November when I had to leave. Note to self: Definitely come back to this area in December with my folks. I marveled around the 16th arrondissement looking at the traditional bourgeois fancy apartment buildings. This area had a great view of the Eiffel Tower and circled around back to the Metro. I took the Metro Line 6 to Charles De Gaulle-Etoile, which seems like the center of the world. You ascend up to the Arc de Triomphe which has a huge roundabout surrounding the monument. Camille told me that no one gets insurance coverage for this roundabout, because so many accidents happen frequently around it. I can see why; it's freaking scary! She said you can see the accidents happen every thirty minutes from atop the monument. Haha! So I took photos of Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees without paying money to go up in the monument. After having my dose of the Champs Elysees and all the tourists, I took the train to Montmartre and arrived at Amelie Poulain's Metro stop, Abbesses. Famous movie in France, perhaps the very best of Jean-Pierre Jeunet. I ascended the hill of Montmartre and could feel my heart gradually beating faster as I went on the physique-toning hill. I arrived finally and looked around the quaint little town with shops and artsy places. Then, I entered the Basilica of Sacre Coeur, which is beautiful inside but far from a holy place of worship. It's like a museum church and everyone looks around at the architecture, etc. It was fun walking through, in any case. The view from above is spectacular. You can see all of Paris at the altitude of the Eiffel Tower. No need to go into the Eiffel Tower to get a nice view (although I'm sure I will in December).

Tired and hungry, I sat down at a cafe with a terrasse in Montmartre and got a pasta dish and creme brulee to sooth my grumpy stomach. I almost left my umbrella but fortunately remembered it before descending down the hill. I then took the Metro to the Bibliotheque Nationale (National Library) to look at their collection as well as marvel at a study space that could be potentially mine one of these days. Aesthetically, it's kind of scary, you descend down into the library from above almost as if you're going into the Metro. Inside, however, it's such a workable space with card access to each section of the library. Of course, I had to see the large French literature section. My guide book told me every book published in France has been cataloged in this library. I was at the Francois Mitterand main site. A nice fun visit to the Bibliotheque, after which I returned home to Johan's apartment.

Day two of Paris: Musee d'Orsay

This morning for breakfast, I had a brioche with Nutella and OJ. Tired from the night before, I proceeded to do touring on my own in Paris. I took the Metro from Nation station (where Johan lives) to Concord on Line 1. I then proceeded on a correspondence train on Line 12 in the direction of Marie d'Issay. Exiting through the Assemblee nationale stop, I got off at the Rue Lille. I headed to the Musee d'Orsay by following Rue Lille with a lunch sack of a Chicken and Ranch sandwich and a small Coca Cola. I got there and saw the massive structure that was the Musee d'Orsay, and I had to wait 25-30 minutes in line to get a ticket. Fortunately, the line ran pretty smoothly. The place resembles a train station on the inside and had several points of interest that I passed by.

(1) The Impressionism and Post-Impressionism exhibit. Here I viewed the works of Edward Degas, Renoir, Manet, and Gaugin. It was a brisk passing by but I felt a genuine appreciation for the work. Another post-Impressionist I saw was Seurat with the world-famous "Cirque" painting.

(2) Statue of Honore de Balzac. Of course, as a nineteenth century buff, I owe so much of my interest in literature to Balzac. It was interesting to look at his sculpture while seeing the whole of the atrium of the museum.

(3) Greco-Roman statues

(4) Vincent Van Gogh's paintings, including his "Portrait de l'artiste."

(5) New Exhibition: Jean-Leon Gerome (1824-1904). Painter, sculptor, photographer, drawer. HIs work incorporated a lot of Neo-classical accents with mythological elements. For example, his painting with Daphnis and Chloe. Gerome was a painter whose work told stories and it is evident through a walk in this exhibition. It was a truly fascinating display of variety in his art.

After visiting the Musee d'Orsay, I proceeded to find a place to have lunch. So I crossed over and walked until I found the gigantesque edifice of the Louvre. I stopped to have lunch in a spot overlooking the Jardin des Tuileries and facing the pyramid at the Louvre. After marveling the largest museum of the world, I did some random wandering all over the place just to enjoy my own personal "wanderlust" in this truly remarkable city. I passed through the Jardin des Tuileries with the golden fall foliage. The yellows are bright and crisp just like the fall air. How much I truly love autumn, and in Paris, how much better it feels! I crossed the Seine and took some pictures and then looked to the Eiffel Tower. Little did I know, I had to hike a long physique-molding 4 miles in city shoes to get to the base of the tower. I didn't take the Metro and couldn't find a nearby station, so I did the traditional walking thing. I passed by the Assemblee nationale (one of the legislative bodies of the French government). Finally, after passing another museum (of African and Caribbean cultures), I arrived at my destination-- Le Tour Eiffel. I sat down at a bench, looked at the line at the base, and decided to turn back around to return home in the 20e arrondissement. I was tired and needed some rest to gain more stamina for the rest of my stay.

So I looked for a toilet, took a picture of the Tour Eiffel, and hiked another 0.75 miles to find the Metro station. After looking everywhere, I finally found the station, Ecole Militaire (note to self, use this station next time), got on, and headed back to spend the afternoon with Johan.

Johan's girlfriend, Camille, arrived today from Lyon by TGV to spend the weekend in Paris doing tours. We had dinner at 21h in a nice little local restaurant just across the street. I had a Lalandaise salade with foie gras, bacon, chicken, basalmic vinegar, bread, and a glass of warm, red wine (Emillion). So good and 17,50 euros. It was enjoyable, I feel full, and after a full day of touring the city, I prepare to get some shut eye and perhaps, get 9-10 full hours of sleep with Daylight Savings Time beginning tonight at 2:00am. Tomorrow promises to be enjoyable with visits to the Bibliotheque Nationale de France, Maison de Balzac, Arc de Triomphe, and Montmartre! Happy Halloween to all American friends.

Arrival in the City of Lights

Yesterday, I took the TGV from Laval to Paris in 1h35. It was a cool and yet beautiful day in the Ile-de-la-Cite. It was warmer than I expected. I had brought along my wool peacoat. Montparnasse was crazy busy. I had to stand in line for about twenty minutes to get to a ticket machine for the Metro. I bought a set of 10 tickets for 12 euros (un carnet). Then, I began almost instantly an easy, agile navigation through the world-famous Paris Metropolitain, taking Metro Line 12 in the direction of Porte de la Chapelle. I got off at Sevres-Babylone and switched lines to the Metro Line 1 in the direction of Gare d'Austerlitz and I got off at Cluny-Sorbonne. I looked around to find my way and soon was able to find the Sorbonne, the world famous university. I took a picture of the building and walked along on my way, circling around the Latin Quarter (university district). I then saw the Pantheon, large site that is a staple of the University of Paris system. (I paid about 5 euros to see it, fee reduced for students.) Inside this massive church-like building, I saw Foucault's Pendulum and monuments of fallen writers in the Revolution. I rested for a little bit inside and then made my way down the Avenue Saint Michel to browse shops. There was one that stood out to me, a Philosophy bookstore right across from the Pantheon. I browsed a little bit and then proceeded to Notre Dame. On the way, I grabbed a coffee at a Starbucks and then headed toward the cathedral.

Little did I know, a mass was going on inside and admission was free. So I decided to listen to the mass in French for about an hour. The music and chants were gloriously beautiful with organ and a soprano leading the hymns. There was something so amazing about the lamps and the rosary windows in the evening. Enchanting. A small congregation was there for the Friday evening mass, but there was a large visitor space to sit down and listen to the mass. As the cathedral was about to close, I headed over to light a candle in memory of my late grandfather who died suddenly two years ago. I prayed over the flame and proceeded to meet my friend Johan outside the cathedral.

We went back to Johan's apartment in the 20e arrondissement on a quiet street, talked, watched a show called Qui va epouser mon fils? (Who will marry my son?), laughed, and had some dinner before heading to bed. Johan is a nice chap. I enjoy talking to him both in French and English. I look forward to hanging out with him this long weekend of Toussaint.

Beautiful Saint Malo

A little excursion to the northwest of France on the coast of the English Channel (La Manche) today. It was ravishingly beautiful with sunlight gleaming through the air and sea breeze hitting me on the shoulder. Saint Malo is world-famous for its annual regatta race (Course du Rhum-- Rum Race) to the French Antilles that is held at the end of October on the eve of All Saints Day. The town is gorgeous, sitting on an isthmus jetting on the edge of the sea. Pictures are soon to appear. The Griffons and I visited a couple who lives in Saint Malo. They, in fact, have visited Tennessee many times and consider themselves Tennesseans! Patrick has worked with a record company in Memphis and has made the city famous throughout the world with his website. He speaks very good English and I enjoyed hearing about his stories about Saint Malo and visits to the States.

After a very nice lunch with pâté (meat spread) sandwiches on baguette slices and an aperitif of fruit liqueur and sparkling white wine, we made our sojourn to Saint Malo, mostly by foot. We circled the port, where the regatta boats were lined up prepared to make the transcontinental and trans-Atlantic journey southwestward. It was exciting to see all the French and English people in hoards, looking at the marvelous boats. While we were looking at the port, a group of Caribbean (Black-skinned) people were dancing and singing to music in the streets. It was neat to see the spectacle as everyone anticipated the departure of the 80 regatta fleet on the 31 October. Many will flock to the port on Sunday evening around 19h15 to see them take off. Patrick was telling me which one he thought would win (and in fact, it is a woman in the 2015 boat that is expected to have the fastest time).

After we looked at the boats, we headed to the beach to look around the fortress of Saint Malo. Patrick was telling me the entire city was destroyed at the end of World War II not by the Germans but, who knew, by the Americans who were rescuing the Frenchmen from German invasion. Much of the city was soon rebuilt, scrupulously to the very last detail of architecture. It took many years, but the city was completed in the 1970s. The city is guarded by the sea with the tide that Patrick says are the highest in the world. It is, indeed, a sight to see. The sand is grainy and yet beautiful. We made the a demi-tour around the city and came upon a fort. And then, we came upon something I didn't expect to see: the tomb of Chateaubriand! I was like, heck yes; I want to see it! So we made the trip around the city and mounted a hill to see the cross and grave marker that showed where Chateaubriand was buried. There is no mention of the name Chateaubriand. It is unmarked, except for an inscription that says that a great writer was buried here. Kind of odd; you would expect to see some kind of mausoleum for such a prolific writer of the nineteenth century. Nevertheless, it's a simple encased grave site with no markings whatsoever. Perhaps he didn't want the fame after all. Anonymity and French people? Maybe.

The city of Saint Malo is picturesque and yet it is very modern. The buildings retain their sense of centuries-old-ness, with their edifices that remained at the onset of the American invasion, and yet, they have all the modern brands and stores that put Saint Malo in the 21st century. Somehow, the old-world-ness doesn't seem to be completely there. In that respect, I was disappointed. Still, the marvel of this city on an isthmus facing the English Channel is beyond a doubt, a treasure I will take with me in the coming days.

Ah, this is the life.

Vacation has gone well so far here in Mayenne. Not much has happened. All I've been thinking about has been sleep and graduate school for the past several days. I got a haircut today, which is much shorter than usual. But that's the way I typically like it. I feel as if I'm getting lazier by the minute. All I really want to do is eat, sleep, and relax. But I want to do much more than that. Many people tell me I have trouble relaxing, and the truth is I have this need to have an agenda with people to see, places to go, and things to do. But relaxing is simple, elegant, and peaceful. I should take advantage of every opportunity to do this relaxing thing. In adult life, it comes less often than in youthful years.

Tonight we had walnut soup with vanilla, a simple meal with yogurt for a dessert. Simplicity is a staple of French food, and they do not like to ever overdo it. That includes actually eating it. It's something I'm noticing much more often. French people have a smaller appetite, but they love to indulge, only in smaller quantities. It's something I think that Americans can learn from the French. We Americans are so accustomed to everything BIGGER. In my personal opinion, bigger is not always better. But sometimes I have a hard time with satiating my appetite. I do have a large metabolism as a young person and I almost never feel "full" here. That's something to which I'm continually having to adjust.

This evening, I watched "West Side Story" with Theo, a young man of 14 years. It was interesting to watch the movie mostly in French, except for the songs. I enjoyed explaining some of the cultural aspects of the film to him in French so that he would understand.

Tomorrow is another one of those sleep in and relax days. Thursday, my family and I will take a day trip with sandwiches to Saint Malo in northwestern France. Should be a lot of fun. I'm getting excited about spending more time with the kids. They can be a lot of fun to hang around and play with.

As for Friday, I leave for Paris at 13h40 from the Gare Laval. I will arrive in Paris at 15h15 and will have four hours to sightsee around the Latin Quarter and the Notre Dame Cathedral before my friend comes to take me to his apartment in the 20e arrondissement. I will do quite a bit of sightseeing with him as well as on my own. Tuesday, I will go to see a play by Moliere called "Le medecin malgre lui," which is a farcical comedy. Looking forward to that.

The joys of living in France continue to shine through as my first month here draws to a close.

Youth Gathering in Nantes

This weekend was one of the most spiritual I have had in France. The Lord truly blessed every aspect of my journey to Nantes, and I have truly felt the inner workings of the Holy Spirit here. How very thankful I feel to have such a strong church family that has been so kind and welcoming! After having a long week at school, I got picked up by Juliette at my house on Friday evening and I went to the church in Laval to meet the pastor. There was a gathering there with several people from the church. We had bible study and then a time of prayer. The church members prayed so earnestly for the youth gathering that it would touch many youth from the Brittany region of France. It was very moving to hear people lift up their voices in prayer for us as we prepared to go to the gathering in Nantes. Afterwards, I left with the pastor to go to his house to spend the night. The Bin-Nouveau family is truly wonderful. I especially got to know Philip, who is the eldest child (23 years old) and we shared cultural differences and had many good conversations. Philip and I could relate well, because we are pastor's children and the eldest sons as well. It's a cool connection that I think will make us good friends. It's good to meet a guy who is my age and is very much in love with his Savior, Jesus Christ. Very encouraging. I love talking to Philip, my brother in Christ.

The next day, we went to Nantes by car. In France, currently there are strikes that have closed down gas stations, so many people are unable to drive their cars. Fortunately for us, everyone had enough gas to make the 2h30 journey to Nantes. We arrived right before the service started at 10h. Everyone was a bit tired, but it worked out well. We spent thirty to forty minutes in prayer and singing to the Lord, some praise songs that I knew, others not so much. Our speaker came from Puerto Rico and had a French interpreter. We were listening to both the Spanish and the French. And here I was interpreting everything into English. The first service was rather enjoyable. The pastor converted about 20 youth from among those present in the church. It was so very powerful. After our lunch break, the service became even more filled with the spirit. The singing became much more lively and all the youth seemed to come out of their shells into a true place of worship. It was remarkable. There was a unity in everything. We were all there to give praise to our savior and to listen to his Word spoken. The pastor (who was over 70 years old) was dynamic and moved around a lot. His gestures were filled with grace and his words were encouraging. He spoke about taking our faith into the world and sharing with our neighbor (actions of grace). The moments of prayer were so incredibly spiritual and I could hear about a hundred young people in prayer with a fervor, excitement, and passion that was unbelievable. As is usual in the Pentecostal church, there was some speaking in tongues. It did not, however, affect my impression of the experience, because I genuinely felt the Spirit moving, and it was awesome! Thank you Lord for the gift of the Holy Spirit. The pastor talked about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and I definitely felt that kind of sensation in my heart.

Upon leaving the church in Nantes, I felt happy and blessed by the words of the speaker and by the company of the other youth there. The Lord is indeed present here in France and at work with the young people, the next generation of the Church. I got to continue talking to Philip. He wanted to improve his English, so we talked in English the whole way back. Philip and I have a lot in common. We enjoy movies, listening to music, etc. It was great to share a bit about my experiences in America. He has likewise shared with me about the French culture. I feel as if we're already like friends, and it seems likely that we will grow in this relationship that the Lord has given us. It's such a blessing to have friends and a church family that has been good to me in these first several weeks. Praise the Lord, our God!