Reverse Culture Shock

I'm sure most of you have heard of this phenomenon, and those of you who have lived outside the United States have certainly experienced it. I am still coming out of reverse culture shock this week after recovering from jet lag. Things seem really different in the United States, the culture, the pace of life, entertainment, and even the food. And I feel perhaps even more isolated than before, isolated, not only in the physical sense of separation, but also in my interactions with my friends. It's going to be a difficult recovery, but I'm sure I'll be able to get out of it soon enough. What makes it even harder is the fact that currently I am in a waiting stage between two life experiences, France and Brown. In ways, this is the summer of purgatory, but maybe it doesn't have to be.

Fortunately, I have been making a reading list, continue to read daily devotions in my walk through the Bible in a year, and am starting to get into contact with the friends I haven't talked to in a long time. I also have some travel plans to see friends and people I have missed. These things don't make it any less difficult for me to get out of my current state of confusion, between France and the United States. The language transition was a little rough at the Paris airport, but I'm feeling a bit better about it now.

I guess it's the price that you pay for being away from the United States for several months. That doesn't mean that it's not been worth it. It's just that there are challenges that I'll have to continue to go through. Necessary challenges all the same. Coming back to the United States, I feel like a different person, someone who has grown up living on my own abroad. No price tag can be placed on that kind of experience. It's like the Mastercard commercials.

As I finally close the blog, I leave my experience in France behind with details archived in the blog text, only to retain the memories that will always stay with me, wherever I go. It's been easily one of the most formative years of my life. But I'm ready to take it with me to the next stage of my life. So here goes.

Home at Last

My final day in Mayenne was a true joy, aside from the slight malaise that ached at my heart as I said goodbye to my colleagues at the lycee and college. Saying goodbye is hard for anyone, but this time it especially was painful. I made Mayenne my home for almost 7.5 months, and it was incredibly difficult to leave it. It was slightly depressive to walk outside in the glimmering sunshine that showered over the small country town and to know that I wouldn't see it the next day. However, it was reassuring to think that I would return to this beautiful place once more in a couple years when I will come back for my graduate program in French studies at Brown.

For lunch on the eve of my departure, I went to a family's home from the Reformed church. They're an elderly bourgeois couple. And that truly manifested itself when I arrived at their home in Fontaine Daniel, which turns out to be literally a former abbey from the 11th-13th centuries. I was wowed with the elegance and majesty of the edifice. The monsieur told me that there used to be a church, which was burned in the incendie (or great fire) during the French Revolution. After a beautiful lunch with their eldest son, I took a tour of the gardens and the walkway where the nuns would walk to mass. I also toured the surrounding area and saw the cloth-making factory, hidden behind an exterior that blends in with the abbey that is right next to it. It seemed likely that the monsieur owned this factory.

After saying my goodbyes to this elderly couple, I went to the lycee and said my goodbyes to my colleagues from the English department. We took pictures and then I headed out to do my final preparations. Coming to terms with my departure became further difficult, but I prayed that God would give me the peace to leave this place with a sense of accomplishment and happiness.

The next day, I woke from my bed around 4:30am, pressed with the question of what I should declare to the Customs agents at the border control in Chicago. So, I ended up calling my father and asking him what to do. It turned out to be much simpler than I expected, which was a relief. I got everything out and into the family's car and left for Laval around 5:45am. Said goodbye and embraced my host father and left on the earliest TER for Le Mans. Once in Le Mans, I ran over to the middle platform to board my TGV for Charles De Gaulle (which happened to have a terminus in Lille). Around 9:30, the train arrived at Charles De Gaulle (Roissy) airport. I grabbed my luggage and headed into Terminal 2, where I proceeded to run into Sam B., one of my Covenant friends, which was exciting. Sam was in Paris for May Term, and we grabbed some coffee together. I then headed to check in at American Airlines and went through security.

I waited on my flight, which left on time, to my relief. It was a 9-hour flight, but I kept myself busy with reading and listening to music the whole time, so it didn't seem long at all. Once in Chicago, I had to walk what seemed like half a mile through the hall to reach the Immigration and Customs area. Got my passport examined and told the people there I had been in France for 7.5 months. They asked to see the contents of my suitcase, much to my chagrin. But nothing was questionable to my relief. I had to go through security yet another time in Chicago and then I went to my gate after grabbing some cash from the ATM and getting a snack before the final flight. I finally arrived in Atlanta at 8:20pm, which was close to 21 hours after I had first woke up in Mayenne. Exhaustion yet hyped with adrenaline. I was so happy to see my parents. It felt so great to be home at last.

The end of a beautiful, life-changing experience

My departure is in five days and I have a few more days to enjoy France. By now, I feel ready to return home. I will return with the souvenirs of an incredible experience that I have chronicled here in this blog. It has been an amazingly splendid journey, and I have enjoyed sharing the various aspects of my life here in France with you. This blog has kept me busy for the time I've been here, and now I prepare to close this chapter of my life and enter into a new one in just a couple months. Here's what I will be up to in the next couple days:

(1) Packing for the departure. This takes some time, seeing as I have to select what I will take with me and leave here (or throw away)

(2) Buying some last minute items to take home to the family

(3) Hopefully going to see Philip and his family for the last time.

(4) Attending church at the Reformed church for the last time.

(5) Visiting the Lycee and college for the last time on Monday.

Departure schedule :

Tuesday morning: TER regional train at Laval at 6:20am, correspondence TGV in Le Mans, arrival at Roissy (CDG) airport at 9:14am.

Flight schedule: Departure at 12:15pm for ORD Chicago O'Hare, arrival at 2:24pm local time. Departure for ATL at 5:25pm. After all the traveling I will have finally arrived at 8:15pm EDT.

It'll be here really soon.

Adventures along the Spanish Costa Brava with the orchestra (Days 3-5)

The third day was the biggest adventure of all. Our driver was stopped near the border for apparently having not slept enough the night we arrived in the South of France and for not properly scanning his documents. We spent about 45 minutes trying to negotiate with Spanish policemen, who were demanding 1000 euros. The French got it down to 300 euros. Kind of embarrassing. This shortened everyone's visit in Barcelona in a significant way. But wait, there's more...

We hardly got to visit Barcelona at all, given that we only had a couple hours to walk around and do the stores. Everyone, at the very least, got to snap shot the cathedral shown above. The town of Barcelona is filled with pickpockets and it is really infernal how much theft happens in this international city. Spain, being a poor country, in comparison to France obviously has its share of crime and poverty. This turned out to be to the group's disadvantage when a pickpocket stole a bag with the medication and passports of two elderly New Zealander chaperones. This happened right in front of their eyes. I think, in the end, the couple has been able to contact the Embassy and get necessary paperwork together, but still, they were robbed of credit cards and 400 dollars in cash. Such a sad reminder of the world we're living in.

The second and final concert of our trip took place in a middle school in Sabadell, which is a suburb of Barcelona. A truly beautiful room where we gave our concert. The kids seemed to be appreciative of the music, even though they weren't well-behaved. But kids will be kids, no matter where you go. Of course, I know this well after having taught middle school for 7 months. They started clapping to the beat at the end of "Pirates of the Caribbean," which was pretty funny but enjoyable. And we gave an Encore performance of the piece at the end.

When we were done with the performance, we greeted our bus, which was escorted by the police. I have to say, our bus driver was the weirdest part of our trip, since he got us turned around multiple times, had to turn around on what seemed like a cliff. And for all the mishaps that he caused us, he never once apologized. But you have to forgive the poor guy, since his job wasn't exactly simple. Oh well...

The fourth day was pretty free. And I took advantage of opportunities to shop for my family. Got to drink Sangria on the beach with the entire orchestra. The brass band played and entertained beach-goers. And it was a pleasant moment to wade in the Mediterranean Sea in spite of the rocky state of the beach. Later, in the evening, I went with the English travelers to a bar to drink more Sangria, prepared by the Spanish. We had some complementary hors-d'oeuvres with our Sangria. Nice ending to the orchestra trip.

Day five: Traveling all day from 8:30am to 8:30pm. It was a long day, but fortunately, I picked up a Le Clezio book to keep me occupied for the remainder of the journey. There is so much joy in the journey.

Now to pack my things and prepare for the departure home.

Adventures along the Spanish Costa Brava with the orchestra (Days 1 and 2)

My travel adventures have, as of yesterday, come to an end. It was a bittersweet ending to it all, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the chance to discover four different countries across Europe during my stay here. The travel adventure in the South of France and the eastern cost of Spain was interesting, convivial, and, not to mention, French. Just like my experience in London, almost everything was done in French, making it perhaps less authentic than I would have liked. That did not, however, keep me from enjoying it. Little things spoke to me as I hung out with my orchestra colleagues.

The Orchestre Symphonique de la Haute Mayenne is more than an organization; it's a family of people who gather weekly not only for the music but for enjoying one another's company. That is something I haven't ever seen in the States. I suppose it has to be very French for it to be so convivial. It certainly is a testament to the French lifestyle of living healthy and happy lives. The conviviality of the group helped make this trip a thoroughly worthwhile experience.

We started out early on Saturday morning, heading to the Gare de Laval, where we would board our TGV train for Avignon. TGV trains still excite me just as they did when I arrived in France on my very first day in September. I love reveling in French superiority when it comes to high speed rail, because they really are among the best in that area. (They are in other things like healthcare, too. But that's for another time.) Our train arrived in Avignon after five hours of traveling, where it was pretty hot. And we transferred to the autocar (bus) to take us to Goudargues, where we played our first concert at a Roman church in the area.

Goudargues is actually in the South of France and it is a very beautiful town. It's actually where our conductor grew up. It was such a balmy and sunny day in the South of France, and I relished every minute of being in that area of the country. (In fact, I'm recognizing how many times I've actually traversed the country and how many areas I've actually seen. Pretty cool.) Our concert went okay. Unfortunately, due to the reverberations of this old church, it was extremely difficult to stay together, and I found myself struggling through. I wasn't the only one in any case. The people of the town provided us with a beautiful dinner with pate, couscous salads, and various other things from the South of France.



The next day, after spending a night in a Formule 1 hotel, we crossed the border into Spain, traversing the Pyrenees, which was very enjoyable. We went to the Dali Museum in Figeras, which was a shrine to surrealism. As much as I tried to get into surrealism, it didn't really work. I enjoy psychoanalysis in literature, but when it comes to art, it's very hard to understand certain things from a psychoanalytic perspective in surrealism. The art is very exaggerated, very out of real life, almost in another world. Perhaps, however, it goes into a deeper part of reality that which lies within the human psyche. That makes it more difficult to figure out. That's the reason why I was rather perplexed upon leaving the museum. Nevertheless, it was interesting. After the museum, we checked into our hotel in Lloret de Mar, the Aquarium.

Costa Brava (Mediterranean Sea)

 

 

 

 

Barcelona

 

The Pyrenees

 

Goudargues, France

 

Goudargues, France

 

Refuge in the Storm

I have received word that my family is safe following the devastating storms that ripped through the Southeast yesterday. Dozens of tornadoes touched down across the American South. My hometown in Ringgold, GA was hit very hard and the downtown area almost does not exist. The restaurants have been battered and torn. Schools are in shambles. Many people have lost their homes and some their lives.

The repercussions of such a disaster are felt across the Chattanooga region and may affect natives of Ringgold, GA for weeks, months, maybe even years to come. I am very sad for Ringgold and I grieve with people around the area. There have been numerous recent storms that have scarred places (Katrina, the tsunamis in the Near East, etc.). We never expected anything similar to these storms, anything remotely close, to hit our area. Yet, indeed storms swept by in an unbelievable way.

The Lord is with us in all things. Wherever we may be, he is there also. He has created a magnificent plan for us and gives us strength where we feel weak. He will carry us on and permit us to persevere in all things. In our grief, He is there to comfort and restore us. The Lord Jesus is our refuge in the storm of life. We clearly see that He is by looking at the passage of the storm on the Sea of Galilee and seeing how Jesus calmed the storm. Through our faith in Him, we may be comforted as we cling to the hope in Christ.

May we hold to the truth and hope in Christ, even as we grieve for the losses both in persons and in material from these storms that have ravaged the American South.

Easter in France

My Easter in France was special in two ways: (1) I played a large part in the worship service at the Reformed Church and (2) I benefited from a large party at the Griffons that included a barbecue and fellowship with friends and family of my host family. I felt blessed in both aspects of this truly beautiful Easter weekend.

At church, I was responsible for accompanying the hymns and songs for the Easter worship service. I did so with my violin. Realizing that I had a larger responsibility than I thought, I felt humbled to be able to share my violin music with the church. It gave me joy to play the hymns with the congregation. Since the church is a small room in a building, it made the worship seem even more "homely" or intimate. In addition to playing for the hymns, I also pulled out St. Patrick's Breastplate prayer to play following the message. It's such a beautiful piece to play and I enjoyed playing for the public. The message itself was encouraging and a good solid message for Easter. At the top of my head, I don't remember the exact scripture references, but the lay leader who preached focused on how the Lord took on the sin of the world even as an innocent person to cover the sins of the world. Through actively participating in the service, I felt I was giving a good part to the service. An elderly man came up to me at the end of the service and said that the violin greatly enhanced the music for the service.

When I returned from the service, the Griffons were getting ready to welcome many people for their Easter party. We took the aperitif and had lunch and then we went to the cemetery and jardin des souvenirs (memory garden), where we paid our respects to Nathy's mother (who passed away tragically in a car accident last year close to Easter). It was a solemn moment and everyone was rather sad and not many people had much to say about Nathy's mother. I honestly had no idea what to think. I didn't know if she knew Christ or not. I hoped that she did.

While at the party, I met two young women in their early thirties, one who has dual citizenship in the US and in the EU and an Asian girl. Both of them knew English so we spoke a little bit. I enjoyed eating and drinking with them during the party. Sometimes, I feel awkward in these social settings, not just because the French but because I usually don't know the people that I see. Fortunately, I was able to enjoy conversation with these women, who were nice to talk to.

Later in the day, we had our meal, which consisted of Andouillette sausage, the boudin, fruit salads, vegetables, bread, cheese, and excellent chocolate cake with custard. It was a marvelous meal and we have continued to benefit from the leftovers even today or two days later. Indeed, it was a blessed time both at the church and at home for my Easter this year.

A week in London with the Lycee, Days 4 and 5

Shakespeare's Globe Recreated (almost to meet original specifications)

The British Museum

Day 4 :

Our fourth day in London was fun and was a slight bit more relaxed than the other days. We went to the Globe Theatre in the morning, which was a welcome change. As a literary scholar, I very much appreciated being near where the actual Globe was (the one we were in was a replica of the original completed in 1997). The museum was interesting and gave me a new sense of what Shakespearean theatre was like. Having read at least half of Shakespeare's plays, I appreciated looking around and seeing things about Shakespeare's theatre. To top it off, our guide was a really cool guy and had a good sense of humor that helped our group to understand the information and stories being told.

Following our visit to Shakespeare's Globe, we went to Covent Garden. When I thought of this place, I envisioned seeing the chapel in "My Fair Lady" at the beginning of the musical (a play inspired by George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion") And behold, I saw it with my own eyes. It's a really nice place. We had our lunch in this area. Immediately afterwards, one of the London street performers came out and attracted a large crowd. He did tricks that were quite remarkable to see. However, as all other street performers, he basically demanded money from everyone in the square, telling everyone he wasn't paid by the city of London. Interesting but maybe not the most attractive of entertainments.

One of my colleagues and I went to the British Museum a couple hours later. We went to see the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian hieroglyphics, and mummies. For some reason, the Egyptians fascinate the French and me. We were both surrounded by hundreds of French tourists who were there for perhaps the same reasons as we were. It's a wonderful museum. I found a bookmark for my dad that has the museum edifice on it that he will like. The fatigue continued to be heavy on everyone, but soon we were in the bus on our way home.

Day 5 :

The last day was easy and not too bad in the least. My group did their filming for interviews with Londoners for their class project. They talked about the diversity of population in London, a sociological question that they explored with about three different people. Finding a person who would share was difficult, but they managed well.

Lunch and then the 12 hour trip back home. We stopped at a cafeteria on the way home to have a comforting French dinner. Everyone was pleased to have that after only having the choice of pizza, fries, and pasta for four nights in a row. A welcome change again.

We arrived in Mayenne at about 1:00am and everyone was so glad to be home. There really is no place like home, and for me, Mayenne is home.

A week in London with the Lycee, Day 3

Day 3:

Day 3 fortunately turned out to be better, since we went to Buckingham Palace and got to see the changing of the guard, a bigger deal than I previously thought. I have been to the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington and it's a solemn ceremony. When I thought of the changing of the guard, I thought it would be something similar. Yet, of course, I recognized I was in front of a "royal" palace rather than the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The ceremony was even funnier than I expected it to be. It was a spectacle, complete with marching of the royal guard and trumpet fanfare. Perhaps even funnier was the music that came from contemporary sources such as from the musical comedy "Hairspray" ("You can't stop the beat"). I almost had an attack of laughter when I heard this music playing. What's more the entire ceremony lasted for about two hours and everyone was sweating in the heat and absorbing UV rays. ]

Through all of this, I could only think of how funny it was that even in the midst of a democracy (Parliament) in Britain, there is still this sense of tradition in the monarchy, something that shapes the conscience of the Briton. It was pretty fascinating to feel that. Britons are proud of their history, their Pound Sterling (in spite of the Euro), even the fact that they still drive on the left side of the road. My time in front of Buckingham Palace made me think of how particular the British are. Pride in the country, the tradition, the efficiency. No wonder, so many people think London is the center of the world. (After all, every country's time zone is based on GMT or Greenwich Mean Time, which is based from a town not too far from London). Yet, it also reminded me of my own pride in the United States.


After seeing the changing of the guard, we then walked up to Trafalgar Square, where we found the National Portrait Gallery. Instead of looking at the art, I went with Anne (a colleague) to buy some tea and do a little bit of shopping and went inside Saint Martin in the Fields. (This of course, reminded me of the time when Academy of St. Martin in the Fields orchestra came to Covenant College a couple years ago. It was fascinating to go inside this church that holds a history of classical music in the London area.) Our visits were followed by a bus tour around London to ease our weary feet. (Not actually sure how far we walked, but it had to be 10-11 miles a day, almost the equivalent of a theme park. In fact, so much of being in London, made me think we were inside a theme park, looking around and queuing up for attractions. Interesting reflection to think about.)

A week in London with the Lycee (Part 1) Days 1-2

This has been an incredibly busy week and yet it has been enjoyable. The bus ride to London was long but somehow the time was able to pass rather quickly. We left in the middle of the night and arrived in the middle of the afternoon Monday. The most exciting part of the trip was crossing the English Channel (La Manche), where the bus literally boarded a train car that would take us in the Chunnel (a trip that took about 35 minutes). It was one of those Mission Impossible moments where I recalled the chase on top of the Eurostar train. Pretty sweet stuff.

Day 1: Honestly, when it came to London, I really had no idea what to expect. I had seen the sites in movies, but I was not that excited about going. Not to say I didn't want to be there, it's just I wanted the adventure. And the entire week was a fascinating adventure.

When we arrived in London, we went to a large department store called Harrolds, which sort of reminded me of Macy's in New York. Everything, of course, was out of my price range. And it felt more like a museum for la mode than a store that the middle class person could see. Then again, there are people who indeed do their shopping there, namely the aristocracy of London.

After looking through Harrolds with the students, we went to the Museum of Natural History, which had dinoasaur bones and sculptures and other cool artifacts. This museum seemed to be designed for the kids. Little kids strolling with their mommies looking at a big Tyrannasaurus Rex, amusing. This museum reminded me of the pictures I had seen of collections in my science text books from the Dark Ages (fourth and fifth grade).

Later, we checked in to the hostel, which was located in a residential area of town close to Hyde Park. It was a charming area to be in. Some of the houses lining the streets reminded me of the most recent version of the "Parent Trap," or Natasha Richardson's home in London. Interesting to think about all the representations of London in film, novel, etc. and to actually be there. The hostel was well positioned and while, it had some shortcomings as far as cleanliness and the like, it was livable for the week we were there.

At the end of the day, we went to the Pizza Factory, which turned out to be the place where we would be eating the entire time. It was incredibly funny to me when we, to our surprise, found out that we would be eating pizza, pasta, and fries (with salad)the whole time. I was with French people. The French love to eat balanced meals with bread, cheese, meat, salad, and yogurt for dessert. Unfortunately, we did not get all those things with our meal plan. What was even more funny was the fact that I sort of wanted to complain as well, seeing as I have eaten these foods for seven months and like the French diet. We survived in the end, which was good.

Planning for the next day's scavenger hunt,then we went to bed.

Day 2

Day 2 was perhaps my most stressful day, given that I would have to take a group around London all by myself and try to get my bearings on a city that is enormous. My group was all girls, who were nice and kind. The scavenger hunt turned out not to be a race but rather one in which we would see the various sites around Central London. We saw Big Ben, Parliament Square, St. Paul's Cathedral, the famous toy store in Piccadilly Circus, and a few other spots that were interesting. I have some good pictures of these areas as well. We ended up getting lost trying to get back to the Auberge (hostel). And thanks to my bad navigation skills, our treasure hunt forced us in the end to cross the entire city to get back to our hostel. However, it was good even though a little tense at times, and I had to apologize to the girls who were completely worn out by the end of the day.

Things got better, however...

Mayenne in the Spring Part III

 

 

 

 

Mayenne in the Spring Part II

 

 

 

 

Mayenne in the Spring

 

 

 

 

The end of the road...finally.

Generally, this week has been fun and enjoyable. I handed out Mars chocolate bars to my 1eres and Terminale students at the middle and end of the week, and asked the students in Terminale what they will be doing next year. Needless to say, I am sad to see them leave but happy for what they are going to be doing just as I did at their age, pursuing higher education. They're great kids, no doubt. And I've so enjoyed working with them. Saying goodbye was difficult. At the same time, I couldn't restrain my excitement of leaving at the end of it all.

Take when I was at the middle school. Yesterday was a total disaster in two classes. They refused to listen to me, had paper wad wars, and it just overall was total chaos. Not my favorite way of leaving a class for good. Fortunately, some of the girls came up to me this afternoon and apologized for being so impolite and bad-behaved. I respected this gesture. At the very least, I have a souvenir of them apologizing for causing me so much trouble on my last day. I would much rather block out the other souvenirs. It's too painful. Trust me. You don't want to know the rest.

Meanwhile, today was better. I talked to my colleague and decided just to show Shrek for the last day. I certainly did not feel like doing anything with them. It's my last day with classes that happen to fall at the end of the day, the worst time to keep any kid's attention, even the good ones. That went okay. The kids were a little dumbfounded when I told them that today was my last day. It seems it only just began a couple weeks ago when I switched from being with 6eme for three long months. I'm ready, however, to leave the school with good memories. Even if it's been the most challenging and demoralizing part of my teaching experience, I want to remember the times like when I played violin for the kids, when we watched certain videos and the kids laughed, and even when they would race each other to finish their word puzzles. To many of the kids, my presence has been a huge asset, even if I only taught them two or three words of English. Not exactly what I had planned, but it's better than nothing. Fatigue has ensued, but the Lord has permitted me to persevere all along. And I must be thankful for that, because even when I've wanted to give up, the Lord has lifted me up and given me the confidence to continue and not quit. I'm not a quitter anyway. Determination and perseverence are gifts for which I am thankful.

I have a weekend to get ready for London, which will be fun, exciting, and, no doubt, exhausting. In any situation, it should be worth every minute. I'm going for free, so I will not do any complaining. Planning on enjoying what is sure to be an interesting journey. Educational and interesting. We leave at 4am on Monday morning and should arrive back in Mayenne on Saturday at midnight. See you on the other end. I'll come bearing pictures and blog entries by next weekend. Blessings, jcm.

A Karaoke Party with Terminale students

A couple weeks ago, I wanted to do something special for the terminale students that I see every week, after having seen their progress, attentiveness, etc. So, I decided to throw a karaoke party with them today. Each person brought a dish (a cake, brownies, drink, etc.) and together, everyone shared in the enjoyment of a snack with each other's company. Compatible with the French lifestyle and Americanized. I baked a set of old fashioned sugar cookies that I thought was pretty much a staple of American desserts. (Looked up a recipe online and went with it although messing it up once before getting it right... the mixture of metric measurements as opposed to English system measurements and other factors). Regardless, I was able to make cookies that would be gone at the end of the day.

We listened to various pop songs, most of which the terminale students knew. Everyone enjoyed singing along to Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Diddy, etc. It was an enjoyable atmosphere, relaxed and without any pressure. I felt that these kids definitely deserve it in light of the stress that looms with the Baccaulaureat at the beginning of June. Several of these students will be going to the university next year in areas such as languages, psychology, and business. Others will go to preparatory classes (2 year course of study) for the Grandes Ecoles, which are the most prestigious universities in France (these universities are very difficult to get into and require the highest scores on an examination). I have faith in these students. They're bright and capable of doing good things in their next chapter. They've been such a joy to teach, and I feel as if their presence and attention in class have kept me going through the challenges that have accompanied teaching other groups of students.

My opinion on the rewards system

I plan to offer similar treats to the 1eres at the middle of the week and Terminales at the end of the week. Rewards for good work, such a good feeling. I enjoy giving rewards but only for continued progress and achievement of the select few that put in the work. For the 1eres that I see on Monday morning, I did not reward them. They've given me a big, fat nothing the entire year, and they honestly do not deserve any of my lauding. As much as I've tried to initiate them into a brief conversation, they've responded in talking in French, staring into space, and demanding to leave early every time just for lunch. That doesn't deserve anything from me. And if I were giving them a grade, the majority of the class would get below a C. Average grade: C-. Perhaps, such aspects of my opinions on rewards will carry into my philosophy of grading as a future teacher.

My take on French food: Simplicity with Elegance

I've been in France for over six months now and have yet to give you the scoop (no pun intended) on French food. Personally, I have taken a xenocentric approach to this and feel after months of reflection that the French eat well, really well. Not only that, but they know when to eat and when to stop. Yeah, call them the masters of portion control. Their food is rich and many would say it's hard on your stomach, because it's so heavy with milk, cream, butter, etc. I have to counter that. The French have mastered the art of enjoying food to the extent that being in good company and eating a good meal go hand in hand. And perhaps that counts for something. The French are among the least obese in the world, exercise well, and socialize very well. All of these make for healthy people that have higher longevity than the average American.

Going back to how I ate in America, I think I ate too much of poor quality food that it just made things a bit miserable. I think returning to American food is bound to disappoint me in some ways. In France, I've learned the mannerisms of eating at a French table from where to put things while setting the table to putting my wrists on the edge of the table to using a fork and knife for EVERYTHING and using the left hand to maneuver the fork. I've learned to savor food and to stop at the point where I can no longer enjoy the food. Also, I've learned how to not force food just to become full. These habits I will carry back to America, and I will likely not be eating in the same way as before when I return.

Now to the actual plates themselves: It's best to start with the bread. French use their bread for everything from toast in the morning to sandwiching rillettes (or meat spread) to creating cheese sandwiches with the finest cheeses around (goat cheese, camembert, brie, etc.) They even use their bread to scoop up the remaining sauce and other remains on plates to "savor the last drop" of the food and create a clean plate. Your mother would be proud. (and no, I'm not trying to create a pitch for Maxwell House Coffee) I love French bread, because it's a little slice of the French culture that prides itself on things such as the baguette, pain au chocolat, etc.

Another aspect of French alimentation (food) that is great is the salad. Very, very simple. Just green leaf lettuce and a dab of vinaigrette and you're good to go. That's another aspect of French cooking I enjoy: the simplicity with elegance. The salad can be paired with multiple things. But it remains as it is, a salad without too much fanfare or overkill on the ingredients.

Other things that I have enjoyed while living with my host family: the boudin (pig's blood), which I've mentioned before, saucisson (very finely cut sausages that are delicious and that can be savored with the aperitif), pasta with vegetables, quiche, lasagne, galettes with eggs and jambon (ham), crepes (of course), cidre (which is typical for meals in Bretagne).

Many French things will be easily imported into the United States, but they will cost more there, unfortunately. However, I must say that the kinds of eating habits that I have picked up here can be carried with me as I return. And I am eager to use them, even if people think they are prudish and unnecessary. For the French, food is one of the many joys in life. Enjoying a home-cooked meal can be even more meaningful than going out to a fine restaurant. The sentimental value of food made in a home, to me, has meant so much more than any restaurant could. Food in France comes from the heart. That's such a beautiful thing to think about.

Nothing but happiness

Today is my 23rd birthday, which comes at the right time, at the end of my adventure as I prepare to leave the French Republic. It's been a great time to continue to reflect on my incredible experience and journey. I have to say, I'm just really blessed. It's not luck; it's rather the blessing that the Lord has given me everyday to thrive and flourish in a country that is not my own. I've enjoyed a tremendous amount of freedom and independence that I didn't even know before. And today marks the end of a year in my life that has been nothing but happiness.

Things went okay at the middle school. All of my students were excited and jumping up and down as I told them I would be playing violin for them, a lesson on American folk music, adapted from the high school version. The second group especially went crazy over it, and they were slamming their desks, stomping their feet, even some were attempting to dance. As much as I would have wanted them to be quiet and attentive, it didn't happen. And... I'm okay with it. It was euphoric to just let everything go the last lesson. And I didn't want to ruin it. Even as the energy from my wickedly strong espresso seemed to evaporate from my veins into thin air, it felt good to end on a positive note. And right before the obnoxious bell, it was the sound of "Pirates of the Caribbean." The kids shouted "Joyeux Anniversaire, Jared!" It was a good feeling, knowing that I'm appreciated by everyone at the middle school. All the kids are crazy about me. And I like leaving the middle school, feeling that even if I haven't accomplished anything else, I've earned the respect and praise of French middle schoolers. Quite a feat in the midst of adolescent attitudes.

Tonight, I took the aperitif with Nathy and will redo it tomorrow when Pascal returns from Paris with the collegiens. It's been an enjoyable day. Now on to a busy but relaxing weekend.

A good weekend, good beginning to the week

My weekend turned out to be enjoyable even without a stay in Paris. On Saturday, I played with the chamber orchestra for the departmental exams of the music department for four piano students. All got mention: tres bien, which means they will be advancing from their "amateur studies" into a more professional "formation." Whatever that's supposed to mean... Anyway, the concert was good. We played some Bach and Vivaldi, pretty easy as far as accompaniment goes, but also enjoyable. For the rest of Saturday, I did pretty much nothing whatever. Did some relaxing and walking through Mayenne. The sun shone through the weekend.

As for Sunday, I had the privilege of attending the Jewish Easter celebration in which we had a community gathering of the Protestant churches of the Mayenne (quite a number of people). Afterwards, we had a Jewish meal, which was much more ceremonial than it was Jewish. Yes, we had lamb, yes we had Matzah. But we had to sit and listen to a nearly two hour breakdown of the meaning of every single part of the meal. Yes, it was boring and tiring. I had heard most of this before in English. It wasn't quite as authentic as the Jewish meal I once had at the synagogue near Brainerd Road several years ago. It was all worth it, however, to see friends from the Pentecostal church that I had not seen in several months.

I got to see Philip. I asked him when he thought we would be able to do something together. And he asked me if I wanted to go see a movie at the cinema. So, I accepted and went along with him. We went to see "Suckerpunch," an overbearingly action/comicbook drama that was original and creative. But they overdid the action sequences to make it seem like the Matrix. To be honest the entire plot could have been done in about twenty minutes but it was drawn out to an hour and a half. It was pretty entertaining, nonetheless. I was glad to have spent some time with Philip after the three month hiatus. We will plan on getting together sometime in the near future. Then, I'll play violin for his family.

As for the week, it's the middle of the road. I've had some good lessons with the Terminales. We're actually going to throw a karaoke party next week with food and drink. It's a good way of celebrating the end. Looking forward to that. It's definitely a good way to end the assistantship. Just have to get through those days with the middle school and I'll be golden, just like when I have a cup of strong, black coffee.

The Three Assistants of Mayenne

From left to right: Salome (assistante d'allemand), Jared (assistant d'anglais), and Angelle (assistante d'espagnol).

The beginning of the end or the end of the beginning

Earlier, I wrote a passionate post about my experience as a language assistant. I think I had enjoyed the experience so much then that I was bursting with joy and reaping the benefits from my stay here. That's all great. I've arrived at April, hoisting the souvenirs and learning experiences of this program and ready to fly back. Today, I made the executive decision to return home at the beginning of May, much to the comfort of my family. The time has come to talk of many things, of shoes and ships and ceiling wax... and saying goodbye.

There have been so many amazing opportunities that I have taken up with spontaneity, patience, and endurance. My experience in France has given me a renewed sense of hope and confidence in Christ, knowing full well the direction of my future vocation in language pedagogy and literary research. The year has taught me a number of things that I should mention in list form:

(1) Trust in the Lord at all times, pray unceasingly for guidance and support. I do this as often as necessary, but many times at the college/middle school.

(2) Relax. This one has been a hard one for me, since I am often uptight and serious. Letting go is something I plan to do as often as possible.

(3) Use a sense of humor, taking appropriate risks, to capture the attention and imagination of the audience (my students). This is where my theatre background returns in full force.

(4) Establish rules early on and stick to them so that students will know their limits and will respect my authority (This is one I continue to work on at the college/middle school and one that may not be fully developed).

(5) Have patience with students and restate in simple terms my sentences to promote understanding of the foreign language.

At this point, I've reached a time, where I am ready to wrap up my lessons in two weeks and provide a strong ending to my assistantship in France. Perhaps, I should provide something unforgettable, but again, stress should not be a variable in the equation. I just want to be able to definitively say, it's the end and say my goodbyes to the students at both the lycee and college. This weekend, I plan on reflecting on the possible lessons that could be great. I'm excited about planning ahead for the next steps, having secured my housing situation in Providence, RI.

One great thing prepares to make the transition to another wonderful thing. The symphony of life has multiple movements, and now, I prepare to conclude the present movement with grace and beauty. Pause. And the beginning of a wonderful,long movement follows...

Searching for some peace of mind

Still unsure about the next couple months. I'm hoping that I'll get to stay through the month of May. Signs seem to be promising, so I think I can have the peace of mind that it will work out. Paris doesn't seem to be on my radar screen this weekend. Knowing that my professor is booked makes things kind of awful. Plus, I have to pay him back for the play ticket I didn't even get to use... such is life. I'm not letting these situations bog me down. I have every reason to be happy, knowing where I'm going to be for the next six years. That, in itself, is a reason to rejoice in the Lord, seeing as I am a long-term planner who needs a definitive plan and direction.

Teaching continues to come with joys and challenges. Monday mornings are always the worst for me and this week, it didn't get any better than the last time. It was worse since the juniors (1eres) completely ignored my assignments and refused to work after telling me that they had lied about wanting to listen to Justin Bieber. Une blague! A joke. Well, of course, I was livid. This is my least favorite group of students to work with at the high school and they just had to put the cherry on top of a nice gotcha sundae and throw it in my face! Powerless, I just didn't know what to do. So, I asked them what they wanted to listen to. Dissenting opinion echoed in the chamber and I was forced to let them talk and head out the door without a lesson. Most of the time, with this group, they don't give a s*** so it kind of rubs off on me... I'm just going to show them a movie for the next three weeks before we go on the London trip. Maybe that will shut their little mouths up, especially since it's a suspense/psychological thriller that I have shown to my terminale students, "The Prestige."

As for the terminale students, it's always a good time. I talked about the issues of masculinity and femininity as they are depicted in popular culture starting with Disney movies. The students started by listing stereotypes of men and women in French culture and then we proceeded to watch (1) a video with Disney male characters and their stereotypical six-pack abs, strong, mighty heroes who objectify women, (2) a commercial showing the man as a beer drinking person who uses women to his own benefit, (3) a movie that talked about women and their role according to the media. Using the ideas about masculinity and femininity, we talked about two striking images that would help these kids to formulate ideas surrounding documents for their English oral exam. The first image showed a group of manly men looking at the reader with a message, "Are you man enough to be a nurse?" The students responded to the image. Next, we looked at an image of an over-muscular, almost steroid-taking looking woman and contrasting that with a man with his shirt off sunbathing and having a massage. From both of my groups of terminales, I got some good responses and it was encouraging.

Tonight, my secondes said goodbye to the Accompagnement Personnalise. Still trying to figure out what exactly the title of this course is supposed to mean... I assume it simply means an oral production class. Anyway, the activity today was almost 95 percent the students doing. I gave instructions and gave advice. The students plunged in and imagined their future lives in the year 2025. They created an imaginary profile. Then they each acted as journalists and documented interviews between each other asking each other questions. It was magnificent. A time-tested success story that was a good way to end our "oral production in English" or just English conversation class.

Tomorrow, I will have a chance to say goodbye to the German assistant as she's leaving this Friday. We're having a night for the assistants at the Creperie Saint Martin across the river. Looking forward to some fellowship and fun. The following night, Thursday, I will get to go to a church member's house for dinner and some more fellowship. This seems to be the week of these enjoyable soirees, anything to brighten my once dampened and dimmed spirits.

A misfortune that deters my all my weekend plans

My time in France has not been without misfortune. From getting a 30 euro ticket for not composting the right way to being prevented from tutoring an adult student, I think I've become used to the fact that there are many ridiculous rules in France. Does it bother me? Yes, of course, but I can't let it consume me. Am I ticked off in these situations? Most definitely. But then again, I realize that in such situations, I am completely powerless and I might as well be a stoic about it and not let things outside of my control bother me.

Now, moving on to a situation that is both a misfortune and a disappointment. I had my parents lend me some money (my birthday is coming up, so I asked them at the right time) by depositing it into my account. I was unsure when I would get paid. And naturally, that date would fall after this coming weekend. So I played it safe. I tried to withdraw money from my account, but the machine ended up eating my card and saying "Carte capturee" or Card Confiscated. I had no idea what that meant. Just my luck, the Post Office had already closed. So I came back this morning. And the lady told me, "I'm sorry, but I don't have the right to give it back to you. It will be sent to the Carte Bleue headquarters and be promptly destroyed." I replied, "Yes, but it's an international card. What use would they have of it?" She said, "it makes no difference, I cannot give it back to you." So, here I am without my American bank account at my disposal, forced to act quickly and have my parents cancel the account and withdraw the remaining money. Powerless.

To make matters worse, I cannot go to Paris. I don't have enough money in my account. The depressingly low salary that we get as assistants is not sufficient to cover this weekend trip. I had to contact Alex. He is disappointed as well. So, here I am having to sulk in my own tears (maybe not literally) and deal with a dreadful disappointment. Trying to look on the bright side, though. I could have been in Paris and stranded without any means of covering expenses, which could have been far worse.

Anyway, I'm back home, a little shaken up by this affair, and hoping to get the situation worked out with my bank account today.

And look who's back. (The Doctor is REAL in)

After last week's almost exasperated post, I had to make a comeback as Jared McKee always does. The weekend gave me a time to stew in my own soup, so to speak even after feeling completely unable to handle things with the middle schoolers. I did some reading, relaxing, thinking, and created a set of lesson plans. In the end, I created something that I was truly proud of, because it succeeded on the day that was the make-or-break day, Monday.

Everyone was happy the first day of spring. Exceptionally, the Mayenne saw a beautiful, radiant day with sunshine the entire afternoon and cool temperatures. As I was listening to the Mumford & Sons and Ray Davies duo, "Days/This Time Tomorrow," beaming at the sunlight, I just knew today would be a good day. With my determination to make things so much better this week, I strode with confidence to the lycee for a full day of courses.

It all started well with the 1ESB students, who have constantly been a trial for me as I've searched high and low for something to peak their interest. I did well. I found a song by Jason Deluno entitled, "Whatcha Say," a recent popular song that we talked about a little bit. They enjoyed comparing the song to Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek," which was the inspiration for it. At the end, the kids said that we should listen to Justin Bieber next week. (Can you believe I'm saying I've never even heard Justin Bieber sing??)

For the first group of Terminale students, I was just warming up but it got much better by 3pm with my TLA students. I was filled with a vibrant energy as I talked about St. Patrick's Day with all the fervor of an Irishman. I enjoyed showing them some interesting videos about the holiday and even sharing "St. Patrick's Breastplate Prayer." To top it off, I showed a clip from "Riverdance," to make it even more entertaining.

Between classes, I basked in the sun as I headed down to the bakery to grab a pain au chocolat and cold drink. I felt the invigoration of spring just walking in the downtown part of my provincial town and a sense of growing accomplishment. When the week starts off well, you can't help but smile inside and out.

To top it all off with a cherry, I sustained the energy in my reservoir for the final hour at 17h. Using my silly little humor that I thank God for, I was able to keep the attention of the Terminale ESA students with videos and a written assessment. They went crazy over the Riverdance clip.

I don't like the idea of self-congratulatory affirmation, but I have to say, today showed and reminded me of why I'm here. Teaching has become such a gratifying experience for me as my calling. And that's wonderful.

Un petit mot: I've put my name in to extend my contract through the end of May. I feel that to end my pedagogical projects, I need another month. One of the English teachers has written a recommendation letter for me. This means, in effect, I will leave at the beginning of June. Hoping and praying this works out.
That would mean I would get to sing the Cantata No. 4 by J.S. Bach with Volubilis. If it's the Lord's will, all will work out seamlessly.

As to the rest of the week, I say, keep it coming...

Almost flying off the handle

The first week back from any extended break is extremely difficult and I tried to make it as bearable as possible. Recalling what I've heard in the past, it seems that the habits that you form in two weeks are either lost or gained. My discipline and any sense of being able to control the situation at hand has seemed to walk right out the back door. Fortunately, I have been able to handle things well with the high schoolers. As for the middle schoolers, it's a total other story...

With the high schoolers, I decided to come up with something easy without the need for extensive preparation. So, I talked about reality TV shows with them. We watched clips of Survivor and Big Brother, which were both entertaining and engaging. Then again, almost every student in the class told me that France has its own equivalent of the show. Looking at these shows, I can't help but feel ashamed of my culture that rejoices in such debauchery and depravity of human character. I was thinking this morning before having lunch how much I hated watching soap operas and reality TV shows, because they expose the most base of human instincts as well as their animalistic and Darwinistic struggle for survival in a dog-eat-dog world. Yet, people enjoy watching them, because they're entertaining and get high ratings. Although, to some extent, maybe they show life the way it really is. Even though these game shows are staged and rehearsed, reality TV does expose an aspect of reality, the way it is mired in human sin, a reality we have to face everyday.

My classes with the middle-schoolers were less philosophical and interesting, but the behavior was just plain awful. I ended up noting the names of students who were squirming in their seat, moving around, throwing shreds of paper on the ground. The list goes on and on. It was incredibly frustrating and got even worse today. My first class this afternoon, I ended up literally screaming at a boy who touched another boy to cause him to almost fall on the ground in his chair. I think my patience completely boiled over and I cracked. Everyone around me was talking and carrying on, and suddenly the flood of negative emotions exploded and I yelled and demanded this boy's carnet. Silence. I don't really get it. What in the name of heaven do I need to do to get middle-schoolers to listen to me?! Do I have to explode under pressure and show them that I mean no funny business? I don't know. But my middle school days seem to be getting bleaker and bleaker, and I have no choice but to ask and see if I can make other arrangements with the classes. I've almost had it with being alone and inexperienced and expected to do a meaningful lesson with 14 hormone-crazy middle-schoolers. It's too grandiose of an expectation. I need to work directly with a teacher and do a lesson WITH the teacher. That's exactly what I wanted at the beginning; it's what I expected to be doing, me, without a degree in teaching middle school or what have you. Here I am sitting here with a hoarse voice and splitting headache, tired of a rough second half of the week and hoping and praying things will get better next week.

Berliner Philharmoniker

As you can see from the photograph, the Berliner Philharmoniker is housed in an impressive new building that is yellow-orange. Entering, you see a very eclectic internal design. I arrived pretty early for the 20h performance, but I had a look around at the restaurant and lounge. Needless to say, I had no idea what my lounge would be like. Silvia told me that I had been given a box seat (free-gratuit). I climbed the stairs and entered into a luxurious lounge with a coat and waiting room, where I put my backpack and wool coat. My program was in German, but I kept it anyway as a souvenir. I entered into the hall and felt like the luckiest guy in the world. My box seat had a comfortable plush yellow chair with a view of the stadium-like Philharmonie. There were seats surrounding the orchestral stage and even a seating area behind the orchestra. It reminded me of a theater in the round. My box seat had an excellent view of both the orchestra (first violins, etc) and the conductor. The acoustics would be fantastic here. A World-Class Hall, Pre-eminent Symphony Orchestra in the Spectacular City of Berlin. Who could beat that?

Here are my notes of the Bruckner Symphony No. 5 in B major that I made right from my lounge seat above the Philharmoniker.

(1) Adagio-Allegro: A quiet beginning with the strings gradually crescendoing into a shimmering string passage with strings and woodwinds. A theme enters into the picture. A second part comes in with the second violins leading on and the first violins take up the reigns. The horn solo reigns within the piece echoed by the flute. More conversations seem to happen in this first movement. Recapitulation of the first theme then enters in and a minor key change brings in the element of conflict. It gets more aggressive, and yet closes with resolution.

(2) Adagio Sehr langsam- This movement has a slow four and is a dance. There are some coquettish parts on the part of the strings including the violas. A rich tutti brings in a full-body sound. Throughout this movement, there are enchanting passages with a clock-work pizzicato keeping time. Love the main theme that returns with the horns with an accompanying string part. And after the second movement, you hear an explosion of coughs and sneezes. Not so classy but at least it's done between movements.

(3) The Scherzo movement features Austrian dance music starting with strings and segueing into the woodwind conversation. It's jovial and happy with only a few interruptions or conflicts. A recapitulation of the main theme. In the middle, I could imagine traditional Austrian dances, perhaps something with a royal Austrian ball, where many people are dancing and having a good time. You could even say it happens in the summertime. It could almost be interpreted as a nostalgia.

(4) The Finale could be interpreted as a consummation, returning to several themes of the first movement. The main theme from the first movement comes in and the piece ends with dignity and beauty. I was wowed at the end for several seconds before the long applause filled the hall and audience smiled as the conductor took his bows and pointed at the world premiere orchestra.

The night of my life. I couldn't ask for anything more. As a concert-goer and classical musician, this was one of those bucket-list nights. I felt a heave of fulfillment and satisfaction as I exited the hall. It wasn't a dream; it was reality.

36 hours in Berlin, or How I managed to get around without German

All adventures have a fascinating story. My 55-hour trip from Mayenne to Berlin and back was nothing short of an adventure, especially seeing as I entered into a world that did not speak French, but did speak English. Some, not all, spoke English. For those who did not speak English, I had to rely on hand motions and the like to interpret the German. Still, it was an enjoyable experience. The entire trip was worth the roundtrip with my visit to the Berlin Philharmonic, which I have a separate section on.

My journey started at 10:30am on March 10. I took the Navette bus to Laval, where I would take my TGV train to Paris Montparnasse train station. I've gotten used to Montparnasse. Even in its busyness, I am still enjoying entering with the masses into its interior, because you are suddenly in Paris and that makes anyone feel good. To get out of Montparnasse and the 13th-14th arrondissements, I took the Car Air France bus for a whopping 11,5 euros to get to the Paris-Orly airport. While I was a little ticked off by the price of this 40 minute bus ride, I knew it would be much easier than taking two trains to the airport. Arriving at Orly, I went through security fine and ended up waiting a long time for my Easy Jet. The worst part was waiting in line to board, which I felt as though I was going to hyper-ventilate. On Easy Jet, there is no assigned seat, so everyone rushes in like a cattle herd to get in for a good seat. Fortunately for me, I was a single rider, so it made things much less complicated. There were groups that were trying to find seats together in this jam-packed flight. Nonetheless, we left on time and got to our destination on time.

As soon as we arrived at Berlin-Schoenefeld Airport or Flughafan, we went to baggage claim. I quickly looked for a big S for the S-Bahn and followed a hoard to get on the subway. Of course, here I was tired and having to navigate a complex metro system. I went up to a ticket machine and tried to order a ticket but had a lot of trouble. I knew I was taking the S-9 to Landsberger Allee (where the hostel was), but I did not know which ticket to buy. I ended up dropping 3 euros for a ticket that covered every area of Berlin just to make sure. I boarded my sub-way train and instantly heard German pronunciations of stations. Waited for about 35 minutes and arrived at my station. I took the wrong exit and wandered around trying to figure out how to get to the other side and the Generator Hostel, but I figured it out. Checked in to the hotel, grabbed a German kebab, and went to sleep... or tried. This hostel was definitely not my favorite part of the experience. Open rooms with 12-16 beds in suites, it was definitely not the best situation. But it was economical and included breakfast.

The next morning I got up, had breakfast, and took the 4 hour tour of Berlin with Sandmans Free Tour. It was long but really good. We started at the Brandenberg Tor (Gates), went around to see the Reichstag (German Parliament), saw the controversial Holocaust memorial, saw the site of where Hitler commited suicide in the Bunker, passed through the famous university in Berlin where many German intellectuals have attended, stood on the sight where the famous Nazi book-burnings were held (it's actually underground with a set of empty bookshelfs). After passing through these sections, we headed to the German tax building, which featured a propaganda mural of people living in Nazi Germany at the time of the Third Reich (totally inaccurate). From here, we went to museum island, saw the German cathedral and square where the Berlin Symphony Orchestra performs. Throughout this tour, we passed in and out of the invisible Berlin Wall and the tour guide told us the story of the Fall of the Wall, which was awesome.

After the tour, I headed to the German History Museum, which was great. I visited the 20th century exhibit, which had a lot of interesting photos and sites on Germany in the 20th century. I passed through history and had to ask in English questions about the museum, to which I got only German responses. I went straight to the German Reformation exhibit, which had materials on Martin Luther and Calvin. Very good. From there, I had to rush around to get back to the 20th century exhibit to see the Nazi propaganda, which was fascinating to look at. I felt a little bad about having to pick and choose out of this amazing museum. But I had fun, nonetheless. I exited, headed to the S-Bahn to head to the Main Station, which has an amazing glass ceiling and beautiful shopping area. I met my German friend promptly at 17h after having tasted currywurst and fries at a quick stop.

Silvia, my friend, and I went on yet another tour of the town. This time I had a local show me around. Silvia promptly gave me my ticket to the Philharmonic, which was actually a high-class honors lounge box seat with awesome acoustics. I was stoked! My dream was becoming a reality, to see the pre-eminent Berliner Philharmoniker. Amazing. Silvia and I walked around the Bundestag (German parliament building) and saw several sites again including the Brandenberg Gates, the embassy row of Berlin, and a large commercial center near the Philharmonie. We stopped at an ice cream shop, where I ordered a huge ice cream dessert with chocolate, cherry syrup, chocolate pieces in it, which I proceeded to swallow whole (as my dinner).

After saying goodbye to Sylvia, I went to the Philharmonie and took my seat after waiting. Above you will find my whole entry on the Berliner Philharmoniker. I indeed had the time of my life listening to the orchestra.

Sleeping in the hostel was pretty rough. I tried to go to sleep as I needed to get up extremely early the next morning to catch my flight. I took a Tylenol PM to get a little rest, but it didn't really help. I was awakened at 3:30am to people moving into my room, which was inconvenient and bothersome. I woke up and could hardly fall back asleep. Of course, to make it worse, one or two persons were coughing nonstop for several hours. I ended up leaving the room at 5:30am, because I couldn't stand being there any longer. Dropped off my key and then headed to the S-Bahn to take the S-41 to Schoeneweide. Here, the German attendant spoke to me in German and indicated that I had to get off. They were apparently doing construction on the tracks. I panicked a little, but saw that a sign indicated a S-Bahn correspondence with a bus. So, I took the bus with other passengers and we arrived at the Flughafen on time. I still had a couple hours to wait around after going through security. No problem. I grabbed a chocolate muffin and espresso. Took my flight to Orly. Had McDonald's. No big choice unfortunately.

Arrival at Montparnasse via shuttle bus. Grabbed a Starbucks Mocha Frap. They were having computer problems at Montparnasse so I had to wait for them to call my number and tell me which track my train would arrive at. Upon boarding my TGV, I headed to Laval. Upon arriving, I waited for a bus to get back to Mayenne. After all this, I was finally home at 7:01pm. I said a quick hello, headed up to my room to check my email, and collapsed on my bed at 9:00pm to sleep for more than 12 hours. Thus, ends my story of travel and adventure of my trip in Berlin.

Day-trip to Rennes (This time for a visit)

After having seen Rennes the day I went to the pastoral workshop, I just had to come back and see some of the cultural aspects of this delightful city that resembles Chattanooga in some respects. I entered into a beautiful train station with plenty of restaurants and markets. On coming into town, I saw the prestigious Lycee Emile Zola, which is apparently a very good high school in Rennes. The building had articulate classical architecture. From there, I went through the Place de la Republique Jaures and Parliament Square with a classic French look.

I decided to visit the Musee des Beaux Arts, where I saw anything from 16th century paintings of Jesus' Crucifixion to Renaissance work of a worship rite to Pan to nude statues and figures to Abstract expressionism and Picasso. Mostly French art lined the walls of this interesting museum, and I actually had the time to go through most of it without feeling bored or withdrawn. One striking exhibition featured three paintings (a series) by Caillebotte, which depicted three different scenes in nature. The first was a painting of children playing outside, the second featured rowers canoeing in a river, and the third showed swimmers diving into a natural water-hole. The way the light shone in on these paintings was fascinating and beautiful. I sat for several minutes and looked at the series as telling a story, yet showing a tableau of the beauty of nature. The greens and yellows stood out within these works and it was rather pleasant to see.

I then went to look for lunch, which was not that easy to do, seeing as I did not know the city well. I ended up circling around trying to find a place and came upon a brasserie with bright green and yellow colors that looked interesting. I picked a good one too, because the place filled up quickly at lunch, a good indicator of a quality restaurant. The place has bright but warm-colored glasses. I ordered a special salad with tomatoes, avocado, cucumber salad as an entree, beef stew a la nicoise (with delicious mushrooms and nicoise olives-mmm...). The stew came in a little mini pot, which I poured onto the delightfully square plate. The potage or orange-colored mashed potatoes (no, not sweet potatoes) also came in the mini-pot. As for dessert, I ordered a creme brulee and a petit cafe (espresso) with a chocolate truffle. This lunch was only a total of 13,5 euros. I felt satisfied and ready to do some more exploring.

After lunch, I headed to the Place Charles de Gaulle and over to the Musee de la Bretagne, a place that offered exhibits on the heritage and history of the Breton people of Western France. The history extended from the anthropological beginnings of man as Cro-magnon and Neanderthal and up to the present. My 7 euro ticket covered all the areas of the museum and the Planetarium. I enjoyed seeing the industrial development in Bretagne during the 18th-19th centuries. The exhibit on the history of cinema in Bretagne was wonderful. It featured video clips of various films about war, the sea, and farm life. It gave the impression of a Hollywood movie studio with cameras and sets, lots of headphones and clips, mini-theaters, etc. I had a great time looking around here.

Another exhibit that was impressive was the Dreyfus Affair exhibit, which showed the complete story of the 19th century trial of a Jewish man, who was accused of treason and leaking secrets to the German government. It had a dark room and even a court-room theater. Unfortunately, I had to rush around and get to the planetarium for my 14:30 showing.

The planetarium was an omnimax experience with chairs that reclined and a screen on the circular ceiling. It was great. I was re-introduced to the solar system (in French and after the un-planetization of Pluto). I was reminded of the lessons I had learned about planets from boy-scout star-watching and earth science. It was satisfying, a good ending to my experience in Rennes.

An off-the-cuff journey to Rennes and the Reformed Pastoral Workshop

Several days ago, I wrote to Didier Fievet about coming to the pastoral workshop in the city of Rennes, which included a biblical study, hermeneutical analysis, and roundtable discussion, all in French. I needed transportation to get there, seeing as I have no car. He did not respond to me until this morning at 9:30am, one hour after which I awoke from my drowsy slumbers and stumbled over to my computer. Pastor Fievet found a person who wanted to take me to the workshop, so I called her up, and one hour and half later, we were on our way. It's amazing how some things work. I got my email, responded to the call, and on my way, I went. It seems counter-intuitive for how I am most of the time, carefully planning details. I'm learning a lot about spontaneity while living here in France. Spontaneity with just a little bit of planning is the very best, in my opinion... for some things.

I talked to my driver named Isabelle about a number of things during our journey to and from Rennes from my future vocation, family, etc. to her family, current events, Christianity (including the differences between various denominations, notably the Evangelique and Reformed perspectives that I have noted well during my time here), and history of Bretagne. She was a delightful driver, and I found joy speaking with her about her family and perspectives on various topics. We arrived in Rennes about 1/4 hour late, but it appeared the workshop had only just begun when we arrived.

The workshop was truly insightful. Every person present was part of this biblical study, and today for three hours, we plunged into the text from Genesis 2:16-17 and 3:1-22, which was essentially the interdiction and misunderstanding and the famous Fall of Man. Essentially, this turned into a 3-hour seminary class, where we looked at the text in light of the Greek and Hebrew. Right beside me, a madame was engrossed into the word of the Hebrew text and commented on how Elohim, the name for God, was noted in this particular text. We went into sermon topics to address in this text such as the commandment and consequence (punishment). Such discussion would prepare these pastors to preach in a methodical, hermeneutical way, something my father does every Sunday. It was great to appreciate the profession of my father and to see how hermeneutical understanding of the Biblical text is a rather intricate process, but fascinating, nonetheless.

Several things within the workshop brought me back to my classes at Covenant, and I was enthralled with how the pastor brought his hermeneutic to bear. He talked about this "transgression" or the Great Fall as the first communication between God and man. What was most interesting was the way he said that it wasn't the disobedience that counted, but rather man's desire to choose between the good and the bad in order to become like a "god," to know all things and to live for oneself. This was the sin, the forbidden text. It was a desire to become free from God and yet the true liberty lay in the "constitution" of the people of God. This was made clear in a number of passages. The pastor touched on a few. The constitution in Genesis was the commandment. After Israel was freed from Egypt, the constitution was the 10 Commandments. This matter of constitution would be very important for the Hebrew people, and I thoroughly enjoyed the manner in which the pastor brought it out in his workshop.

After all was said and done, Isabelle and I returned to the Mayenne. We passed through a little town called Vitré, a beautiful place with medieval architecture, some of which resembled Le Mans. We got out of the car took a little walk, looked the Eglise Notre Dame, the Chateau
Vitré. As it was beautiful and cold outside, it made for a perfect visit. The photos are down below of this little town.

Such an enjoyable day. I am thankful that the pastor emailed me this morning. I was unsure I would even have this marvelous opportunity, but again, the Lord works and provides. Thank the Lord for vacation time.

Along the journey today around Rennes-- La Ville de Vitré

 

 

 

 

Le Mans