Lindsey, Lori & Sam

I received three letters today: Lindsey Herde, Lori Lund and Sam Bhagwat. I just sent Lindsey and Lori letters this morning too so that was pretty fun to get their letters this evening. And Sam sent his letter probably a month and a half ago.  It was SO great getting his letter. He sent pictures and he'll be coming home December 27 and I go home December 28 so we'll be able to see each other before he leaves for Stanford and I go back to BYU. YAY!!

Tomorrow is the 6 months left for Jamon anniversary and the 1 year left for Lindsey anniversary. Of course I won't tell either of them that I am counting down (sorta) the months they have left because that isn't what they should be focusing on.  Goodness I love my missionary friends. I am so blessed to have them.

I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends in general. I love Lindsey so so much! She is just always constantly being an answer to prayers. And Lori is just fabulous! And Sam, Sam is Sam. :) I can't believe I'll get to see them all soon!

Sometimes...

Quelquefois mon cœur fait mal et je voudrais pleurer mais cette nuit je savais que je suis triste parce que je suis fatiguée. Et les autres choses, bien sûr, mais la plupart des raisons c’est que je suis fatiguée.

J’ai reçu Intermediate High sur mon ACTFL post-OPI avec Mme Thompson cet après-midi. L

TRC volunteering

The past three weeks I've gone and volunteered in the TRC (Teaching Resource Center) at the MTC (Missionary Training Center) in French. It has been such an amazing experience! Not only do I get to practice speaking in French myself, not only do I get a little confidence booster that I really do know more French than I think I do, but I also get to feel the Spirit and I get to have my testimony strengthened of the reality of Jesus Christ, His mission, and the mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

This past week I was able to be there for two hours (usually I'm only there for one but this week my career strategies class got out early). The first hour I was with more experienced missionaries (they'd been there for eight weeks) and so they taught the lesson in French. They taught me about the Plan of Salvation and the Word of Wisdom. Did you know what the Word of Wisdom translates as in French? La perle de sagesse. The pearl of wisdom. Basically the same thing but the change from "word" to "pearl" really stuck out to me.

The second hour I was with missionaries who had only been there for one week. They did their initial contact and setting up an appointment in the first fifteen minutes (like the more advanced missionaries had done) but they were so nervous! I felt so bad for them. The last pair that was in the room with me, I heard them talk in English once they left the room and they were talking about how badly it had gone. I said a little prayer for them while they were out in the hall preparing for the lesson they would teach me in English. They taught me about the church and Book of Mormon. I know that I've read the scriptures they had me read countless times--Joseph Smith History 1:16-17 and Moroni 10:3-5. But this time both of those scripture accounts really impressed themselves on me. The fact that just at the moment when Joseph was going to surrender to the adversary, the pillar of light descended and he saw the Father and the Son. The fact that the Lord has been merciful unto the children of men from the time of Adam even down until the time that we read the words contained in the Book of Mormon. Those facts really struck a chord within me. They're true.

The Lord truly does love us. God will be there for us, even if it isn't until the last hour, He will come. Sometimes we need to see what we can do and what we will do in a certain situation. Sometimes our faith is tried. And probably many times we just don't see the hand of the Lord guiding our lives.

I'm so grateful I get to go to the TRC and have my testimony strengthened.

I just needed to write

So it's September 8th, 2010.

I've been in school for fall 2010 for a week and a half. I absolutely love my classes! I know I say that every semester, but I really do. I've already been struggling and succeeding in my French classes, I love having an excuse to draw everyday as part of an assignment for my Drawing class, and I really hope I get my teaching assignment soon so I can begin teaching.

I have a habit of going to the temple every week. This semester it is on Tuesday mornings at 5:30 with for sure two girls in my ward. Starting this week one of my roommates joined us and then there is a guy from my ward who has been consistently coming. I am so grateful to go to the temple. The peace and beauty that I feel there is so wonderful. Sometimes I get confused about things but when I go there, everything is clear. Everything is right.

Yesterday Amelia posted on Facebook that sometimes she feels like she needs to cry for no reason. Sometimes I feel that way. I felt that way yesterday afternoon and evening. So I did. :) I didn't break-down or anything, I just sat by myself and shed a few tears, then looked at the stars and counted my blessings.

Monday was a dear friend's birthday and tomorrow is another dear friend's birthday. I love birthdays. I love the celebration of another year of life having gone by and the possibility of what the next year will bring.

I guess that's all for today. I just really wanted to write in here again because I love the header that I made for my blog and I wanted to see it again. haha. That's a little narcissitic, but it reminds me of France because that's where I made it.

Back in Utah

Dear family and friends who have been reading this blog,

So I returned to the United States and am now safely in Provo, Utah--right back into the thick of things at work and getting to know people in my ward.

Thanks for everyone who has been reading my blog. I hope you liked it. I'm going to keep writing on here every once and a while--mes aventures à Provo. I'm going to take off the email alert after this post, just fyi.

-Beth

p.s. I'm a little more of a food snob and white plate snob now that I've spent 6 weeks in France. Today as I was walking back from campus I made a pit stop at a little grocery store, looked for some French bread or a baguette or something (because hey, you never know!) and surprise surprise, they didn't have any. So instead I bought some bread from the Provo bakery instead of the Home Pride or whole wheat grain bread that I used to buy...

Day 41 & 43: Sites & "Getting Lost" in Monaco

On Monday I went with a group of people to several different areas/sites in Nice as a class assignment--Old Nice, chateau (really, they're chateau ruins) and a Russian orthodox church. I love the bright colors of the buildings around Nice. I wish I could have had more background information about the chateau/ruins before we went to find it. The church was really neat though! The iconography is interesting. I told Rachel that it is fun to compare the art of the Byzantine era with the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. The changes that came about with the Renaissance with the Roman Catholic church and the continuity and consistency of Eastern Orthodox to Byzantine styles is pretty interesting. After so much time has passed, it has remained virtually the same.

Russian Orthodox Church in Nice

Old Nice

Today Grace, Judy and I went to Monaco. We didn't actually get lost, but we were flaneuses--we didn't have a specific walk we needed to do, we just needed to get a feel for the environment and notice what was around us. It started as an adventure getting to the right bus station and going around Nice with a cranky bus driver. But we did make it to Monaco, standing all the way. Grace and Judy got off and then the doors shut so I got off at the next stop. :) We met up about 5 minutes later. We walked through Old Monaco, through the cathedral where Grace Kelly is buried (they have signs everywhere with her picture and captions in several different languages telling what she did at that place), and then we walked around some more. Monaco was cool, it wasn't entirely what I was expecting after hearing that it is such a rich place to live. It seemed pretty dirty and cramped to me. I wouldn't really want to live there, sandy beaches and all. But whatever, to each his own.

I just thought this sign was funny :)

Grace Kelly is buried here

Day 40: Matisse & Chagall

After church we went to the Musee Matisse and the Musee Chagall (because they are free on the first Sunday of each month...maybe every Sunday but definitely the first Sunday). The Musee Matisse was interesting; there were a couple of paintings that I particularly liked his brushstrokes and/or use of color that I took a picture of (before I realized that taking pictures was interdit (forbidden)). His work reminded me a lot of the way that kids look at art and the world. I think that using Matisse's work as an example of line, color and shape would be really important to help kids understand those elements but also to help motivate older grades to actually try to be artistic.

The Musee Chagall was fantastic! I didn't know what to expect and as such I was thoroughly wowed by what I saw. He depicts a lot of Bible scenes and his layout and plot narrative and symbolism are very interesting. His use of color is phenomenal! I don't even know how he creates and uses color in the way that he does. I really like his work. He may actually have become my favorite artist--even more than Vermeer. I bought a book with his Bible paintings because I liked those so much.

I can't believe that I go back to Provo in six days. It has gone by so very very quickly. Ending the program in Nice has been a wonderful blessing though. The weather is so so wonderful. I swam in the Mediterranean yesterday. The water was the perfect temperature. And the beach is rocky so we didn't get sand everywhere. These next five days are going to fly by but I hope to enjoy every minute of it.

Day 38: Blois et Chambord

Here is another post from my journal:

Friday, 4 juin 2010
We toured Blois and Chambord. Francois I lived in both places and made his mark on both of those with architecture, an F or the salamander everywhere. Blois is a conglomeration of four different styles of buildings and architecture.

Chambord is a hunting lodge that Francois I only went to 27 times; his son Henri II used it a lot more than him. Chambord was interesting because of the lack of furniture. It helped to give more of a feel for what the castle would have been like most of the time. Yet juxtaposed with the empty room and ash-stained fireplaces there were a few decorated and furnished rooms that were definitely rooms for royalty.

Double spiral staircase designed by Leonardo da Vinci

After wandering through Chambord, Grace, Judy, Ryan and I had lunch at a cafe. I got a galette with ham, egg and cheese, and then Ryan and I split a peach melba. It was sooo good! For dinner in Paris us three plus Mathilde went to a Senegalese restaurant. I got crabe farcie again and for dessert I got an ananas (pineapple) melba. It was so yummy! I think melbas are my favorite now.

Day 37: Azay, Chenonceau & Amboise

This is from my journal entry on Thursday:

Thursday, 3 juin 2010
Today we went to Azay-le-Rideau, Chenonceau, and Amboise. I really liked all of them, though for different reasons. Azay was in a little city/town, set on the side with lots of land and kind of built in the water. A queen or king never lived there; it was for a financier. It was more down-to-earth and liveable. Also I loved the path and trees around it.

Chenonceau was just simply gorgeous. And when I use "simply" I mean it had a simple kind of beauty. It wasn't terribly ornate or extravagant. I felt that I could comfortably live there. There were also pretty French gardens surrounded by wilderness. The novelty of being built on water also appeals greatly to me. The history and stories of Chenonceau also fascinate me. Maybe one day I'll write children's or young adult books about Charters and these castles and their history. That really appeals to me. :)

Amboise was the castle of Francois I and it is where Leonardo da Vinci spent three years and has been buried. The history there and the tie to Ever After and Cinderella is appealing (I guess that's my word of the day) too. I watched that movie tonight with Paris and Rachel. Unfortunately they didn't even try to make the Amboise castle in the movie look like the real Amboise castle.

Days 34-36: Normandy & Brittany & Loire Valley

Bayeux, Omaha Beach, St-Lo

31 mai 2010
We went to Bayeux, Omaha Beach and St-Lo Monday. The tapestry at Bayeux was rather amazing. I couldn’t believe that it had been made so quickly and that it was so detailed. I have had periods in my life where I have been really into cross-stitching and embroidering so it was a treat to see the technique and to see how it has been preserved throughout the centuries.

As for Omaha Beach, the German Bunker and St-Lo, it was a wonderful day to go those places because of the fact that it was Memorial Day. Being at Omaha Beach was a really special experience for me. I kept trying to envision the beach and trees being filled with soldiers, tanks, bombs dropping and boats out on the sea with paratroopers falling from the sky on to the beach. Even with an active imagination, it was hard for me to imagine that kind of a scenery because of the peace and calm that I felt on that beach. It was incredibly peaceful. I had the thought that maybe some of those soldiers thought “Hey I get to go to France” even under horrible circumstances such as war, they may have been excited to go there (because France is so famous), and yet so many—thousands—of those men lost their lives and are now buried in France.

Walking through the cemetery and reading the names of the soldiers was also a special experience. I think that there is something, I’m not sure what but something, that happens when you say someone’s name and recognize their existence as a human being, which is one of the reasons why I love going to cemeteries and reading the names on the tombstones and honoring their lives—whatever kind of lives were lived, they were human and they are my brothers and sisters. I’m really grateful I was able to go there to see the beach and cemetery and honor those who gave their lives to protect the entire free world.

Mont St-Michel, St-Malo
1 juin 2010
The rain definitely made today a different trip than it may have been with sunshine. From a distance I was impressed with the majesty of Mont St. Michel. It reminded me of a mix between the castle from Beauty and the Beast and the Hogwart’s castle from Harry Potter. We were able to have a look closer-up as we walked through the cramped “streets” leading up to the part of the abbey where our tour was going to start. I liked the juxtaposition between the Romanesque and Gothic architecture that was so visible in the different parts of the abbey. I absolutely loved the view from the abbey down onto Brittany. Even in the fog it was a beautiful sight.

St-Malo would have to be my favorite visit so far on this whole trip to France. It was so peaceful and beautiful. I’m sure it would have been a different kind of beautiful with the sun out, but it had a special kind of a feel when it was overcast. It was neat to walk on the wall around the perimeter of the city and look out over the beach.

In addition to these set destinations that we went to yesterday, I love looking out the window at the scenery. It is so green and lush here. The houses are picturesque and set off from the road with a wide variety of colors for the doors and shutters and gates—details which I absolutely love about being here in France.

The dinner was a treat. I loved the feel of the restaurant and the colors—deep red and white and silver. So beautiful! And the food was fantastic!

Angers, Langeais, Tours
2 juin 2010
The Angers Château was really a fortress, which you can tell on the outside but once inside you may doubt that a little bit because of the gardens and the peaceful environment that reigns there. We walked around the wall and were able to look out onto the city of Angers. While the view was stunning and the fortress itself was pretty neat, it was the flowers and plants that caught my attention. I definitely want to learn how to garden and not kill plants when I get back to Provo and/or have a yard.

I absolutely loved the tapestries at Angers ! Now I really want to read the Book of Revelations because the tapestries are called the Apocalyptic Tapestries and were commissioned to be made in 1375 by Louis I, Duke of Anjou and brother of King Charles V and was probably completed in 1382. While the tapestries can be considered in one sense a depiction of the events in Revelation, they are also a version of a certain kind of interpretation of the Book of Revelation which I thought was really interesting. That’s a lot of the reason why I want to reread the Book of Revelation…

After Angers we drove to Langeais. The castle was cool—the first castle that we’ve seen in the Loire Valley. I loved the beds! I thought they were so neat! I kind of want a bed like that…Also the chests were really neat. Very intricate and detailed. Some of them reminded me of Mom’s cedar chest where all the old blankets are.

Then for dinner here in Tours we ate at this fantastic restaurant. Very classy and very delicious.

Day 32: Legitimately Lost & Fully Exercised

After class today, Paris, Rachel and I went to the flea market. I was trying to find the same place where we'd gone last time so that I could get some postcards that had been used already and use those for a lesson plan...alas, we never did find that part of the flea market. We were there for about an hour and then continued on with our lives.

I decided to just go back to the Vesinet. However, on the RER back to the Vesinet I decided to stop at La Defense stop so that I could see it. Here are some of my pictures:

(La Defense statue)

(The Grand Arch)

Then I hopped back on the RER and again decided to not get off at Le Vesinet-Le Pecq, but to instead get off at Le Vesinet-Centre, hoping to pop in at a book store, see if they had the new Marie-Anne book by Anne-Marie Desplat-Duc. However this is where the theme of my day starts:

I get off at the station. I follow the people. Do I look at the map of the area? Nope--it's le Vesinet-Centre! It's the station just before my station, I probably ran past this place on my run three weeks ago; I don't need to see the map. Hmmm...yeah. I should have looked at the map.

Rather than "popping in" to a bookshop, I ended up getting seriously and legitimately lost. I was in some random neighborhoods in le Vesinet. I did see some lovely houses though.

As you can see by looking the map, the black X is where the bookshop was (though I didn't find that out until several hours later) and the green X is where Nannick's house is. And as you can see by looking at my path (there was a bit more meandering in the neighborhoods that is not reflected on this map), I had absolutely no sense of direction and where I was going. I crossed the Seine. TWICE. I crossed it once because the street signs in the neighborhood were now saying "Le Pecq" and I remembered that when we went through le Pecq with Nannick last week we had to cross a bridge to leave le Vesinet to go through le Pecq. Ha. Yeah...

Instead of the 1.8 miles from the Vesinet-Centre stop to the Vesinet-Pecq stop, it took me about 4.5 miles.

Just above the point where I first crossed the Seine was a big sign that said "Vesinet" with an arrow pointing in the direction behind me. Did I see it? Of course not! Who looks up? Granted, it was raining by this point, but still...

So I crossed the Seine once, walked a little bit on the other side, finally found a map of le Pecq and saw that I was on the wrong side. So I crossed back over the Seine, and noticed that on my right was a store--Leader Price. I needed to stop at Leader Price to get some ingredients for a salad and since I was passing by now, it would save me a trip of going to the one by where Nannick lives when I returned. I figured I couldn't be too far away since I was in the Vesinet now. Then I entered the store and realized it was the store by Nannick's that Grace and I have gone to twice. Ha. Wow, I had no idea it was just down the street from the bridge over the Seine. I'm so observant.

I bought my food, returned to Nannick's, ate some lunch, then headed out again, this time hoping to find a bookstore. Here is a map of this journey, because yes, again, I had no idea where I was going:

(Black X: Nannick's house; Green X: Bookshop; Two Blue X's: the 2 RER stations, the one by the black X is the Vesinet-Pecq stop, the one by the green X is the Vesinet-Centre. So yes, I was so close the first time I got off the RER only I went in the total wrong direction. And yes, I should have just taken the RER to get from Nannick's to the bookshop. Instead of a 1.5 mile walk to a bookshop, it was 4 1/4 miles)

I walked and walked and kept thinking--there's a McDonalds, there must be a bookstore nearby...there's a Carrefour, there must be a bookstore nearby...Nope. However, I did see two rather strange things on my way to where I turned around and on my way back that I took a picture of:

(Yes, that is a real peacock. And yes, it is really in someone's front yard. In fact, there was another one on the front porch)

(I kind of wished I could have bought this car for Jacob; he would love to drive a car like this)

(This is there sign that basically means: Watch out there are kids here because there is a school. However, what it says is: Be careful, 500 children. I think that is hilarious.)

So then I decided to just walk the way that I took a run a couple weeks ago--straight down Boulevard Carnot. I'd run by some restaurants which meant some kind of a downtown, right? Of course! I walked and walked...I ended up following an older lady when I got closer to the "downtown" part of the Vesinet because she looked like she knew where she was going. And what do you know? She pretty much led me to the bookshop!

I ended up getting some of Moliere's plays in French because the new book by Desplat-Duc wasn't there. I also got two of the Petit Nicholas books. I paid and left the bookshop fully intending to walk back down Boulevard Carnot. But again! I am directionally challenged here without mountains to guide me. Instead I turned away from that street (without knowing it) and then I turned and what did I see? The Vesinet-Centre RER station. ha. If I had just gone to the other side of the RER station when I had first gotten off four hours previously.

So what did I learn today?

1. Open my eyes and read signs, even if they are behind me, if I have no idea where I am

2. Look at maps before exiting an never-before-visited RER or Metro station

3. It's a good thing I brought my tennis shoes to France

4. Even though I prayed to find the bookshop when I first got off at the Vesinet-Centre RER station (and then proceeded to get lost...twice), my prayer was answered because I did make it to the bookshop in the Vesinet before it closed.

And that was my exciting day of becoming lost and walking 8 miles in the Vesinet and the Pecq. :)