Fete de la Musique et Soldes!!!!

I've realized I haven't blogged in over a week, so I'm back! This week has had a back-to-back nationwide thing going on. Tuesday night was the Fete de la Musique to celebrate the beginning of summer (whoo!), and then the very next day (yesterday) began the five-week long soldes, or sales. Oodles of stores not only all over the city of Montpellier, but of all France, have major markdowns on merchandise. That was the day that I had been waiting on for weeks, resisting the urge to go shop like crazy. And you know what? It worked really well in the end. I shopped until I was out of my system pretty much. I could do some more, but a part of growing up includes keeping in mind your responsibilities, even if you aren't facing them that very moment. So there. I finally got to hear a gospel choir here (Praise Dieu!) AND a dress I had my eye on I ended up getting for 50% off, bringing the price down to 14.99 euros. Such a great shopping day! I'm starting to get more in tune with the shopper in me. I've only been shopping for myself for four years, and trying to see what works on me and what doesn't is no easy task, but when you find the perfect piece of clothing, it's like heaven on earth!

All of this is part of the grand finale of my stay in France. Come Wednesday morning, I will begin my 3 flight trip back to Houston to do Lord knows what in Houston. I can't wait to use the internet wherever I want to spend time with my friends and family. I miss you guys, and I'm ready to enjoy some of the comforts of Americana again :)

My dress!

Communication: The Pulse of Life

Happy Mardi! It's another beautiful afternoon in Montpellier, and I'm outside on my laptop...alone. I have a mini confession to make. I've been spending a lot of time solo dolo out here...maybe more than I'd like. I was told beforehand that studying abroad would be one of the most growing experiences in life. I think I've come to my growth moment.

I was really excited to coming to this country after learning about the culture and the vast, long history, and you know, just BEING in the country. I don't think I thought about much else, including what I would do with the other students here or with my host family. It wasn't until today after I got home from class that everything just came and tears began to fall (that and maybe the fact that mother nature has paid me my monthly visit). How did I end up by myself once again? I asked myself. Why wasn't I invited to do anything with anyone or at least asked what my plans were? Now, that actually did happen, and I was feeling crappy, so I really wanted some water and nap. But nevertheless, I came to a grand revelation.

Plain and simple, I have problems communicating well, especially when it comes to sharing my feelings, thoughts and concerns. It's been this with the group. I never really know what anyone else does until the next day in class, and I never ask what anyone else is doing. My host mom has been stuck with this too. She usually doesn't know whether or not I understand what she's saying or I'm trying to process what she just said, so resorted to speaking mainly in English, which I do NOT like. I may not understand, but I'm still TRYING to get stronger in the language.

I like to call myself a receiver more than a giver, meaning I wait for someone to speak first before I say anything, majority of the time. The only time I don't do this is when I really wanna reach out to some folks, which is what I seem to be doing with my friends and family back home. I'm so busy missing the life I was living that I haven't fully come into this new season of my life, meeting new people, experiencing new things. Only Lord knows what my classmates may think of me since I always go incognito and barely speak in class.

BUT....I'm still in France, and the program isn't over yet. My professor (who's really awesome by the way) mentioned in the syllabus that the class is what you make of it and take out of it, and I think that applies to my entire stay here. I may have retreated back to my shy, quiet ways, but I don't have to stay here.

I'm currently reading this book The Five Love Languages, and the author mentions about how people were made to be relational, and how if anything relationships really shape how a person is doing in life. They can be doing great in their schoolwork, work, church, whatever, but if the relationships they have with others suck, then they ain't a happy camper. That being said, I have decided to at least take the initiative, go completely outside of my comfort zone, and SPEAK up. I hope and pray that it will make the next two weeks much more enjoyable and less blah at times.

God moves EVERYWHERE! C'est tout.

My Adventures in France

Two and a half weeks into my stay here, I have had quite the adventure. From the time I left Houston to the time I arrived at my hotel was crazy! I had to go through immigration in London just to go get my bag and catch my next flight to Paris. Once I arrived in Paris (happy moment!) and the area where my hotel was, I was stuck walking around for a good hour trying to navigate the narrow streets and tiny roads. I was initially afraid of asking someone for directions because my French isn't the best, but I finally broke down and asked a guy at a newsstand. Turns out I was almost there! I was tired, sweaty and in pain by the time I checked into the hotel. But I made it!

While walking the streets of Paris, I started to notice quite a bit of black people there, and I don't mean American tourists. I mean basically the French counterpart of African Americans. I was blown away! I know a lady from my church mentioned it to me, but I still was amazed. It wasn't until Saturday night when the group went out to dinner that I found out where a lot of them dwell. It was so cool seeing beauty supplies stores and perm! (even though I'll never use THAT again) Unfortunately, with the neighborhood came some shady people. Some random dude had the audacity to put his arm around me and start talking to me. Apparently it was slang and he was offering prices like I was a potential ho or something. Lord knows what all he was saying to me. I just kept walking the whole time and the group decided to be my bodyguards for the evening :)

It seemed like those 5 days came and went with the wind because a new adventure laid ahead in Montpellier. I was getting nervous about my host family because the main person didn't have an email address, so I couldn't really contact her before meeting her. When we arrived at the Montpellier Airport and the families greeted us, turned out she wasn't there. Womp. Turns out she doesn't have a car, and I eventually me up with her when another host mom took me to her. She turned out to be a really nice lady. Me, her, and I believe her daughter-in-law went to her son's house. May 29th was Mother's Day here, so they were celebrating. So many handshakes and greetings, people speaking French and trying in English so I can understand. The get-together lasted until 10, and we switched from on car to another. Now it was her daughter, her other son (I think) and her aunt. We dropped her aunt off, and then there were four. This is exciting, I thought. Two other young people I could talk to during my stay here. It wasn't until we got to my host mom's place that I realized that the only person hosting me was her. Sad day, to say the least. I thought host families were usually families, with married couples and kids and whatnot, but here is this lady with grown kids out of the house. Basically an empty nester. But hey, it's not THAT bad.

My latest adventure happened today with un velo - a bicycle. I was really wanting to do something today, and I had been wanting to rent a bicycle for a day, so I did. Now, mind you, these bikes have the breaks on the handlebars. I haven't ridden a bike like that in four years, so one can imagine my slight fear when going down my first hill and I see a car coming, but I realize and forget easily that I cannot back pedal to stop. Thankfully I used my handlebars. Riding around was crazy. I called myself trying to get lost in the city, but all I did was go in little circles and go up some MERCILESS hills. Montpellier 1, Shondrika KO. I think after a good hour I was done and happily returned the bike back. It was definitely an adventurous hour riding around the city. It just made me miss my baby back in Lubbock :(

That's what I have so far. I am waiting for June 22nd to arrive so I can go shopping! Bon Dimanche!

Better Weather!

First, I apologize for not blogging very much. I'm a work in progress.

Anywho, happy samedi! It's a beautiful Saturday morning in Montpellier. The weather was so much nicer this week. Sunshine and heat and warmth. It makes a Texas girl really happy :). I've manged to go to the beach twice! Standing on the coast of the mediterrenean was such a spiritual moment. Seeing the waves crashing in the afternoon sun, I couldn't help but think that God created this and so much more. Just awesomeness.

I am going to post more blogs soon. Stay tuned!

Dear Montpellier Weather,

You resemble Lubbock. Boo. I have a small adventure to share, something that might match a Saturday morning cartoon.


We were scheduled to go on an excursion today, and I mean an all day affair. I wake up to the sound of rain. Uh oh. It's been raining all week except on the day we arrived, and folks are hummed out. This morning is odd cuz I can't get my timing right. I get up, clean up, get dressed and hurry through breakfast just to make it to our meeting spot. While I walk out in the rain, I step in puddles and slosh my shoes and whatnot. I see my watch. 8:50. Yikes. And speed walk to find no one there. I check my French phone to see that my professor called a good 30 minutes before. The excursion has been cancelled, I hear, just as I arrive at the school. Womp. So with my wet socks and shoes, I wander to McDo, where I've been ever since. I was rushing when I was called, and somehow I didn't hear my phone. Well, maybe not the funniest adventure, but I find it funny. Pleut is not on our side this summer. Hopefully le soleil will come back tôt...trés tôt.

Après the Parisian Experience

Disclaimer: I wrote this in my journal yesterday.

At last, the program has begun! Aujourd’hui (today) was day 2 of class in Montpellier. It’s conducted primarily in French, like the last three French classes I’ve taken, but now I have to really open my ears to comprehend what’s being said at a faster rate. I’m not sure why, but I had this preconceived notion that I wouldn’t understand a lick of what people would be saying here because they would be talking so fast. To my pleasant surprise, I understand more than I think. I have moments when I think “wow, people actually say that here!” There’s something about learning a foreign language at school that disconnects the language from the form of communication.

In the past 8 years of my learning French (4 ½ years in classes), I never really thought that people actually spoke the words that I was learning. I was learning to learn and keep my straight As. Now, I’m learning to communicate better and gain a better understanding of the country, culture and language. This is definitely NOT America, but it’s not a completely different planet either, just an alternate world.

It wasn’t until I arrived in France that I realized how much I miss my folks back home. I had been trying for days to figure out the best and most cost efficient way to call my mama, and I keep getting on Twitter to see how my friends are doing. My roomies and I had done so much together this past semester that I was wishing that they were here with me instead, but sometimes God puts you in a new place to get you out of your comfort zone. In addition, with the 7 hour time difference, what 2 in the afternoon is for me is 7 in the morning back home. But hey, it’s part of the experience, n’est pas?

Quite a bit has and will be happening here in Montpellier. There’s a cucumber outbreak in several countries, including France, and there’s testing going on in the city being done to trace the source. This weekend is the 17th annual Lesbian and Gay Pride celebration. Extreme sports, marchés and an upcoming big sale day later on in the month, not to mention a music festivale ou deux.

I keep seeing some traces of Americana. A Virgin Megastore, Foot Locker, McDonald’s and the popular music artists that the French seem to really like. Heck, just today I found myself dancing to Trey Songz “Bottoms Up” (and my peeps KNOW how I feel about his music). It’s comforting and crazy to think about at the time. How can one country have such influence?
I know I mentioned that my next post would be on my adventures in Paris, but I will combine that with my time with my host mom. À bientôt!

Paris: Up Close and Personal

I finally have managed to post on the blog! I made it to Paris safe and sound (and not without some adventure)! There is so much that has happened within the last four days. My mind is still reeling from actually being across the sea in another country. Here are a few things that have happened:

After seeing my mom boo hoo and her co-workers send me off with some unexpected spending money, I was on my way on a British Airways flight across the Atlantic. I loved the crew's accents (and i think one of the pilots was Irish). I didn't realize being up 38000 feet would be so cold feeling. It was like Siberia outside the plane. I arrived in Heathrow by 7 in the morning. I got a great view of London! I even got to see some of the buildings that have popped up in preparation for next year's Olympic Summer Games. Once I landed, I had to go through immigration just to get my bag (somehow I had two separate flights from Houston to London and then London to Paris). The second flight wasn't too bad; the English Channel was so small that I was seeing the French coast before I knew it! Laying my eyes on Paris made me so excited! After eight years of wondering and wishing, I was finally in France!

Adventure number 2 started when I arrived in the area by the hotel. I took a special bus that picks up at Charles de Gaulle and drops off at L'Opera. I was walking around trying to find the hotel, but come to find out Jesus was leading me straight there. But I kid you not, pulling a heavy suitcase was NOT fun. I was afraid of asking someone for directions because although I've taken 4 1/2 years of French, I never really practiced speaking it. I eventually asked someone running a newsstand (which there are a lot of here) and voila! I made it! I was tired and sweating and in pain, but praise God for His guidance and protection! I got to meet up with the other students and the professor's family, and we were off to dinner. Unfortunately, I discovered that the plane conditions didn't make my stomach very happy, and it began to hurt. I was better after some time though :)

I have had the opportunity to see some things up close and personal: Le tour Eiffle, Le Louvre, and Versalles. Learning the history and seeing these great markers of France was wonderful, and it would have been awesome if it wasn't swamped with a bajillion tourists (many from south Asian countries). There were cameras, backpacks, and foreign languages galore! Nevertheless, I go to see these things, and it has given me great joy.

Tomorrow is our last day in Paris; we will heading out to Montpellier to meet our host families and start the study portion of the study abroad program! I will be creating another post about some of the adventures of my days in Paris, including seeing all the black people, shopping, and Le Metro! Au revior!