Saturday, October 24, 2009

two weeks of blogging in one post

man, i didn't realize i had fallen to far behind! oh well.
stolen clothes were never returned, and the housing department basically blamed their theft on me (such pleasant, sympathetic response, right?). there's a chance i may be able to get a little reimbursement from insurance for the stolen wallet and the clothes; probably won't know or receive anything until 2012, but hey it's promising.
this tuesday we had an international student afternoon affair, with a mini orchestra performance and tons of hors d'oeuvres. i had 10 baby pastries and cakes- delicious!- two maccaroons, one ecalair, a couple tarts, a couple chocolate shelled-fruit filled treats on a cracker, etc.
i finally got in both my french and american debit cards, though still waiting on a pin number for the french (even though its been 3 weeks).
i tried to go salsa dancing at a place called "les docks" last night, but after spending an hour and a half walking around in heels trying to find it my dutch friend and i gave up. we walked ot the seine river and enjoyed the view for a while, then stumbled upon remains of the old roman wall from the 1300's- nice surprise!
i went to church with jo again last week, and one of the members was getting baptised. it was really interesting and a huge ordeal the entire hour and a half long service was devoted to her baptism. i thought i had seen people celebrate baptisms before, but man this church has all prior memories beat! the girl's aunt came all the way from southern france to represent her family, gifts were given, two people while sharing scripture with her started to cry, her and the pastor changed into all white just for the baptism, the pastor geared the whole sermon for her, and food and drinks were served afterwards. i know the angels celebrate when someone becomes a christian, i think i have a better idea of what that's like now!
i discovered this morning with my leftover tortillas that they taste lovely with nutella- perfect combo of the south meets europe :) deb came back from her visit to the states and brought me goodies- 2 cans of sloppy joe mix, ranch dressing, italian dressing, peanut butter and sweet baby ray's honey bbq sauce! within 24 hours i made rice with sausage and bbq sauce, a pbnj sandwich and sloppy joe's- it was fantastic!
winter suddenly arrived. one day, it was just 15-20 degrees colder, and it hasn't really changed since then. more rainy, but still definitely not as much rain (or as hard or as much) as other parts of france nearby. i busted out my winter coat yesterday for the first time, and discovered a pair of pink gloves inside! score.
so i've been sick like 3 weeks now, and finally went to the doctor on campus. walked in and was seen all in under 45 minutes, for free, and got 3 prescriptions: a nose spray, pills and a syrup to drink, all bases covered. all the pharmacies are the same here; there's no need to find the cheaper one because they're the same, which is convenient. i went to the one close to my campus, and all three cost 10 euros! they shot out of a little metal tray from the wall, like something from the jetson's and it was cool. the french and european union socialist system works really well for them- the citizens pay high taxes, but everything from education (at every level, including master's) to health care to discounts for everyone under 26 to transportation is free or almost free because of it!
lots of confusion as usual- bank, transportation, money, classes still not confirmed by my advisor in texas, sickness, drama with italy trip- but i'm getting more used to it. i've been praying for a higher tolerance and deeper trust in God before any plans of person, and it's been a bit better.
i leave for a six day excursion into italy in a couple hours! going with katie to paris today, then flying to milan late tonight for a 6 hour layover in the airport and then arriving in rome! i'll be there sunday through thursday morning, couchsurfing with 1-2 people, and then fly to trapani, sicily. i'll be there two days and then return to paris and then le mans, on halloween! happy halloween everyone, and i'll be back with italian stories in a little over a week!

1 comment:

  1. I'm caught up on your blog now! (Shame on me for falling SO far behind!) I'm sorry. :(

    Where's November, hun?

    What's going on with you?

    Love you! Hope we can skype soon! :)

    ~Chrissy

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