Venette, Compaigne, Paris, Mers-de-bains, Amiens

This week has been such a crazy and wonderful experience. Departing the United States and arriving in France was just the beginning. I arrived in France (Paris) on Sunday at 6:30 am. Mathilde and her father picked me up from the airport and we drove back to their home. It was about 40 minutes north from the airport in Paris. On the car ride back, I could not stop smiling. The excitement of traveling seems to get to me in the funniest ways. Due to the fact that I did not sleep but about 30 minutes on the plane (because I was watching season 9 of friends...) I was exhausted. The amount of fatigue is quite incredible, but I managed to get to their humble abode, meet and greet the family, then sleep for about 5 hours. Wonderful sleep. Almost drug like.

13:00 Sunday afternoon I hear the voice of a small girl. "Julia, we eat now!" Jeanne, Mathilde's 11 year old sister comes in my room to wake me for lunch. I was told before I came to France that meals were very important. Still waking up, I staggered down the stairs. Placemats, forks, knives, spoons, plates, and cups all set neatly on the table. Mathilde's mom was finishing cooking while the children and father gathered in the kitchen. We ate a cooked tomato vegetable medley with rice, and haddock. The mother served us all and once everyone was served we ate. There were six people at the table. Six pieces of fish, a medium bowl of rice, and a medium bowl of vegetables. Just enough food to have only a little left over once served. The food was fresh, and in my opinion, the whole atmosphere was quite refreshing. The family would talk, laugh and eat for almost an hour including dinner, after dinner cheese and bread, and dessert. Every meal they eat fresh bread with cheese. And after that, they have dessert, which is usually soy pudding, a piece of fruit, fruit purée or yogurt. The French lifestyle is completely different than the American lifestyle. Eating to enjoy, not to stuff. Enjoying the simple pleasures in life, and taking time to rest and relax. So far I am enjoying it.

17:00 Sunday afternoon, we all gathered in the living room for snack time. There is a French pastry called galette, which is a flakey pastry with almond sugar paste in the center. This is very popular in France only during the month of January (not sure why). 11 small plates, 11 small forks, apple cider, and clementines all come out onto the table in the living room. Mathilde's cousins, aunt and uncle came over to visit. We all sat in the living room, ate a triangle of the pastry, drank cider, and conversed. In America, this is foreign. The children were respectful, compliant, and well behaved. They sat with the adults for the two hours they came over to visit.

The week came and went by very fast. I knew that coming to France would mean missing my family, friends and boyfriend, but I thanks to modern day technology, I was able to keep in close touch with everyone. This week I had to learn to truly lean on God and to give him my worries, anxieties, and fear. At the mark of exactly one week in France I had a minor breakdown. Feeling uncomfortable, tired, and a little bit lonely at times throughout the week hit all in one day. I learned so much in just one week; culture, food, God, and myself.

Christ calls his children to call on his name in distress and in times of joy as well. I feel so lucky to have the faith I do, with the ability to converse with my creator whenever I want without having to do anything to earn his love. This week, while not having the ability to understand the language of the people around me I spent a lot of time praying for the people who mean a lot to me. My family, old friends, new friends, my boyfriend, and my new French family. I am definitely excited to see what God has for me in my time spent abroad. I'm praying that he will use me, prune me, and strengthen me to better glorify him and further his kingdom.

A wonderful blessing of a week! More to come!

"RebePrime" Mathilde's fathers produce distribution company!