Anyways. I could not be more in love with Paris and just life here. Everything has been incredible! The Lord has provided, of course, but even more so He has blessed me beyond belief. Every concern or worry that I had about my first semester here has been erased. To begin, the roommate, Miss Tayler Mitchell, is great. She is precious and I love her already. We have had a blast this week exploring our neighborhood and Paris in general. I'm really looking forward to spending the next 15 weeks with her. Secondly, my host mother. I live with just one woman (and Tayler) and her name is Dominique, and I'm convinced we have the best! She is so hospitable and a great cook! She speaks some English, but she only uses English if I'm really not understanding something. Otherwise, the three of us speak french only. The apartment we live in is adorable! It's a fairly small flat down a cute side street in the 19th arrondissement. Not a super nice or "chic" area but its perfect and I love it. Right down the street is the largest park in Paris called "Parc Buttes des Chaumont". And it is stunning. I can't wait to go back next week with my camera and take a bazillion pictures and explore. Central Park ain't got nothin' on it.
This past week has been full of exploring and learning about France. Classes start on Monday and I'll finally have more of a regular routine. With only one class a day, I'll still be able to spend most of the day exploring Paris and discovering all the local secrets as well as the tourist hot spots. The current local hot spot that Tayler and I enjoy and have visited three times already is a cute "brasserie" down the street named "Le Bariole". The waitress and owner have been very nice and their food and drinks delicious! They also have wifi :) As do many cafe's all over Paris. The easy access to wifi has made it very easy to communicate with peeps all the way back in America! As well as the fact that there is wifi in the apartment. Here are a few pics from the week:
Tayler and I
And some friends that I have made.. on a boat ride!
The original statue of liberty!
The raw meat... An experience I'll probably never forget
And the incredible Segway tour through Fat Tire Bike Tours! I highly recommend it!
All in all this first week has been so much more than I could have ever hoped for. It's been quite a whirlwind of a week- being up at 8 and staying up until at least 12, and walking everywhere! Prayers are always welcomed and appreciated. Tomorrow I'm going to the American Church in Paris so I'm excited to connect with some fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. The God in America is the same exact God here in Paris which is obvious but really cool to see and live. Praying that I will not get caught up in wanting to delve into my year abroad and into Paris, France, and Europe, that I forget to rest in the Lord along the way.
His love never fails.
PS-If there's anything you want me to be more specific about or elaborate on, let me know! And I'd love to answer any questions you have.
Madgazelle here. You're seriously going to make me cry every day, aren't you? :) Thanks for keeping this blog, my friend. You have no idea how much it encourages me. Writing that book and teaching verbs all those years wasn't a complete waste of my time. :) Hope you loved the American Church! FYI, Hillsong United has a campus in Paris, too- they meet on Friday nights, I think! Big hugs from Texas! love-JMC
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ReplyDeletehttp://www.moneglisehillsong.fr/en/