Le jour secondaire, Lundi 30, Juin 2008

La brassiere, Un Jour a Paris

A word

*With a word, I will share the little details of the day.

Though the day should have begun a little earlier, after an 8:00 a.m. departure from the homestay, the 45 minute commute, and only getting slightly lost on the way, we made it with 5 minutes to spare before our examination.  The test was very difficult but I did my best and will find out tomorrow morning what level class I am to be placed.  The only comment I will make about the exam is that there was an entire row of students behind me who arrived late and talked for the test's entirety.  It had been a long time since I had been in a testing situation such as this.  And, well, with the abiding fatigue and test anxiety, I got seriously annoyed with these folk.  It was one of those moments that revealed to me the reasons for a peaceful and quiet classroom during tests and writing, etc.  I actually felt moved to ask forgiveness of all my former students who suffered through a test's taking when I was not on top of classroom management.  Please forgive me.  

After the tests, there was a short time to introduce the school faculty/staff as well as the students and their varied national backgrounds.  In this group, I am the sole American.  Again, another way in which God is stretching me beyond my comfort zone.  After just two days and appreciating so much what I do see and experience, at the same time, I miss the easy comfort of my living in America.  This feeling, of course, is heightened by the fact that I have not yet begun to study the French language here.  So, I still feel like an awkward tourist fumbling around Paris.  And I do wonder, is comfortable living something with which I have gotten too comfortable?  

After a quick tour of the school and the neighborhood, I spent the free afternoon running errands and attending to my new relationship with the blog.  :)  How bizarre, yet also, how very important to honor the many new, strange, exciting, terrifying, and transformative moments of the time here.  I stopped and ate lunch at a precious brasserie (un cafe) called "Un Jour a Paris."  For very little euros, I dined on the perfect portion of salmon, brioche, salade, and perrier.  At a petit table on the sidewalk of a Parisian street, I dined alone, under the bright noon sun and in the spirit of perfect and expectant life.     

A thought

*With a thought, I share a bit of creative imagining.

A hope

*With a hope, I ask you for your piece of participation in the journey. 

Le jour premier, Samedi 28 et Dimanche 29, Juin 2008

A word

*With a word, I share the little details of the day.

In the last two days, I made my way to Paris with some difficulty. The flight originating in the United States and flying to Montreal was cancelled due to weather. Air Canada then transfered me to a United flight that arrived late in Montreal, too late to meet the 7:55 p.m. flight to Paris. So, I waited and was instructed to "stand by" for a later 10:30 p.m. If I did not make the flight, the Air Canada representative instructed me that I was booked for a 7:55 p.m. flight the next evening. I worried about this as I would then miss Monday's 9:00 a.m. language exam. Thankfully, I waited with a lovely woman from Baltimore who had also missed the earlier flight as a result of the first cancellation. As you might imagine, I leapt with delight upon hearing the good news that I was offered a seat on Saturday night's late night flight. Very tired and still anxious about getting to Paris in a timely manner, I still had the pleasure of meeting two lovely folk during this time. First, of course, was the woman to whom I had been allied since Washington D.C.'s flight and, secondly was a gentleman who sat beside me on the plane who ended up being a human rights activist from Quebec. He and his beloved wife were traveling to Salsburg where the Institute for Human Rights meets every summer for the month of July. So, despite the stress of the day's changes, incredible people walked into journey's path. For this, I am thankful.

Upon arriving to Paris safely and with all my baggage (literally and figuratively :) ), I tried to use the phone to call my host family and explain why I was much later than expected. The phones were not cooperating, so I just decided to call for a cab and make my way to the suburbs of Paris where I would stay for the next two weeks.

My cab driver, or chauffeur (en francais), ended up being a lovely man with whom I practiced my very feeble french. Interestingly enough, he ended up being a Parisian who had moved to Paris from Haiti when he was 18 years old. We spoke in depth and with much affection for our mutually beloved country, Haiti. 50 Euros later, he kindly dropped me off at my homestay.

The family with whom I am staying are from Morocco and Algeria. They have three precious children who are 12, 11 and 7. I met also my roommates for the stay, three women from Poland, Korea, and Mexico. We spent the late afternoon getting ourselves settled and ready for Monday's commute into Paris by way of tram and metro. The commute will take about 45 minutes, from home to school. The little village where we stay is a quiet, tightly packed residential part of the city. It is a bit what Queens is to New York City. Though New York City and Paris are the same place, the two do spark a similar fire in me. At about 9:00 p.m., we shared a meal of curried chicken, vegetables, fava beans, and watermelon. Also, bread, cheese, butter, and mineral water "with gas" seem to be staples of both lunch and dinner, here at this home and in the whole of Paris.

Finally, after 32 hours with no sleep, save 2 on the plane, I fell into a deep slumber until the following morning. At home, speaking a little french, and getting my bearings, I felt that the first day was a small accomplishment and felt excited about all that was to be and become for the rest of the journey.

A thought

*With a thought, I share a bit of creative imagining.

As a result of my fatigue, I promise to delve deeper as the days pass. Until then, continue to keep me in your prayers.

A hope

*With a hope, I ask you for your piece of participation in the journey.

If you have traveled to Paris and been some place that you believe should not be missed, I am glad to receive your experiences, thoughts, and/or recommendations.

Messages

Welcome to the recording of images and thoughts, as I travel to and study in Paris, France.  The privilege and honor I have to make this journey is thanks to the generous support and encouragement from the HIES school community.  I give thanks for this time and very much feel that each one of you is journeying with me.  I welcome you and give thanks for your continued presence and prayers.  Please access this log anytime through the end of July.  I will post daily journal entries certainly through the end of classes on the 11th of that month.  In the hopeful event that I have learned to post pictures, they will be included as well.  Again, my delight and joy is that this traveling time has been possible because of you, the beloved community of friends and family who surround me.

Beginning, Preparation

Slowly but surely, I am learning. I learned how to include music on my blog, as we can hear. With just a little looking, I put two and two together and voila! Enjoy the work by le compositeur Frederic Chopin, la chantuese Edith Piaf, and a piece from the French film Amelie. Both Chopin and Piaf are buried in the celebrated Pere Lachaise Cemetary in the 20th arrondissement of Paris. This is a hallowed place I plan to see! There is a marvelous 2006 documentary by Heddy Honigmann entitled Forever that guides the viewer through an intimate and transformative walk through the famed cemetary.

Beginning, Preparation

This is my first journey into the world of creating blog space.  Being a bit of a perfectionist, I am finding it rather difficult to include all the delightful things that are available and including them on the blog.  I wish for a space of Romance, heartening music and breathtaking images.  Yet my technological skills are wanting and so I wait patiently to learn, catch up, and fill my pages.

I will leave for Paris in a little over a week.  My nerves are finding a good bit of anxious energy in making this journey on my own.  Though many make this kind of journey much earlier in their lives, I am going forth belatedly.  And I am ready.  I pray to go with a confident spirit, a child's heart, open eyes, and the hope for transformation.  " 'Do not be afraid ... for I am with you ...' says the Lord."  Jeremiah 1:8  

Beginning

This is truly a beginning, a first in keeping days and record of precious journey time.  These words prepare me for the journey soon to come.  Vive le France!