a belgian valentine's day

For a last minute trip where we knew little details aside from the time and place of the airline flights, three chicks from Oklahoma, Seattle and Texas sure had a blast exploring our way through Belgium. We originally set out planning this little excursion because we wanted to go to the Avicii concert in Antwerp, which is a smaller city right outside of Brussels. By the end of our stay in Belgium we were so thankful that we got to see more than just Brussels! Brussels is a beautiful city, but to get the full experience of Belgium I definitely think seeing another city such as Antwerp, Ghent or Bruges is necessary.

before Avicii- I'd say we we pulled ourselves together pretty darn well for getting ready in the airport bathroom ;)

 I also experienced my first hostel! Everyone there seemed to be going to the Avicii concert as well so it was fun running around meeting them and getting hype for the concert. We became fast friends with three other Americans who are studying abroad in Madrid and spent half of our weekend wandering around with them.

our hostel 

AVICII

I think I could write a whole short story on how good the Belgian waffles are, but I'll spare your sanity and just tell you that I'm very obsessed with them. There's a little joke in Belgium about the different kinds of waffles- tourists always go for the ones loaded with strawberries, ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, etc. while the locals just snack on the plain ones that have sugar baked inside of them. My very first one had to be the tourist kind with extra chocolate sauce and then after that I settled down and went for the gaufre liège which still knocked my socks off. 

waffle # who knows how many at a flea market we visited 

One of the best parts of the trip was definitely the last night. Per recommendation from Raf, our favorite Brussels local, we went to this typical Belgian restaurant and had a lovely hardy Belgian meal of mashed potatoes and sausage and pumpkin ravioli. Then we stopped for some ice cream and skipped our way back to the Grote Markt to catch a glimpse of it all lit up. 

 Belgian waffles, don't you worry. I'll be back someday and we will reunite and it will be joyous.

marseille aka detroit

Before my friend Cicily and I took off on our grand adventure to Marseille, our program director and fellow students back in Grenoble were joking with us that Marseille is the French equivalent to Detroit. Apparently there are drugs galore and gang violence, my French friend even told me that most people in Grenoble are scared of Marseille!

So, with all this lovely encouragement, Cicily and I put on our big girl pants and boarded the train to Detroit...and what we found was a beautiful city with delicious seafood and killer views of the mountains and ocean! We stayed with the absolute cutest French couple named Sabine and Marceau in their apartment that overlooked the whole city. Okay actually I think his name is Paul-Louis, but I somehow thought his name was Marceau the whole time...moving on.

On Friday night we blindly stepped into French hipster central in this area recommended to us by Cicily's hip host mom. The restaurant was located in this huge warehouse with graffiti adorning the walls on the outside of the building and was so unassuming that we actually walked right past it the first time and had to be redirected by a sweet French woman and her little girl. Thanks Veronique and Stella! We ate one of the best Caesar salads we've ever tasted- the French know how to make em, I tell you! Then on Saturday we spent our time walking along the Vieux Port and visiting the Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde which is waaay the heck up on this hill (Cicily and I were convinced that we were actually in San Francisco instead of Detroit). The Basilica was extraordinary. Very ornate and had a special Marseille touch to it with picture collages of the port on the walls inside the main sanctuary. 

On our last day we scurried over to Palais Longchamp, a real beaut, to participate in the opening weekend of a new exhibit in Le Musée des Beaux-Arts. Which basically translates to free. Gratuit has become one of our new favorite words over here. The Palais was built in 1839 to commemorate the construction of the Marseille Canal, but today is best known as the home of the Museum of Natural History and Museum of Beaux-Arts. 

After trying some navettes de Marseille (a cookie made in various flavors in the shape of little boats) and inching out as close to the Mediterranean Sea as possible to view some last museums and forts, we boarded the train back to Grenoble. I'm happy to say that Marseille has become on of my new favorite cities! There was so much to do and see, and if all else fails, there is always something going on down by the port...even in February! 

Until next time, Marseille! 

something far greater

Mountains and sunsets and friendships and new countries and fresh fallen snow. These things are all spectacular. True wonders that make my heart sing. They make my heart sing because they are great gifts from God, because he delights to show us his grandeur and splendor. But there is something far greater than all this that we have to look forward to: walking through the pearly gates of heaven to meet our Creator, our Savior, our God.

"but our citizenship is in heaven. and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."

philippians 3:20-21

We are called to yearn for heaven. And I don't think I take that as seriously as I should. Sometimes life just gets goin' and I forget to have an eternal perspective. Living in a foreign country has helped me slow down and think about that a little more. My life here is similar in many ways to my life back home. There are heartbreaks and hurt feelings, homework and 8:30 AM classes, temptations and many, many lessons to be learned. There are people that need love, and people who wonderfully shower love on me.

"He has set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." 

ecclesiastes 3:11

My main thought here is this: I am striving to enjoy the gifts that God has placed in my life, while also remembering that everything on this earth is only temporary. One day we will be united with Jesus and it will be perfect. In fact, that's the only time we can expect perfection. Until then, I think I'll continue to spend as much time in the mountains and trying new things as I can because that is how I feel the absolute closest to God.

p.s.- I found my new favorite cereal!!!! slightly obsessed...this is why I arise in the morning for my 8:30 AM class. 

a bird's eye view

Grenoble is situated in the middle of three massifs: Belledonne, Chartreuse and Vercours. You are pretty much guaranteed a view of one of them when walking down any street in Grenoble, especially where there are no buildings to obstruct your visibility!
A few weekends ago, my host family and I went on a randonnée to Fort Saint Eynard. The fort sits perched upon Mont Saint Eynard and is part of the Chartreuse mountains.

We started off walking on a snow blazed road squished in between huge, towering trees that let only the teensiest amount of sunlight through. As we ascended, we veered off onto a small trail which de temps en temps allowed my feet sink down to my ankles in fresh powdery snow. After huffing and puffing and slipping and sliding our way up to the top, I approached the absolute most beautiful sight I've ever seen.

So this is Grenoble, welcome.
Celebratory snow balls were thrown and meanwhile, I was standing there in complete awe.

Grenoble, you are truly a magical city.

a friday well spent

My friend Catherine and I decided to spend our day off from class on Friday by exploring some of the daily markets in Grenoble! First stop was Saint Bruno, which is an outdoor market right by my apartment. This market offers literally the most random melange of everything from socks & makeup to fresh vegetables & cheese. We walked through and picked up an orange here and a banana there to eat for breakfast while peering at all the goods Saint Bruno has to offer.

Next we hopped on the tram to see the indoor/outdoor market at Halles- Saint Claire. I was giddy walking up and down the aisles looking into the glass windows displaying yogurt, fish, cheese, lapin (rabbit), bread, confiture, sausage, juices and the most beautiful array of flowers.

We picked out a cluster of products and then walked down the street to a boulangerie where we bought a baguette, a chocolate eclair and a tarte aux pommes. After that, we walked a little further and parked ourselves on a bench in Place Victor Hugo, a beautiful little park with a fountain in the middle and way too many pigeons. The time had come. We set up our little picnic in the middle of the bench and, sitting one on each side of the spread, began our feast. In between passing the cheese knife back and forth, we kept giggling and squealing this is so French!

My first chocolate eclair was a huge success.

After resting from our food coma, Catherine and I decided to be really hip, young French ladies and go to le cinéma. 

Well. We were the ONLY ones in the whole theatre. So much for being hip and cool...
Anyways, I saw The Secret Life of Walter Mitty with my dad before I left for France and it became one of my favorite movies! The scenery was out of this world and I loved the idea of going out and doing something adventurous and exciting. I was interested to see it in French and see if I would be able to understand it! Lucky for us, since we were the only ones in there, we got to talk throughout the movie about what was going on and what did he just say? It was a grand time.

all things french

Salut from Grenoble!!!

So, week one has passed and I'm already completely in love. I'm not exactly sure how to recount everything that has happened in the past week so I'll just start by describing some of my favorite memories.

Last Wednesday after arriving in Lyon and connecting with the group of students whom I'm studying with, we hopped on the shuttle to take us to Grenoble- our new home! On the way there I got to sit next to this guy who is also a student at Stendhal University in Grenoble who is from Kazakhstan. Diaz and I spent the 45 minute ride speaking in French (so I could practice) and then in English (so he could practice). I loved hearing about Diaz's life, why he came to Grenoble and what he wants to do after. This first encounter was so eye-opening and so thrilling for me, just a precursor to all the people I would eventually meet in Grenoble with whom French is sometimes the only thing we have in common.

The first few days were spent acclimating ourselves to the city and life in France. We did a LOT of walking around the city, participating in les soldes (biannual sales in every store all around France), and tasting all the sweets and carbs we could get our hands on. I feel like every time I try a new treat from une boulangerie I am utterly amazed by it's goodness. How do they do it?!

My host family is super fun. Clo, Mateo and Eva. Clo is the mom and she is a FABULOUS cook, always whipping up some delicious regional French specialty and painting these ridiculously creative paintings in her spare time. Mateo is in middle school and he is probably the cutest of the French boys. We bonded watching Lord of the Rings, Le Seigneur des Anneaux, the other night because he was utterly appalled that I had never seen it...my b. Eva is a stylish high schooler whom I haven't gotten to know super well yet, but looking forward to! 

this is the view from my bedroom window...where the heck am I?

Now for one of my favorite moments thus far. I met a friend at A&M last year who also studied abroad in Grenoble this past summer. (hey Ellie) She gave me the email of a woman she said I absolutely had to meet. Without knowing anything else about Holli, I sent her an email in my very best French explaining that I was a student in Grenoble and I would love to connect with her. I was SO relieved when she emailed me back in perfect English & we ended up planning for her to pick me up for church on Sunday. 

It's called the International Church of Grenoble and I absolutely loved it. Not to mention that I'm obsessed with Holli and her precious family. I also got to meet some other students from Stendhal who are involved in this organization on campus called Le Feu (Fire) and they invited me to their weekly dinner party on Sunday night. I cannot express how grateful I am to have found this group of people! I went back again this past Wednesday night for etude biblique which, as one of the boys described to me in his thick French accent, is known as "bible for dummies". It was incredible getting to hear all about the basics of the bible, but in French! At Feu I have met new friends from Haiti, Colombia, China, Germany, Brazil, Korea, the British Virgin Islands (the heck?!) and of course, France herself. 

Amidst all this other excitement, I survived my first (half) week of classes! Yippee. We took our placement exam which consisted of a super intimidating chat with one of the university's professors, a written portion and an online portion. We are split up into groups of about 15 people with whom we have French language and vocabulary class every morning (except Friday) with the same professor. My group consists of Americans, Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Mexicans and a lovely typical French professor names Jacques. Any other language except French is completely forbidden. And I don't think I want to mess with Jacques... In the afternoons we are free to choose 3 elective classes to attend for the semester. I think I've decided on Culture & Society, French Literature and History of Contemporary France. French, french, french toute la journée! 

So far my biggest struggle has been learning to pronounce my name in French. It's harder than you would think, people. Surely I can conquer this so when I introduce myself to people they aren't completely discombobulated. 

C'est tout pour maintenant. Beaucoup de bisous. 

gratitude

A big theme of my semester has been learning to be constantly thankful. In Ephesians, Paul mentions several times the importance of this act. If my heart is in a state of thankfulness and gratitude, it is harder for bitterness, lies and other nasty things to creep in.

"I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers." Ephesians 1:16

"Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:19-20 

Being thankful is not something that comes easily. It's a choice. It's a discipline. When things are going poorly and it's hard to see the goodness in a situation, stop and think of three things that you are thankful for. This helps so much in remembering that God is good all the time. And all the time, God is good.

So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday, cranberry salsa YUM!!) here are three things I am thankful for.

1. Friends who spoil me and show me immense love. Friends who will put their hair in french braids, cook french toast, buy french onion dip, french baguettes, french kisses and sparkling wine just to surprise me with a going away party before leaving for France. I feel so undeserving.

2. Reuniting with some of my oldest friends for a weekend of football and freezing fun in Baton Rouge.

3. Spending time at home with family, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.




Happy Thanksgiving :)