It's been a minute...

Man, it has been almost 10 years since I posted on this site. I started it as a semi-travel blog to share what the Lord was doing in my heart and what I was learning as I had the opportunity to travel. Today, I still want to use it to share what I'm learning and what the Lord is doing in my heart, but this entry is about a much more sobering topic than traveling in Europe or South Africa. Truth be told, I have been extremely torn on whether or not to share this to the world. Not because of any sense of shame I've been feeling. These things happen to women way more than is even talked about. It is just hard to share bad news with people. However, my heart in sharing this is truly for all of you to see the goodness of God in the midst of our trials, and if you are someone who needs to hear this in the midst of your own trials, be it a health journey or something else, hopefully this can be an encouragement to you. 

My miscarriage story...

July 23, 2022

Today was the day our baby was due. Clearly, our gift from the Lord didn't make it. As I write this, my body still hasn't even recovered from the multiple procedures I have had to have as a result of this miscarriage. I decided to share this journey not because of the "shock and awe" factor, but to proclaim the Lord's faithfulness in the midst of this trial, and to share that if you are walking through what feels like the darkest valley you have ever faced, (miscarriage or something else), YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

We found out we were pregnant in November, and were ecstatic! Blown away and so grateful that it had been so "easy" for us. We lived with it for a few weeks, just me and Aaron, and then I had my first ultrasound appointment in December. We were hoping to give our families ultrasound pics for Christmas around the 11-12 week mark. No heart beat yet though. The sweet ultrasound tech told me the dates were probably off. But I knew in my gut something was wrong. She asked me to come in a week later, and then another week after that. Nothing. My hormone levels were tracking, but the baby's growth was not. They officially declared it a miscarriage in mid-December, 9 weeks into the pregnancy. 

Our first date night out of the house after we found out we had lost the baby. There is something healing and *magical* about walking through Christmas lights in December!

I had to wait several more weeks to see if my body would pass everything on its own. When it didn't, at the beginning of January I had to have a procedure called a d&c, pretty standard stuff for what was happening in my body. After the d&c, my body developed an extremely rare complication called an AVM, (an "arteriovenous malformation"), in my uterus. Essentially, as best I can describe it without a medical degree of any kind, some of my veins and/or arteries became disconnected from each other, and they were pumping blood into my uterus with nowhere for it all to go. Soon, my internal bleeding became external bleeding, a pretty scary experience. This lasted for months. Some days were better than others, but I lived in constant fear of bleeding through my clothes or sudden moments of extremely heavy blood loss, both of which happened more than once. My doctors were confused because at the time, an AVM was the last thing they expected, so it wasn't something that was even considered initially. I spent many mornings and afternoons getting ultrasounds, getting bloodwork done, checking my iron levels, and then finally, at the beginning of March, getting an MRI. Just to give you insight into why an AVM wasn't being considered as a possibility - as of 2013, there were less than 100 documented cases ever recorded of AVMs in the uterus. Unfortunately for me, almost all of them were resolved with a hysterectomy. Since then, there hasn't been a lot of research or a lot more documentation on it, so my doctor's were scrambling when the MRI confirmed what they feared. With their heavy workloads, I have to say that I was in awe, and so extremely grateful, for their time and care as they worked hard to figure out the best solution for my health.

After they consulted the literature and any other doctors with knowledge of an AVM in the uterus, doing as much last minute research as they all could, it was concluded that to try to preserve any chance of a future pregnancy, I would not get a hysterectomy, but instead, they would attempt a UAE (a "Uterine Artery Embolism"). This is where they would try to block the arteries and veins that were bleeding out with teeny, tiny steel coils by going through a vein in my wrist. Modern medicine is unreal...!

In the midst of the research, one of my doctors came across some medicine that MIGHT stop the bleeding and prevent the surgery. For the 2 weeks leading up to the already scheduled procedure, I took a pill 3 times a day. I was hopeful, but at this point, I was pretty sure nothing was going to work. I asked people to pray at each time of day when I took it. The pills didn't work. The Sunday before my surgery, we sang the song "Firm Foundation" in church. All of the lyrics are powerful at any point in life when you hear them, but they were especially poignant two days before this operation: "I've still got joy in chaos, I've got peace that makes no sense [...] 'Cause I've built my life on Jesus, He's never let me down, He's faithful through every season, So why would He fail now?, He won't!" Then, during the bridge you sing, "I'm safe with You, I'm gonna make it through" and at that point, I started weeping. I knew that no matter the outcome of this procedure, I was safe with my Heavenly Father. 

I went in the morning of March 22nd. I was fully aware that if things went bad, I could be waking up without a uterus. I actually had to agree or disagree with the fact that if my life was in danger as a result of this procedure, and if I needed one, I would receive a life saving blood transfusion, and/or a hysterectomy. I agreed, and went under not knowing what I would wake up to. 

The small red dot on my left wrist inside the pink circle is where they went in during surgery to get down to my uterus to stop the bleeding. Again, modern medicine is amazing! Ignore the bruising and the skin reaction. All normal, just ugly.

I am thankful to say that the procedure was a "success", and I stopped bleeding about 2 weeks after. I have never felt more kinship to the bleeding woman in the Bible who wanted Jesus's healing hand. After 4+ months of nonstop bleeding, it had finally stopped. When I went in for my follow up appointment in April, Sheila, the same ultrasound tech who tried to encourage me that maybe our dates were off in December, and the same one who had to tell me over and over again that my ultrasounds looked abnormal, told me that everything looked "normal and boring", the best news I had heard in months. I got in my car in the hospital parking lot and just wept. Up until that point, I had not cried in that office. I'm not sure how, but at that moment, it was truly as if the months of holding in the tears from all the bad news released and I just released it all and thanked God.  

Where was/is God in all of this?

Between the emotional and physical pain, this has probably been the hardest thing I have ever walked through in my life. Yet, I can honestly tell you that the Holy Spirit has never felt closer. It becomes extremely depressing and disheartening to receive consistent bad news from doctors. My mental health struggled at times. It was even harder for me to keep sharing that bad news with loved ones. Yet, the Lord continued to stay close. As I was walking through this, I was able to see some of the ways Jesus loved me and cared for me, but I can see even more at this point, and I want to share as much as I can.

Prayers and People: I had a team of people praying for me and doing life with us... through the months of waiting and enduring, on surgery days #1 and #2, with the dozens and dozens of doctors appointments and hospital visits, and throughout the recovery. Some of you brought meals, which I didn't realize would be such a blessing until we were there. Some of you sent flowers, which I absolutely love. Some of you made care baskets full of coloring books, gift cards, and magazines to read. Some of you helped me out at work doing whatever you could to make my job even a little bit easier. Some of you just prayed without ceasing. I have tears in my eyes thinking about all of you. My prayer warriors and my people. Thank you. Each of you. 

Scripture: It felt like each time I had my quiet time, God had something for me, usually not something I was necessarily looking for. This happened countless times, but for example, I was looking for the verses in Isaiah where the Lord promises that in the water, the rivers, and the fires, He will be with us (43:1-3), (a song we sang growing up at Camp DeSoto that played on repeat in my mind). I thought it was in Isaiah 41, but as I began to read, I read "For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, 'Do not fear; I will help you.'" - Isaiah 41:13. It was exactly what I needed to hear in that moment. Like I said, it happened countless times, "for the Word of God is living and active"(Hebrews 4:12), and each time you read it, you have the chance to understand even more of what is written there. God opened my eyes many times to the places in Scripture where He comforts us and shows us unconditional love through the toughest of times. 

Music: I don't think I can accurately guess how many times I visited the hospital throughout all of this. My doctor's office is in the hospital, so that is a big reason why, but I had a lot of trips there. Almost all of my car rides were spent with worship music on, because I didn't want to be stuck in my thoughts. I felt like each day I turned on the radio, there was a song speaking to me. For example, one day as I was driving to get yet another ultrasound and to get more bloodwork done, I heard the song "Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns. I was moved by the lyrics which proclaim, "The voice of Truth tells me 'do not be afraid'[,] the voice of Truth tells me 'this is for My glory'". Even though I was weary and confused, I prayed at that moment that God would give me the strength to listen and believe His voice of Truth.

Another example: I heard the song "Promises" by Maverick City Music on yet another trip to the doctor. The entire song is powerful, but I choked up when I heard "Though the storms may come and the winds may blow, I'll remain steadfast, and let my heart learn when You speak a word, it will come to pass." Then it goes on to say, "Yes, I'll still bless You, in the middle of the storm, in the middle of my trial, I'll still bless You, in the middle of the road, when I don't know where to go." Tough y'all. But as I listened, tears filled my eyes and I started thanking God for anything I could think of... the fact that I got to go to work that morning... the fact that I was able to drive myself to the hospital... the fact that I had amazing doctors who lived close by... When you start looking for it, you see it... He is faithful and His faithfulness never runs out. 

Devo book: I highly recommend the devotional book Held if you or a loved one are walking through a miscarriage. One of my dearest college friends sent it to me because she used it during her own, and it was continually encouraging and impactful for both me and Aaron. For example, one day I read about all the women in the Old Testament in the Bible who experienced heartache, loss, frustration, confusion, etc. through fertility struggles. They probably didn't understand why it was happening in their time, but we see how the Lord used them to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus. It made me realize that the struggles we face on this side of Heaven are not wasted, even when so often it feels like they are. 

Keeping a "Thankfulness" Journal: This is something I started during Lent a few years ago, and I have continued with it because of its great benefit to help me see the good in all things. On March 9, 2022, I was in the midst of everything medically coming to a head. Things were moving from "scary" and "uncomfortable" to "urgent", and I was feeling pretty hopeless. I took some time to write down things I was thankful for to help ground me and here is what I wrote:

"Lord, You have given me strength each day to keep pushing, and to keep putting one foot in front of the other. That has been from You. Even when I have been at my most hopeless and distraught, You have been in all of the details, and I wanted to write those down:"

-Amazing doctors who communicate well and who care

-Being on Spring Break while this is all coming to a head

-My parents being free to help with things while Aaron was out of town, and living close enough to do so

-Aaron getting an earlier flight home [from a work trip] last night so we can be together to process everything in person

-Insurance covering 100% of my d&c in January

-My iron levels still being normal (how?!)

-My MRI not taking very long

-The dental hygienist being so compassionate and having gone through a miscarriage of her own when I had to tell her about my updated recent medical history

-[Our dear friend in residency] being able to explain to us what an AVM is in non-doctor terms so we could understand it

-Friends who have been through this reaching out and continuing to pray

-The incredible prayer team of people surrounding us

I closed my journal entry by writing: "Honestly, writing this list down makes me want to praise You and thank You for all you have done for me and will continue to do for me. 'Lord, you are good and your mercy endureth forever'".

Connection with others: There were friends who were willing to share their own stories with me of not only miscarriage, but also deep and hard struggles they were walking through. I was able to lament with them and learn from them. Sharing hard things with people who understand was a huge point of encouragement for me, because I knew I wasn't alone. They knew how I was feeling, even if it wasn't exactly the same circumstance. I could go on and on here, but y'all know who you are, and I can't thank you enough for letting me in to your stories and for getting down in the dirt with me as I worked through mine. 

My medical team: They treated me with kindness and compassion each time I saw them, and as y'all already understand at this point, I saw them a lot. As you can imagine, I had lots of questions each time I saw them, and they never made me feel like an inconvenience or a bother. I got on a first name basis with everyone in all of the offices, and they were just so wonderful. They were invested in my story and would ask how I was doing and how things were going. At one point, after what felt like the millionth time of getting my iron levels checked and somehow still hearing they were normal, my new friend Doris who worked behind the front desk took my hand when I told her I wasn't low and she looked me in the eyes and said, "Honey, that's because there is a God". Amen, Doris. I wrote them a letter after my ultrasound follow up in April thanking them for everything and telling them how impactful they had been to me during it all, something I learned from my late grandmother. Each of them had their own stuff going on, but during some of the darkest days of my life, they never made me feel unimportant or uncared for. 

My faith: Upon reflection of everything, I realized that without the foundation of my faith, I would have been completely lost walking through this. I wrote my parents a letter thanking them for the years they put in to planting seeds for me. The years of their love and guidance, along with coaches, teachers, mentors, loved ones, and Young Life leaders along the way prepared me for this trial. Do not lose heart if you are in the midst of seed planting. God is faithful. 

What's next...?

To be honest, we still don't know. Despite the successful surgery, my body still has to get back to "normal" for it to be safe to try to get pregnant again, and as I shared earlier, it still hasn't. In fact, my doctors have been very honest in saying they aren't sure if pregnancy will ever be a possibility for me. This is based on the lack of research and literature surrounding successful pregnancies after UAEs that treated AVMs. They are hopeful though, so we are too. I have had a lot of people try to encourage me over the last few months saying things like "I'm sure you'll get pregnant again", but that isn't a reality or a surety for me, and without knowing it, those comments have been really hard to hear. Clearly, God's plans are different than mine. That is okay. I trust Him that He has something else for me right now, and it is truly my prayer that if you are walking through something this heavy, you begin to see and believe that too. 

I don't spend a lot of time on Instagram or Facebook anywhere. As my mom said a long time ago, "comparison kills contentment", and in the midst of this devastating loss, believe it or not, we are content. Aaron has been the greatest friend and companion through all of this, and even though it has been really, really hard, we have grown closer because of it. He still loves his job and it has been a gift for me to witness all of the gifts and talents the Lord has given him manifest themselves in new ways post-baseball. I am finishing up my masters degree in Elementary Education at UGA and will be teaching 2nd grade in the fall. We bought a house this past spring and are loving this new home we get to share with each other, and with friends and family. We have been able to celebrate countless weddings, babies, and other life events, big and small, with people we love. And while yes, it can be hard to celebrate things for others that you don't have, that will always be true in life. God is faithful through every season, so why would He fail now? He won't! We continue to live our lives for Him waiting to see what He has next in store for us. 

Celebrating my sister Catherine's wedding in May

Not Homesick but Missing Home

I am so sorry I have not been as on top of my blog as in the past. My computer has been suffering majorly over here with any and all viruses I could possibly get. I have gotten several emails from Wake saying they can see my computer is “infected with dangerous bugs” so if for some reason I all of a sudden go off the grid for a while, you will know why. That being said, the reason it affects my blog updates is because my blog site no longer works on my computer so I have to type everything in HTML format which takes a while for me, however, that Computer Science class I took freshman year is finally taking on more of a role than just filling my science divisional!

As you can probably well imagine, living in Europe and in France no less is still like living in a dream. I got to go to Rome, Italy this past weekend for just the weekend, (a blog about this will be coming soon… as well on Paris… sorry!!). But seriously, who does that?! I am loving the opportunity to take advantage of everything while I am here, but within the last two weeks especially it has been really hard to be here. I know part of that is I am just now passing the halfway point because according to my sweet daddy’s countdown, I’ll be home in 46 days… WHAT?! I have been living here for longer than that. Kind of incredible to believe.

These past few weeks were especially hard I think because so much was happening at home that I was really missing. In the span of 2 weeks, I had 4 friends get engaged, 1 very best friend, and then I had 1 dear camp friend pass away at the age of just 22. I truly have found such peace in knowing that without a shadow of a doubt, she is in Heaven, doing line dances with the Angels Camp DeSoto style. It was Homecoming at Wake one weekend and I saw pics on pics of all my friends together at the football game, at President’s Ball, and doing everything in between together that weekend. My younger sister won homecoming queen at our high school and I can’t tell you how much I would have loved to be there celebrating with her. All of the girls she was on court with were deserving, but I’m just so proud of her and the woman of God she is becoming. If you don’t know Frances already, you need to. She will rock your world. My other sisters will too. Missing them alot. 

My beautiful sisters at Homecoming

It is cool to see God’s hand in all of it though because as much as I wanted to be home for all of those things, no one needed me. Humbling, for sure. My friends who got engaged got to share with people at home and their friends abroad, and I was able to talk to my friends who were even more affected by Martha’s passing than I was on the phone sharing stories and asking “why?” together. My family was not planning on coming to visit at all this semester but right after I left, plane prices dropped significantly and my mom decided she really wanted to come over. So I got the absolute pleasure of hosting my mother here, while all of that was going on at home. We had been planning on her coming since the middle of September and all of these “FOMO moments” were going on while she was with me so that was such an incredible blessing and it allowed me to focus my energy elsewhere, towards spending time with her. Such an absolute joy.

I am currently reading Kisses from Katie, one of the birthday presents I received from the incredible man of God I still get to date despite the distance, and I am going to be really honest, I think I have been putting reading it off for so long because I knew it would be hard for me to read about someone else living out one of my dreams. From the moment I heard what the book was about, I knew it would make my heart long to do the same thing. For anyone who doesn’t know the book, it is about a 22 year girl from Nashville, TN living in Uganda with 14 adopted daughters. She gives up herself daily to show the love of Christ to everyone she comes into contact with, including those reading her book. It sounds crazy, but I think it would be an absolute blast. People are always surprised to hear this, but I really didn’t want to go to college either. I wanted to go straight into the mission field, wherever the Lord led me. But my parents were persistent, in a healthy way, that I go to college first. College has been great and has had its ups and downs for sure, but I hope and pray that it is not the best 4 years of my life. 2 and a half years into it now though, I can already see how the Lord is using me going to college, Wake Forest specifically, to mold me for a greater purpose, starting with the incredible people He has put in my life. I have made truly the best of friends, and the Christian community at Wake is something that has been an incredible asset to my walk with Christ. I am being molded even more so into the woman of God He wants me to be by the people He has placed in my life- the family I babysit for, the people I go to church with, my incredible friends, the friends I’ve had to learn to let go of, and the opportunities I have had, at school, abroad, and even at home to serve and talk about Him. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said I wanted to transfer to UGA or Ole Miss simply to be with my friends and take more “enjoyable” classes, but I’ve been so blind to not see that God has had a different plan for me all along. I still am SO blessed with friendships at UGA and Ole Miss, and other wonderful southern schools, but me staying at Wake only means I have to pay for a little more gas. Who doesn’t love a good roadtrip, am I right??

Our family as of this summer- we were blessed enough to add another sister 

Sooo much processing and self-reflection goes on while abroad. It’s healthy, but it’s hard. A quote I’ve loved from Kisses from Katie is: “Psalm 37:4: ‘Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart’. I used to believe it meant that if I did what the Lord asked of me, followed His commandments, and was a ‘good girl’, He would grant all my desires and make my dreams come true. Today, this is still one of my favorite passages of Scripture, but I have learned to interpret it in a totally different way. It is not about God making my dreams come true but about God changing my dreams into His dreams for my life.” Preach it Katie. I’ll update more soon but know I am daily being humbled and rebuilt by our incredible Maker and I’m happy I am not coming home just yet. Missing every one of you, but I’m so incredibly thankful for this experience. Relying on God takes on a whole new meaning for me now. So much love all the way from France. 

Normandy... Is there anything else that needs to be said?

Wednesday (11th): We had a very early morning leaving Dijon at 6:30 am and I was sure we were stopping for breakfast somewhere, so since I was running late anyways I chose not to eat any breakfast. Big mistake. Unfortunately we didn’t stop and our first stop was Champagne tasting in Champagne, France at Mercier à Epernay. I quickly shoved some fruit bars and almonds down my throat before the tasting so I wouldn’t be tipsy at 11:00 in the morning. We had an incredible tour of the champagne factory (champagnery??) and then had a tasting at the end- one glass. Why was I so worried? We were on our way to Rouen in Normandy, but stopped in a town called Reims to get a tour of the town and the cathedral there, (probably my favorite cathedral I’ve ever seen from the outside- you need to look it up!), and then headed on to Rouen. We were a little late getting there but the best part of my day happened at dinner. When I was in 5th grade at my public elementary school we had pen pals in France that we got the chance to visit and stay with for a few days after graduation that summer. I was paired up with the sweetest girl, and her family was absolutely amazing. We stayed in touch and she came to see me and stay with my family a few years later in Atlanta. Well, it turns out she is now studying business in Rouen, so I told her I was coming and she so kindly gave up her evening of work and friends to come see me!! She ate with our Wake group and I was on cloud 9. I loved every minute of it. She is still one of the sweetest and most kind people, and I was so happy to share her with my “American friends”. I’m so thankful for her friendship and the technology to be able to stay in touch with her and I’m sure that wasn’t goodbye.

Thursday (12th): We woke up and had a tour of Rouen. Unfortunately the weather was super nasty, but it’s as much of a “college town” as I’ve seen so far in France, so the energy level was fun and we did get to see where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. Kind of sad, not gonna lie. I was really craving soup for lunch since it was cold and rainy, but we found a legit sports bar, playing American country music and all, so we were happy to have some comfort food on such a gross day. We left Rouen and made a stop in Honfleur, the first place besides the airport in Paris I had ever been to in France. The place where I learned when I was 10 years old what “jet lag” is, (thanks daddy for explaining that one to me!). It was kind of like a dream going back to it, because I remember it so clearly from when I was 10. It was still so beautiful and it made me wish my daddy was there with me again to experience it all over again. As we were walking around the pier, we overheard 2 older couples speaking English so we decided to ask them if they wouldn’t mind taking a picture of us. Well they were wasted, and it was one of the most entertaining conversations I have had this whole trip. I asked them where they were from and they told me Charlotte, NC. Seeing that I have family from there I just started talking to them and they were as sweet as they could be, telling us one of their sons studied abroad, etc. Then one of the women looked at us and said: “I just knew y’all were from the south. Y’all are so beautiful and only southern girls could be that pretty. Y’all go tell your mamma’s we said so. They’ll appreciate it” (so momma, I’m telling you now :) ). We got such a kick out of it though because I was the only girl from the south and they had never asked where we were from, but they knew from my accent that I was southern and I also happened to be the only one who spoke, therefore they assumed everyone was from wherever they thought I was from. Not many things are more enjoyable than sweet old Southern women, even when they have had too much to drink. We left Honfleur after our free afternoon there and got settled at our hotel in Bayeaux, the hotel with the broken wifi…

Friday (13th): Big day. One of the days I have been looking forward to the most since I knew I was coming on this trip. We were doing all of the World War 2 stuff and I was pumped. Our first stop was the Caen memorial, probably the best WWII museum I have ever seen, and I’ve seen my fair share of them. It is by far my favorite thing to study in history ever, and as I was finishing up Unbroken about Louis Zamperini in the Pacific (a must read for sure), I was excited to see all of the information again in person. We saw a powerful D-Day movie with no words, and people were sobbing in the theater. It was breathtaking. We went from the Caen memorial to a 360 degree movie theater also about D-Day. It was powerful too. I will always have so much respect for the men who fought in WWII, but especially the men who walked into an almost death mission and won on June 6th, 1944. We went to another museum full of tons of mannequins and I learned about the Mulberry Bridge, built after the Allies took control of the beaches to more efficiently get supplies to the troops. Finally we were off to the US Memorial at Omaha Beach. I was there 10 years ago with my daddy, and it was one of only 2 times I saw him cry before I graduated high school. I didn’t understand why then, but being back 10 years later, I got it. As I walked around the thousands of beautiful white crosses, I tried to imagine knowing some of the men and just couldn’t even go there in my mind. I saw an older man weeping over one of the crosses and I almost cried myself. It was incredibly sad but beautiful place at the same time, and again, I had such pride for those courageous men who fought for the freedom of so many on that day and throughout the war. We had one more stop for the day and that was Pont du Hoc. The indentions in the ground from the bombs are still as big as I remember them when I was 10 and the cliffs are still just as huge. I still don’t understand how any man could climb up them, but they did it and I was awestruck. The one guy on our trip said that today was his favorite day of the trip. I agreed it was within my top 5, and I’m so thankful for the chance to have gotten to go.

Saturday (14th): We got up and headed to the Bayeux tapestry. I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to it at all. My only recollection of it is a child was wondering why there was a building dedicated to keeping a big, old rug safe. Wellll that changed. I thought it was so cool. We were learning about the Battle of Hastings in class and William the Conqueror so I was loving it. We stopped by the cathedral there since we had some time to kill, and then we headed to Mont St. Michel, a place I have had on my bucket list since I saw a picture of it on Pinterest in high school. Unfortunately the hotel was sub-par, and the first night there, we could hear the man snoring in the other room so clearly, but I don’t think I have laughed so hard the whole trip. I stayed up way too late, pillowing talking with my roommates, and I just was again so thankful for the chance to do what I’m doing.

Sunday (15th): We got to tour Mont St. Michel! For anyone who doesn’t know, it is incredibly beautiful abbey on an island that only 42 people currently live on. There used to be parking lots around the base of the island, but when the tide came in, it washed all the cars away (you think they would have thought that one through…), so now there is a bus that will take you part of the way there, so that was our mode of transportation for the morning. We had a tour of the abbey with a funny, young tour guide. She poked fun at us for being Americans and some of our group was offended, but I was just so excited that I understood what she was saying and could joke back. She started off the tour with an explanation of how the people who used to live at the abbey slept outside on the terrace on the stones. It was an incredibly windy and chilly day so naturally when she asked what we thought was missing, I said “heat”. She actually laughed out loud and asked if I was joking… She was wearing capri cargo pants and tevas. The rest of us were bundled up in scarves and North Face jackets and I am one of the only ones from the South so it wasn’t just me “not being used to the weather”. Anyways, we got through the tour and then had the afternoon free so my friend Julia and I found a place with soup and paninis and ate lunch there. There unfortunately isn’t much else to do on the island besides eat and see the abbey, and of course take lots of pictures, so we wandered and then walked back to our hotel. We ate dinner at our hotel that night and I had been saying for a while how much I was strangely craving strawberry shortcake for dessert. Well guess what, I ordered what I thought was just fresh strawberries, and it came out as close to a strawberry shortcake as the French can do! I was so happy.

Monday (16th): We woke up and headed to Chartres to see the famous Notre Dame de Chartres and I learned the most incredible thing about it. We started in the crypt with another cute little old French lady tour guide, and I learned that what we were standing in was the first cathedral built in the Roman style, but as reconstructions were made on the church, it got bigger and bigger and less and less Roman. Now it is a huge Gothic style cathedral and let me tell you somethin’- our guide loves her job. We were supposed to have an hour and a half tour and she talked to us about the cathedral all the way up until her next tour 2 and a half hours later. I can’t remember the last time I was so cold somewhere. (Clearly this wasn’t a good weather week for us). She took us outside at one point and I kid you not, there was a monsoon taking place for the few minutes we were out there. I began to shake so badly that my sweet friends huddled around me and I just had to laugh because we were such a pitiful sight. Once we re-emerged from the inside of the cathedral, it was bright and sunny and warm and we spent some time just walking around the town a little bit. We had dinner at a cool restaurant right by the city square and within view of the cathedral. They were having a light show on the cathedral and I have never seen anything like it! We went over there and stayed and watched it… TWICE. It looked like Cirque de Soleil on the cathedral, and it had the most beautiful musical score with it. We were just in awe and loving every minute of it. Sadly the next morning we had to pack up and head back to Dijon, but I think my family was happy to have me home. I know Gaston was :)

**Weird Cravings I have had on this trip: 1-Wanting to watch “Steel Magnolias”. Probably because my mère is such a steel magnolia, I think about it all the time. 2- Wanting to eat a Willy’s burrito.This one isn't all that weird, but still. 3-Wanting to eat hot cake with cold ice cream- you can get one or the other for dessert here, but not both at the same time. 4- Wanting to wake up early… the more time I have in the day, the more things I get to do! 5- GOOD WIFI. Please.

A Week in the Life... Well Kind of

Last week was one of the more “normal” weeks of the trip since we weren’t gone for the week on an excursion (**side note- my week in Normandy is on the way, there is just so much to write I need to finish narrowing it down). We returned from Normandy Tuesday night (17th) so Wednesday (18th) morning was spent studying for our test on Normandy. We were studying what seemed like every single war the French had ever been in, so there was a lot of information. The bus and tram recharging machines were all not working around the city, (still not sure if it was a strike), but thankfully the actual buses and trams were working. However this didn’t help me since I had run out of passes the day before we left for Normandy. So without any passes, I walked downtown. I had my iPod and listened to Needtobreathe the entire 30 minutes. If you don’t listen to them or don’t know who they are, look them up. Now. I felt like I was floating the entire way in town, they are so upbeat and encouraging. My friend Julia and I returned to Café La Chouette and spent allll morning reviewing. We grabbed a bite there, thanked our friend Jimmy who gave me my “chocolate chaud” (hot chocolate) for free, and then walked to class. It was an absolutely beautiful day. I ate dinner with my mère, Martin, and of course Gaston. Fun fact of the day: I thought it was Tuesday the entire day. I even invited my friend Louise to dinner with my American friends “Thursday” night, thinking it was 2 nights from then. Maybe it was a good thing she had other plans...

Thursday (19th): Another beautiful day and I still didn’t have bus passes so I rode my bike. I loved it! I kept pace with the bus I would have been on, (take that however you want), and I even passed a few of my classmates on the way there. They were lovin’ the bike and a few of them are even thinking about getting one too. We had class in the morning, then a lunch break, then started a new class in the afternoon on French culture. I tried another food at lunch that didn’t pay off at all. It was duck mixed in a blender… why did I even give it a chance?? It looked gross, smelled worse, and the texture was unbearable. I don’t feel like I’m missing out if I choose never to eat it again. Our new teacher seems super great, but our final project is an hour long presentation in French in December… I don’t even think I can do that in English, but as my mom pointed out, at that point I probably won’t be able to. I rode my bike back home and then went for a long, release all the pent up energy walk/ run with a friend back up to the city at the edge of the cliff. I had been inside for too long. I have to take a second here to say how thankful I am that my mother made us play outside growing up. What a blessing it was to learn to appreciate beautiful days and the need for fresh air. I think I was spoiled as a child though because now it seems harder to find time to play outside. I guess the more grown up version is going for walks, which I’m willing to do too.

Friday (20th): No class on Fridays so I thought that meant I would get to sleep in a little bit. It was not to be, but for great reason. My mère had plans for me to go to the “marché” (market) with her but we had to be leaving at 10 am since she told me that her group of girlfriends met for coffee afterwards. SUCH Steel Magnolias I can’t even get over it. So I accompanied her and her mother, both of whom I am significantly taller than, and of course Gaston came too. My mère told me he doesn’t like being alone, and he was quite the social butterfly at the market, let me tell you. Afterwards she went to meet her friends and I hung around, buying some fresh food too and browsing the boutiques nearby. It reminded me a little bit of the Old Biscuit Mill in Cape Town from last summer, and I was again so humbled by the amazing experiences I have been able to have at just the age of 20. I am so incredibly thankful and truly would travel for the rest of the life if it were the Lord’s plan for me. I absolutely love it. I met two friends for lunch nearby and then they helped me do a little pre-Paris birthday shopping for myself and I got myself a fun pair of heels, thanks to the money I made this summer. I relaxed for the rest of the afternoon then came back into town for dinner and a sleep over at my friend Caitlin’s apartment. A group of us attempted to find some type of nightlife just to release some energy and hang out somewhere that wasn’t someone’s house, but it wasn’t meant to be either. Apparently the few places that are in Dijon don’t get bumpin’ until around 2 am… We weren’t feelin’ that and were in bed by 12:30 at the latest. As Caitlin said, “we won”.

Saturday (21st): I met two of my friends to go to a Cezanne exhibit in Ornan, a little teeny town in France and oh my gosh what an adventure. We rode the TGV to get to the city of Besancon and then we needed to get a bus from there to get to Ornans. When we arrived we thought we had about 2 hours before our bus left so we casually walked around the cute little town and were eating a leisurely lunch when my friend Lauren looked at the bus schedule and realized we had read it wrong. We had already missed the bus from the train station but if we could find the other bus stop in 4 minutes, we would make it. Well we had NO idea where it was, so we asked an old man, he pointed us in the general direction, and I saw a giant bus turning on the road I was pretty sure he pointed to so I took off sprinting towards it. We just barely made it! About 30 minutes later we were there. The exhibit was a comparison of Cezanne and Courbet, (the painters for those of you who may not know), so it was pretty interesting, but it only took us about an hour and half to get through. The next bus to leave back to Besancon didn’t leave for 5 more hours, so we piddled around, went to a cafè, sat in a park, and walked around the town. That took up maybe 2 hours. That museum is the only thing to do in that town. You think I’m kidding… We were dyin’. We were very happy to see the bus show up to take us back to Besancon. We arrived back at the train station around 7:00 pm and Caroline had said she thought there might have been a train leaving around then so we ran inside only to find out there was a strike, but only with the conductors of our train back to Dijon… we were heartbroken, truly heartbroken. We were so excited about getting home, but it was getting dark, we were hungry, and left with only the promise of a possible bus coming an hour and half later for us, if the bus driver wasn’t on strike too and if we could find it. We grabbed some dinner, then went and stood where we thought the bus would be. Thankfully we were right but the bus was 20 minutes late, so we were nervous he might have been on strike too. We hopped on the bus around 8:50 pm being told we would get back to Dijon around 9:30. We pulled up at 11:15 folks. Not even at the train station either. Our bus driver couldn’t find it… I could find it and I’ve only lived here for a month! Anyways, we got back safe and sound and my sweet père came and picked me up, telling me strikes are very normal around here. I’ve decided that I really don’t like strikes.

Sunday (22nd): I finally slept in. First morning I’ve gotten to do that since I’ve been here believe it or not, (even though I still woke up to an alarm at 11 am). I got breakfast, cleaned my room, then headed back downtown since Caitlin and I had decided we were going to make brunch together. It was incredible! We had 6 eggs, an avocado I had bought at the market, and fresh croissants with raspberry jelly. It felt so good to be in a kitchen and eat exactly what I wanted to, even though don’t get me wrong, I love my mère’s cooking. She is no Margaret Hamilton though, but hey, not everyone can be! We hung out for a while downtown and then I headed home to pack for our 2 week long trip to the Loire Valley and Paris. I had family dinner with my mère and père, Martin, Olivier, and his girlfriend Marie. I truly feel like part of the family around here and I am understanding more and more French. The meal lasted 2 and ½ hours, my longest yet with them, but I had nowhere important to be and I enjoyed having the excuse to sit there and spend time with them. I feel very blessed to get to live with a family so similar to my own at home, and I know God is good and He knew I would be with the Fleck’s before I ever did.

So much love all the way from France! Normandy blog coming soon, I promise!

The 5 most heard songs here in France (this includes public transportation, shops, and restaurants). 1- "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke. 2- "Let Her Go" by Passenger. 3- "Treasure" by Bruno Mars. 4- "We Can't Stop" by Miley Cyrus. 5- "Vous etes formidable" by ???. Anyone notice anything funny about the first 4??

“We are Family” (even though you’re Frencher than me)

So I have moved in with a French family here in Dijon and oh my goodness, they are wonderful. My “mère” is whatever the “Steel Magnolia” equivalent is here… (Oh my gosh I just typed that in French first… y’all, it’s happening- I’m starting to think in French first!!). Anyways, she runs her home, is an English teacher at her old school right by their home, makes homemade jelly, and dinner for whoever is home every night. She has been so great helping me get involved with other things around Dijon, and introducing me to her friends. Her husband works in Paris during the week so I haven’t seen him that often but he is extremely nice, like the rest of their family, and he has been extremely helpful correcting my French- a common daily… hourly… ok minute by minute occurrence. I told them I wanted to be corrected though because how else am I going to get better?! I have four new siblings, and for the first time, I am one of the babies of the family. All of my new siblings are involved in the medical field- one vet (Claire), one doctor (Olivier), one studying medicine for children at the hospital (Camille), and one who just started medical school (Martin- the only one I am older than)… Needless to say I feel rather educationally intimidated. I love how much at home I feel here though. I am the only student living with a family this big, and I also happen to be one of the only ones with the same size family at home in the States, so this is nothing new to me. If anything, I am more comfortable with this situation than I would have been in a dorm or living with a family without children. Oh, I also I have a new dog, Gaston. He has become famous with our group because of all the hilarious stories I am able to share about him, most famously his sneaky ploy to steal my razor out of the bathroom, only to greet me at the door with it in his mouth before sprinting and sliding all around the tile floor taunting me with it. Yes, I felt like a fool trying to get it back, but I did succeed. I think I will try to teach him English while I’m here J

Gaston- my 2 year old French Bulldog

Sunday (Sept. 1st)- My first night with them was hilarious, but so, so great. I was greeted with the standard kisses on the cheeks (“bisous”), and then was whisked away to their home 10 minutes outside of downtown by bus, (about 25 minutes walking). I was asked tons of questions and a little intimidated by how quickly they were speaking, but to my wonderful surprise, I was able to understand most of what they were saying! They were most fascinated by my name and kept talking about how strange the name “Tillman” is. I told them it was weird in America too, but they just got such a kick out of it, it was funny watching them talk and laugh about it and try to figure out why I would go by a “nom de famille”, (family name/ last name). Thankfully I like my name, but unfortunately they just can’t pronounce it here very easily. My père just calls me “Elisabeth” since that is my first name and I’m wondering if I will have to go by that at the university (fingers crossed I won’t). We had a huge, very French dinner, (5 courses including a cheese course), and then I got settled in my new little room. It is perfect for my life here and it is nice having my own space. My biggest blunder of the night came when I was trying to ask my mère when she did the laundry. The word in French for laundry is “lessive”, but I said “lavande” instead. She looked at me with the strangest expression and then quickly shuffled me outside to show me her lavender bush and explain to me that it’s about to die so if I wanted some for my room, I could just grab some. I was so confused and then realized that I had asked her when she does her lavender, not her laundry… Whoops! I’ve had several other moments like this, but that one was the best. She also gave me a few cute welcoming gifts including some perfume, some lavender soap, a Dijon grocery bag since the French don’t use the plastic bags we do in America, and a few other cute things. Very thoughtful!

Monday (2nd)- I woke up and had a delicious breakfast of yogurt, granola, freshly squeezed orange juice, hot tea, and anything else in their kitchen I wanted. I’m trying not to eat bread at everyyy meal, but apparently the most common breakfast for French kids is bread and chocolate…I wish! My new brother Martin walked me to the bus stop and explained that it goes straight into downtown and unfortunately I didn’t pay attention to the name of the stop so that made coming home a little difficult, but I did manage and guessed right the first time! Their house is in a cute little neighborhood right by this park so Tuesday (3rd) with my new house key, go-phone, and a map in hand, I went for a walk up the hill to find the park and I was blown away. The view was beautiful! I was right on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the whole city of Dijon. I have already made several trips back and I kind of don’t even want to work out when I’m up there. Literally you could sit there for hours and just watch. There is a bocce ball court there and there is a beautiful stone village, school and church and all. That afternoon my mère Claude took me to their pool. I met some of her friends and it just was so cute hanging out with them. Our families are only required to provide 2 dinners a week for us, but she was so sweet and invited me to eat with them every night, and I certainly didn’t mind. We had lots of fresh fruit, fish, cheese, and more fruit. Wednesday (4th) My mère convinced me to go rent a bike and let me tell you, I was all over that, until I showed up at the building and saw how long the line was. Not wanting to disappoint though, I waited for an hour and a half in that line and finally got my own bike to keep for the next 3 months. I left for Bourgogne Thursday, (my most previous post), but we were back Saturday night, and Sunday (8th) morning came bright and early, but it was a big day in the Fleck house- we were doing the Velotour in Dijon. My mère had been telling me about this tour around the city with bikes since the first night and when she asked me if I wanted to do it, I was all in. I tried to rally some of the other Wake kids but unfortunately no one else rented a bike, making it rather hard to participate. So I assumed I would just be riding with my mère and père, but they had other plans. She told me we were leaving at 8:20 am and I was ready, wearing my lululemon leggings, Red Bar tshirt, and Nike tennis shoes, happy to have an excuse to finally wear workout clothes in public.

Y’all I stuck out like a sore thumb. All the other cute French women were wearing khaki shorts, sweaters, scarves, sunhats, the whole she-bang. C’est la vie. As we were riding, she told me I was actually going to be riding with her friend Isabel’s daughter Louise. The thought of this terrified me, but I asked the Lord for confidence and trusted He would be with me, as He has been so much already. Claude dropped me off at Isabel’s and her daughter wasn’t even awake yet. So we sat there for an hour in her kitchen drinking tea and I actually had the greatest time. I then became nervous that things would be uncomfortable with Louise, but they weren’t at all and I made new friends that day, thanks to my mère and thanks truly to the Lord and His care for us, even in the smallest and seemingly most meaningless situations. Matthew 6:30-34 couldn't be more applicable in my life right now. I feel like my desires are so small and meaningless, but God cares about my desires, even the smallest ones. I am continually being humbled, and I don't hate it! Louise’s friend Emmanuel joined us and off we went, ready to take off at 10 am, our start time. I was thinking this was going to be an hour, maybe an hour and a half ride. Y’all it took us 4 ½ hours and we don’t even do the whole thing because it started raining! My mère packed me a picnic lunch and I didn’t understand why until about 2 ½ hours in when I was starving and realized we were only barely half way through. 

Me, Louise, and Emmanuel

Anyways, bike tour ended up being great. We drove through all of these buildings around Dijon, and I do mean through the buildings. Several concert venues, their professional futball stadium, a popular nightclub, a school, a dentist office, an insurance building, just to name a few. When we finished, we snacked on more hot tea and homemade tiramisu at Louise's house. Not too shabby, am I right? 

Ok, so sorry to overwhelm you with stories, there is just so much to share! I am sure there will be plenty more, but for now, know I am in great hands and learning to live even more independently and to rely on the Lord and His love for me even more. God is good.

"Good like good bread"

5 Things I wish all of y'all could do in Dijon with me: 1- Have tea at Cafe La Chouette with me right outside of one of the cathedrals in Dijon and people watch all the silly tourists. 2- Come walking up to Talant with me and Gaston and drool over the incredible view I get to see when I make the hike up the hill. 3- Rent a bike and come riding with me around my new city, I'll show you all the secret spots (the ones that I know about so far). 4- Come hang out with my new friends. We made homemade chocolate lava cakes the other night at Louise's house and watched Downtown Abbey in French! It's popular over here too y'all. 5- Come discover one of the many wonderful patisseries with me in Dijon. A "pain au chocolat" every once in a while is good for your soul! 

So much love all the way from France!

And here comes the Wine...

The title of this might be a little deceiving since there really hasn't been that much consumption of wine, at least not on my end, but we did take a little "vacation" to the wine region, Bourgogne, and oh my goodness it was beautiful!! I have only driven through Napa, California once in my life and I remember not understanding why anyone would ever want to have their wedding in the middle of a grape field, until I saw how beautiful vineyards are. Well the vineyards in France are no different, and thankfully we got to spend some time driving through them, but not before we saw some more sites of the city. Technically we were all over, but our hotel was in Autun, Bourgogne, France. Dang that's a mouthful. Our view was a sight for sore eyes too...

Thursday (5th)- Backtracking a little we left our new homes (update on that coming in the next post) early that morning and met up at the bus station in the centre ville. As much as I have loved living with my family, there was something about all being together as a group again that felt comfortable and good. We hopped on the bus and drove to L'Abbaye de Fontenay, an old monastery for monks. I'm not going to lie, I was thinking about "The Sound of Music" the whole time since the name of it is the "Abbey of Fontenay" and Maria lived in the abbey. It was absolutely beautiful, but I promise there was at least a 15 degree difference between the sun and the shade and I can't even imagine living there without heat... Yikes! We drove to a cute little town named "Semur en Auxois" for lunch, then headed to the Basilique de Vezelay for a quick self guided tour... I learned alot... A fun fact that I actually overheard a British tour guide saying was that who we know in the English language as Mary Magdalene, the French call "Marie Madeleine" because the hard "G" sound is not used over here. This is relevant because there were some relics of hers in the crypt of the church. After our visit there, we went to our hotel in Autun where we able to enjoy that wonderful view and the best of the Bourgognian wine at dinner.

L'Abbaye de Fontenay

La Basilique de Vezelay

Friday (6th)- We were able to have a great breakfast at the hotel, yogurt, confiture, pain au chocolat, fresh fruit, and they even had bacon. We then hopped back on our bus to get a tour of the city of Autun. Our guide was from Australia but spoke French and he was by far the easiest guide I think we have had. He was sporting his Indian Jones hat and just totally fit the role. We got to walk around and drive around to see some pretty incredible places. I learned that the theater in Autun was the largest in the entire Roman Empire at the time. Now it is strugglin' to say the least, but the military academy nearby used it to run stairs and do workouts while we were there, so at least its getting some use, right?! I felt bad for them, I'm just going to be honest. From there we went picnic food shopping and had the most insane amount of food, but in true French fashion, we cleaned our plates and finished all of the desserts we bought. Then we headed to Bibracte, an old Gaul city that has recently been uncovered thanks to some efforts by Napoleon himself in his efforts to find it. Our tour guide there was "straight out of a French romance novel" as my friend Caitlin put it, and there is just no other way to say it. He was a handsome older man who just knew how to work the crowd and he totally fit the role, shirt halfway unbuttoned and everything, it was almost too much and we all got a good kick out of it. We drove back to our hotel and ate dinner there again and y'all, I almost got sick at the dinner table. The chef had a "special surprise" for us and even thinking about it now makes me gag. It was chicken liver. RAW chicken liver and I didn't even know it. Unfortunately this was my 2nd time eating chicken liver in a week. The first was when my friends thought they ordered chicken on their salads and the consistency was just so off, so of course I tried it and then we looked it up in the dictionary... "Chicken liver". Obviously both times were accidental. This time it was so bad though that I started laughing so hard tears were coming out of my eyes. It was raw chicken liver inside a prune. Who eats that for real?!? It was one of the top 5 most disgusting things I have ever eaten. It might be number 1. 

Old Theater in Autun- missing a few levels, but at one point held 20,000 people

An old helmet they recovered at Bibracte

Saturday (7th)- We headed to Beaune and got to visit another market before our tour of the old hospital there. I have found some beautiful tea and coffee mugs along the way to add to my collection so I'm hoping that they will make the journey back to the States in December in one piece. We visited des "Hospices de Beaune", an old hospital for the poor that only went out of commission in 1971, and it was founded in 1442! Then we finished the trip off with a wine tasting at a small vineyard on our way home named Nuit St Georges. The wines were great, but I still can't tell much of a difference between red wine. At least I can tell some difference though- in Cape Town I was hopeless. That night I stayed downtown with the girls and we found a really great to-go pasta place and had some comfort food. It was cold and rainy so while some of our group persevered and went out, the rest of us hung out and had a movie night. After a long weekend spent on my feet and the rain and the cold, there was no part of me that had FOMO from not going out.

Hospital beds at the Hospice

The Vineyards of Bourgogne

Fun things to do on the bus ride: 1- Listen to Ben Stuart's podcast from his Breakaway ministry at Texas A&M. First of all he is incredible and so wise, but second of all I literally find myself laughing out loud on the bus, he is so funny. 2- Listen to the French radio. They play more English songs than French. 3- Take pictures of everyone else sleeping to add to our "worst abroad pics ever" album. 4- Drool over the French countryside and come to peace with the fact that there is just no way to capture it all for y'all at home on a camera. 5-Read Unbroken on my Kindle (but only with dramamine :) It's the incredible true story of the Olympic runner Louis Zamperini whose plane went down in the Pacific during World War II. Absolutely incredible, but it leaves me feeling a little too much American patriotism when I step off the bus at each of our destinations. 

We are headed off to Normandy tomorrow morning so I'm thinking that patriotism will be in full effect on the coast at the beaches. Lots of all love all the way from France. Wish each of you were here!

The (not so) Dirty South

The South of France looks just like you would imagine it, except for even better. Driving from Dijon to Arles, Provence was only about a 5 hour drive, longer than expected but so worth it because of how gorgeous the French countryside is. Besides the excessive amounts of graffiti, it is even prettier than all of the photos of it you have ever seen. Truly pictures can’t even capture the beauty of the south of France, leaving my friend Caitlin to comment that after seeing it, how could you not believe there is a God. This made me think of Psalm 8:3-4, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?". So humbling to get to experience it all. I feel so blessed. Still in a mist that I get to live here for 4 months. Not just visit, but LIVE. Weird.

Thursday, 29^th- We drove down and stopped along the way in Orange, a city in Provence. For those who don’t know Provence is a region of France, kind of like states in the good ‘ole US of A.  We visited the Arc Romain in the city for a hot second to take pics and then we went to meet up with our tour guide at the Théatre Antiquité (the ancient theater), and it was beautiful. Absolutely huge, and we climbed every single last step. We learned all about the history and were blown away to learn that they still hold shows there. They are currently putting on Phantom of the Opera and we all were wishing we could stay just to experience it, even though the seats are still just huge giant stones.

Then we hopped back on the bus and stopped at the Pont du Guard, an old aqueduct that used to bring fresh water to all the nearby cities. Beautiful. I just was so amazed that 1- it was still standing (and in such good shape), and 2- people were able to think of and invent something so innovative so long ago. We then finished our journey to Arles and went out to dinner to a cute restaurant within walking distance of our hotel. We were right by the Rhone River, so of course it was beautiful. We had some cat callers outside our hotel that night, some younger German students who had seen our group of 11 girls and 1 guy walk in with our bags earlier that day, but eventually they gave up. I guess they realized that yelling “Rapunzel” at our open 3^rd story windows just wasn’t going to cut it. 

Friday, 30^th- We walked to class that morning- the museum of Arles. We had another guided tour by another cute older French woman. Thankfully tours are getting easier to understand, but yes, they are still all in French. In a week it is amazing to see how far my French has come and I would be so curious to see if in December, we would be able to understand our cute tour guide Jacqueline from last week 100% instead of just 30%. Anyways, at the museum we got to see the original bust of Caesar’s head that you see in the history books, and the “Thinker” statue. Then we drove to Nîmes, another town in Provence and got a city tour. The place we ate lunch was also hosting a professional futbal team from outside of Paris that had a game there that night, so some of the girls were picking out their future French boyfriends. Too bad they never got to talk to them, but maybe in Paris in a few weeks! It isn’t called the city of love for nothin’ right? Our tour was amazing and we walked everywhere. We saw the amphitheater first, where they still have bull fights and host events like pro tennis matches now. Then we saw an old Roman temple, the hot spot for young frenchies to hang out and listen to American music, and then we walked to the Jardins de la Fontaine, one of the first public gardens in all of Europe. That night for dinner I ate “taureau” (bull), and “escargots de la mer” (conchs). Clearly feelin’ adventurous, but both paid off and were delicious. When in France!

L'amphitheatre (outside)

L'amphitheatre (inside)

Les Jardins de la Fontaine

Saturday, 31^st- We woke up early and headed straight to the “Samedi Marché”, (the Saturday Market), which is a MUST DO when you are anywhere near it in France. Such a fun atmosphere with fresh food, beautiful paintings, great smelling soaps and lavenders, clothes and bags to buy, and so much more. I was able to practice my French a ton because most of the vendors didn’t speak English so while it was still a little scary, I was happy for the practice.

I was with 2 other friends and we went to the old Roman theater in Arles and then to the old amphitheater. So much exploring! Unfortunately we couldn’t see any bull fights because they won’t happen until next weekend and we will already be off and away on our next adventure. We got to spend the afternoon at the beach Saint Marie de la Mer in the Mediterranean ocean. My friend Caitlin said it was in her top 10 best days ever, and it was a day for the books, let me tell ya. The beach was gorgeous, the water was freezing, but eventually after enough treading water my body was numb and it felt great since the weather was pushin’ lower 90’s and sunny, very different from our gloomy Dijon weather. We laid out on some of the flatter rocks enjoying the sun and the beach, and then we went and got some ice cream and headed back to Arles for dinner and packing up the bags. Back to Dijon in the morning to move in with our families!

Fun fact: I am traveling with a bunch of northerners and have been called out several times for my accent and frequent use of “y’all”. If only they could have come to camp with me this past summer, they might consider me one of their own. I am learning a lot about how wonderful the restaurant “Friendly’s” is and that apparently the water up there is never warm at the beach, hence why they were so fearless at Saint Marie de la Mer jumping right on in. How you would enjoy being constantly covered in goose bumps while at the beach, I have no idea, but they insist it is fun!

Things I miss from America already: 1-COLLEGE FOOTBALL. 2- Water fountains. 3- Restaurant hours posted outside the restaurant. No place has them here and the amount of times we have walked up to places and been told we needed to wait for the cook to arrive or to prepare the kitchen is hilarious. 4- The 12 hour clock, however I am getting better at knowing time with the 24 hour one. 5- Hearing the English language when I walk outside. I’m getting more used to using French all the time though, and I really am starting to think in French first… on my way to being fluent?? One can only hope and dream, (and then move to France to attempt to make it happen right?!) **I am not missing the music yet because they play American music all the time. On the bus rides I heard Earth, Wind, and Fire, “Respect” by Aretha Franklin, “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke, “Wake Me Up” by Avicii, and almost everything in between.

Lots of love all the way from France!