Rainy day..

Maybe it was the rain that put a damper on today..it was full of catastrophes. I started off on literally the 'wrong foot' after I fell down half a flight of the institute's stairs..ouch. Then I had all sorts of money trouble with the exchangers and my debit card..uh.."C'est la vie"-no better cliché. But, I was able to attend institute tonight, which was great! There are a lot of diverse young adults here. Well, i'll let pictures speak today: First, I took a picture of my home this morning. This doesn't do it justice, i'll have to capture the inside..it's gorgeous. Below, Hotel de Ville at night! Then the last one, was just at a dress shop I passed on my walk. Again, more elegant in real life, but a great design! More Euros than a car would cost though..yikes..I think I'd take the smartcar. Well, time to hit the hay, which i'm sure cannot be translated into French, so Bon Nuit & Au Revoir...hay

Unlimited Louvre Access..

1.30.08. Bonjour. Today we got our Student Art Louvre Cards which give us unlimited access to the Louvre until September! Wow. So, I spent a couple hours today in complete awe. Some of the paintings are enormous..absolutely amazing. To be this close to artifacts dating back so far..I couldn't help but feel like I was reaching back into time..Hence, the photo on the right. I know it's cliché, but the Venus de Milo is one breathtaking statue. (Left) The Mona Lisa on the other hand, is nothing to write home to mom about. I will never realize its comparable greatness after viewing so many other praise deserving works. I cannot wait to spend many many more hours in there. I read somewhere that if one spent 30 seconds on each work in the museum, with no breaks, it would take over nine months to see the whole thing. I believe that. Well, I'm at the point of crash and burn, so bon nuit...hay

Oui Madame,

Bonjour! This picture is the view as I step out of the Metro station! Not bad huh? It's L'Hotel de Ville (In short, where the Mayor of Paris works now). What a day!- if every day is as eventful as these past four have, I'm going to be like one of the missionaries who never stops telling mission stories. Today was terrific; my roommate Eurah had to stay home today, so I was on my own..which was adventurous! I took the metro to Chatelet and walked the rest of the way to school. My Moliere class was great! We got roles today and acted out parts of the first play we're studying: Le Farce du Cuvier. It's hysterical. Then I had Brother Welch's religion class, which was so great! He is so smart, he can't stay on one topic because he knows so much, his tangents go everywhere! After that, some girls and I went over to the institute and visited with the older sister missionaries because they invited us over for cake. They're so sweet! Then, all the girls wanted to go shopping, but they wanted to hit American stores like H&M and Guess, and there is NO way i'm going there when I can go to La Gallerie Lafayette etc.. So, I went to BHV (Bazaar Hotel de Ville) and bought one classy, on sale, outfit :D On my walk home from the Metro, A neighbor asked if I would like a ride..She was so sweet, I agreed, and we got talking, and she asked if she could hire me to give her daughter a few English lessons! What's better, is she is a Professor of literature at Sorbonne and agreed to show me around the department! Oh La La La! A toute à l'heure..Madamoiselle Haleigh

I'm living my dream life...

Stop. Imagine a city that’s small enough, it’s still called a village. You walk fifty meters from the front door and you are standing on the bank of the Seine, probably right in the middle of one of Monet, Matisse, or others’ paintings. You live in an unbelievable three story, 18th century, home. The family, the neighbors, the boardwalk, the castle, the two chapels, the atmosphere, all more charming than you could have ever imagined. And this is the part where I try to stop imagining and realize that this is me! Croissy Sur Seine has a population of 9000 people, and is enchanting comme rien que je n’ai jamais vu. (unlike anything i’ve ever seen). Ah ! I’ll try and step out of my dream for a second and describe. The Juliennes are as enchanting as they could be! I already adore them. Very, very French..Proper..but so kind. Monsieur and Madame Julienne grew up near here, and Audree, Lourenne, Ludvine, Tristan, and Tiphine are their children. Oh, the picture was taken before my Religion class-it's in the courtyard of the George Popidou Modern Art Museum. A Plus..

Finally Here! Ici Finalement!

Finally Finally Here! Bonjour! The flight over was unreal - A quick overview: We were nearly over Ottowa and our plane's radar broke! The pilot said weather conditions were good enough to get us to Chicago airport..the setback? The plane was loaded with too much fuel to land. So, in order to lighten the plane we had to fly around burning fuel for an extra hour. Well, after quite a bit of hoopla, we got to Paris..seeing as we were over 6 hours later than expected, we missed the shuttle I had reserved, so..I took a deep breath, rehearsed some lines, and went to the nicest looking Parisienne I could see. I'm not sure if it was my accent or my worried face, but she giggled and offered to call and get me another shuttle. Phew! All who warned me that Parisians speak fast were dead right..but, all who told me that it becomes easier quickly, were also dead right :). Today was Church - it was magnifique! We doubled the size of the ward, but the Saints here in Saint Mendé (area of the city, like Edgemont=Provo) are so strong. It is evident that they sacrifice a lot to live the gospel. One woman moved here 5 weeks ago because her husband was promoted to a great job, and she's only ever taken high school French, yet beleive it or not, just last week they called her to the Relief Society, she spoke in Sacrament Meeting, and sings in the ward choir. These members dive into the work with all their effort. They've already recruited us for enrichment service projects next Saturday! :D As touristy as this sounds, I went to the Champs de Mars tonight to watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle, and it is NOT an exaggerated phenomenon..it's breathtaking. There are billions of blinking lights that shimmer for a few minutes each dusk. I hope this wasn't too boring-Until next time, Au Revoir!

16 hours!...

Oh la la! Last night, I was blown away (understatement) when I opened the door to my apartment and the whole French house and more were there to wish me bon voyage! Everyone yelled and hugged and it was beautifully decorated! From the 'we'll miss you' cake, streamers, balloons, Chinese lanterns, ah! It was amazing! I am so blessed to have such amazing friends..wow..wow..