D.D.= Divine Day! :)

Another Divine Day…My Molière class is so much fun, I could stay much longer than required! We are finishing up Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme and it’s absolutely hysterical. Then, Elizabeth and I visited the Musée D’Orsay in which I recognized much more than I’d realized I might! Some of Van Gogh’s best known works like his sunflowers and self portrait are there, along with several Monet, Manet, and Cezanne originals. The picture to the left isn’t famous, per say, but it reminds me of the kind of paintings my mom had around when I was little. I spent the majority of the day there and hope to go back at least once more before I leave. This weekend should be full of fascinating discoveries: Tomorrow I’m going to see what is believed to be the crown of thorns; it’s presented at Notre Dame every Friday during lent. Honestly, I don’t buy it, but I’ve heard if you’re lucky you get to kiss it to pay respect, and I imagine that would be memorable. A bientôt !

School & Sights

2.27.08...I’m slacking on taking pictures because I don’t feel like a tourist, I feel like a local. But I’m going to regret it if I don’t document things, so today I tried to step it up. This morning I did the walk to the Pantheon and Arènes de Lutèce. The pillars are enormous on the Pantheon (Left). The great men of France are interred there including Voltaire, Hugo, Zola, Rousseau, even Marie Curie. Passing the College of France and various fine arts schools, I still think that the Sorbonne has the most stunning structure and campus (Photo), which just add to its reputation. In the quartier (Right), there were some apartments I’d move into without hesitation. (Left Below). Next I walked to the Arenas of Lutetia which were uncovered in the 1800s but were originally build in 200 AD to hold Human-Vs-Animal Combats for audiences of about 15,000. I could still see the cages underneath where they kept the lions, but now they’re filled with folding chairs. By about 1:00 I decided I hadn’t had quite enough of the city, so I decided it was the perfect time to hike up the Eiffel Tower. 650 stairs or so later, here was the view (Photo). I admit with hesitation though, as iconic as this monument is, I think I preferred the view from the bell tower of Notre Dame de Paris. My neighbors seem to be warming up to me a little bit; the gardeners and regular dog walkers are beginning to give me acknowledging nods and occasionally even small smiles. It means more when it’s so rare. They say in France that it takes a long time to make a true friend but once one does, he or she is a friend for life. A demain…

'Les Soeurs Calmady'-Sir Thomas Lawrence

Le 27 février 08…Bonjour! Yesterday I made a great discovery! There is so much art to be had here, but I finally found one that I fell in love with! The artist is named Sir Thomas Lawrence and here’s a picture of it. Of course it’s more beautiful in real life. I didn’t love the time period of the other paintings in this museum, but this one just jumped out at me. The littlest girl’s lips are perfect and the other girl’s profile is graceful with flawless white skin. I’m off to have an adventure! A plus…

One Month!

It's official, I've been here for a month! I don't know where all the time went!..I'd better stop sleeping-it's a waste of time. :) One piece of exciting news is that I bought a ticket to go to Bordeaux today! I found a decent fare on the TGV and called Lydia's family to take them up on their invite, so next Thursday through Saturday I'll get to see what the other side of the country is like! I cannot wait; wine country is supposed to be gorgeous. Vineyards, small towns, streets too small for cars.. In my French religion class today we saw statistics of how quickly the church is spreading in France. There are now 7 stakes and a temple coming soon. Mmm..I'm still hooked on these paprika nuts I found. I'm still in complete awe that every French woman wears heels all the time...how is it womanly possible! I'd better get studying if I plan to pass Brother Welch's midterm tomorrow!

Alone But Not Lonely...

What an excellent Sunday…I realized today, that I don’t really understand why, but I feel closer to the Lord here than I think I ever have. Perhaps it’s because I rely on heavenly help a lot more, or because I have to sacrifice more to take part in the gospel, or because I’ve spent time with Saints who give their whole hearts to the gospel, or because I’m taking two great religion classes, or because it takes so much more effort to read the Book of Mormon in French than in English, or…perhaps it’s all of this combined. Either way, I feel blessed beyond explanation to be here on my own, but not be alone.
Last night Frère Gaston gave a neat fireside on perseverance. This week looks like a big one, so I’d better gear up! A toute à l’heure…

Montmartre..Magnifique!

I rejoined five girls this morning to go to Montmartre. What a neat area-there is so much more than the Sacré Coeur Basilica to be seen, though it was impressive. I cannot get enough of the street musicians and artists! Place du Tertre is a little square I passed through with dozens of Bohemian artists showing their work…I was so tempted to buy a small painting…Perhaps before I leave I’ll indulge that temptation. I stopped in a church called St. Pierre that has been a parish since 1147! The streets were all cobblestone; the bus ride to the Sacré Coeur was up and down bumpy hills…a wild ride to say the least! Then we headed down to see the Moulin Gallette and Moulin Rouge-passing dozens of flower shops and bakeries. I more than wish I could capture every thought and feeling of every moment I spend here!

Odeon Theatre de l'Europe!

Reality kicked in a little today as I took my first midterm. I feel really great about it though, so that’s a plus. Last night goes down in history as one of the best evenings out ever! I was fortunate enough to go to L’école des femmes, Moliere’s play, at the Odeon Theater of Europe with Daniel Auteuil playing the lead role! And what’s more, I was on the front row!!! It was an unforgettable experience. Daniel Auteuil is the actor that plays the handicapped man in Manon of the Spring and Jean de Florette-he’s fantastic! Tickets were given at random to our group, I don’t know how I got so lucky to get so close! Ahh-to memorize that much in Alexandrine rhyme! I had a hard enough time with my twenty lines last week! I think the play is called The School for Wives in English, if you want to look at it. I left the theater in complete awe…No play will ever compare. The picture was taken just before we walked to the theater. This evening I gave my presentation at institute about the Bible and its canonistic qualities. I feel like it went really well! Though I truly believe sleep is overrated in this country, I cannot seem to get by without it. So until next time…Au Revoir

The Bible as a Canon..Fascinating..

2.19.08...At institute last week, I volunteered to do the thought on how the Bible is canonistic-Well, Brother Welch told me he had some ideas for my presentation and stayed after class with me for about 45 minutes explaining to me the canonistic version of our Bible. I'm sure you already understand it, but I didn't; so he started from the basics: Canon literally means measuring rod or official decree. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, the book of Isaiah is 55 feet long! And there were many many books, so the question began to be, which of these were authoritative and should religion be based off of? Each group of people had a different idea of the answer; Hellenistic Jews had one set, the scribes had another (they didn’t like the psalms or the words of the prophets), the Pharisees had another-theirs was expansive with proverbs, psalms, etc…
When Christianity came along, there began to be three criteria doctrine would be measured against: 1. Did Jesus Christ quote it? (Psalms, for example). 2. Did the gospel writers quote it? And 3. Is there prophesying of Christ’s coming or his teachings? Well, in the 3rd century, Papias, a well-known historian, compiled a work. It was added to and taken from until the 7th century, where the New Testament in the form we know it starts to appear. Though it’s a complicated situation, we as Latter Day Saints are blessed to have the Prophet’s words as our “measuring stick” against all writings.
Brother Welch told me his personal opinion on something, which in my eyes is worth a lot: 60 years after Christ died, there was a work written called the Shepherd of Hermas which spoke of a time every x-amount of days where people would fast and then give the money they would’ve used to the poor. Revelation for fast-offerings wasn’t received for our day until much later. In the book, there is the stipulation that the receiver of the gift must in turn pray for the giver and give gratitude unto God. Brother Welch thinks that should be added into the scriptures :). Anyway, it seems that the principles are revealed again to us as we are ready for them.
My apologies for the length of today’s entry, I am just bursting to share things I’m learning. Tomorrow should be a fantastic day-I will visit the Rodin museum in the morning, start my research project in the Louvre, and attend the play L’école des femmes in the evening with a group. Ecstatic and enthused, goodnight…

Je t'aime plus qu'hier, et moins que demain!

2.17.08..Je t'aime plus qu'hier, et moins que demain! That is my preferred phrase of the week: It means, “I love you more than yesterday, and less than tomorrow.” Fitting that I learned it on Valentine’s day. Last night’s single adult fireside and ball was fantastique, as well as church today. I joined the ward choir and we’ll be singing a couple hymns next week. The talks given today were so touching; many of the members here are converts and never cease to impress me with their testimonies. The little girl in my family here, Lidwene, loves to tell me everything she knows about America. She brought home a friend for me to meet who had been born in America…But she just stared blankly when I spoke to her in English…hehe. This week is full of plans; I’d better rehearse my lines for my Molière presentation tomorrow! To all who read, have a wonderful Sabbath and week! Much love from here to there…

I could have danced all night...

2.15.08..Franki Valli said it best, "Oh what a night!" It was a GREAT night! I went to the Versailles ward activity-one of the families tried to make Mexican food! It was interesting..edible at best, haha. It was Valentine's theme and the decor was amazing! Red and white everywhere, pictures taken at the door, music including a lot of techno and American stuff. Everyone danced! Old, young, singles, married. It was the most exciting ward dance I think I've ever attended! There were, of course those agile few who burned up the dance floor! I wish I could dance like that.. I am proud to say though, that I danced two waltzes and one salsa without too much of a disaster happening! There is a huge dance tonight in Paris with all the YSA's from all of Paris and Versailles. It should be great! A demain..

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine’s…2.14.08…Happy Love Day! I figured everyone needed to feel a little of the amour de Paris, hence the picture by Hotel de Ville. Quite the romantic city today…couples everywhere to be seen. Every flower shop and chocolaterie were bustling with men. In class today, we’ve been bugging Brother Welch for awhile to tell us how he discovered chiasmus in the Book of Mormon, so here’s the story: He was on his mission in Germany, and at the time, Chiasmus had been discovered in the Bible in 1829, but only one page in one British record was published about it, followed by a small article in 1850, so it was quite unheard of, but one day, he passed a Catholic cathedral, and they were having a class on it. Well, it was his P Day, so he and his companion decided to go. The man teaching the class had just published a book with a section on it, so later that day, Brother Welch went and bought the book to learn a little more. He said he found it very interesting but didn't have time to dwell on it. Then, a few nights later, he woke up at four a.m., because he heard a loud voice say, "If it's evidence of the Hebrew style in the Bible, then it’s evidence of the Hebrew style in the Book of Mormon." He was sure it was his companion, but he was asleep. Well, he was officially awake, so thought to himself, "Well, if it's here, then where??" He said he got the idea that he should just keep reading where he had left off that night. Within two minutes he had stumbled upon Mosiah 5:10-12. King Benjamin's speech is full of examples. Upon finding Mosiah 3:18-19, this one made quite an impression. When the scriptures were in scroll form, this one would have been dead center of the scroll: 2315 lines before it, 2315 lines after it. To this day, it is the most frequently cited scripture of the Book of Mormon ever in General Conference. It makes sense that it would be the first thing one would see as the scroll was unrolled. He was so excited, the first thing he did when he got home from his mission, was tell his good friend Hugh Nibley. He agreed then and there to be his mentor for his thesis on it. :) Well, he then went back to the man that wrote the book and showed him. He has now published several articles, books, and given numerous discourses on it. I'm so amazed I have him as my teacher!

Mardi Magnifique..

2.13.08..Today Brother Welch’s class was held in the Near Eastern Artifacts wing of the Louvre. We began at the Code of Hammurabi tablet. I learned much about it I had never heard before! King Hammurabi was king of Babylon just before Lehi’s time. This was his record listing all the legal rights of the people. There are 282 sections, each beginning with the phrase “If a man.” Each part has a cause and effect statement. Looking at the “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” verse in the bible; it is almost certain that this is where it originates from. Yet the phrase “a free man” is not used in the Bible since God does not make class distinctions. All men are his children. One of the codes says, “if a man accuses another of a capitol offense, he has put at risk another man’s life. Therefore, he will be put to death himself if unable to prove his case.” The Code was truly fascinating. Enormous, as shown in the picture. I had a lot of questions as Brother Welch was teaching us about it: Where was it, since it was considered common knowledge to the people? Were all the people actually literate at that time?
Next, a girl Serena and I went on a walk to Luxembourg Garden. It was huge: not even possible to see one side from another. There were many French stereotypes to be seen: groups of old men playing boules, or checkers, couples on nearly every bench, marionette shows, etc…I look forward to going back in the springtime when it is in full bloom! All in all, it was a magnificent day!

Monday Monday..

2.12.08..Salut tout le monde...Classes today were fantastic. Brother Welch is a never-ending spring of knowledge. He says that when one has a testimony, the black-and-white facts just make the Book of Mormon that much neater. For example, today we discussed the multiple authorship and writing styles in the Book of Mormon. He told us that the word "omnipotent" is used only five times in the entire book. King Benjamin is the only one who uses that term, and it makes sense that he would, because he, being a king, would refer to God as King. Just as Alma, being a judge, refers to God as the great Judge. Nephi refers to Him as "the Son" and "the begotten Son" as he too is a son following his father's model of righteousness. Our homework is to find two artifacts in the Louvre from the near East that shed light on beliefs, symbols, practices etc..in the Book of Mormon then write a detailed analysis of them and memorized two of the verses in French! I am really looking forward to finding my two tomorrow! I'm also reading the last act of L'école des femmes tonight, and next Wednesday we get to see it performed at a big theatre in Paris! Valentine's Day is Thursday and I can't wait to see how the most romantic city in the world celebrates it! Well, school is getting busier, but I'll try to keep updating as often as possible! Bisous et Au Revoir...Mademoiselle Haleigh

Playing Hooky in the Latin Quarter..

Today I met up with two other girls to buzz around the Latin Quarter. It got its name from the earliest students at the Sorbonne who spoke Latin, not French. But who could really study with so many tempting distractions? First, I stopped by the Saint-Michel fountain, the onto the Theatre de la Huchette: it started out as an experimental theater, but after showing La Cantatrice Chauve (The Bald Soprano) it was a bigger hit than anyone could've imagined..even bigger than Les Miserables! So big, that it's still running, fifty years later. I took a picture (left) in front of the door.
Next, I went through the narrowest street in Paris (Rue du Chat-qui-Peche) to find the Church of Saint Severin and onto the famous cafe Procope, the oldest cafe in the city. It was built in 1686, and was known for revolutionaries and actors. I then passed the ecole des beaux-arts, the most prestigious fine arts school in France. It sits fairly close to L'academie française-where the fine French linguists do their careful policing of the French language. Finishing my walk, I ended up on the Pont Neuf, and on Saturdays seems to be the 'hangout' for starving artists and musicians.
To finish off this great day, I climbed the tower of Notre Dame. A breathtaking view and all for free with my international student card! Ha-ha, I'm all for that..I hope to do it many times; the view is as good as anyone could ask for! I understand completely why Quasimodo stayed up there as often as he did. On my way back, I stumbled into a park with the oldest tree in Paris! It was planted in 1605! Ciao for now!..

Phantom of the Opera...

2.8.08..Lalala..Yes, I've been singing the Phantom of the Opera soundtrack all day. I visited the Opera House today, which is exquisite beyond reason! The grand staircases and chandeliers are so elegant. The theater is completely covered in red velvet wherever there is fabric and all the wood is dark. Nowadays, they hold mostly ballets, but many many famous operas and musicals have taken place on that stage. In the guide I read as I was exploring, it said there is even a little lake underneath the Opera House, just like there is in the movie! Unfortunately, that part wasn't open to just the average zoobie student. I guess I'll have to wait until I make my millions before I get access to it.

Before coming home, I passed the square dedicated to Jeanne d'arc (Joan of Arc). There is a right winged political party who uses her as their icon, and most of their protests take place in this square. I took a detour past the Ritz Hotel where Princess Diana had left shortly before her death. The sun shone the whole day; I was lucky for the very pleasant weather!

This morning, I spent the morning in a little town called Saint Germain en Laye. It is definitely a place I could settle down for life in. There is an enormous park that overlooks most of Paris, beautiful churches standing on the corners, and dozens of little shops, all unique in styles. It is a town I hope to revisit several times during my stay here!

Belgique..Brugges..Binche..Bruxelles..By Golly!

2.6.08..Bonjour! I'm back from Belgium to real French life again..I was quite surprised by how diverse it was. I actually heard and saw more Flemish speakers than French. Apparently the influence shifts between the two depending on the royalty. Belgium is the center of the European Union because it was the first ground in Europe where men of different homelands fought together. Well, for Mardi Gras I spent the afternoon in Binches, a city famous for its celebrations! And do they ever know how to party! There are men dressed up called "Gilles" who aren't allowed to go anywhere without a drummer leading them. As soon as I stepped onto the street, one old gille grabbed my face and kissed both cheeks welcoming me to Mardi Gras and Binche! haha, I was shocked, and the other girls were dying that they didn't have their cameras out! The tradition is that the different traditional characters promenade through the street and everyone throws oranges! There were thousands and thousands of oranges being thrown absolutely everywhere! All the streets smelled citrus-y after just a couple of hours.
The next day we went down to Ghent to see the altarpiece in the cathedral there. First I looked at a replica so I could get up close and find all the details I was to look for; then I went to see the original. Spectacular doesn't even begin to describe it. It was so full of symbolism, I’m sure one could spend days just finding parallels and connections. Personally, I found the panels depicting the annunciation of Mary by the angel Gabriel the neatest. Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to take a picture.
My favorite detour of all though, was the last place I stopped before returning home: Chantilly. It was first home to the royal Montmorency family in the 1400’s. Yet over the years became known for events including: Molière’s plays being performed and Louis XIV staying for a visit. My choice work of art inside was a Roman mosaic from 100 A.D. which depicts Zeus in the myth when he turns himself into a bull in order to rescue the beautiful Europa. He then leaves her on an island and after time this becomes the land we know as Europe.

Souviens-toi..

2.3.2008...Bonjour! What a wonderful sabbath it has been! I attended my ward, the Versailles ward, for the first time. It is full of fidel and fantastic members. I am really thrilled to be a part of it. Most things are the same, namely the spirit felt. We sung a hymn today that I just love Souviens-Toi. It's not in the English book but really should be. Elder Caussée from one of the 70's quorums spoke before testimonies..he'd had a few neat personal experiences with President Hinckley. I hope everyone was able to see the recording yesterday of his services. Yesterday, I did another walk through Paris, this time stopping at Notre Dame, the Crypts underneath Paris' streets, and the Latin Quarter. The clouds were moving especially quickly as I looked at Notre Dame from below..quite a phenomenal view. Then, I stopped in a place called Stalingrad: During Louis IX's reign I believe, he was pressured into putting up a wall all around Paris and four round tax stop-gates on each corner so no one could escape without paying their dues..Only one of the four still remains and the wall is completely gone The last picture, is while I was walking to the station this morning. The sunrise was intensely beautiful..

Une semaine..one week

Bonsoir..Today it rained cats and dogs! I'm not even going to try translating that one with my family here. :D But by noon, I decided I wasn't going to let it stop me. I took another visit to Saint Sulpice..the inside was so ornate. Though before the DaVinci Code it wasn't a tourist destination, it ought to be, gives Notre Dame a run for its money in my eyes. Down the road, I came to Abbaye Saint-Germain. In the 6th century, King Childebert I founded they abbey in the fields just outside of Paris (hence, the près-or fields-in the name Saint-Germain-des-Près). It was simply staggering to stand on the corner of the Rue de Rennes and look at the 1970's Montparnasse Office Tower then turn 180 degrees, and see the walls of a building 1,000 years older! I also came across my first mime today, which was rather enjoyable. He was very convincing as a music box! Voila my petite francaise Lidwene and I..she should have been doing her homework, but she thinks taking pictures and learning english words with an American is more fun than her english workbook :) haha, until tomorrow...