Bonjour!

IMPORTANT: Thank you all for your emails, messages, phone calls, and warm farewells!!! This first posting will be long! The rest should be much shorter...

Getting to France

I am so excited to be writing from my new home!!! My flight to France was great; I am now a fan of Air Canada. Great service, nice seats, good food, on time. Loved it. My layover in Toronto was 5 hours long and I spent them walking around the small airport and reading. I wanted to maximize my time walking around to make up for the seven hours I'd be flying from there to Paris.

Just a few minutes before landing in Paris I saw the most gorgeous view...The Eiffel Tower! I didn't expect to see it from the plane because 1. the airport is about an hour outside of downtown Paris and 2. because I had pretty much given up on the idea of seeing it my first day since I had to go straight to school from the airport. Well, I got to see it and it's just as majestic as I imagined it...Actually, more. Despite the fact that I knew the tower was very big, its size still shocked me; I could really appreciate its enormity from the plane. It's truly breath taking. I think that was the first moment that I came to understand that I was [am] REALLY doing this French adventure and that I was really landing in France!

Soldiers and policemen and gentlemen, oh my!
As soon as my plane landed I went through customs, which went smoothly, and then to get my luggage, which took f-o-r-e-v-e-r...After getting my extremely heavy bags (I have NO idea how to pack light for a 5-month trip and I finally narrowed it down to two extremely heavy suitcases, one very heavy carry-on, my purse and my laptop), I started walking toward the train station which is inside the airport. Well, I hadn't been walking toward the train for even a minute when a bunch of soldiers with weapons and policemen came running out and screaming to leave that area of the airport because there was a potential bomb in a package or suitcase. They evacuated the area and had us outside for about half an hour. The bomb part didn't scare me, maybe I was too tired, and I wasn't worried because I bought a ticket for the train leaving three hours after my arrival. Once we were allowed back in, it was complete madness. After getting through the madness, I walked to the train station, had a sandwich that my sister said I MUST have as soon as I got here, and proceeded to walk to my train when...

The soldiers, policemen and train staff started evacuating the station! There was a second bomb threat and we weren't allowed to use the escalators or elevators which meant we had to go from the first to the third floor carrying our things. No, bomb threats are not a common thing at the airport, I asked. Did I mention I had 5 pieces total to carry?!?!? Many people were in my same situation with extremely heavy things to carry up three flights of stairs, but God sent me an angel (a fellow traveler who happened to look like Bruce Willis' younger handsome brother) to carry my stuff. I didn't even ask. He just came to me, grabbed my two extremely heavy bags, and took them to the third floor!!! What a gentleman! Not only that, he then stayed with me until we were allowed to go back down. Meanwhile, all the trains were stopped. While waiting for the bomb threat to be cleared and for the trains to be running again, we exchanged great stories (jobs, his wife, his kids, my school...) and it was a great opportunity for me to begin indulging in the joy of speaking in French! My newfound angel brought my suitcases down and put them on a cart for me.

As I walked with my dandy rolling cart to catch the train I realized there was no elevator to my platform!!! He was gone and this time I had to request help getting my stuff down and was seriously hating myself for having packed sooooo much...I met two more wonderful gentlemen who took my heavy bags down with a smile on their faces and I made it on the train just in the nick of time. Before I forget, I want the whole world to know that every Parisian or otherwise French person I have met has been welcoming, kind, and happy to talk with me. I have known the French to be this way because I have met many before, but several people in the States insisted that I was meeting nice French people because they weren't in France; well, for all of you skeptics, I can now tell you for sure that the whole myth/stereotype about the French being rude can be thrown out the door.

Poitiers

The street around the corner from me at 8am. At lunch time the streets are bustling with people chatting at the cafes, shopping, and going to the farmers markets.

The City Hall, three blocks away from my house. There are flowers everywhere!!!

Getting to Poitiers, my new city, was blissful, partially because I slept part of the 2.5 hour ride from the airport and mostly because the time I was awake I saw the most beautiful landscapes. Every few minutes a gorgeous castle or amazing church would poke out from beneath abundant trees and a countryside rich in shades of green and gold. As well, every few cities I'd see extensive fields covered with wind power turbines—ahhh clean energy! I also saw vineyards and whole sections of lavender and so much more that I literally can't describe because, despite loving flowers and plants, I've never been good at knowing their names...The view was just elating...It also helped that there wasn't a single cloud and the trains are comfortable (even in second class) and spacious.

My city's history goes back to the 400s, yes, 4-0-0. It's simply gorgeous and I'm already sad that my camera will not be able to capture the entirety of the beauty this town has—the architecture, the many cobble-stone streets, the trees, the church buildings, and of course all the cafes, restaurants, and flowers everywhere!

My house was built in 1840...
And it's almost next to the school. I had prepared myself for a small room and a miniscule bathroom, but instead I got a big room, with very large built-in armoires, beautiful and big windows that have outside shutters, and a huge bathroom (with a shower and sink, but no toilet). The windows in the room and private bathroom face the house's large garden and the tops of homes near and far from here (I'm on the third floor, so I get a pretty expansive view). The owners are really elderly and kind. They live on the first floor, but we have a separate entrance.

School

This picture in front of the modern entrance of my school was taken an hour after I arrived in Poitiers.

My school, ESCEM, is in what was formerly a monastery (built around 1400) and a lot of its original architecture remains, so you see on the inside as well as the outside full walls, windows, and arches from that period along with newer construction. The library, for instance, is on the very top floor and has the original wood beams exposed. It's hard to explain, but I'll be posting pictures which I think can better convey everything!!!

The people at my school have been incredibly hospitable from the minute I arrived at the train station. Fun, kind, and very dedicated to making sure we have everything we need taken care of. My full schedule will not start until next week. This week is all about getting acclimated, starting French classes, buying cell phones (which I already did), going shopping for groceries, etc. My classmates are from Germany, South Korea, China, Portugal, Spain, Colombia, the US, England, Lithuania, Russia, and some other places that I can't recall. Needless to say we're an incredibly diverse group. Just learning the names alone is in itself a big cultural experience. Everyone's excited to be here and extremely friendly. We took our French placement exams yesterday and I was placed in the advanced class; I still have much much room to improve! Today was my first full day of French and it went well. I'm excited to be improving my French here!

My church

In preparation for coming here I looked for a church that best seemed to match the beliefs of my church in San Rafael and for a couple of months I have been in contact via email with the pastor and a couple of members of my church in Poitiers. I finally got to meet Pastor Gerald and some of the church's student members last night. I called the student coordinator and he picked me up to take me there. It was an organizational meeting and I loved the people! They were very warm and I felt at ease to participate openly, contribute ideas, and even take on a task. All in French! At the end we all exchanged phone numbers and a few of us made plans to walk to church together next week. There's a trip planned to Royan, a beach about 2.5 hours south of here, in a couple of weeks. It's great to have this community and be a part of it!!!

The food...
is divine!!! Exquisite! Even the simplest thing is fresh, delicious and properly made. I must have been insane to declare to anyone that I would not consume flour on this trip!!! I've had many delicious meals since I arrived...The only consolation I have is that I'm walking tons! Seriously! And climbing lots of stairs everywhere. My clothes are already lose on me! I love this life!!!

Dinner and literature

My first dinner in Poitiers was at a great place across the street from my hotel (I spent the first night in Poitiers at Hotel de l'Europe). When I ordered I said it was my first dinner in France and the owner came out to greet me. I told him I'd be in Poitiers for a few months and he brought out books about Poitiers' history. I loved that despite the fact that he must get tons of tourists in his place, he made me feel extra welcome and seemed genuinely delighted that I was eating at his restaurant first. He was very kind. The salad on the picture was modestly described as "Salad with cheese and nuts." It should have been described as: Field greens with fresh, juicy, tomatoes sprinkled with balsamic vinagrette and topped with freshly baked toasted bread and a whole melted brie!!!! That thing that looks like an egg on top of the toast is half a small brie...The other half was on the other toast! By the way, that was the first course!!! Obviously I can't eat like that every day! You'd have to taste it to understand just how delicious this was!!! On the picture you also see the books the owner brought out.

Nutelland

Lastly and primarily in honor of my sister Karla, I took this picture of a Nutella-filled tray at my hotel's breakfast buffet (its neighbors: honey and jam). They have them in these little packets everywhere that serves bread, which is pretty much EVERYWHERE. Every time I see them I think of Karla!!! Today I even saw a sign for Nutella milkshakes!

Okay, that's it for now! As I said before, my future postings will be waaaay shorter!