I have to say that a rollercoaster that takes off backwards with you strapped in can totally surprise you. Not only that, but my brave friend Adrienne didn't know that there was a loop in it which we didn't see until it was too late. You gotta love Indiana Jones!

They told me at Disneyland Paris, to keep my imagination alive by noticing small things. Tonight, as Michelle and I wandered into town for dinner (we still can't get over it, that just going into town means Paris central) we came across the long tubes of Châtelet and Châtelet les Halles. I was tromping down the stairs and saw on the floor a small, but large for it's personal category, very dead and somewhat squished cockroach. I always ask myself, why in the world did God create such an ugly bug? They aren't good for anything, except maybe eating- for some people; nor are they attractive like some beatles, and they are the epitimy of stupidity: they think they are smart, but they really are quite dumb... like the 3 inch one I encountered in Malaga Spain who thought that he could hide and protect himself by scampering over to a table leg and sitting there next to it as if he was a camelion... Someone once told me that a person eats 4 or 5 spiders in their sleep every year... I don't even want to think about the statistics for cockroaches....

By the way, Michelle and I had a wonderful, very reasonable dinner in the 6th arrondissement. I had turkey slices swimming in a pool of crème d'anis (in the family of licorice), laced with pasta. Chelle went for the bœuf Bourguignon. I need to create a list of my favorite places in Paris. The weather is bright and tomorrow its predicted to hit 26°C, quite hot like today. And yesterday I had my first sun of the summer.

This morning I took off with Karen again to the ladies Bible study. We spent most of the time praying for the children of the church, of these women, and of relatives. I was pushed to pray in French. It is a wierd sensation to be forced to do my communication in French; the truth being that I desperately want to pray in French- but I don't want to be the one making all the grammatical fautes in front ot "God and everyone." Oh well, this time I was paired up with a woman who is Malagash in origin and I did my best. What's cool about my God is that He knows me inside and out- whether or not I speak a language of this earth or not.

Well, I scored a free entry into the "america" of Europe today: EuroDisneyland here I come!!

So its been a long weekend in a way... School is behind me and now I'm transitioning into the summer's activities. I've got music on my mind. The next few days I will plunge myself into the worship books in search of songs for this summer. Today has been a day to learn more about iMovie. I'm slowly working my way through the program; my big question in life is "how does it work". This is a decently simple program but all the same, some questions must be answered. I'm thrilled every time I stop and think about how I keep learning. I have been told to never stop learning. So whether its the A,B,C's or MP3's- on I go...Learning = Change.

I added a couple more photo albums to my Imagestation. (Sorry I keep posting this little button; I can't get to my template.)

I today I got the correction of my test. I suceeded! I felt pretty energetic all day until I boarded the RER which rocked me nearly to sleep. I woke up one stop before mine. The man next to me was reading a book about the Christian faith. I didn't disturb him.

So I just got myself some photo space to post my art . Check it out!! Sorry, its one of those that you have to join to see the photos but then you can come and check it out whenever there's something new.

Today I passed my test. Tomorrow I will find out if I suceeded. It was definately a little rougher than the first two... but I'm stoked that it was challenging- it will show more precisely where I am in this whole language learning process. It's a tough one but well worth it. A few days ago I felt stuck; yesterday I started talking and today I even challenged my prof. I guess I have the equivilant of "senioritis" and I'm ready for "summer vacation" which amounts to the reception of an american outreach team, organization, and hopefully dishwashing in a camp somewhere in the south of France.

To celebrate, I treated myself to another trip to the cinemas, this time to watch the Matrix Reloaded... in french. What a workout! I'll have to watch it a second and probably third and fourth time like everyone else, but for the purposes of comprehension. HA! If I suceeded on my grammar test today, I think I got "moyenne" on the comprehension tonight at the cinema. Fortunately there were no known prof's sitting within earshot of my brainwaves.

SWEEEET! It worked! :)

Ok. I think I just told Blogger to speak French; so let's give it a whirl. I want to show you something cool about my God.

Ceux qui sont en bonne santé n'ont pas besoin de médecin, ce sont les malades qui en ont besoin. Ce ne sont pas des justes, mais des pécheurs qui je suis venu appeler à changer de vie. -Jésus

In other words, Jesus came and walked the earth for the sick, hurting, in pain, depressed, injured people. He came calling out to them, healing them, forgiving their sin and recovering them from shame: a changed life.

Canneberge
It took us about 15 minutes of my conversation class to figure out what a cranberry was. I couldn't remember the word in French and we didn't have a dictionary to help us out until the end of the discussion. It all started when I pulled out my notorious "ziplock bag" of Craisins that my wonderful mom brought to me a few weeks back. I was munching on them, (kinda like Audrey Hepburn does in the movie Charade when she tells 'Mr. Bartholemew' that he's "doing a fine job scaring" her) when my prof JB askes what they were. I stuttered and told him that I could explain but that they were a little red, round berry, dried, and a little bitter. I explained that they floated in water, that we like to drink their juice and all kinds of stuff. I finally told him to taste one. So he did. He then agreed with me that he had never had anything like it and didn't know what they were. Several others in the class tried them and couldn't figure it out either. JB went to get a dictionary and I flipped through it to find the word I was looking for, "une canneberge". JB was pretty stoked on them. He said, "Actually, the flavor is found after the berry is gone." I think he liked them.

We're working on the "passe simple". This is the tense I have so much trouble with. Thank goodness I really don't know to know how to write it with ease, only recognize it when I read it. I don't even think they are going to really test me on it. They will, on the contrary, test me on oppositions and concessions. Today I floundered through an exercise where I was supposed to "imagine" the first half of the sentence and make it work with the given "expression de l'opposition" or "concession". My brain went dry. Normally, I am quite and imaginary and creative girl, but not today. I will be sure to spend some quality time with that grammar book that Jonathan lent me before Thursday.

I'm not an electrician, but I made it work!- that dull, dusty stereo that has been sitting on a bookshelf in this apartment since 'who-knows-when'. I peeled the ugly yellowed tape and instructions on how to "turn it on" off the speaker and carefully applied a little fingernail polish remover to remove the "sticky" left by the aged tape. I dusted the sucker, cleaned the connections, reattached the wires and, VOILA! FRENCH RAP!!!! What more could a girl want???! (It was what Marco suggested I listen to ADO in order to orient myself to the subculture of eastern Paris.) I do have to say it is a good thing to have at least one constantly available stream of french broadcast available in our place. This morning's topic: Which God was the incarnation of true love? I listened to France's equivilant of Howard Stern banter with his fellow show-hosts until they decided it was some god I'd never heard of.

It's Monday. It's raining. I have 5 days of school left and an exam on Thursday. C'est lundi. Il pleut. J'ai encore cinq jours d'ecole et un examen jeudi.

The weekend was tiring. Saturday I was able to attend another meeting about the cafe/bar ministry that the church at Pontault is hoping to launch next year. They are working on a name and the details of a budget and ministry goals. It looks to be an expensive endeavor and they have a few name options. I'm intrigued by the whole thing. The french way of doing things is a little different than I am used to, so I just have joined in for the ride. I'm excited about serving coffee and such. Maybe my place will be behind the bar. If you've got a quick connection, you could check out the promo video.

The afternoon I spent helping the choir from Noisy-Champs work on their pieces for the 21st of June. I was good and tired for the rest of the day and Sunday I got myself to the Bussy church for morning worship. My church, Claye, was off on a retreat that I couldn't make because I was already booked for the Pontault/Noisy-Champs projects.... 4 churches: one busy weekend. One of my friends who knows me from Portland warned me on Friday- "be careful not to spread yourself too thin". Thanks Gabe, I need to keep that in mind.

The word for squish in french is much more violent sounding than in english: ecraser (said [a-craz-a]). Bugs can get "ecrased" and then they are smooshed, splatted, or flattened. I was nearly "ecrased" in rush-hour traffic this morning. It wasn't because I was tail-gating or even driving. I was in a metro with people who tend not to have such a defined bubble of personal space as the "american" in me. We had no choice. As the RER line A approached the center of Paris, more and more people tried to flood into the train. There was literally no space left. I was determined to get off at the heart of the city at a stop called Chatelet. The only problem was that the people were so packed into the car that we couldn't get out, and to make matters worse, there was a platform of anxious people, 15 feet deep trying to get into the car I was trying to get out of. At one moment when I thought for certain that my lungs would collapse between the 5 'pressing' people, all trying to go in separate directions in the paralysed mass of bodies, I decided that if I couldn't get out of the train until La Defense, I wouldn't complain. Somehow, I was spit out in the mass of yelling people and one woman caught my arm as I nearly tripped on the hundreds of feet lined up as a gauntlet letting the few of us get off the train. I touched the arm of the woman who has been 'ecrased' up next to me, and wished her a good day and we went our ways. I think this is an experience I will not forget.

I found a little reasonable sandwich place near my school and a park to go with it... I sat and rested from a long weary walk and munched a parisien sandwich and watched a group of young boys get high. Two of them grabbed skateboards and took off in one direction after some time and the others moved on to cigarettes as they headed off for the rest of their afternoon.

They struck again today. Michelle and I wandered down to the RER station today to discover it had been closed all day with the gate down. I hope they open up tomorrow morning because I plan to head into town to meet a friend dropping into town from Amsterdam.

The french people pay a lot in taxes. The working class pays the retirement of the non-working generation. Apparently the people are not too excited about the present nor the proposed situation for the future. So they are striking again today. The metro and train system in Paris is almost completely paralyzed. I stayed home and have been catching up on life.

Life Together

I'm thinking about this life together paper that I'm supposed to have written and posted for the world of Guilder's to read. I wanted to have something readable yesterday but, alas, it is now today and I haven't really made anything available expect my blogspot.

The reason for all this is that I am in 'overdrive' on the integration part of it all. You see, I live in a community whose goal is "life together" for Christ and with Christ. We aren't a hippy compound, just a simple house in the eastern suburbs of Paris France, full of people from the US and France. Some of us can't even speak to oneanother without avoiding 'miscommunication' because of the language. We are calling ourselves OIKOS, a greek term for "household" or "family." We share food, living space and ministry.

Since I am an intern, which is what OIKOS is made up of (interns and full-time workers (aka: missionary), I meet regularly with Jonathan, the full-time worker here. I mentioned that I was working on this paper and the book. I told him about CREDO, Steve Patty, and one of the toughest moments in my life: being rejected for a project that I thought I was capable of. I got to explain the pain of being refused (he knows just like any of us these feelings) and he listened. And then he encouraged me. It was a simple encouragement that I was growing and would continue to, his perspectives from these last 3 months. Funny, it doesn't change the disappointment of those moments or the fact that it happened, but I am reminded that I am indeed a part of the Body- destined for another project in another place for another purpose but with the same goal in mind. And I will continue to grow out of my faults by the grace of God who supports us so strongly until we physically reach His side.

Jonathan's reaction here within our little OIKOS experiment provides an glimmer of example that I want to dwell on in regards to Bonhoeffer's book. None of us is perfect and neither is our little house of saved sinners, but something is happening here that has immense value in the grand scheme of things. According to Bonhoeffer, the community lives out several things: togetherness in worship and love, solitude in the LORD, interpersonal ministries, outreach, and confession and community.

I'll leave it there for now and convert this to a paper for the Guilders... That's enough to keep the head spinning for the afternoon.

funny: my other blog is just as popular in Korea as it is in the US. And I don't speak Korean. I do know of one friend who's probably responsible for the hits... Can't wait til you visit Paris, Steve. We'll have to laugh about all the funny stories in a cafe.

Saturday, I worked with Elise on music for the 21st of June. France a music celebration where everyone gets out and plays or sings in the parks. A local church is going to do a small spectale into which I have been enlisted to play "gospel". So, Elise and I plugged the piano into a stereo and recorded the music so she could practice the parts and teach the choir. We had a blast laughing and singing "Oh 'Appy Day" and "Swing low."

Michelle and I took off around 2pm to sightsee. We decided to get off at Nation and walk to the Bastille. It was a beautiful day to walk and I took the little video camera along for kicks. We discovered green parks with children playing and parents "bronzing" in the sun. We bought icecream and had to apologize to all the french families who's kids squealed with delight that "there [was] icecream!" I tried the Rhum-raisin flavor. Yum...

We made our way into the Bastille and wandered through an outdoor market which reminded me of Saturday Market in Portland. We sat and talked in the make-shift bar/cafe and talked while people milled around checking out Chinese goods and donkey sausage and mimicking people as they went by; "Avec ce-ci?" "Ca te plait?" "Ah bon!"

Our final destination was the latin quarter. But first we walked along the Seine in search of some swing dancers. We found the location but no swing dancers. I will keep my eyes pealed from here out. I miss doing the Lindy Hop at the Viscount and swingin' in the park in Portland. Michelle and I found a little street and wandered down it to discover a nice Moroccan restaurant just outside of the Latin Quarter. We enjoyed the dinner and remarked the location for the next time we crave a nice Moroccan dinner.

Email me for pictures... I took a few and can sent them to you.

Today a man in a suit and tie was dancing in the metro station. It was a Friday after-work commute hour. He had a little stereo playing Michael Jackson and as he moonwalked and did the robot, people stood to the side and let him dance.

A skater carried to worn decks and stood next to me on the platform as we waited for our RER across town. He kept eyeing my Shorty's backpack. It was refreshing to be near those worn down shoes and he even seemed to have that gentle spirit that I miss amongst all my friends at skatechurch. I wondered where he was going when he got off at Nation. It seems that all the skaters get off at Nation. Some day I'm going to get off there and explore.

We ate dinner with the Dixon's tonight. They invited their upstairs neighbor, Eric. He is a third culture guy, having lived in many countries on 6 continents. We learned a lot as he talked about France and the culture here. My theory on conversation being an art was confirmed.

It may sound dull and mundane but I did laundry all day. We started with 5 piles in the living room and I still have one shift to make but it will have to wait til tomorrow morning. I think I can agree with Jadwa on this one thing: I love the smell of laundry detergent. Here in France I buy the Ariel kind and next time I'll purchase the Alpine scent. There's nothing like it! Who ever would have thought that I'd be ordering a t-shirt like Jadwa's that says Laundry Team on it and the number 02 to indicate my position...Bright green!!

I haven't heard much on my little nephew. I am waiting for the latest news and praying for his healing and recovery from the trauma. I pray for my sister and her husband too. I can't imagine what they are going through. One minute things are fine, they expect a baby in several weeks, and they will be a family of 5, healthy and happy. Suddenly an emergency c-section and a little boy is born a tad early and needing life support. The hours they spend in the hospital unable to even hold him, hoping, praying. I am praying for God's grace on them and on little "Zippy" Jonathan Douglas. It is tough to be auntie and be so far away and unable to do anything but pray. I don't know how to process the whole situation either. I need more information...

Tonight I enjoyed a delicious Italian sauce and pasta that Michelle was concocting as I walked in the door from school. I did make a trip to the store before we ate to "cherche le vin" and bread for tomorrow but all the extra walking made it so worth it!

I was so tired today. I slept on the RER both ways and my feet hurt from all the walking but it was nice to be back in class. There are a couple gals in my grammaire class who always invite me to go to coffee with them after class. The only bummer is that I am obliged to stay in my seat for another 2 hours of conversation. I am bummed cuz they seem so cool, one Ukranian and another eastern European. I hope that one day I can go to coffee with them. Today they took down my phone number though and said they plan to call me! I hope it works out to get together another time.

I think a lot about what my "ministry role" is here in France is for these two years and for after. I try to keep in mind what my gifting might be and what my dreams are. My parents mentioned that teams need a person committed to hospitality and this began to ring some bells for me. I keep praying that God will make it clear in time where I should be located and with which team. For now... I'll keep learning french and meeting people and getting braver to talk on the phone and invite people over.

Yesterday my folks and I wandered through the Champ de Mars at the foot of the Tour Eiffel and we found the gardens quite attractive and calm. The military was setting up a display in honor of tomorrow the 8th of May and as we found our way through the trees I discovered a little historic Paris that I've been searching for. It was an ancient carosel, hand powered by a crank and precise gears, colorful horses hanging in geometric organization. A little girl was being strapped to her "horsey" and had a little foot-long stick in her hand. The two men running the ride, started pushing the carosel around and as soon as it reached a "crankable" speed, took to the hand crank to perpetuate the ride. Then all the sudden, the little girl was squeeling with joy and as she came around and around I discovered that she had indeed snagged a couple silver rings on her stick. This was the real thing!!! I read about it in a book!!! The Parisian children do this!!! I looked harder at this contraption built in 1913 and saw that the little girl was collecting the rings from a stand on the far side. But it got more exciting as one of the men grabbed a magnetic stick and put a ring on it and moved to another side of the ride for the girl to catch.. she missed and missed and the man would run along side her to help her get it...

The whole scene reminded me of the movie "Man from Snowy River" when there is a contest and the men are riding horses as full speed and jousting the rings with swords. If I ever have a child here in Paris, I'll certainly take them to the carosel men to learn how to joust... and it takes precision... the rings are only about 2 inches in diameter!

I've just sent my parents off into Paris to find their train back to Frankfurt. It was wonderful having them here. I also know they are ready to be home and are anxious to see their new grandson. The little boy is doing much better and showing signs of recovery each day. We are praying for swift and full healing, health and now for Andrea to be able to hold her little boy on Mother's day.

We have a jour ferie again this Thursday. I intend to clean and get my life together book read and the paper more formalized. In the meantime, you can check out some photos from the reunion party at my place at David's link.

I know "everybody and their mother" knows about homestarrunner, but for those of you who need a link to actually visit it... you should. Check out Strongbad's email. I certainly get a kick out of "techno" since I live here in France and it is considered a popular music style.

Monday has arrived. My folks are here hanging out. Yesterday it was hot out- 30 C. which translates to about 80 F. Today...? Well the weatherman is predicting strong rain, thunderstorms and around 16 C. We don't know whether to believe him or not. Today I plan to take it easy with my parents and introduce them to some friends in NW Paris. But first, I'll go to grammaire class for 2 hours.

We're taking it easy because of some stressful events in the last 24 hours. My sister after nearly 9 months of pregancy had her little boy. He had to come a few weeks early. There was concern because he wasn't moving around as much as expected. The result was an emergency C-section and a little boy with lots of "fight". His name is Jonathan Douglas Terpening- my new nephew- who within 2 hours was showing good progress in recovery.

It has been rough on my parents who, even though here with me, planned to be there with Andrea the day he would have been delivered. Now with the little one in the ICU of U of Minnesota, undergoing major tests and expected to be there for weeks, there is an urgency to be home/in MN. Many prayers are being lifted up...

Friday has been and gone. It was actually a pleasant day. Last night, I slipped myself a medicine to kick the rest of my bug and slept like a baby... so hard in fact, that it took the phone to wake me at 9am. Fortunately, it was J just reminding me that I had a meeting with him in the next few minutes but that he would be a few minutes 'en retard' after taking Sammy to daycare.

I had good classes and felt decently well most of the day. Chelle and I went for dinner in Lognes at a chinese place where we shared a leisurely dinner. How nice it was to spend time just talking over the food, learning about one another, even suggesting the mundane like, So, do you wanna clean the bathroom this week and I'll take it next week? Check out her site for some pictures. I'm too cheap to pay for blogger-picture-privileges...mainly cuz I think I'll get out of control (now that I have Adobe Photoshop loaded on my Mac!!!!!) I also have just loaded the new killer iTunes 4 and found a bunch of radio stations that play through it and downloadable MP3s for $.90/each.

I've been fighting a bug of some sort. It has slowed me down just a bit. I missed a day of school and fortunately today is a bank holiday and I don't have school anyway. Two days ago, Tuesday afternoon, I returned home from school and greeted my new roommate, Michelle. It is a pleasure to have her here, moving in and settling down. The only bummer is that I'm not feeling well, and I pray she doesn't get it. On account of my messed up stomach, her debut french cooking experience was a chicken and veggie soup which is going to be wonderful as soon as I can eat more.