hello my people.
its been a while it seems like i wrote anything and i have quite a bit to update on but as of right now i am in a friend apartment between voiltaire and saint ambroise and i'm running to late to go help a friend set up for her birthday party. oh sweet, and as i was sitting down to write a quite note some sweet (haha) frenchies showed up at my friend apartment because she has some work she needs done. thanks, i was planning on changing clothes. i guess not now!
just wanted to say i am on holiday now. its been a fabulous first holiday in france filled with sleep overs, monet's garden, lots of rendez vous's, parties and not much relaxing. its been a tad bit on the cold side but not ridiculously cold this week which is nice and i'm still working on creating the perfect winter wardrobe so that when the cold decides to leave i still have all my fingers and toes intact.
oh and i am learning french. like really learning. on my way to being fluent, ha! but really. one day. i have faith and i am staying positive. slow and steady but pushing on.
thats all for now, my friends await and i have a schedule to keep up with.
miss you all so much but an slightly jealous of the weather you are having right now. blah for having to wear 5 layers of clothing just to sleep well at night.
love me
Friday, October 29
Sunday, October 24
What a wonderful life
I have just returned from a much needed, extremely enjoyed, but completely exhausting weekend.
So first things first:
This past week was hard! My host mom fell ill last weekend and when I arrived home on Sunday she looked pretty bad! She stayed home from work nearly all week, went to the doctor three times, and eventually found out she has a bad case of pneumonia. Needless to say I spent the whole week doing extra and helping out more so I was exhausted when Friday came. I actually think I worked my 30 hours for the first time though. Well, upon finding out she has pneumonia, she learned she has to stay home for an entire week, no leaving the house.... AND holiday is supposed to be this next week. They cancelled their holiday. I hate that she is sick, I hate seeing anyone sick, and as selfish as this might sound, I almost cried (not exaggerating for once, tears started to well up in my eyes) when I found out they had cancelled their holiday plans. I was so looking forward to waking up in my own bed without the noises of a 4 or 6 yr old at 8am and being able to go to the Carrefour and purchase my own groceries and cook whatever I wanted and not have to set a place setting for 5, to come and go as i pleased without having to worry about who i might be waking, take really long showers, watch tv at night, invite a few friends over maybe for a slumber party... Yes, I know, thats really selfish of me to be upset that I I I I I can't do those things now because my host mom is horribly ill, but thats just the honest truth. Instead these next two days bring a lot more work and the rest of the week will play out as normal (sort of).
THankfully I am not required to work on the days that they had orginally planned to be gone, so that is a huge blessing! Thank the Lord, no, really!
So Friday evening I learned the bad news and was just exhausted from the week and overwhelmed with everything and so I was very thankful when a friend of mine convinced me to come stay the night with her last minute. My host father graciously agreed to drop me off at the train station and a few hours later I was on her door step and being welcomed into her flat. We had a great evening which turned into a great Saturday and now a great Sunday!
Yesterday was a Saturday like one that everyone needs every so often. It was a rainy Saturday full of sleeping in, lounging around, drinking real hot chocolate made with love, watching dvd's, painting nails, dying hair, cooking, and chatting. On a rainy and cold Saturday in Paris, it was just what the doctor would have ordered had I seen one for my case of the bummed out nanny syndrome the previous evening. ha.
Saturday night was a disaster but all in good fun, for me, at least and I will spare you the details because it truely was a disaster and not an interesting one at that. Just one of those night when you're glad you have good company because nothing else was good! haha! And you're grateful you made it home alive and in one piece. (and no family, I did not go do anything stupid...don't get all worried!)
And have I mentioned yet that I LOVE my church and I LOVE my friends and I LOVE Sundays?!
I love serving with the guys I have the pleasure of serving with now that I am on this new team, I love the friends that I have made and the relationships that continue to grow, and meeting new people and breaking bread together after church and spending time playing games at people's flats. Oh man, I think the Lord knows the next two days might be rather difficult and so he blessed with me with such a relaxing and wonderful weekend to prepare me ahead of time. Ha!!
Well, no pictures to show this time... just memories of which I have just shared! Pray for me tomorrow as I have the kids the.entire.day. Please pray for patience, good attitudes (theirs, not mine), for the day to go by quickly! I have learned though through this experience that I think I could mother at this point in my life, I am capable and I think I would be a fabulous mother, but I am just NOT ready! Which as my mom would say is completely fine because I need a man first! haha (and she would prefer a marriage also) but its an interesting thought. I have the opportunity to play mom, if you will, and its been an incredible opportunity and experience and I am really enjoying my time here and with this family and doing this job and living this life. But I am truely blessed that I am the nanny at the end of the day.
Oh and please pray for my host mom, her name is Rachel, for her to get well soon as I'm sure it's miserable missing two and half weeks of work being sick and missing your vacation because you're ill.
Well, hopefully this week I shall be booking my ticket to Vienna for Christmas! So blessed again that I will be spending Christmas with another lovely CHRISTIAN family! My friend posted on my facebook wall the other day, "I talked to my dad the other day and mentioned that I might be bringing home a slightly large souvenir at Christmas and he said that would be ok..." haha, so for Christmas I will be a slightly larger souvenir... there's always a first right?
CHEERS tooooo great weekends, great memories, and many more to come! I love you all so very much, loveeeee, me
So first things first:
This past week was hard! My host mom fell ill last weekend and when I arrived home on Sunday she looked pretty bad! She stayed home from work nearly all week, went to the doctor three times, and eventually found out she has a bad case of pneumonia. Needless to say I spent the whole week doing extra and helping out more so I was exhausted when Friday came. I actually think I worked my 30 hours for the first time though. Well, upon finding out she has pneumonia, she learned she has to stay home for an entire week, no leaving the house.... AND holiday is supposed to be this next week. They cancelled their holiday. I hate that she is sick, I hate seeing anyone sick, and as selfish as this might sound, I almost cried (not exaggerating for once, tears started to well up in my eyes) when I found out they had cancelled their holiday plans. I was so looking forward to waking up in my own bed without the noises of a 4 or 6 yr old at 8am and being able to go to the Carrefour and purchase my own groceries and cook whatever I wanted and not have to set a place setting for 5, to come and go as i pleased without having to worry about who i might be waking, take really long showers, watch tv at night, invite a few friends over maybe for a slumber party... Yes, I know, thats really selfish of me to be upset that I I I I I can't do those things now because my host mom is horribly ill, but thats just the honest truth. Instead these next two days bring a lot more work and the rest of the week will play out as normal (sort of).
THankfully I am not required to work on the days that they had orginally planned to be gone, so that is a huge blessing! Thank the Lord, no, really!
So Friday evening I learned the bad news and was just exhausted from the week and overwhelmed with everything and so I was very thankful when a friend of mine convinced me to come stay the night with her last minute. My host father graciously agreed to drop me off at the train station and a few hours later I was on her door step and being welcomed into her flat. We had a great evening which turned into a great Saturday and now a great Sunday!
Yesterday was a Saturday like one that everyone needs every so often. It was a rainy Saturday full of sleeping in, lounging around, drinking real hot chocolate made with love, watching dvd's, painting nails, dying hair, cooking, and chatting. On a rainy and cold Saturday in Paris, it was just what the doctor would have ordered had I seen one for my case of the bummed out nanny syndrome the previous evening. ha.
Saturday night was a disaster but all in good fun, for me, at least and I will spare you the details because it truely was a disaster and not an interesting one at that. Just one of those night when you're glad you have good company because nothing else was good! haha! And you're grateful you made it home alive and in one piece. (and no family, I did not go do anything stupid...don't get all worried!)
And have I mentioned yet that I LOVE my church and I LOVE my friends and I LOVE Sundays?!
I love serving with the guys I have the pleasure of serving with now that I am on this new team, I love the friends that I have made and the relationships that continue to grow, and meeting new people and breaking bread together after church and spending time playing games at people's flats. Oh man, I think the Lord knows the next two days might be rather difficult and so he blessed with me with such a relaxing and wonderful weekend to prepare me ahead of time. Ha!!
Well, no pictures to show this time... just memories of which I have just shared! Pray for me tomorrow as I have the kids the.entire.day. Please pray for patience, good attitudes (theirs, not mine), for the day to go by quickly! I have learned though through this experience that I think I could mother at this point in my life, I am capable and I think I would be a fabulous mother, but I am just NOT ready! Which as my mom would say is completely fine because I need a man first! haha (and she would prefer a marriage also) but its an interesting thought. I have the opportunity to play mom, if you will, and its been an incredible opportunity and experience and I am really enjoying my time here and with this family and doing this job and living this life. But I am truely blessed that I am the nanny at the end of the day.
Oh and please pray for my host mom, her name is Rachel, for her to get well soon as I'm sure it's miserable missing two and half weeks of work being sick and missing your vacation because you're ill.
Well, hopefully this week I shall be booking my ticket to Vienna for Christmas! So blessed again that I will be spending Christmas with another lovely CHRISTIAN family! My friend posted on my facebook wall the other day, "I talked to my dad the other day and mentioned that I might be bringing home a slightly large souvenir at Christmas and he said that would be ok..." haha, so for Christmas I will be a slightly larger souvenir... there's always a first right?
CHEERS tooooo great weekends, great memories, and many more to come! I love you all so very much, loveeeee, me
Thursday, October 21
recommendation
Yesterday was Wednesday, the day when the kids are off from school. My host mom has been rather sick this week so I had decided no matter what I was not going to end up going to Paris last night for my church gathering so I took it easy trying to keep my patience intack the whole day! (Let me tell you, spending ALL day home with mom and 2 kids can become quite exhausting!) In the afternoon my host mom needed to take the kids for a previously scheduled check up at the doctors and she decided she didn't need my help so I was left home...alone...by...myself... woo hoo!!! I have been reading a book a friend let me borrow when I first moved here and its a really long book (over 500 pages) and I had given myself a deadline of completing it by this past weekend. Well, I'm happy to say that even though I'm a few days past my deadline, I finally finished my book. It has a rather catchy title, Losing My Virginity, but don't let that fool you, its a fabulous book! It's an autobiography of Richard Branson's life, the man who started any company with the name Virgin. Most notably Virgin Music and Virgin Airlines which you still find both of in almost every country. He tells of how he grew from being a "nobody" in school and having no future according to his teachers and deans, to being one of the most successful people in the world. He has overcome many, many obstacles, some I'm sure a lot of you have no idea about. I really have more respect for the brand and plan on using and buying from them whenever possible and I suggest you also do the same. Anyways, if anyone is interested in autobiographies, I highly recommend this be on your to-read list. I'm not sure I've ever voluntarily read a 500 page book much less unvoluntarily, so I am proud of my accomplishment!
Anyways, Friday starts the beginning of my 13 day holiday. Well, I am not actually starting my holiday until Wednesday but the kids have no school for the next week and a half! Woo hoo!!! My host family is planning on going to the South of France for a week and I am staying here and hanging out. I had thought about going on a quick trip but things kept falling through and I am honestly happier having some down time to be alone (since there is rarely down time here) and spending quite a bit of my time in Paris with friends. On Friday night of the weekend (not this weekend, but the following) I am hoping to have a little sleep over for a few girlfriends at my house here in the countryside. Since we couldn't do a get-away we decided it would be fun to do a mini getaway, since afterall I do kind of live far away! haha. A night of cooking an all you can eat Mexican buffet courtesy of Kara's cooking skills (ha!) and watching movies in french (with english subtitles) and being girly. I hope this works out and it happens because I could surely use a night like that!
Oh and for those of you hearing about my country on the news, its crazy! But don't worry about me, i am just fine! So the French are striking AGAIN, big.deal! So the government raised the retirement age from 60 to 62, which from what I've heard is still one of the youngest retirement ages around anyways. Well, the French are pissed off about this. (Honestly, in my opinion and in my host moms opinion, the people are going to oppose ANYTHING the goverment does) So they are striking and demonstrating, but now its gotten to a whole new level which is defaming personal property. Burning up cars, breaking in store windows, etc. Luckily I live in a nice suburb where that isn't happening and I am blessed to be in a very quiet part of town but i am praying for those who are being affected by all this. And for what? 2 more years of working? Come on! Even if you don't like it that is not a reason to mess with other people's stuff. But I have decided I am an American and have american ways of thinking therefore I will never fully understand striking or demonstrating. At least not to that extent. And on top of keeping the metros and trains from running smoothly, they are now blocking the gas trucks from refilling the gas stations with their supply of gas so people are slowly becoming unable to drive to work and where ever else they need to go. Good timing as today I woke up and its 28 degrees F or -2 degrees celcius, and there is a week and a half holiday starting soon.
If you wouldn't mind keeping this situation in your prayers. I don't believe I am directly affected but I stll live here and these are the people I am among and the country I am living in right now. Pray for peace and understanding!
Well, thats all for now! Hope everyone is staying warm where ever you are. I mean, I'm pretty sure its not even cold in Texas right now, lucky! I realized this morning that I traded one extreme for the other! I used to have summers 9 months of the year and now i have winter 9 months of the year! I really had no clue what I was getting myself into.
Love you guys to the moon and back, Kara
Anyways, Friday starts the beginning of my 13 day holiday. Well, I am not actually starting my holiday until Wednesday but the kids have no school for the next week and a half! Woo hoo!!! My host family is planning on going to the South of France for a week and I am staying here and hanging out. I had thought about going on a quick trip but things kept falling through and I am honestly happier having some down time to be alone (since there is rarely down time here) and spending quite a bit of my time in Paris with friends. On Friday night of the weekend (not this weekend, but the following) I am hoping to have a little sleep over for a few girlfriends at my house here in the countryside. Since we couldn't do a get-away we decided it would be fun to do a mini getaway, since afterall I do kind of live far away! haha. A night of cooking an all you can eat Mexican buffet courtesy of Kara's cooking skills (ha!) and watching movies in french (with english subtitles) and being girly. I hope this works out and it happens because I could surely use a night like that!
Oh and for those of you hearing about my country on the news, its crazy! But don't worry about me, i am just fine! So the French are striking AGAIN, big.deal! So the government raised the retirement age from 60 to 62, which from what I've heard is still one of the youngest retirement ages around anyways. Well, the French are pissed off about this. (Honestly, in my opinion and in my host moms opinion, the people are going to oppose ANYTHING the goverment does) So they are striking and demonstrating, but now its gotten to a whole new level which is defaming personal property. Burning up cars, breaking in store windows, etc. Luckily I live in a nice suburb where that isn't happening and I am blessed to be in a very quiet part of town but i am praying for those who are being affected by all this. And for what? 2 more years of working? Come on! Even if you don't like it that is not a reason to mess with other people's stuff. But I have decided I am an American and have american ways of thinking therefore I will never fully understand striking or demonstrating. At least not to that extent. And on top of keeping the metros and trains from running smoothly, they are now blocking the gas trucks from refilling the gas stations with their supply of gas so people are slowly becoming unable to drive to work and where ever else they need to go. Good timing as today I woke up and its 28 degrees F or -2 degrees celcius, and there is a week and a half holiday starting soon.
If you wouldn't mind keeping this situation in your prayers. I don't believe I am directly affected but I stll live here and these are the people I am among and the country I am living in right now. Pray for peace and understanding!
Well, thats all for now! Hope everyone is staying warm where ever you are. I mean, I'm pretty sure its not even cold in Texas right now, lucky! I realized this morning that I traded one extreme for the other! I used to have summers 9 months of the year and now i have winter 9 months of the year! I really had no clue what I was getting myself into.
Love you guys to the moon and back, Kara
Monday, October 18
picture day!
Remember a while ago (say, week 2) when I went to a Yves Saint Laurent exhibit at Petit Palais with a new friend (who is not so new now)? Well, she finally uploaded the photos from that day...
we stood in line for nearly 2 hours and we were in the shade and it was cold. But we survived and have these photos to show for it:
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| the line to go in to the exhibit was extremely long |
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| I have no words for an outfit like this that would make its debut in public... |
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| no pictures were allowed in the exhibit, we tried. |
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| La Concorde |
This weekend I attended a Zombie walk or parade... whatever you want to call it. It was quite interesting as I wrote about yesterday and I have proof now if you want to see. Hope it doesn't disturb too many people. I apologize.
This is my friend while he is getting some make up put on him in the form of blood.
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| after |
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| all the zombies |
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| there was a band and a bar and basically anything you needed along the way that was also a part of this parade/walk...i mean, zombies need entertainment and drinks as well, right? |
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| since i didn't "dress up" my friend so kindly photo shopped me to look like a zombie. is it a good look for me? |
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| left is Lisa, one of my good friends here, an au pair close to where I live and I am hoping to go to Vienna with her for christmas (where she is from) and right is Grace, my new found soul mate who is planning to come back to Texas with me. She is uber excited and I think I am almost as excited as her! :-) |
Sunday, October 17
weekend recap
Hello there my favorite people! I hear the weather in Houston has been mighty fine. Glad to know! The weather here has been "bearable". Not a fan! I am needing gloves already and I'm dreaming about owning some earmuffs! (hopefully that purchase will be made soon)
Anyways, this weekend was super busy and all with fun and interesting and new experiences. I am loving Paris more and more and more and more each time I have the opportunity to wake up and open my eyes and enjoy another day! Not to say every day is great, but I really do go to bed each night still loving my city! So here goes:
Friday night I went into Paris and was going to go out and meet up with some people at a language exchance but I was frustrated with the trains and metros thanks to the strikes happening around here so I decided to skip out and just lay low at a friend's flat. I brought the entertainment that she was not wanting, ha! But she enjoyed my presence nonetheless! So much for her quiet Friday night though!
Saturday morning my friend and I got up and we had planned on going for a walk and getting some groceries and cooking a lovely meal...haha! yea right! I mentioned my need for Pizza Hut and she did not oppose. SO we headed out in search of some pizza hut. We were starving and so excited about pizza hut that we had plans of being there when it opened. Well, long story short we finally ended up at a restuarant style Pizza Hut in the center of Paris (metro Chatelet) where we both ordered the buffet and a soda. Hallelujah for Pizza Hut restaurants...they served LARGE glasses (American sized) AVEC (with) ice cubes! And unlimited refills although the glass was so large that I didn't have it refilled, but still, that is not a common find in this country.
I had noticed a new friend mention that he was going to go to a "zombie parade" in Paris Saturday afternoon and I didn't have any previous committments so I decided to see if I could tag along. It was the funniest/creepiest/grossest/most uncomfortable 3 hours of my life! I'm not sure if I enjoyed it or not...haha! I saw it as just another excuse for the French to party in the streets as they do quite often and dress up like zombies. And let me tell you, some people went ALL OUT. It was insane how dressed up some people were. And it was rather gross at times becuase there was fake blood everywhere. I definitely tried to stay as blood-free as possible. My friend was brave enough to get some fake blood put on him so he could play the part while I enjoyed watching everyone else. Since the French don't really celebrate Halloweeen I saw this as their makeshift halloween except everyone was dressed up as the same character.
After this interesting experience I had dinner plans at another friends flat! My friend from Nigeria is going to Le Cordon Bleu and was hosting an Altilier (i hope i spelled that correctly). Because I am not sure exactly what that term means I will just tell you what the evening was like. My friend hosted a cooking evening...ok, my wording sucks, I am sorry. He invited a small amount of people over where he had a menu set up with all the ingredients needed and showed us how to cook what was on the menu for that night. It was rather interesting and fun as we were able to help out and it was interactive. Also, we had to pay 20 euros to go, a high price if you ask me, but he donated the money to a charity called a21 that focuses on helping get girls out of the sex slave trade so I was happy to help this charity while enjoying a night with friends. Hit two birds with one stone as my mom likes to say. The evening ran longer than expected though so by the time we left I was extremely exhausted and ready for bed!
This week I received a call from a guy at church that was rather interesting. I have been "hosting" at my church (Hillsong church of Paris) for the last month I'd say and I love it. I love being able to serve and be a part of the church and by doing so I have also had the opportunity to meet more people and find out more about the church. It's been a win-win situation. Well, I had been on the "inside host team" which means I helped seat people for the service and take the offering and things such as that. Well, this guy called me and asked me to switch teams to be on the front door team as it is called. The front door team is just what it sounds like, we are the people who stand at the metro and outside the church and hold open the doors and are the first faces and greetings that the people receive before they enter the church. Well, it may not sound like a big deal but to me it was such an honor to be asked for a few reasons: 1. becuase this has been an all guys team and so to ask a girl was a big deal and 2. because they had obviously been discussing this and my name came up meaning that they recognize my help and my personality and saw that I was a good fit for the position. I was very excited to accept the offer and so today, Sunday, was my first day assisting in this area of my church. It's such a blessing to me to be able to come to church every Sunday and serve the people of Paris. We are a very diverse church but we all have one thing in common and I love being able to be the hands and feet of God, as he calls us to be in the Bible!
After church a few friends and I decided to check out this Japonese restaurant quite literally across the street from the church and I just enjoyed every second of that lunch. The food was good, the company was great, and the prices weren't so bad either (and thats a great combo, let me tell you!!!).
After lunch 3 friends and I headed back to one of the girls flats and on the way we stopped at a bakery and picked up a few goodies, took them home, turned on a few episodes of Sex and the City, ate our sweet pasteries/cakes, and lounged like everyone should do on a sunday afternoon! it was so relaxing and such a nice way to spend enjoying each others company in a low key environment. I've found it hard to find experiences as such here as there is always something to do and someone to visit and something going on so its rare to stay home and watch a movie and chat and lounge, so I definetly was blessed again by such a great relaxing afternoon!
I did however come home to learn my host mom is sick and I am not sure how sick but she doesn't seem to be doing well! If you read this and have a moment, please say a prayer for her! I know I hate being sick, but put on top of that being a mom and having a job and all the other needs of your day to day life and I know that can't be easy if she does not get healed soon! Although I am glad I am here to help out in any way I can, I just pray that she gets better quickly!!!
Well, I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I miss all you guys so much!
I mentioned last time how I have a friend, she has a name, Grace, who wants to come back to Texas with me when I come home next year! I am beyond excited for her to come home and meet ALL of y'all! We are planning a two week adventure that will hopefully take us all over Texas to visit everyone one of my friends and family and even maybe to New Mexico. I am so excited to introduce her to all things Texas, including southern hospitality!!! haha. She is from England and finds my "accent" so fun, she is trying to learn to speak like a Texas, she greets me with Howdy and hola and I tell her about mexican food and the state fair and how wide I-10 is in Houston and she just cannot wait! And i cannot wait to be home to share her with y'all! (and to see everyone, of coarse!!!)
Well, thats all for now! Love you miss you mean it! (haha, stole that from Alicia!)
love, me
Anyways, this weekend was super busy and all with fun and interesting and new experiences. I am loving Paris more and more and more and more each time I have the opportunity to wake up and open my eyes and enjoy another day! Not to say every day is great, but I really do go to bed each night still loving my city! So here goes:
Friday night I went into Paris and was going to go out and meet up with some people at a language exchance but I was frustrated with the trains and metros thanks to the strikes happening around here so I decided to skip out and just lay low at a friend's flat. I brought the entertainment that she was not wanting, ha! But she enjoyed my presence nonetheless! So much for her quiet Friday night though!
Saturday morning my friend and I got up and we had planned on going for a walk and getting some groceries and cooking a lovely meal...haha! yea right! I mentioned my need for Pizza Hut and she did not oppose. SO we headed out in search of some pizza hut. We were starving and so excited about pizza hut that we had plans of being there when it opened. Well, long story short we finally ended up at a restuarant style Pizza Hut in the center of Paris (metro Chatelet) where we both ordered the buffet and a soda. Hallelujah for Pizza Hut restaurants...they served LARGE glasses (American sized) AVEC (with) ice cubes! And unlimited refills although the glass was so large that I didn't have it refilled, but still, that is not a common find in this country.
I had noticed a new friend mention that he was going to go to a "zombie parade" in Paris Saturday afternoon and I didn't have any previous committments so I decided to see if I could tag along. It was the funniest/creepiest/grossest/most uncomfortable 3 hours of my life! I'm not sure if I enjoyed it or not...haha! I saw it as just another excuse for the French to party in the streets as they do quite often and dress up like zombies. And let me tell you, some people went ALL OUT. It was insane how dressed up some people were. And it was rather gross at times becuase there was fake blood everywhere. I definitely tried to stay as blood-free as possible. My friend was brave enough to get some fake blood put on him so he could play the part while I enjoyed watching everyone else. Since the French don't really celebrate Halloweeen I saw this as their makeshift halloween except everyone was dressed up as the same character.
After this interesting experience I had dinner plans at another friends flat! My friend from Nigeria is going to Le Cordon Bleu and was hosting an Altilier (i hope i spelled that correctly). Because I am not sure exactly what that term means I will just tell you what the evening was like. My friend hosted a cooking evening...ok, my wording sucks, I am sorry. He invited a small amount of people over where he had a menu set up with all the ingredients needed and showed us how to cook what was on the menu for that night. It was rather interesting and fun as we were able to help out and it was interactive. Also, we had to pay 20 euros to go, a high price if you ask me, but he donated the money to a charity called a21 that focuses on helping get girls out of the sex slave trade so I was happy to help this charity while enjoying a night with friends. Hit two birds with one stone as my mom likes to say. The evening ran longer than expected though so by the time we left I was extremely exhausted and ready for bed!
This week I received a call from a guy at church that was rather interesting. I have been "hosting" at my church (Hillsong church of Paris) for the last month I'd say and I love it. I love being able to serve and be a part of the church and by doing so I have also had the opportunity to meet more people and find out more about the church. It's been a win-win situation. Well, I had been on the "inside host team" which means I helped seat people for the service and take the offering and things such as that. Well, this guy called me and asked me to switch teams to be on the front door team as it is called. The front door team is just what it sounds like, we are the people who stand at the metro and outside the church and hold open the doors and are the first faces and greetings that the people receive before they enter the church. Well, it may not sound like a big deal but to me it was such an honor to be asked for a few reasons: 1. becuase this has been an all guys team and so to ask a girl was a big deal and 2. because they had obviously been discussing this and my name came up meaning that they recognize my help and my personality and saw that I was a good fit for the position. I was very excited to accept the offer and so today, Sunday, was my first day assisting in this area of my church. It's such a blessing to me to be able to come to church every Sunday and serve the people of Paris. We are a very diverse church but we all have one thing in common and I love being able to be the hands and feet of God, as he calls us to be in the Bible!
After church a few friends and I decided to check out this Japonese restaurant quite literally across the street from the church and I just enjoyed every second of that lunch. The food was good, the company was great, and the prices weren't so bad either (and thats a great combo, let me tell you!!!).
After lunch 3 friends and I headed back to one of the girls flats and on the way we stopped at a bakery and picked up a few goodies, took them home, turned on a few episodes of Sex and the City, ate our sweet pasteries/cakes, and lounged like everyone should do on a sunday afternoon! it was so relaxing and such a nice way to spend enjoying each others company in a low key environment. I've found it hard to find experiences as such here as there is always something to do and someone to visit and something going on so its rare to stay home and watch a movie and chat and lounge, so I definetly was blessed again by such a great relaxing afternoon!
I did however come home to learn my host mom is sick and I am not sure how sick but she doesn't seem to be doing well! If you read this and have a moment, please say a prayer for her! I know I hate being sick, but put on top of that being a mom and having a job and all the other needs of your day to day life and I know that can't be easy if she does not get healed soon! Although I am glad I am here to help out in any way I can, I just pray that she gets better quickly!!!
Well, I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I miss all you guys so much!
I mentioned last time how I have a friend, she has a name, Grace, who wants to come back to Texas with me when I come home next year! I am beyond excited for her to come home and meet ALL of y'all! We are planning a two week adventure that will hopefully take us all over Texas to visit everyone one of my friends and family and even maybe to New Mexico. I am so excited to introduce her to all things Texas, including southern hospitality!!! haha. She is from England and finds my "accent" so fun, she is trying to learn to speak like a Texas, she greets me with Howdy and hola and I tell her about mexican food and the state fair and how wide I-10 is in Houston and she just cannot wait! And i cannot wait to be home to share her with y'all! (and to see everyone, of coarse!!!)
Well, thats all for now! Love you miss you mean it! (haha, stole that from Alicia!)
love, me
Thursday, October 14
TWO MONTHS
Woo Hoo!!!
I have surpassed the two month mark and would like you to celebrate with me by saying a big YEE-HAWWWW!!!
Ok, well, maybe not a yee-haw but praise the Lord, it has been 8 weeks and I couldn't be happier with how much I have accomplished and what all has gone on in the past 8 weeks of my life!!!
Cheers to another 8 MONTHS of livin' the good life...
Happy THURSDAY!
I have surpassed the two month mark and would like you to celebrate with me by saying a big YEE-HAWWWW!!!
Ok, well, maybe not a yee-haw but praise the Lord, it has been 8 weeks and I couldn't be happier with how much I have accomplished and what all has gone on in the past 8 weeks of my life!!!
Cheers to another 8 MONTHS of livin' the good life...
Happy THURSDAY!
Monday, October 11
I am...
Hi, my name used to be Kara, now it is Kara Lynn (one name) pronounced Car-a L-Eeeen. (legally)
*I used to drive a small SUV, now I am happy walking or with my Navigo, which takes me all over the city on the metro.
*I used to live close to downtown and now I live in zone 5.
*Eating out and large portions were a regular in my diet, now I eat at home and small portions work just fine.
*Speaking spangish and slang were a daily way of living, now struggling to understand whats going on around me is normal.
*I now have a weekend home near to Le Arc d'Triumph which is a necessity.
*I used to dream of traveling, now the world is at my fingertips. (quite literally)
They (whoever THEY are) say that there is a culture shock process, much like the greivance process, you must go through in order to adapt to your new life in a healthy way. There are steps such as the honeymoon stage, hating it, loving it, noticing all the differences, etc...
I think I am working through them all and I think it really does exist. I knew when I moved to France that it would be a major life change and there would be a lot of differences, but boy-howdy, I had no clue just HOW different my life would be. I notice every difference between the French and Americans (or how I was raised) and it gets quite frustrating at times. I miss doing things "my" way, the "right" way, the "American" way... or was it just the more "familiar" way, the "easy" way for ME? I love this country and I love most of its people and ways of life, but right now my struggle is finding how to blend the old me with the new me to where all of me is a happy me. (bad sentence, sorry!) I want to be of this culture, not so much that I loose who I was before, so right now I am learning what is necessary to adapt to and what I can appreciate about other people but find ok to not have to change about myself.
This weekend, on a different note, was amazing! Well, most of it was! My aunt was still in town (she left this morning, or at least I hope she made her flight ok) yesterday so after an awesome morning of church I was able to meet up with her for some more chatting and eating and walking. She went with me to pick up a friend from the train station and I was so excited that she was able to meet a friend of mine. We went and had dinner together and had a great, relaxed dinner at a no-name cafe in a partially shady area of town, but it was one of the best meals yet. I am glad that my two worlds were able to collide, even if it was just for a few hours.
I signed up for a few conferences last night that my church attends on a yearly basis so now I feel more connected and involved and like I have something big to look forward to. They are both Christian conferences held in London, one is in April of next year and the other is in July of next year. Yay for going to London (ha, I told myself coming over here that I would avoid London at all costs, how is that working out for me you ask???).
And... I had my BEST meal yet on Saturday evening. Random restaurant, looked good, was hungry, walked in, sat down, ordered, hoped for the best and the best is how to describe it! Nice sized portion, great tasting, good atmosphere (really close to the Eiffel Tower), not bad prices, and good company! Saturday night was full of new adventures with new friends and great experiences!
I am blessed! And I try to not take any of those blessings for granted.
I miss you guys and am actually thinking of when I could possibly come home...next year :-)
And I am thinking of bringing a friend with me (no worries, she's a she...)!!!!
Have a great week my favorite Americans...
*I used to drive a small SUV, now I am happy walking or with my Navigo, which takes me all over the city on the metro.
*I used to live close to downtown and now I live in zone 5.
*Eating out and large portions were a regular in my diet, now I eat at home and small portions work just fine.
*Speaking spangish and slang were a daily way of living, now struggling to understand whats going on around me is normal.
*I now have a weekend home near to Le Arc d'Triumph which is a necessity.
*I used to dream of traveling, now the world is at my fingertips. (quite literally)
They (whoever THEY are) say that there is a culture shock process, much like the greivance process, you must go through in order to adapt to your new life in a healthy way. There are steps such as the honeymoon stage, hating it, loving it, noticing all the differences, etc...
I think I am working through them all and I think it really does exist. I knew when I moved to France that it would be a major life change and there would be a lot of differences, but boy-howdy, I had no clue just HOW different my life would be. I notice every difference between the French and Americans (or how I was raised) and it gets quite frustrating at times. I miss doing things "my" way, the "right" way, the "American" way... or was it just the more "familiar" way, the "easy" way for ME? I love this country and I love most of its people and ways of life, but right now my struggle is finding how to blend the old me with the new me to where all of me is a happy me. (bad sentence, sorry!) I want to be of this culture, not so much that I loose who I was before, so right now I am learning what is necessary to adapt to and what I can appreciate about other people but find ok to not have to change about myself.
This weekend, on a different note, was amazing! Well, most of it was! My aunt was still in town (she left this morning, or at least I hope she made her flight ok) yesterday so after an awesome morning of church I was able to meet up with her for some more chatting and eating and walking. She went with me to pick up a friend from the train station and I was so excited that she was able to meet a friend of mine. We went and had dinner together and had a great, relaxed dinner at a no-name cafe in a partially shady area of town, but it was one of the best meals yet. I am glad that my two worlds were able to collide, even if it was just for a few hours.
I signed up for a few conferences last night that my church attends on a yearly basis so now I feel more connected and involved and like I have something big to look forward to. They are both Christian conferences held in London, one is in April of next year and the other is in July of next year. Yay for going to London (ha, I told myself coming over here that I would avoid London at all costs, how is that working out for me you ask???).
And... I had my BEST meal yet on Saturday evening. Random restaurant, looked good, was hungry, walked in, sat down, ordered, hoped for the best and the best is how to describe it! Nice sized portion, great tasting, good atmosphere (really close to the Eiffel Tower), not bad prices, and good company! Saturday night was full of new adventures with new friends and great experiences!
I am blessed! And I try to not take any of those blessings for granted.
I miss you guys and am actually thinking of when I could possibly come home...next year :-)
And I am thinking of bringing a friend with me (no worries, she's a she...)!!!!
Have a great week my favorite Americans...
Friday, October 8
ice cubes
Hello there people who like to read about my life!!
Oh and again, people always love a few pictures right?
This week has been great! I have resumed life with ice cubes (amaaaazing), had dinner with my aunt who has been in town, organized my room (and I plan on cleaning also), did a load of laundry (love the smell of clean clothes), talked to my mom on the phone this afternoon for about an hour (and father a little also), and have avoided spending money which means this weekend I am shopping and eating a meal out!
Tonight is Friday and its the first Friday in a few weeks that I have decided to stay home. I have been so exhausted and from overdoing it I think so I'm trying to take it easier this weekend. Ha! Does that exist when you live a life in Paris? I am having dinner with my family, hopefully it will include meat, and then I am riding my bike to Saint Germain to meet another au pair to share a bottle of wine and chatting. But tomorrow morning, bright and early, I will pick back up my usual weekend in Paris and can't wait! Although I am very much enjoying being home right now. :-)
My amazing aunt was so gracious to bring half her suitcase (i assume) full of stuff for me from back home and I was sooooo thankful! It was like Christmas Day seeing what all I received and most of it was not even new, but it might as well have been for how happy I was to see it. Where did I go shopping you might ask? My own closet back in the States. Bless my parents for letting me keep everything at their house. So now I have more boots, socks, nail polish, clothes and accessories. All the necessities, right?
Today was such a beautiful day! AHHHH!!! I have all my windows open and am listening to the CD's a friend sent me with some background noise of the birds in the trees.
And last night I met the new neighbors who live in the house behind the one I live in. They are American (sort of) and so friendly. I chatted with them for about 30 minutes and I look forward to getting to know them and their family better. The mom is French but has lived in the States for quite a while and the father is Spanish-American so they are a trilingual family, how cool!
Ok, well, I am excited about the events that might unfold this weekend so look back on Sunday or Monday for a recap? (or don't, I'll never know!)
And its been funny to hear people talk about my blog...my mom has told people, "be careful, she writes like she talks, very honest..." and my aunt made a similar comment and many people have commented to me on how much I write, haha! I love it! But you know, this blog is honest and its me. And ya'll are welcome to comment on what I do or give opinions or suggestions...just because we have miles between us does not mean you're input doesn't matter...I love you guys mucho mucho!!!
Oh and again, people always love a few pictures right?
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| I went to my friend Grace's flat and learned that she is a lover of ice also. We are soul mates! And because French people don't typically drink out of a large glasses, that is my makeshift large cup. |
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| My first protest up close and personal. I couldn't decide if they were really protesting or just making an excuse to party in the streets all day. It was crazy mahem! |
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| Moulin Rouge with my au pair friend Lisa (she is from Austria). |
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| Sacre Coeur...at the bottom of the stairs... |
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| All the stairs going up to the Sacre Coeur |
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| My friends Hope (left) et Grace (right). Love them. |
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| Grace and I. She is in London this week and I can't wait for her return! :-) And yes, I am eating a banane on le metro. So there! |
Love, me!
Sunday, October 3
the weekend recaped:
So this weekend was a lot like the last few:
spending the entire time in Paris! I love my new home! It amazes me, every second I am out its a ball of good 'ol fun and I constantly look around and think to myself, "I live HERE?!?!"
I spent the weekend at my "weekend home" which is close to Charles de Gualle Etoile (the Arc De Triumph) but it is unfortunately on the SIXTH floor (aka the 7th floor to all Americans) and there is no elevator in the building. Yea! for stairs!
I had a list of things I wanted to do this weekend accomplished...zero! Go me! But thats ok, because I accomplished a lot of other things that were not on my "to do" list and sometimes that is better (and more fun!).
Friday night I broke my 'no chinese food' rule I've had since I was in China for three weeks back in May (i was over chinese food by the time we left and the thought of it made me gag!) and let me tell you, i wasted 8 euros. Chinese food will not be eaten again in France. Fail! Epic fail! And then Saturday morning I woke up bright and early to go with a friend to the train station where she was catching the Eurostar to go to England for the week. Yes, I am a good friend who does do that!
I went shopping around lunch time and found an H&M and thought I'd browse and see if there was anything I just could not live without and fortunately there wasn't... although that is a tad unfortunate as I am dying to have a few new pieces to add to my wardrobe. But that was good for the wallet. Then I met up with a friend who is getting her masters in fashion design here in Paris and we walked around. It is Fashion week in Paris and so there are tons of models and well dressed people from all over the world (I would assume) so it was quite interesting to be out and about. By the end of our multiple hour walk all around north-east Paris while wearing my cowgirl boots which I have decided are not comfortable everday all day shoes, my friend and I came across a little hole-in-the-wall store that was selling cheap shoes. Both of us found shoes we love and I ended up leaving happy that I got something new and even happier that I scored 2 pairs of shoes for 24 euros. Yes, they are cheap but I decide, I need to learn to shop cheap at some point and by the time they wear out on me I'm sure I'll be wanting something else so its a win-win.
Last night was La Nuit Blanche which translates to white night but is a night when Paris stays up all night and there are random exhibitions all over the city. I was very excited about this as it had been highly publicized all over the city and I heard fun things about it...but I am very very disappointed with it. First, there were RIDICULOUS amounts of people out...I mean, body to body. Worse than any August in Paris. And the lines to get into anything were just as ridiculous as the amount of people out as they went hand in hand. And the exhibits weren't even that exciting. In my opinion. I was hesitant to say anything of my negative opinion until I'd heard other people declaring their disappointment (and read in the paper and on blogs also) for the evenings festivities. I ended up going to the Sacre Coeur with a few friends and that was another slight mistake as that place was just full of drunk people. I mean, it was nearing midnight afterall and the night has started at 7pm so there is no reason they shouldn't be drunk by that point, but I learned my lesson...Paris just annoying that late. I was at home and in bed by 12:30 (my weekend home that is) and couldn't have been happier!
Then I came home this afternoon (to my real home back out in the burbs) to find that I had received FOUR letters from family and friends over the weekend! How amazing do I have it?! I am so blessed and I was beyond excited to sit on my bed with my feet up (for the first time this weekend) and read about how my friends and family are doing back home. Made my whole weekend!
Ok, another long post and people keep telling me I write too much so I apologize but I talk a lot and you people know that so you shouldn't expect anything less!!! Geez!!!
So I'm off to go eat Sunday dinner with my host family and hopefully get to bed relatively early so I can start the week off right! Tomorrow starts my 2nd week of language classes and I'm one part excited, one part nervous, but it doesn't matter either way, I'm going and I'm going to learn!!!
Well, hope everyone had a great weekend! miss you and love you!! love, me
spending the entire time in Paris! I love my new home! It amazes me, every second I am out its a ball of good 'ol fun and I constantly look around and think to myself, "I live HERE?!?!"
I spent the weekend at my "weekend home" which is close to Charles de Gualle Etoile (the Arc De Triumph) but it is unfortunately on the SIXTH floor (aka the 7th floor to all Americans) and there is no elevator in the building. Yea! for stairs!
I had a list of things I wanted to do this weekend accomplished...zero! Go me! But thats ok, because I accomplished a lot of other things that were not on my "to do" list and sometimes that is better (and more fun!).
Friday night I broke my 'no chinese food' rule I've had since I was in China for three weeks back in May (i was over chinese food by the time we left and the thought of it made me gag!) and let me tell you, i wasted 8 euros. Chinese food will not be eaten again in France. Fail! Epic fail! And then Saturday morning I woke up bright and early to go with a friend to the train station where she was catching the Eurostar to go to England for the week. Yes, I am a good friend who does do that!
I went shopping around lunch time and found an H&M and thought I'd browse and see if there was anything I just could not live without and fortunately there wasn't... although that is a tad unfortunate as I am dying to have a few new pieces to add to my wardrobe. But that was good for the wallet. Then I met up with a friend who is getting her masters in fashion design here in Paris and we walked around. It is Fashion week in Paris and so there are tons of models and well dressed people from all over the world (I would assume) so it was quite interesting to be out and about. By the end of our multiple hour walk all around north-east Paris while wearing my cowgirl boots which I have decided are not comfortable everday all day shoes, my friend and I came across a little hole-in-the-wall store that was selling cheap shoes. Both of us found shoes we love and I ended up leaving happy that I got something new and even happier that I scored 2 pairs of shoes for 24 euros. Yes, they are cheap but I decide, I need to learn to shop cheap at some point and by the time they wear out on me I'm sure I'll be wanting something else so its a win-win.
Last night was La Nuit Blanche which translates to white night but is a night when Paris stays up all night and there are random exhibitions all over the city. I was very excited about this as it had been highly publicized all over the city and I heard fun things about it...but I am very very disappointed with it. First, there were RIDICULOUS amounts of people out...I mean, body to body. Worse than any August in Paris. And the lines to get into anything were just as ridiculous as the amount of people out as they went hand in hand. And the exhibits weren't even that exciting. In my opinion. I was hesitant to say anything of my negative opinion until I'd heard other people declaring their disappointment (and read in the paper and on blogs also) for the evenings festivities. I ended up going to the Sacre Coeur with a few friends and that was another slight mistake as that place was just full of drunk people. I mean, it was nearing midnight afterall and the night has started at 7pm so there is no reason they shouldn't be drunk by that point, but I learned my lesson...Paris just annoying that late. I was at home and in bed by 12:30 (my weekend home that is) and couldn't have been happier!
Then I came home this afternoon (to my real home back out in the burbs) to find that I had received FOUR letters from family and friends over the weekend! How amazing do I have it?! I am so blessed and I was beyond excited to sit on my bed with my feet up (for the first time this weekend) and read about how my friends and family are doing back home. Made my whole weekend!
Ok, another long post and people keep telling me I write too much so I apologize but I talk a lot and you people know that so you shouldn't expect anything less!!! Geez!!!
So I'm off to go eat Sunday dinner with my host family and hopefully get to bed relatively early so I can start the week off right! Tomorrow starts my 2nd week of language classes and I'm one part excited, one part nervous, but it doesn't matter either way, I'm going and I'm going to learn!!!
Well, hope everyone had a great weekend! miss you and love you!! love, me
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