is my life really that interesting???

Hello there! I have had some random thoughts flowing through my brain over the past few days. Like, is my life really that interesting?? Now that I blog I think constantly about what would be interesting to share with you guys back home. It seems like a lot of days, my life could be a comic strip as I am constantly having to jump hurdles (figuratively), learn new trades, experience new things or I just have a stupid moment.

Par example, (that was in French), this past week I was telling my friend Maya how disappointed I was by the lack of Easter hype here. I am coming to realize that America is just super materialistic and they make every holiday into a big deal, decorating and selling stuff and creating stories lines for tv shows and movies and events all for that certain holiday. Here in France, I have seen easter chocolates being sold at grocery stores and bakeries, but small sections and not overdone like in America. Huge change. I believe in the real reason for Easter, but I was brought up with the silly Easter traditions as well, and I wanted to partake in some of those. So Maya and I came up with this grand idea of painting eggs this weekend. We went to our friends house today for brunch and lucky enough omelet's were on the menu so we "blew" the eggs out of the shell with pin pricked holes and saved them for after the brunch. Then we all sat around the table and painted our 20 easter eggs like any good American kid would do. Really, I would have loved to DYE the eggs but unfortunately for us, we didn't have dye, AND here in France, the eggs are all brown. No white ones. Weird, I know. This evening, Maya took the eggs home and created egg necklaces so tomorrow at church I will be wearing an egg necklace along with Maya and whoever else has no shame. Now I am one happy gal!!! And it was so much fun to be silly and carefree and create an experience with people who are all raised differently and come from different backgrounds and countries, to come together and share a simple and silly tradition together. It warms my heart.

Second thing that happened today was a bit on the dramatic side. I had a "blonde" moment, ok, I lie, not one, but multiple! I stupidly forgot it was a weekend and the buses don't run past dinner time so I missed the last bus to my town. Yes, go me! I had to go home, I had no where to stay in Paris tonight, I was ready to change out of my 2 day old outfit, and brush my teeth, take a shower and rest. But how was I to get home?? I have two options when I miss my bus...call my host family or call my good friend Christina. Thankfully Christina came through for me at the last moment but before I knew the fate of my evening I had successfully bitten off all my nails. ugh. (side note: calling my host family is a bit stressful and requires precise timing because they eat dinner at 7:30, the kids go to bed at 8:30pm so I can't bother them between 7-9pm and who wants to drive to the train station after 9pm when you've just had a long Saturday? yea, me neither!)
So anyways, Christina saved my life again! She has done this several times and I really owe her a limb or my first born or something like that. Anyways, we decide to spend some time together this evening so we go back to my house first so I can grab some things (ie: Mac and Cheese because that was her payment for coming to get me tonight) and I stupidly leave my cell phone AND keys on my bed and leave the house. Smart one. The smartest part was that I didn't realize my mistake until ELEVEN PM. 23h!!! I thought I was going to die. We rushed home in hopes that my host father was still up watching tv so I wouldn't wake anyone, but seriously, who leaves their house to go out for the night without their cell phone OR keys to return home? ...ME! By the grace of God, and only Him, (I really feel God had pity on me today because my host father is not normally awake this late these days) my host father was still up AND the door had not been locked for the night. Talk about Drama. And by drama I mean a lot of internal STRESS. By this point though I had at least filed, buffed, and repainted my nails (a big deal) so I am ok now.

Anyways, needless to say, sometimes I wonder if my life was like this back in the States or if France has changed me to lead a crazy life and become crazy all at the same time?!
...maybe when your life involves depending on so many things (ie, trains, metros, buses) all coming together, life can become a little more interesting?

All I can say is that I am happy the evening is over, that I survived, and that I made a lot of great memories along the way! Tomorrow is Easter and while I am super bummed that I am not with my family and worshiping at my church back home, I am excited (trying to stay positive here) to create some more new memories and celebrate in a different way, in a different church and with different people.

Happy Easter, Joyeuses des Paque, and hope you all are having a great weekend!!!

(Pictures to come of my easter egg necklace, don't you worry!!!)

Love, me