À Bientôt, France

In just another hour, I'll be hopping on a bus that will take me from Ambialet to Toulouse. From there, the group will fly to Paris, where we will (weather permitting) board a plane leaving at 4:40 pm France time to arrive in D.C. around 7 pm EST.

I wish I had taken the time to post more frequently this last week, as I could probably write a dissertation on the past few days here alone. But with final exams and tearful goodbyes, doing so just wasn't realistic. Still, I need to write one final post:

Europe has been very good to me. The highlight of my entire time here has undoubtedly been getting engaged to my best friend. I could not be more excited to come home and see you, Alek. That clock never seemed so alive as it did in Paris and Rome. We need a lifetime together in order to make up for how fast the time goes by.

Secondly, I think about how lucky I am to have been able to visit 4.5 countries (counting the Vatican) in three short months. Little pieces of Barcelona, London, Paris, Rome, and the Vatican are with me wherever I go now, and I think that's pretty spectacular.

Finally, I am blessed to have been given the opportunity to get to know some incredible people along the way. Living at Le Prieure has been nothing short of an unforgettable adventure. I've had the time of my life, and I owe it all to you.

À bientôt, France. I'll be seeing you.

7,000 Words

Today marks the start of exam week for all Saint Francis students here and in Loretto. In an attempt to provide my friends currently studying their badonkadonks off with a little comic relief, I've decided to upload photos from mid-semester break that were taken by my fellow tourists who didn't know the first thing about how to take a picture. You see, when you want to be in a picture with your travel buddy in front of an ancient, famous, or breathtaking (fill in the blank) and there's nobody else you know around to take that picture, you're forced to follow a very precise protocol.

You have to first wait around at the particular spot where you want your picture to be taken. You then begin the search for a character who seems nice enough to take a picture that you can someday frame and put on your mantlepiece (and who isn't going to run away with your camera). Typically, the people you're looking for is another couple trying to take a picture of their own--this way, you can offer an exchange of photography services. Seemingly judgemental, that's just what you have to do. Unfortunately, it never works out quite like how you had originally hoped. Take a look:


Remind me why we came all the way to the Vatican to see the bricks?


(This one seems okay, but the man taking this picture stretegically covered a beautiful dome with Alek's head).


New photographer, still no dome.


Yes, my friends, that is Notre Dame.


Alek was ready for this one; I was trying to explain how to use the camera.


Alek's still ready to for his picture to be taken; I just wanted to be sure she understood what I was saying.


Alek gave up; why is she still taking pictures?

See what I mean? Nobody in Paris or Rome knew how to take a proper photo! So for all you weary travelers, the next time you're asked to help someone take a picture, pretty pretty please with a cherry on top (and rainbow jimmies) take your time and do what you can to help a brother (or in my case, sister) out. Chances are, they don't know when the next time will be that they're going to return, if ever. Remember that the beauty of their scrapbook is, quite literally, in your hands!

P.S. These wrinkable city maps would have also been useful while traveling!
P.P.S. There's not many things better than getting snail mail to say "good luck" on your first day of exam week. Thanks, Mom! (And a big thank you to anyone else who has taken the time to send smail mail my way these past few months...it's always the sunniest kind of day brightener).

Madeline

Today was our last Sunday in Ambialet, meaning that it was the last time I'll have contact with the villagers until I next return to Southern France. I am sorry to report that Pere [Fr.] Jeamme had a minor stroke earlier this week, so there was nobody to perform Mass this morning. When I first introduced myself to Pere Jeamme back in September, he somehow repeated my name as Madeline. I've earned a couple nicknames that have stuck over the years...I answer to Mel most frequently (it always catches on without my even telling people to call me that) and smile when Alek calls me Mellie, but Madeline seems a bit further off. To this day, I'm not sure how the man derived "Madeline" from Melanie, but it was a nickname I gladly adopted considering how cute I think the cartoon is.


Nevertheless, it's a very sad thing to say hello to such a sweet someone one week and then just seven days later know that they're in poor health. Though we greatly missed Pere Jeamme today, Peter and Margaret did a lovely job in leading the small congregation in a little Sunday service of our own. The townspeople took turns with today's readings and we were still able to sing the hymns we learned on Friday. As a farewell to the villagers, Saint Francis students sang "Canticle of the Sun" and "On Eagles Wings." Dr. Woods, Dr. Lynch and Debbie watched on from the audience as we gave our little performance, making me feel like they were my older sister and parents at the 5th grade choral concert! It was certainly a special morning and something I'll miss in a week from now for sure.


A group shot of today's congregation on the front steps of the church.

Mad Lib: Tuesday in Ambialet

Instructions: Grab a piece of paper and a pen/pencil, jot down the first idea that comes to mind for each of the numbers below (without looking at the story beneath the picture), and then complete the story by filling in the blanks!

1. feeling
2. way in which a person can get from one place to another
3. letter
4. wild animal
5. adjective
6. adverb
7. adjective beginning with the letter "A"
8. verb ending in "ing"
9. number
10. color


I wake up around 8 am, feeling 1.___ and ready to start the day. I 2.___ downstairs to eat my petite dejuener before heading to French class at 9. After learning that I got a 3.___ on my last French quiz, I look forward to lunchtime. The lunch bell rings around 12:30; I go to the dining room to find that Bernard has prepared 4.___! Somehow, it tastes 5.___. After lunch, I 6.___ remember that it is Team A: Team 7.___’s turn to do the dishes. We wash the dishes quickly so that we can spend the rest of the afternoon 8.___. We finally eat dinner around 7:30, staying at the table to talk for hours because everyone drank 9.___ glasses of 10.___ wine. Then it’s off to bed until the next day in Ambialet begins!

And the countdown begins....

The first day of Advent has arrived once again, meaning there are less than four weeks until Christmas! To mark the beginning of the holiday season, Dr. Lynch and Debbie bought a nativity scene for the dining room and Ed constructed a lovely Advent wreath from empty wine bottles (we've really caught on to the "Go Green" iniatives here at Le Prieure) and some natural foliage he found outside. Though I do miss the holiday jingles I'd be listening to on 97.1 fm if I were home right now, I've enjoyed recognizing the start of Advent without being surrounded by all the commericial ideas of Christmas.


Are you doing anything special to get ready for the holidays this year? I just love the idea of performing 24 acts of kindness every day through Christmas!

Rendre Grace (Give Thanks)

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving! We had our very own celebration here in Ambialet...the group was happily joined by almost everyone who we have grown close to since our arrival. If you take a look at this short clip, you'll be quickly introduced to most of the people who were in attendance. Present were people from five different countries altogether; France, England, Russia, Canada, and America were all represented last night! For some of our guests, this was their first Thanksgiving, and a very special one it was indeed.

Our feast was prepared by the oh-so-talented Bernard and included turkey with a sweet apricot and white raisin stuffing, corn, salad, cranberry sauce (courtesy of Mrs. Roche who had it shipped here from the States just for the occasion), French bread, 10 variations of cheese, pumpkin pie, and lots of vin.

Dinner was followed by music and merriment in the stone room, which was historically the place where the friars in the Middle Ages ate their dinners in total silence. One might say that we broke that tradition of silence with the help of Peter, who led the singing with his guitar playing. (We were all pretty excited when Shane decided to join in too).

The holiday, while certainly much different from my typical Thanksgiving back home, was undeniably a memorable one. My life has been so blessed by the people I was surrounded by last night that I really couldn't imagine a better way to celebrate our time together.

The Case of the Missing Coffee Machine

It was a dark, rainy night in Ambialet. The group had just sat down to dinner when someone noticed the coffee machine was missing. It wasn't near the sink as usual, nor was it inside the kitchen waiting to be cleaned. In fact, it was nowhere to be found. Petty to some, the coffee pot is a way of life for Dr. Woods, Kerstin, and me. Without the coffee, we can't function. I thought to myself, "How exactly will my projects or grad school applications be completed if we don't have a coffee machine?"

Deeply troubled, we had to go to bed with worries for what would come (or not come, rather) in the morning. Would we be drowsy for the rest of our days in France, or would our sacred caffeine machine magically reappear? In Dr. Lynch's wise, understanding words: "I don't drink coffee, but I know what people are like without it."

Thankfully, all the lessons I ever learned reading Nancy Drew and and playing Clue Junior didn't need to be put into practice because Kerstin was able to find the misplaced coffee pot on a shelf in the kitchen before our French class began this morning. Once again, all is well in Le Prieure.

*Here's a link to the sitcom that Dr. Woods told us to watch at tonight's dinner (also about someone's misfortune with a lack of caffeine).

Good Friend and a Glass of Wine

This evening, the one and only John Roche led us in a delightful wine sampling as a precursor to dinner. John (Assistant Professor) has done so much for the group since our arrival in September; we are tremendously lucky to have him here with us. He is one of the most generous people I know, ever-giving of his time, energy, and resources to ensure that all of the students and professors are having the best experience possible. Thank you for everything you do, John. You are truly appreciated.

P.S. You should check out John in all of his wine sampling glory right here!

"Every girl needs a good friend and a glass of wine."
LeAnn Rimes

Jay-Z

Good morning, Loves!
It's a beautiful fall day in the Ambialet neighborhood, so decided to go for a little run with Jay-Z. No folks, I don't mean the rapper, I'm talking about our little furry friend whose favorite thing to do is terrorize les chets. Jay-Z is possibly the best running partner I'll ever have. Don't worry Ashley (Why is the sky blue?), Christina, or Noelle...Jay-Z could never replace any of you. It's just that he is ever-motivating and more than willing to run whenever you are. Like a true gentleman, Jay-Z will run ahead of you and patiently wait until you reach his point. Chivalrous too, this guy will gladly sniff out any and all possible sources of danger along the way.


Jay-Z with our beloved director, Tim.

Hot Dog Day

Nearly every day my Poppy was alive, he would have two sandwiches for lunch, each filled with his home-grown tomatoes, lettuce, mayonaise--all sprinkled with a touch of salt and a dash of pepper. This ordinary week-day lunch would only change on Sundays, when my grandmother would warm up hot dogs after church. Thus, Sundays were named: "Hot Dog Day."

Even after my Poppy died, the tradition of Hot Dog Day was carried on for a good while. Simple, great with mustard and a doughy Martin's potato roll...who doesn't like themselves a good wiener?

Well I returned this morning from church (rather hungry, indeed) to find that Bernard, our incredible chef here in Ambialet, made hot dogs for lunch! It was surely the most gourmet Hot Dog Day I've ever experienced (complete with croissant-like buns, mushroom salad, and cauliflower baked with cheese), and the most exciting meal I've had in Ambialet. A little wink from up above!


You made my day, Bernard!

Happy Monday

What a weekend! On Saturday afternoon, the group embarked on a three and a half hour hike guided by Tim, our program director. Later that evening, a few of our new friends from Albi visited for awhile, giving us an excuse to bring out the French vanilla ice cream (which is a pretty religious experience in itself) and time to exchange music, ghost stories of the monestary, and new vocabulary words. The highlight of my weekend, however, was on Sunday morning. Celebrating Mass in a 9th century chapel was one of the most peaceful experiences I've ever had. I could not translate a single word of the homily, but there is just something about being in a place where people have prayed for over a thousand years that makes the building feel exceptionally holy. After Mass, we had lunch and made the trek back to the village for a tour given by an older lady who seems to have lived here for awhile. We learned a lot about Ambialet's history, which turns out to be extremely fascinating contrary to my inital thoughts, considering Ambialet's very remote location. It turns out that Ambialet has been inhabited by people as long as there have been people in what we now call Southern France...they carved itty bitty houses into the rocks and lived off of the land. I think it's pretty sweet that you can still see the remains of these little caves all over the place (there have been talks of camping in one of them at some point). In the 4th century or so, there used to be multiple "castlettes" on one of the hills adjacent to the monestary. To sum it up: I could very easily be living in a movie right now.

And in order to put the "study" back in "study abroad," today marks the start to our regular school schedule here in Ambialet. For those that care, Mondays will normally consist of History in the am, Social Work in the pm; Tuesday will bring Elementary French in the morning, Religion in the afternoon or evening; Wednesdays we will take field trips to wherever we learned about in our Religion course the day before; Thursday mornings we will go to Albi for more French (I need all the help I can get); and Fridays are reserved for our art course and a "Tour de Table" where we are supposed to find appreciation for French cooking. (Trust me, one taste of Mousse au Chocolat and you will have an immediate appreciation, too).

Bonjour!

I have finally made it to my new home in Ambialet, France! It's a wee bit early here (3:45 am) but that doesn't matter because, well, it's France. Thankfully classes don't start until Thursday morning so I'll have some extra time to adjust to the jet lag. I haven't even been here for twenty-four hours but I am already more than excited to post pictures of my (very own) room and its windows. You know at the beginning of Beauty and the Beast when everyone is singing “Bonjour” and opening their windows with the double shutters? That is what my windows are like!

Much more to come very soon. xoxo

One more month

One. More. Month. One more month and I will be in Ambialet, France for the fall semester of my senior year. At the moment, a month seems distant, but I know the time will pass by quickly. There's a lot to do before then. I'm anxious to talk to my good friend Mollie about her time abroad because I know she will have excellent advice to offer about what to pack, where to go, what to see. Just look at my future backyard!