The Adventures of Jen: November 2005

im different...

so today was one of those days that i realized that im different. maybe im weird. maybe i am special as raquel would say... but i think i am real different. i dont have the same desires that lots of the people close to me do. and i get frustrated with myself sometimes becuase i want to change and break free of the materialism that surrounds me but i cant. why was i so blessed to live in a rich country. to have food every meal. to go to college. to have clothes and a place to live. a pretty easy life. why was i blessed with this? and what am i doing with this blessing?

i dont want to live the american dream. i dont want to live in a house and have 2 cars, a full time office job and kids on the way (this is not a bad thing for those who do have this.. i am just saying that its not for me) i dont want to be attached to things of this world. i dont want a typical american style wedding. i dont want to be confortable. i get frustrated seeing money thrown around (i am not innocent either) when there are people dying from lack of food or shelter. why do i need that new sweater when people dont have anything to wear? grr...

i do want to stop buying things that are unnecessary. i want to live a life that is simple. i want to stop eating junk food. i want to be different. i want to make a difference in this world. i want to help people by helping them to meet their physical needs and most of all spiritual needs.

I know God is going to use me. I dont know how though.

it frustrates me that i can find things to complain about when there are people that have no food. they have no house. noone who loves them and people that dont know Jesus.

I am not saying that anyone needs to change. i am just saying that we need to think more about the world. why are we so blessed to live in a rich country and what are we goign to do with that blessing?

So if you were inspired by anything i wrote, check out www.gfa.org or www.worldvision.org

we can make a difference in someones life. and God loves you. if you dont know that, please think about it. He really does love you and wants to know YOU! He sent His Son to die for your sins.. man thats a lot of love.

well have a good day and remember i am not asking you to change, just think about things. maybe i am weird. but this has been in my heart and i wanted to share it.

peace out.

pictures of thanksiving

Yes this is how all americans celebrate thanksgiving... isnt it? with the pilgrim and indian hats...... hahahhahahahaahhahahahahhaha maybe i am terrible. in my defense...this is the first and last thankgiving for most of these french people... we've got to make it a good one!

i did leave out the picture of me basting the turkey with a .... toothbrush

left: the group having a good time. Below: Hi rachel

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Left: Gael and Sylvestre. Below: David and raquel

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

hmm

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm what is this food???

Above is the master chef and her masterpeice.

Etienne and Miriam or should i say the indian and pilgrim

pictures of my students

some of my lovely students. working so dilegently.

I'm Better

ok so i am much better then yesterday. i have realized how foolish it is of me to complain about something so dumb when there are people that have to live in much worse conditions than i do every day of their lives.

so i am good, great and i had a super thanksgiving last night with an american family and my R girls.

I like france and i am good.

Happy shopping day to you all!!!

ive had enough...

so i have been here for 65 days. and for those 65 days i have been trying to accept the french way of life. trying to accept the strike. trying to not judge the culture and being accepting of their differences.

i'm done. i have been fine for 65 days and not been homesick at all.

now i am.

heres why:

yesterday i was having a good day. i had good classes, i went to raquels and rachels, and we met with a girl who had cute kittens. it was enjoyable day. but it stopped being enjoyable around 6pm. i looked online to see how many buses were running. i knew there werent many but the webpage said there were 4 bus15s running qnd 1 bus 18 running: the 18 is easier to take to my place but i figured i had a better chance to take the metro to the 15 and go home.

so i go get on the metro. i get to the metro station which isnt exactly close to my house (1 hour away to be exact) and i walk to the bus 15 sign only to read: pas de service (no service) so its dark and there are no 15 buses. so i am still calm because there are a lot of buses that come here. so i go back in the metro and look at the bus map and i see bus 17 goes at least part of the way. i for in the little office to grab the bus map to see what stop i should get off: and ther is a woman who is waiting in front of me. i think to myself... i dont need to wait in line. the maps are just hanging on the wall. itll take me 2 seconds to grab one and get out of here/ so as i start to do it, the woman says... wait your turn... i replied (in a not so friendly tone) i only need a bus schedule. she huffs and puffs and i just get it/ quite frankly at this point, i didnt care if she was mad. im mad. ive had it and i just want to go home.

so i go to the bus17 sign and see the words... en retard.. this means: late. how late you wonder? i have no idea. so i stqrt talking to some people and they tell me late for this bus means qbout 2 hours. at this point ive had it. i decide ill stiking walk home: did i mention its raining?

so i start home. its raining, its dark, its freezing cold. i cant handle it anymore: i call the R girls and start crying/ I DONT UNDERSTAND THE REASON FOR THIS STRIKE!!! IVE HAD IT!!! IM DONE!

oh yeah, my unbrella broke so i had to walk in the rain with no umbrella. i was crying: i was pathetic.

i went to ruth Lise's place and hung out with her for awhile and she made me tea. then she drove me to my place and she gave me an umbrella. she told me i could have called her and anytime i am stranded like that, i can call her, and i figured i could, but when you are goign through a crazy emotional time like this, you are stubborn, and i just didnt want to have to ask someone to drive out there and pick me up. plus i figured its better to talk to raquel first before i talk to a freench person who doesnt understand where im coling from.

so i get to ruth lise's and she gives me other clothes to wear since my pants were wet up to the knees and for 2 hours we just hang out and talk. it was better but i've had it with the strike:

i woke up today sick. happy thanksgiving: i came into school to teach my 2 classes of the day, but there is a teacher strike and my students didnt come. so i woke up at 7:30 for no reason: i plan on going back to bed after this.

so happy thanksgiving to you all. i miss you!

also if anyone reads this and wants to send me a winter hat, preferably orange or pink, i would be greatful: its really cold here and i forgot to pack my favorite orange hat. i really dont care if noone here wears winter hats (i havent seen anyone yet) but the fact is, its cold, i dont care, and im american and americans wear hats during the winter.

i dont want people to take my stories and think negatively of the french/ i really like being here and i like the french in general, but i just dont like this aspect of france: the strike. its been going on for like 56 days, and there has been a train strike in there and also today the teacher strike: who knows whats next.

next. the tuesday night thanksgiving party with the french friends was a success: i successfully cooked for 15 people and they enjoyed it. everyone wore pilgrim and indian hats and it was just like a real thanksgiving except for everyone spoke french/ some of my favorite memories are:

Olivier starting to converse with me in indian language and me responding in indian. haha

raquel making me laugh really hard right after i sprayed whip cream in my mouth. ( this was secretly done in the kitchen)

telling the french that it was cheese on the sweet potatoes; not marshmallows...

i will put pics up this weekend:

thanks for bearing through this email. dont worry i am fine, it was just a rough night:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!

This weekend was so much fun!

this weekend i spent the night with raquel and rachel on friday. we had a good time. raquel and i may or may not have taped ourselves dancing and singing to the songs of My Best Friends Wedding.

sat we woke up and the 3 of us went to Aix en Provence. which is a town about 30 km norht of marseille. there is a bus that goes there and its approx 20 min away (i never knew this because every time i have taken this bus, i've fallen asleep and really thought it was like 1 hour...) we walked around at the markets and saw the town a bit then met up with natacha.

later after the R girls left, natacha and i hung out and talked a lot. laughed a lot. then we went to a praise and worship concert at her church. it was so great. it was awesome to see young french people praising the Lord and dancing and having a great time. i ended up seeing fabrice.....for those of you you know him (summer project 04) he looks really different...as in buzz cut hair and no beard.

natacha, estelle and i hung out later and ate salad in natachas room and then nat and i stayed up till like 2:30 talking and laughing.

got up for church and went. i really liked it. then natacha and i went back to her place, ate and talked more...till it was time for me to leave.

got back to marseille and spent the night at the R apartment. fun times. i love these girls.

today i was supposed to get up and go shopping so we can prepare our thanksgiving feast, BUT both girls left me with no key and as of now, i am locked in the apartment....so its not starting out too good. oh well.. hopefully there are buses today so i can stay longer and help.

i think ive seen more chinchillas this month then i have my whole life.

keep praying that I would know what i am supposed to do with my future. sometimes its frustrating. a constant battle. there are times i just want to go to the US, find some job, and live the regular life, but on the other hand, i know that it wouldnt make me completely happy (sure there are many aspects that would be great), and God has something different than that in store for my life.. so here i am...a nomad, ready to go wherever God wants me to go. I am confident that He is in control and will lead me there...somewhere..wherever...

friday

i still like fridays even if i work 12 hours a week. so i finished today and went back home to pack for the weekend. I will be at raquels tonight, natacha's tomorrow and raquels sunday night.

i am really useful for raquel and her roommate. they let me do laundry here free and i fix things for them in return. things ive fixed so far are the toilet flush thing and the shower drain. i have also opened up the vacume cleaner for them. Some people may say that im a Jen of all trades. i'd have to agree.

Raquel gave me a CD of like 300 sermons by tommy nelson. I have already listened to 6 of them. they are great. So when i have free time(which is most night here) i sit around listening to these sermons.

I just think God is cool.

hmm what else...

madame balletti is cute. she invited me to eat with her. so we ate together and then we talked for awhile. shes so nice.

by Raquel:
Hi Jen's friends :) I posted her pictures up, sorry they don't have cool commentaries, near the bottom when i was just beginning i at least told you more of what they were, the other ones, i guess you have to ask jen :) or maybe she'll post commentaries to them later.
k, bye
:)

Hi this is Jen: I have no posted the commentaries that youve all been waiting for! thanks raquel for posting these!

it was kinda rainy: this is a picture of some buildings.

here is a building

here is an arch in montpellier and look at the lamposts. they're pretty stylin

a street in montpellier

privat and raquel.

sometimes i amaze myself with what a great photographer i am... (by the way, this is jen now... raquel posted the pics and i am writing descriptions)

building

privat and jen at a fountain

a building... really i just took pictures of whatever. i have no idea what they are called. if you want, i can make something up...
this is the building of town affaires. people have to go here to turn in themassive amounts of paperwork. just kidding... i dont know