SNOWED IN!

What a week!  Europe has been covered with SNOW!! I have just spent time with my wonderful friends in Germany and I am so sad to leave!  Tomorrow I will be on my way back to France with my fingers crossed in anticipation of seeing the words by my flight- ON SCHEDULE.  Thousands have been delayed and stranded in airports across Europe and others who were trying to come to Europe.  With only a few days until Christmas, I am a little nervous that I will be spending Christmas Eve sitting in an airport.  It could be the biggest finale to the biggest adventure!
I have been able to see the hand of the Lord so much in my life this semester - especially with the friends I have made.  I am constantly being taken care of and given help from wonderful people. I was really worried about going back to BYU-Idaho without my little sister and little brother.  My other brother is getting married next week, and without any of them close by, like last year, I felt like it would take some getting used to again.  However, I have so many wonderful friends that I feel have filled those roles for now.  So a big thanks goes out to Jana, Parker and my sweet Abbey.  And of course to little Allie and my second mom in Germany.  I am constantly laughing here and its been really fun.
I have to be honest- I am counting the days already to see my family and of course to see Dane. Of all the people who have been supportive of me this last semester abroad its been them.

Metz, France

Parker and his favourite quote

The Germany Temple

Parker and I at the Germany Temple

So cross your fingers for me and hope I can get home for Christmas!

My last Moments in Paris

I hauled my heavy suitcase, which was nicknamed the “dead baby” in Italy by one of my mission companion’s husband, down the stairs, one step at a time, hoping my socks wouldn’t slip on the polished wood.  Sister Garon, just above me lifting the other side and looking as though she might be happy that I was leaving after all!  We loaded it in the car, covered in a thick frost , took one final look at my “maison” and jumped in the front seat to move on to a new chapter in my life. We drove to the Nantes Gare.  We took a way I hadn’t been before, and I was sad I hadn’t explored more of that part of the city. It was different than the other parts I had seen, and I thought maybe a little more beautiful too.   I met my friend Tina and with a goodbye that felt more like a “see you later,” I was on my way to Paris.  It was early, I was tired because the night before I slept restlessly.  I sat cuddled as far back into my first class seat on the train (the only reason I could afford a first class seat was because it ended up being only a few euros more than second class, and I wasn’t going to argue against that!)  The train was warm, I was tired and I sipped on my water and munched on some roasted pralines still in my purse from the day before.  Glad to have them as company, I settled into reading my book while occasionally glancing out the window to notice the beautiful countryside separating me from my now so called past and my future. 

It didn’t really seem final to me, leaving Nantes. 

Paris- the airport has a really nice hotel and to my luck, I have been able to store my luggage there while I am in Germany for 9 days.  Tina and I visited the Eiffel Tower, ate a crepe and the entire time I was thinking, “what was I thinking coming here!”  The last time I was in Paris was with Dane, and let’s be honest, you cannot top being in Paris with the boy you love.  How on earth was I supposed to enjoy myself when every place was shouting memories of Dane at me.  I even walked by the same tree I carved our names in quickly with a key…so as to not get into trouble.  Yes, that is about as rebellious as I get in Paris. Haha.  The tree already was covered with a thousand and one names so I figured it would be okay to add 2 more.  I stood there and looked at our names and for a split second felt like I was back in Paris with him, just to turn around and see my friend Tina rambling on about something else.  Oh well. C’est la vie!  On to the creperie and then to a restaurant for some fine French cuisine.  One of my favourite things about the brasseries in France is that they always served your water in wine glasses and the water comes in these cute bottles.  It makes me feel like my dinner is an important part of the day!  Forget the boring glasses and silverware from now on!  Who could have thought that drinking water could be so romantic and charming! We end up in our room later than night planning our trip to Versailles the next morning. 

Versailles – I’ve been thinking of how to describe Versailles.  I can’t think of anything but that it has a tragically beautiful look and feeling to the place.  We toured the castle, which was beautiful in its every detail. My favourite part though, was the gardens.  There are always a great number of tourists that gather at Versailles, and a visitor would be careless and stupid if they didn’t take time to see the gardens!  The gardens are broad and grand and the people all seemed to be in the same place.  I much preferred the section off to the side.  It was a lonely section of the garden, but to me, the most beautiful.  I have seen many beautiful things in my life, but for me to really think something is truly beautiful, I have to feel something.  This is why this section of the gardens were my favourite.  The sky was dark, it was late afternoon and there was a faint hazy fog.  I sort of related to this section of the gardens.  They seemed to have their own experiences and feelings about the place, different from  the other sections where the crowds were still assembled, snapping pictures, pointing here and there and speaking loudly.  There was a reverance here.  I can’t tell you exactly how I felt, nor do I wish to express it to the full detail on my blog, but I can tell you that I am grateful for beautiful things that help me remember what is really important in life.

It is now Monday afternoon.  2:33 to be exact, and I am sitting on a train to Metz, France on course to meet my favourite friends in Germany, The Crandall Family!  I have finished my time in France now.  I had said goodbye to the city of love and extended my trip in Germany by one day.  My last moments in Paris will be in an airport terminal on my way back to my own home in Canada. 

This morning I repacked my suitcases, leaving all the things I don’t need for my trip to Germany, carelessly organized (yes, for me this is possible) in my big suitcase and stored at the airport hotel until I return.  I enjoyed my time alone this morning.  I turned on some Bing Crosby Christmas and for the first time since maybe September when my first dose of Christmas usually surges through my veins, I felt excited for Christmas.  What a strange moment to be feeling Christmassy.  Nevertheless, I felt it and I enjoyed it to the fullest.  I jumped in the shower and when I finished I could only hear a siren like noise thronging loudly in the hallway.  I wrapped myself in a towel quickly hoping that it wasn’t a fire alarm and one of my worst nightmares was coming true…me being evacuated in a towel…with no makeup and wet hair.  Yes, I have thought about that happening before and so far, so good!  I opened my hotel door, peeked out and didn’t see anyone running down the hall on fire so I figured it would be okay to put some clothes on and forget I heard anything.  And so I did.  The siren’s wailing soon ended and I was back to enjoying my Bing. 

One thing I learned this weekend.  Choosing who you travel with is as essential as packing your toothbrush.  If you forget, you have bad breathe the entire time.

My last time at the Eiffel Tower

Avacado Appetizers

My favourite cobblestone roads in Europe

Versailles

Versailles

The Castle of Versailles

A View of The Gardens

The Castle

The Versailles Gardens

The Gardens

The Castle in Versailles

My favourite place

My favourite place at Versailles

I love Europe

The Last Creperie

My Last Crepe

Just thought this was unusual

Christmas!

Goodbye Nantes

It’s my last night in Nantes.

A lot of things on my mind…so much to say…no time left to say it.  These last 2 days, I have taken the time to enjoy every moment I have had in the city, on the tram, waiting for the bus, overhearing conversations, smiling at strangers.  It’s been fun.  I realize how fast time goes by for us, and wonder why we don’t appreciate more moments in their simple but yet grandeur.  Every moment has something to offer us- where it’s a lesson to be learned, something that tastes good, or something that simply gives us peace – like visiting an old church and seeing someone kneeling in fervent prayer.  I have really tired to take in the sites, the smells and capture the emotion behind it all.  The reason I mention this, is because that is what I did and saw and felt today. I spoke with a stranger on the bus about something random and small and she was really nice.  As I sat on the tram today waiting for people to get on and others to get off and never to be seen of again, I noticed that sometimes I stare at tree branches just waiting for them to move.   Then to my astonishment, if I stare long enough, they suddenly twitch a little and I am convinced  that I am somehow able to control the elements!  Doubtful!  Weird thought I know…I sat on the tram today facing the opposite direction we were moving and watched the streets and the people and the culture all become smaller and smaller and eventually disappear, just like the days and the months of my experience here.  I felt such a conflict – wanting to stay a little longer but also an urgency to get the show on the road and get going!!  Funny how our hearts can want such opposite things at the same time.  I feel like the language has become another part of me here. When I speak French I escape from the world I know and am suddenly a new person with a passion that sometimes I feel could overthrow a city! I feel like I am doing something great and worthwhile and that its fulfilling some of my desire- which indeed it is.  There is so much in me that I want to say and share, but I just need more time. I am on the verge of a breakthrough here! 

Last night I spent the evening with the YSA from church. We made pizza, laughed, and shared stories from our missions and our life experiences.  It was fun to go between the two languages – constantly getting our message across in every way we could.  I loved it.  I spent the night with Elena and was sad to say goodbye on the tram early the next morning.  When am I going to see these people again?!

To top of my last afternoon in the city center today, I bought an apple cider, some warm roasted pralines and took it all in…weaving between the little market and all the Christmas shoppers.  I ran into some British kids about my age…and I spoke with them.  Hearing their accent and their words brought even more of a desire to stay in Europe.  I will always consider England one of my best and most treasured experiences. 

Now, its late…. I’m sitting on my bed, looking at the suitcases waiting to leave with me tomorrow morning and wondering where the time went and also thinking…what now?

Of course I know what happens now…I go to Germany, visit some friends which, no doubt, will be more than just fun to me. I will love it, but then as quickly as time always passes, the week will end and I will find myself alone in the beautiful city of Paris saying my goodbyes to each memory held there.  I know this is how I will spend my final moments in this adventure here in Europe. 

Now, I will focus on sleep, and saying goodbye to the wonderful Garon Family.  Goodnight and Adieu to Nantes.

Garons

Hil and Quentin

Nantes

The River

I love this spot

A Drawing Quentin did of me!

PACKING

Last night with the YSA

Christmas Market with Tina and Chloe

Finals

Yesterday was my last day of classes here at the University of Nantes.  After school ended, I went home and ended up getting on the wrong bus…embarrassing!!! Then I had to call the Garons to come get me because there were no other buses and I had no idea how to get home!!  It was raining and I felt like a little child. Gosh. Lucky for me, the Garons are really kind and said it was not a problem. 

phonetiques class (this was an easy day!!)

christmas cookies

pas fumer!!

I lost my bus and tram pass for the month and had to by a bunch of tickets to last me the rest of the week.  Good thing I didn’t lose it earlier.  I am positive that it fell out of my pocket in commerce or on one of the buses I had taken earlier that day. I was a little upset about it but then figured it wasn’t worth getting upset over. 

Today, we took 3 of our 4 finals…

my class after exams

I felt like the exams were difficult.  We will find out how we did in a few weeks.  It was funny, because in the last test, we had oral comprehension.  We listened to a CD and had to answer questions in order to see if we understood.  We were allowed to listen to each segment twice.  Each segment was about something different. Well in the last segment of the test, the longest one, I had something really itchy in my throat and my body was trying to cough but I knew that if I coughed, people wouldn’t be able to hear the exam.  I didn’t want to ruin it for the others and I was trying so hard to hold it in. It was causing me physical discomfort!  I couldn’t focus on listening and answering the questions, because it was so distracting. When the first recording ended, I just coughed to try and get it out for like one minute straight.  I was annoyed because I know I didn’t do so good on that one.  C’est la vie!

the dungeon of testing

It is really starting to hit me that my time here is coming to an end.  Today my class spent some time at a café visiting and drinking some warm drinks.  It was nice to be there with everyone as friends and know that we have all really bonded this semester.  I feel grateful for the people I meet in my life.  Have you ever wondered why you meet the people you do?  Certainly its not by coincidence.   There is a wonderful woman in my class that gave me a hug today and said to me….Hilary, have a great life!  I didn’t like hearing that too much because it felt so final. I guess in my heart I know I will never see these people again…the chances are small, but the thought of having to go away from such wonderful people kind of makes my heart sink a little.  Of course, I will be returning to Canada where I have many people I love and also people that love me, but I often think of the people in my life that stay for only a short time. I wonder what they are doing, where they live and if they are happy.  It started to snow today.  Big flakes…only for a little time.  It’s cold and damp and Christmas seems to be in the air for everyone but me.  I’m not feeling it. I know its coming, but everything about Christmas feels empty here.

I’m cold, tired and can’t wait to fall asleep tonight….to finish a long day.

Bisous! xx.

Mon Temoinage

It’s Sunday night…it’s raining…and I just finished making Christmas Cards with Sister Garon.  She is so nice. She found a bunch of things and told me thought I would like to make some with her and so I did! It was fun. She is really sweet. 

Now I am in my room, far away from the warmth of the fire burning downstairs and I can hear the rain.  One of my favourite sounds in the whole world.  It’s comforting to me when I am laying in bed trying to fall asleep.

I have had a great day today.  I was fasting and it was fast and testimony meeting today.  I really wanted to share my testimony, but I knew that if I did it in French it wouldn’t be very good.  I also didn’t want to share it in English because I am at a French ward and they all speak French! Afterall, this is why I am here right?  To learn and try to speak!  So, I wrote down what I wanted to share.  Then when the time came, I walked to the front and just before I had thought of many things I would say and how to say them properly. In my head they made sense and it was coming easily.  When I stood at the pulpit and looked out into the congregation, I was completely overwhelmed and I couldn’t’ find the words to begin.  After a moment, which to them was probably only one or two seconds, but to me seemed like one minute, I was able to begin and I just tried to speak from my heart.  I was slow, and was searching for the words, but they came.  I bored my testimony in French.   I felt the spirit really strong as I tried to testify of Jesus Christ and also about my experience in France.  It was really amazing.  I was afraid that many of the members would think I was terrible at speaking and that after I would be embarrassed, but I just tried my best and kept going and managed to say what I felt in my heart.  Many people came to me afterwards and told me they were impressed with how well I could speak.  I know that Heavenly Father really helped me speak with the spirit, and I also felt really blessed, because for the first time I really realized that he helped me use the things I had already learned here. There wasn’t any new big amazing words used in my testimony.  He helped me speak with the things I already knew and had practiced and learned.  

It has been such a great experience to be here. I just feel so incredibly blessed today. A great way to start my last week here in Nantes…

Bisous! xx.

Cold Night Thoughts

As you can see, I haven’t been as diligent with writing on my blog as of late. I guess I just haven’t been in the mood to write as much as I usually do.  I am not sure why exactly, but I feel like I need to write today in order to express myself.  First of all, I attached some photos of my class.  Not everyone is there, but mostly.  I have really grown to love the other students I spend my days learning french with. We are all from different countries, but we all have a really great relationship and we help each other. I will miss them!  (Most of them! haha) 

Nantes

My class 

Toomy having his first taste of rice krispie squares

Hil and Chloe 

It’s a cold Saturday night, the internet isn’t working at all for some reason which frustrates me, and I realized that I only have one week left here in Nantes.  I have been wrapped up tight in a wool blanket, the kind my mom used to put on my bed when I was young that I hated because it was scratchy, because it is the only thing besides a hot fire that will keep you warm in such a cold environment!  Now, I have opted for the hot fire and I am sitting in the living room on a cold tile floor leaned up against the fireplace.  Madame Garon is sitting next to me correcting her students work and there is a small decorated Christmas tree next to me. It’s funny, Nantes has put up Christmas lights, the stores are covered in Christmas decorations and yet the feeling of Christmas is not here with me.  I tried to listen to Christmas music, enjoy the lights, but nothing is working for me. It doesn’t feel like Christmas at all to me.  I am usually the type of person that is listening to Christmas music in September, anticipating the first snowfall and the taste of cinnamon.  This year…I am in France and the spirit of Christmas ceases to exist for me.  I hope that as the days leading up to Christmas grow closer I will start to feel the wonderful spirit of Christmas.  It is so easy to get caught up in giving gifts, making treats and decorating the house, but this year I have the wonderful opportunity to let go of all those things and just focus on the Savior and my relationship with him.  I will not be flying back to Canada until December 23, just in time to be reunited with my family and spend Christmas at home.  As my time here has started to come to a close, I am thinking more and more about what I have learned here, and what I can take home with me as a result of this experience.

Nantes

the students in my class 

Hil, Chloe, Tina

cathedral in nantes

le chateau

dane's first FRENCH crepe!

Bisous! xx.

Paris avec Dane

I am sitting on the train back to Nantes… I just spent the weekend in Paris with Dane.  Can you believe that he flew all the way to France just to see me?!

He was here for 8 days.  We just spent the weekend in Paris and it was like something out of a dream.  Now that I am on my way back I just feel like it was all a dream.  I had so much fun with him.  The whole week was just a lot of fun…no matter what we did.  

It was too bad that I had school for the entire week in Nantes, but we were still able to make time for each other and then after we got to Paris it was nice to not have anything to think about except for being there with him.

The Eiffel Tower

Dane and Hil going up the Eiffel Tower

Hil & Dane Notre Dame

Notre Dame

PARIS

http://thinksquad.net/2010/10/13/locks-of-love/

My Favourite

Louvre

A Perfect Moment

Sacre Coeur

Sacre Coeur

River Seine

We went up the Eiffel Tower at night and it was really amazing.  Notre Dame was beautiful…Dane was having too much fun with some birds literally like off of Home Alone and that bird lady and one of my favourites was when we went to the Sacre Coeur.  It was so nice to just walk along the Seine and talk, eat crepes and chocolate and stop, look at each other and laugh because we have done everything completely backwards in our relationship! We have a really interesting story of how we ended up together and I think it could make a great book someday!

Some really funny things happened.  Dane was called “blue eyed friend” by a street merchant and I was called “sexy lady” and “miss Canada” – not bad names for me right? Haha.  Then we bought an Eiffel tower statue and after that we were being attacked left and right to buy more stuff…and one guy tried to sell Dane and I matching Eiffel Tower watches (his and her).  Dane was laughing pretty hard and he said… Now we can experience Paris forever.  It totally reminded us both of something that The Price is Right would advertise. 

The metro constantly smelled like urine and there was even barf on the ground! I think Dane had a really great impression of the metro!

Most of all, it was just so much fun to spend every minute with each other.  When I am with Dane I feel like I am with my best friend.  How lucky of a girl am I, that a guy would fly all the way to France just to see me…and then we get to spend time in PARIS!

Now I am back in Nantes… back to uni and back to the books for me.  I of course have had some time to reflect again, and I just feel so incredibly grateful and lucky to be me right now.  I only have 10 more days left in Nantes, then I am off to Paris and then Germany for my last few weeks here.  I am trying to appreciate and take every little thing in around me.  I am sitting in the library right now and its trying to snow outside.  The first day of December.  How fitting.  It’s realllly cold outside and it makes me really excited for Christmas and for all the things that Christmas brings. 

Bisous! xx.