going to the chapel...

Well howdy guys! Ok seriously, before you get all mad at me for taking an eternity to get this whole blog thing back up and running, do remember the whole series of life changing events, you know, like kinda moving permanently to another country, getting married, starting a new job, trying to do paperwork in France...
So since I know a whole bunch of you are chompin' at the bit to look at pictures from the wedding, I thought I'd share some of the kodak moments with you all...

(Oh, for those of you who are out of the loop, this summer I got married to a handsome frenchie named Matthieu in my homestate, Oregon. It was great because we had a really good turnout: somewhere around 10 frenchies were able to make the trip, all of his uncles and aunts who live on the east coast, and then friends from all over. There were some great moments to be had by all, like the wedding party doing re-enactment skits of me and Matt in 50 years, 'Crazy' by Brittany Spears ending up accidentally on the reception playlist rather than 'Crazy' by Gnarles Barkley, my Dad busting out his country dance moves, and my little wagon full of ring bearers running over my mom's dress while cutting a corner... But when all is said and done, here we are back in Paris again, officially hitched and ready to take on France! So stay 'tuned' for more updates on the great adventure that was our honeymoon, life over here, the new job and apartment, you get the idea... )

Spring is in the air

Bonjour to all of the wonderful people who read this blog! I know some of you are thinking that it's about time that I went about writing a new entry. The problem is that you can't really write about life if you haven't had much experience with it; and sometimes you get so caught up in the living of it that you forget to write about it! In an attempt not to write all of your eyes fuzzy, here are the highlights of the past couple months “en bref”:

• Matt's 30^th Birthday Party: That's right folks, we needed to celebrate Matthieu's initiation into the world of thirty-somethings in style. Thus, the idea of a surprise party was hatched. After a lot of (and I mean a lot) of emails in French; some false alarms with people at church not realizing the date had changed (they asked how his party had gone); and me permanently bonding with the Paris metro (to bring all the party stuff in at one time by myself was next to impossible, so I brought it all in several trips, sneaked into the church and hid it in the Sunday school play room...) the night of the party arrived. The greatest part about the date change was that Matt's mom and sister could be there to celebrate with us, so the “plan” was to meet them at the church and then go out to dinner. Little did Matthieu know that when he opened the door downstairs there'd be between 30-40 people singing happy birthday to him. After a few minutes of complete shock—he thanked everyone for coming and asked if we were celebrating any other birthdays as well! I don't think it was really until the end of the night that it finally sunk in that all this was just for him! ; ) For me the evening passed in a blur—I remember the hi's and the goodbye's at the end and something fuzzy in the middle, I'm just not sure what exactly... The American couple that's doing our marriage counseling told us that this was good practice for our wedding day!

• On the Hunt for a Job: Most of my time these days has been spent on the fabulous activity of job hunting. The great thing is that it seems like my blood, sweat, tears, and compelling cover letters have paid off! I went in for an interview this last Thursday at a private preschool in the hopes of getting the Kindergarten teaching position up for grabs. And from the way she was talking at the end of the interview, while not 100% certain, I've got a good feeling that I've got the job... only time will tell! As for the specifics: it's a Montessori school, currently their student body represents 18 different nationalities, the teaching is almost completely in English (except for an hour in French every day), I'd work all week days except for Wednesday (don't you just love the French way of life?), and live happily ever after! If you want to check it out, the link to the school is: http://www.rainbow-pre-school.com/

• Speaking of living happily ever after, Matt and I have officially found our castle to do it in. Granted, it's a bit smaller than the average castle (40 sq m or 430 sq ft), but I hear that the downsized look is in these days. What it lacks in space, it makes up for in Parisian charm and accessibility (it's literally right across the street from the metro line). Yet again we're reminded of how fantabulously great God is—we had all but given up hope on an apartment within the city limits (it's mind-boggling expensive) and then poof! God gives us one that we love in a great location—like usual, going beyond our expectations. Here are pics of the living/dining room, bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom. We're hoping Matt can move in there sometime in June, so that we wont have to deal with moving when we come back.

Well, to accomplish my goal of not writing a novel, I'll leave you all for now. Stay tuned for an update on my birthday, life, etc...

Holiday Mayhem Part 2

Hmmm, seeing as how it’s already February, I guess I should finish part two of Christmas. The problem is that most of the Christmas details are getting a bit fuzzy now… What I seem to remember of my actual Christmas is warm and fuzzy like any Christmas should be, although definitely a bit different with the snow interference. Of course, I mean warm and fuzzy in the Pickett sense of the word, which definitely included a Christmas documentary and music video performed by my sis and me. (no, I wont be showing the music video publicly, and yes, I do have it on tape) We tend to take literally the phrase “party like a rock star.”
Matt and I (aren’t you proud of my correct grammar Matt?) didn’t let the oceans of separation get to us, we skyped our way through the winter holidays. Gosh, I love skype. And I love Matt—what a great combo! And after 150 or so invitations started (the number got more and more blurry as we got more and more tired of folding those awful things!), I found myself packing up a whole lot more things than when I came, and heading back to France.
Once in France, Matt and I had our own type of celebration. Notice our Christmas tree to the left. No they don’t all run that small or glittery in France; but hey, we liked our little tree. So, after spending lots of money at Christmas what seems to be the most logical step next? Why spending more money of course! You’ll understand when I explain to you that twice a year France just goes overboard on sales.
I mean really overboard. The government only allows them to do it twice a year so they’ve got to “profiter” whenever they can! Which means that every Parisian shopping center is packed to the rafters (if they have rafters in France) with greedy, aggressive, bargain mongers. Unbeknownst to Matt and I, we chose the first weekend of the sales (they usually run a month long) to go. At one of the most popular shopping centers: Chatelet Les Halles.
Let me tell you that when I say the word ‘sardines’, it’s really not that much of an exaggeration. It was war. I went head to head with French mamas and their wailing children and I’m still not sure who won. What is clear is that we successfully found Matt and entire work outfit (suit, shoes and all) for 100 euros. Not too shabby, although it did take me two scoops of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and some serious rest time before I was ready to talk to Matt without that whinny tone in my voice.
It was an odd day though. While Matt was in line to pay for some shoes, I found another pair that he might like and was attempting to reach him when the sales associate saw my plight. Taking the shoes from me he whisked me to the front of the store with lots of “Excusez-moi, S’il vous plait!” aka “Out of my way people, I’ve got a loud voice and I know how to use it”. Of course, I started to panic when I realized how embarrassing it was going to be to explain in broken French that I hadn’t really wanted to buy them, just show them to my fiancé. Oddly enough, he must have considered his job finished at the counter because he just dumped them on the counter and took off. I did likewise as soon as his back was turned…
The next incident occurred during my trip to the bathroom. Right in the middle of crashing energy levels, I needed to go to the bathroom. No biggie, of course that meant another line and more money to pay, but all was going along okay until I exited the restroom and saw no sign of Matt. Not knowing when he was going to be back I attempted to appear nonchalant amidst the crowd while waiting for him. All of the sudden I felt something smack me upside the head. Glancing to my right I noticed a (presumably) homeless man talking to himself and replacing his hat back on his head—the guy had walked up behind me, taken off his hat and whacked me with it! I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry or do both at once! I decided that since I would probably see more of the humor in the situation later, the crying one would work better for the moment, and maybe earn me some sympathy points with Matt for my stinging head.
Alas, I wish I could stop there. Unfortunately, I am just a magnet for unusual occurrences. After parting ways with Matt, I took the metro back to the institute. About 2 minutes after exiting the metro, a man stopped me on the street to ask for some directions. Being in a hurry, I hastily told him my best guest and went on my way. About 10 feet away from my final destination, I suddenly found myself accosted by a barrage of questions from two French policemen! One whipped out his badge with enough finesse to make any CSI actor proud while the other asked me if I knew the man I had just talked to, if he had bothered me in any way, what he wanted. I think they were a bit disappointed when I replied that he had only wanted directions, but that didn't stop then from pursuing him down the street after their little “chat” with me. I don't think I ever will find out just exactly why they were following him...

Holiday Mayhem Part 1

What can I say about these last couple weeks amidst the holiday craziness? Well, a lot; believe me. Let's start with my return home for Christmas:

I'll begin by saying it was both the worst and best cross-Atlantic trip I've ever had. Some wonderful people (you know who you are!) treated me to a hotel room at the airport the night before, since the earliest Paris metro would be cutting it close to my departure time. So I packed up my stuff, checked into my room, and leisurely helped myself to all the free shampoo bottles and handouts I could get my hands on. All seemed to be going well (yes, I actually made it through security with no bag search and speaking French the whole time!), we were reaching the last segment of our looooong journey, when suddenly the airplane path on the screen took a sharp turn and we all found out (contrary to what the airline stewardess had told us about it just being a technical glitch) that Portland just wasn't safe to land in and we'd all be vacationing in Minneapolis for the night.

Did I forget to mention that I'd actually been randomly selected for an upgrade in Amsterdam and had been bumped up to first class this whole time....? Hmm, must have slipped my memory... So up until the big flight projectory change, all had really going fabulously well. Upon 3 minutes of arriving, my coat was taken and hung up for me; my “waiter” asked if I'd like some champagne to drink; and I was thrust the menu of the flight; where I chose a light chicken entrée with steamed vegetables, mashed potatoes and red wine....ah, c'est la vie baby... Of course, in the mean time, while waiting for those fabulous things to arrive, they kept me occupied with bubbly water and the most fabulous airline chair that I've ever seen (I mean, we're talking built in back massage/pressure and 10 different controls to specify the exact incline wanted).

So when I saw that our flight path had changed, while pretty disappointed that I wasn't going to immediately see my family, I wasn't quite as cranky as some of the other passengers...i.e. economy class. I was, however, tested a bit with the 3 hour time period it took to obtain our hotel vouchers, go through customs (part of that was my fault because I had forgotten to eat the apple in my bag and as a result therefore got stuck in the agriculture line), re-check my baggage, go through security again (to get those darn vouchers!), and then wait for my shuttle to come. And of course the shuttle finally came, to take me out into freezing Minneapolis where it was 0° Fahrenheit (not including wind chill) and the only time I left the hotel was once to walk three blocks to a Walmart and I nearly thought they were going to have to amputate an ear or some other small, helpless appendage due to the cold.

But then, again, being at a nice hotel, with a family suite (literally a king size bed and then a separate room for kids with 4 bunk beds included) and all the hotel/food vouchers I could ever hope for, I just about forget about the previous mayhem. The only thing really missing [insert sappy voice here] was someone to share it with, as it's a little awkward eating a plateful of grande nachos in a restaurant all by your lonesome self.

Of course, by the next morning I remembered all of the previous hassles when I attempted to take the first shuttle to the airport and realized that everyone else from the plane had the same idea as me. Thankfully, I managed to get one of the last standing places on the shuttle and survived the bumpy drive to the airport. Apparently, the driver would have gotten fined $100 for each person standing in the shuttle (which numbered to about 15) if he had been caught. At the airport we were given yet another round of vouchers and attempted for the second time to land in Portland. This time we got a whole heck of a lot closer, and made it 30 miles out before they rerouted the aircraft to Seattle.

As it turned out, there were some people on the plane with Seattle as their final destination so that ended up creating some tension, because we weren't allowed to exit the plane at the beginning. When they finally got permission to exit the plane, some other passengers got the bright idea to risk SEATAC airport rather than waiting on ours and decided to make a run for it. They weren't very good escapees, thus getting caught and returned back to the plane. Kinda made me feel like I was in a scene from Titanic or something, ya know? Well, after a couple of catnaps, quite a bit of bonding between passengers (what else was there to do?), and several hours of waiting, we were finally on our way to PDX for our final try....Which got delayed once again, this time as we were hovering in the air above the airport. And that's how we stayed: ever-hovering, ever-hoping, and making a lot of loop-dee-loops in the sky in the mean time...

Of course everyone cheered when we finally landed and were at last in Oregon territory. Never mind that it took an hour and a half to retrieve my luggage and 4 hours to get back down to Albany (normally an hour and a half), I was finally home!

The Green Cauliflower

I'm sorry, but the cauliflower previously mentioned was just begging for a picture...

Happy Holidays

Well, we’ve arrived at the season for jingle bells, spiced cider, and awkward moments under mistletoe. Or, if you’re French, Douce Nuit, vin chaud, and awkward moments with foie gras. (ok, that last one is limited to myself and other fellow foreigners—after all, wouldn’t you be hesitant to eat something called ‘fat liver’?) So what kicks off the holiday season with a bang of overeating and precious moments? Thanksgiving (in the States that is!)… Well not being ones to turn down an opportunity to eat fabulously good food, Matt and I accepted an invitation to get together with other fellow Americans (missionaries) in the Paris area for Thanksgiving. (Now if I’m going to be really honest with you all, we didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving on the actual holiday but the weekend just after. In reality, on the real Thanksgiving Day I ate a mediocre cafeteria version of chilli con carne…)

Everyone was contributing something, so I decided to do my family proud and bring my Grandma’s yummy broccoli salad. Matt, sweetheart that he is, had to put up with all of my last minute recipe requests. Probably those wouldn’t have been so bad if he hadn’t mistakenly grabbed cauliflower, waited through a huge line, only to find out he had to walk back to the store and do it all over again. Now before you start wondering how he could of mistook a head of cauliflower for broccoli, let me just assure you that this was no ordinary cauliflower. Picture bright green and lots of pointy things coming out from the top—even the saleslady hadn’t been sure what exactly it was. Just to be sure I gnawed off a piece of it and verified that it was indeed, cauliflower.

Crisis over, we headed out the door and onto the metro with our broccoli salad and homemade spiced cider. The evening went great—it was so fun to speak “American” with those around us. I stuffed myself full of turkey, twice baked potatoes, and chocolate chip cookies…ah, bliss… My favorite moment has to be though when Matt started opening a bottle of mineral water inches away for my face. None of that would have mattered, except for the fact that it was a rather volatile bottle, and all at once I found my face drenched by mineral water. Everyone had a good laugh and I think my face is more exfoliated as a result…

This last Thursday night was our campus Christmas party. I can’t tell you much about the first half other than I’m pretty sure it happened, because I was hidden away working in the kitchen, listening to stressed French and trying for the life of me to figure out how to say ‘never mind’. I never did figure out how to say it, but I was able to escape for the second half of the program. Good thing too, because my big debut as a French super star wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t. Somehow (my bet is because I’m a native English speaker) I had gotten roped into participating with the choir during the party. The original plan was for me to sing a short solo during the song “Glory, Glory, Hallelujah.” Not being one to really brag about my exceptional singing voice, I managed to act feeble enough to illicit the help of two other people to come to my aid and form a trio with me. All went well and the song turned out pretty cool, with the choir singing the song in French and various members singing a piece in their native language.

The night ended with a Beauty and the Beast skit with the Beast being a broken-hearted mean non-believer and the Beauty being an inspiring Christian girl who was able to turn his now-softened heart to God. It was pretty funny and well done. Stuffed from cookies and cream puff galore, we all headed back to our rooms for the night.

And there you have it, a small taste of the holiday season from an American living in Paris (wait isn’t that a movie?….)

PS. the pics are from our Thanksgiving party

A Day in the life....

Well hello all! Having recovered and in full health now, I thought I'd sit down and write a couple words about life in general here. (Yes, I know you wanted to hear more about turbo clappers in the park and the like, but you're just going to have to wait for my next stroll through the park.) So basically my life in France can be divided into these categories: chef/maid extraordinaire, intelligent English professor, and sleep-starved student. But before I get into all that, here's a quick look at daily life:

All the students at the institute here have class 4 days a week with Wednesday normally being a day rest or (more likely) an opportunity for internships in the Paris community. Breakfast begins with none other than the favorite French meal supplement: bread. More specifically, a couple baguettes and some butter and jam. (Although I did catch my French roommate eating bread with peanut butter on it; however, I can guarantee you that's not the French norm!) Most people are in class during the morning, and then at 12:30 we all trickle into the dining room for lunch together. How do I describe food at the institute hmm? Think of glorified French cafeteria food and then we'll be on the same wavelength. Not that it's awful, but not that it's particularly appetite inducing either... Of course, sometimes we're saved from the fate of yet another mediocre meal by the talented people here at the institute. One woman in particular, Anne, is from Chad and occasionally cooks African food for the meal instead—those are the times of course that everyone pigs out to the maximum in an attempt to avoid eating the rest of the week. As the French say, il faut profiter! Dinner is the same deal, only at 7 pm, rather than 12:30.

Chef/Maid Extraordinaire: Ok, now when I said chef, what I really meant was the girl who slices open the packaged food and plops it into our massive corporate oven. That's what you were thinking, right? The maid part is true—although normally I don't make up beds and I certainly don't wear the black and white get-up. But I do clean the kitchen (always a feat after an African meal!), scrub the hallways, and make sure that everything stays generally clean in the main building. Other random duties include: buying the bread for the evening meal (of course!), making massive amounts of photo copies, and folding important documents like school brochures and such.

Ps. I work 16 hours a week, 4 days a week, 3-7pm

Intelligent English Professor: No comments on the first part of the title

please. :) This is actually my favorite category. I have two classes: 11 students total. (whew, big numbers I know!) Better yet, when I broke them into two classes I've got an even smaller class: 7 in one and 4 in the other. But whoever said “the more the merrier?” I'm seriously having a blast running and teaching my own classes: we've done everything from describing a picture and drawing the description, to team competitions and tongue twisters. Good times. On the side I'm also privately tutoring a pastor friend of Matt's an hour and a half each week, so that brings in a little added income on the side.

Ps. Each class is 50 minutes long, every Tuesday

Sleep-starved Student: Who would of thought I'd be back to this place again so soon after just graduating?? Ah, but here I am and I'm all too well feeling deja vu! So I'm taking three classes this term: French for foreigners, French for francophones, and Old Testament Law. Ironically, Old Testament law is my favorite! It's super interesting and has been great for my vocabulary acquisition. Of course, I might have to start supplementing my reading with some more diverse subjects, otherwise my vocab repertoire is going to consist mainly of animals, animal organs, and all kinds of violent vocabulary! But other wise it's a pretty fun class.

Well kids, that's about all for now... That's a little look at what life is like for me over here. French is continuing to improve. I like to measure my progress by the little things... you know, like if I can understand the person inquiring at the front door (although the evening the police showed up I didn't even stand a chance at comprehension—I was too worried wondering if I done something disastrous again!), how fast I can say “Can you please pass the bread?” at the table, and whether or not I'll actually ask for help in a store if I'm completely clueless. I'll tell you about Thanksgiving and the holidays soon...