Paris Lately...

Bonjour!



I am sorry I haven’t written for a while. I have been thoroughly enjoying emersion into Parisian culture. I am falling in love with Paris and it is hard not to see myself living here eventually.

I have found a fantastic church that is unlike any church I have attended in the past. I am attending Hillsong Paris church and have met some fantastic people. The church has such a heart for people and I wish I was here longer and could be involved more.

In the last few weeks I have found some hidden pleasures in Paris. A friend recommended that I find Le Parc de Buttes Chaumont. The park is gorgeous and unlike anything I have seen in Paris. It captures your imagination and draws you in. I could spend hours upon hours at this park. I hope that I will be able to see it in the springtime.


View of the lake at the park.

Close to Notre Dame is my favorite area, St. Michel. St. Michel has almost everything that you can think of. Historical monuments, bookstores, cafes, restaurants, dessert shops, shopping, cinemas… and the list goes on. I wish I could explain it better but it is my favorite place to hang out in Paris. When we don’t know what to do but we want to get out we just go to St. Michel. There is always something to do. It has become a habit for a few of us to go to Café Molongo in St. Michel. It is a nice atmosphere with Moroccan décor. I love the Café Latte Aromatise Vanille. It is the best Latte I have ever had.



Café Latte Aromatise Vanille.

This weekend we had a family day at the park. Most of us went to the American University of Paris not to far from where we are staying and got some energy out. We played Kickball, Ultimate Frisbee, and Soccer. It felt so good to go run around outside for 4 hours or so. The weather was beautiful. It was warmer than normal but still cloudy with some rain showers throughout the day. I loved it. We want to go play outside every Saturday if we can.


The group fooling around while captains picked teams.

This semester has been such a blessing and I love the people that I am with. We are becoming very close and enjoying every step of this journey. I will try to write more soon.

Au revoir!
God Bless,
Victoria

Je t'aime Paris!

I am currently in Paris and loving it. I have been in Paris for 2 weeks now and am finally settled in. I have classes 4 days a week (Monday-Thursday). I am taking a drawing and painting classes from an artist named Kathy, who is originally from San Diego and has been living in Paris for over 30 years. I am also taking Photo, Art History, Poetry and Literature. I am done with class around 12:30 everyday and am able to go explore the city in the afternoon. While we were in London we did not have as much time to explore on our own. I am getting to know the city and the people here.

I am attending Hillsong Paris and joining one of their connect groups. I am excited to get to know people who live here. I am in love with this church. The services are in French and English. I actually went to the 5 o'clock service tonight and cannot wait for Wednesday's connect group.

I am realizing that the hardest thing about being here is being away from my family. The time change makes things very difficult. I can't talk to anyone back home until around 5pm my time because they are still sleeping. It has been difficult trying to remember the time change.

The weather has been very cold recently. It snowed 4 days in a row this week. It was around 20 degrees here last night (-6 degrees Celcius). The weather was very nice today. Probably the warmest day we have had in Paris. It was good to see the sun again. All of us are missing the sunny San Diego weather. It is pretty rare to see the sun here. It is cloudy all the time. I am enjoying the cold weather though. It is a nice change of pace. This whole trip has been a very nice change of pace. I am enjoying every minute of this trip. I will try to write again soon.

Much Love! God Bless,
Victoria

A Little Taste of London

Our first Sunday in London we went to church at Westminster Abbey. The service was very traditional and very beautiful. We experienced worship led by a choir, a sermon given by a priest, and communion. It was an incredible experience.

Big Ben and the London Eye.

I loved all the brick buildings and colored doors. The appartments/houses in London are called flats. I would love to live in a flat some day.

London was incredible. I was very disappointed to leave London but I am definitely enjoying Paris.

London to Paris

On Monday we traveled from London to Paris. We rode the Eurostar for 3 hours before arriving in Paris. Our morning began by leaving the house at 8:00am with all of our luggage. We walked about a mile to the Tube, where we rode to St. Pancras train station. We then took the Eurostar to Paris, where we got on their metro (subway). After we got off the metro we had to walk about a half mile to the FIAP where we are staying. It was such a long day of travel. We were all sore from carrying our luggage.

We are finally settling in at the FIAP now. Paris was pretty rough around the edges when we arrived but I am warming up to it. I saw the Eiffel Tower for the first time today. It is incredible. Completely takes my breath away. I can't even describe how I felt when I saw the Eiffel Tower. It is incredibly large and such an icon around the world. I can't believe I get to live in Paris and see the Eiffel Tower whenever I wish. It is quite a sight and I will never forget the moment I saw it. I can't wait to go back and sketch it.

I am practicing my French daily and trying to grasp the culture. It is difficult to take it all in. It is definitely an adventure and I am loving every minute of it.

I am hoping to get photos up soon. I have been having difficulty with facebook as well as putting photos on blogspot. Please bare with me.

God Bless,
Victoria