homesick

alright alright alright. So I haven't posted for a while. Here's my lame apology - I just haven't had the urge to write that much. At first, I attributed my lack of correspondence and over all delinquency to laziness. Then, the next week, I figured I could be excused because of the crazy busy time I've had being lazy. Maybe lazy isn't the right word. Today I spent two hours sitting in a tree overhanging the Loire River reading Le Petit Prince, then a little more writing my story. Then I went to this weird cult-ish gathering in this tiny little chapel on a little street just off of the independent theater. This guy in my class invited me to go - we thought it would be this classical music concert...but then I walked in and saw a bunch of friendly looking nuns, some wearing long jean skirts (?) smiling at me and i thought to myself..."hm...change of expectations." So as not to be impolite, I sat down and, for the next hour, endured the special guest, an old lady all the way from Quebec, who read these letters that Mary (not magdeline or Jesus's mere) wrote. The entire chapel was completely dedicated to Mary...with a crucifix in the front. Yes, the one-woman sing/chant/reading performance was weird in itself, but I was confused by the nuns in the chapel. Did they worship Mary or Jesus? I am of the opinion that you cannot do both. Thoughts?

On Sunday, I walked 4 miles to find a protestant church similar to mine at home. I ended up in Tours Nord, got lost for a while, and ended up at this huge empty (everything is closed on Sundays) parking lot adjunct to what looked like a French version of Costco. So my friend and I walked around and around asking people over and over if they knew of this church, Eglise Evangelique and NO ONE KNEW. And it was supposed to be RIGHT THERE - I knew it - I had looked on a map the night before...but everyone kept telling me that I had passed it a super long time ago and to retrace my steps because I had a long way to head back. But I knew what Church they were talking about which was one I wasnt looking for and I got more and more frustrated over the fact that no one knew that a church existed right in their own neighborhood.

Finally, defeated, we started to head back, when my friend saw a bright blue sign with a cross on it. We followed the path to this open door and as my eyes adjusted from the bright light, I found myself standing in the midst of a small room, right in the middle of the pastor's sermon.

But it was cool...closest thing I found to not just what I'm used to, but Christianity, period. Service, which I only understood a part of, was cool, but what I liked the most was the worship songs in French. I learned so much new vocabulary - stuff they don't teach us at the Institute. Cool.

After everything was over, this nice Korean man approached us and, after finding out that my friend and I were Korean, began to speak to us in Korea. Then he turned around and said "you must meet my kids." He grabbed a boy, who I thought was just a random French boy, but indeed that was his son. So then I brilliantly deduced that his wife was French. Which was why he spoke such good French. And lived in France. Then he called over his wife, a very friendly, motherly blond lady and we spoke for a little in French. But then he put his hand on her shoulder and said in Korean, "Honey, what was the name of that other church closer to them?" And then when she responded, it was like watching a turtle moo. She spoke perfect Korean.

So then the four of us just had a hey day speaking our melanger of KoreanEnglishFrench. Chouette.

Chouette is my new fav word. ~ Sweet.

Anyways,

This weekend, a few friends and I will be going on a biking trip to Amboise - the home of Leonardo Di Vinci - his tomb, a museum of his originals, his former home - and the Amboise Chateau of course! I'm very excited...but not looking forward to the fact that my butt is going to be in so much pain after the entire deal.

Also just bought my ticket to Marseille for the 2nd weekend in August. Very excited!

And though I am having much much fun here learning how to take things a little more slowly, enjoying the culture, getting better at French, and meeting interesting people every day, I am, I must admit, quite homesick. Yeah - for my parents and my CA home and my sister, but also for my family from Penn. I think about a few people every day - par exemple. The other day I went into this huge church which had been just sitting in the city, deteriorating. It had been taken over by the Romans, then bashed by the protestant invaders, and was blocked off so as to preserve the "history" of Tours...that is until the Pope came and suggested that it be fixed up. So my friend Bo-hyun and I went in, just wanting to check it out, and this small little french lady swept us up and took us on a free tour all by our two-sies. I learned quite a lot and was happy I understood a lot of what she was saying - that the church was a motley of gothic, roman, and renaissance architecture since it had been beaten and burnt and abandonned over and over. It's actually quite interesting - in the front arches you can see the little stubbins where the saints icons had been broken off by the protestants...and then compare it to the neighboring arch where the little surviving saints still remain...I guess those protestants didn't do a thorough job of it.

At any rate, by the end of it, we were outside in the garden. I looked up up up at the belltower and asked our guide if she had ever been. She said yes, just with a few other tour guides, but it was blocked off to the public since it was so old and the rails were missing so if you slipped or a strong wind came upon you or if a very large bird knocked you over you would fall fall fall down to the ground and splat next to all those missing saints. This made me want to sneak up there after closing hours, but none of my lame friends would go with me. Which made me think of Zach and the time we snuck up on the roof of the Fine Arts Library. He would have come. Boooo.

Then I thought of Mariya a few days ago when I met this girl named Sarah from Sweden. She is like Mariya - knows what she wants, frank, spunky...European...hahahaha, and she reminded me so much of Mariya - sans Christian - and well...as I would say in French, "Mariya me manque" (I miss Mariya). In French, you flip it around so that the person/thing you miss comes first.

Then this pidgeon nearly killed me and I thought of Sarah - the students here are so kind about my irrationalities but there's nothing like an empathizing kindrid spirit.

Then all throughout my time in Paris I missed the heck out of Sue because I was at the Louvre the whole time and museums are our thing :(

Then I saw these crazy sunglasses at Lafayette and thought of Luis, tennis raquet --> Matt, antique ring -->kristin, Little Prince -> Laura...and the list goes on and on and on and on.

I really really really miss Korean food actually! There is no KIM here (dried seaweed) and I NEED MY KIM...I have rice and avocado and egg and articificial crabmeat...I can even buy pickled radish or make do without kimchi but there is no good kim and it makes me sad...

So I eat chocolate croissants instead! Yaaaay....

I thought about Alaska today...Antioch Church should be going there in a few weeks (mid August?) Please keep them in your prayers.

Love
Jean



I truly miss everyone and sorry for getting mushy on you but really really really want to see you!