Bonjour mon amis!

Here's where I am this very moment. Does the background look fake? It's totally understandable, it still doesn't feel real that I'm in Paris. Paris is kind of a big deal. I don't know of any other city that has so many iconic... Things. Museums, statues, bridges, food (macaroons, croissants, cheese, oh my!), music, fashion, etc. There has already been several times when I've been walking around and I have to literally say out loud, "Pam, you're in PARIS right now." Haha, it's surreal.

Getting here was quite the adventure (36 hours awake with only 3 hours of sleep?!), but the important thing is that, by God's grace, I made it to the right place at the right time. It would've been much worse without my three traveling buddies who were on the same flight as me, though my tendency to walk ahead and take charge earned me the name "Mama Pam" by the end of our traveling saga. There are worse things, I suppose....

Each day gets better as I become more accustomed to the language, street names, food, and metro system. I have used public transportation a handful of times over the years, but here the metro is a way of life. And it's really not scary like BART or screechingly loud like the NYC subway. Trying to speak a language you know nothing of is humbling, to put it mildly. Our neighborhood here in the 15th arondissement is off the beaten path of the touristy area, which makes it that much more important to make an effort to speak the language. I've found a cute little take-out lunch place right across the street from my hotel that I will certainly continue to go to over the next few weeks. I love the middle-aged woman who tells me how to say certain dishes in French. She's SO wonderfully patient. 

Strangely enough I'm not the biggest fan of Western European OR medieval history (of which this program is both), but experiencing a new place is making it completely worth it.

The Lord has been so gracious to me during these last few days. Thank you for the many prayers (they are SO evident), from the big stuff like having a heart for the people in my program to not feeling the effects of jet lag AT ALL. That, my friends, is a miracle in itself for this grandma. Praise the Lord! It's definitely a challenge not having my best friends, family, and phenomenal community around, but I have been so encouraged by Colossians 3 (thanks Suz!):

For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ [who is] our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 

Colossians 3:3-4

So blessed to have a purpose that is beyond this life here on earth... Even if everything looks reallll beautiful right now :)


Some favorites from today!