"Je suis bien rentrée"
After a grueling round of finals (ha), I managed to enjoy my last few weeks in France in excellent company. I tearfully said goodbye to one of my dearest amis, Julian, the day before I left for Germany. He was so exhausted that I couldn't tell if he was bleary-eyed because I was crying, or because he was about to pass out. All the same, it was an emotional moment for the both of us, and I will truly miss that crazy Albanian.
The glorious weekend in Germany started off my holiday and a few dinner parties followed. I probably said goodbye to the same five people more than twice; I'm really terrible with goodbyes. The tex-mex meal, by the way, was not incredible, but passable. My guests were very kind in overlooking my garlic mistakes with the salsa; for some reason I thought one clove of garlic was equal to one bunch of garlic. My hands smelled for days.
I finally left Saint-Etienne for Agde (near Montpellier) on Christmas eve. It was kind of surreal to be traveling somewhere the day before Christmas, all by myself, in a foreign country, only to be welcomed into the home of a strange family. Strange in the sense that I'd never met them, haha!
Apart from seeing several couples making out in the train station as they told each other goodbye for the holidays, my train ride to Agde was rather uneventful. I think I slept for three-quarters of the ride there and got up to use the bathroom once in four hours.
Françoise was waiting for me at the 'sortie' and alerted me of her presence by asking me what Christmas presents I was throwing away. She'd caught me hovering over a garbage can, trying to eliminate the evidence that i'd indulged in a pre-Christmas dinner snack. I don't think she was upset with the fact that I had snacked, but I noticed her pained look when she saw I was throwing away a Coca-Light (aka Diet Coke). She has quite an aversion towards anything Cola.
Eliate, her older sister, had stayed in the car and seemed to be happy to meet me. I wanted to make a good impression, after all, because it was at her house that we would be celebrating Noël for the next few days. And, a week before I'd met her, she'd called me to ask what kind and how many pillows I would be needing. I thought that was thoughtful and worthy of my best behavior :)
Christmas Eve is the day with the most activity. Because France was part of the Roman Catholic empire for a number of years, most people attend midnight mass. However, midnight mass has slowly become "before-dinner-and-parties-mass". So, that was the first thing we did: "midnight" mass. I enjoyed the old people crooning strange hymns in French, and I marveled at the fact that in a few hours, my friends who are Catholic Texans would be singing similar variations of the songs we were singing right then, in St. Thibery, France. The Catholic church is a fascinating organism, really. We left the church and were lost in town for ten minutes. We eventually asked for directions from a funny little man in a suit that reminded me of Bette Midler in Big Business (thank you Rebekah). He chatted with us about nothing important and led us home safely, wishing us a Joyeux Noël. Once we arrived we sat down for a traditional French Christmas meal: Foie Gras, white wine, bread, duck, and some kind of delicious ice cream dessert. The kids (Tom, Solène, and Ilona) were anxious to open the presents once we finished the meal. Their grandmother, Eliate, didn't wait long to let them descend on the gifts scattered around the living room. I don't know if all French families follow this format, but the family I stayed with didn't have the gifts under the tree. Instead the gifts were collected and place by each person's house shoes. I thought that was weird. I received some wonderful and unexpected gifts like two books in French, a bottle of perfume aptly named Sultane (because everyone knows I'm a queen), and a CD of Portuguese salsa music.
And that was it. No caroling, no stockings, no cookies for Santa.
At that moment I felt supremely alien and a little too homesick. Too homesick because there was nothing I could do to leave and be with my family right then and that bothered me. Don't get me wrong, though. I enjoyed the festivities and was utterly captivated by another family's way of doing Christmas...it was just different and not my family. Christmas (for me) is supposed to be spent with family. Votre propre famille.
The next few days were spent relaxing at the house, which, by the way, was incredible. It would definitely be considered museum material in the states as it was constructed in the late 1800s. Three stories-high, built for making wine...so deliciously French. I loved it. Sadly the family is hoping to sell it within the next year. Anyone interested in buying a monstrously beautiful house in the south of France, 25 kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea?? I would buy it in a heartbeat. Speaking of the sea, I went there. Sat on the beach. Pondered life. It was great.
Once my time was up in Agde, I traveled to Annecy with Françoise's niece and nephew. I spent the weekend in this beautiful touristy town right on the border of Switzerland. I'll post pictures one day, but in the meantime, imagine the clearest lake you've ever seen at the base of a snowy-topped mountain range surrounded by a bustling little village. That's where I was, and I lapped up every second of it.
And I arrive finally at the end of my sojourn in France. Saint-Etienne was the last place I went, and that was only to retrieve my things. Once I packed several bottles of liquor, sausage, cheese, and cookies into my impossibly overweight suitcases, I boarded my plane and cried as I waved goodbye to Françoise.
Going to France has been one of the best decisions I've ever made. I believe fully that the Lord provided the means and the opportunity for me to go; it's been mind-boggling to look back at all of the ways I've seen Him move to allow for this trip. But to what end? Why did He provide this opportunity?
I'm not exactly sure why He allowed me to embark on this adventure, but I know He was there with me. Knowing that He was there the whole time, has made going even more worth the while. Maybe His sole purpose in allowing me to go was so that I would look for Him and find Him in the midst of my journeying.
I can deal with that, and if that's the case, when and where do I get to go next...? :)
Just a daily reassurance:
Deuteronomy 31:8, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
I hope that you and your families are well. I look forward to this coming year with much anticipation. Please feel free to write to me : b.cunningham00@gmail.com . Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. My experience abroad is something I'll never forget.
Et encore, je vous souhaite une bonne année!!
