- 30et on entendra aussi parler de aguerres, de bruits de guerres et de tremblements de terre en divers lieux."
- 29Yea, it shall come in a day when athere shall be heard of fires, and tempests, and bvapors of smoke in foreign lands;
- 30And there shall also be heard of awars, rumors of wars, and earthquakes in divers places."
Okay, so it's a bit out of context, but I like how I was able to apply it to myself. Honestly, I'm not enjoying myself here as much as I should, and I feel like other people should be here instead because they'd appreciate this opportunity more. Along with that, I saw the blog of a girl who's here with BYU's study abroad, and the post was about falling more and more in love with Paris as she described her day of going to the Eiffel Tower. While I read, I felt jealous--she was having more fun than me! Ridiculous, I know. Here I am, in the same places, having my own experiences, and I still can't be satisfied. Verse 28 application summary: I am a teacher and my pride led me to envy a girl who is also LDS.
The "vapors of smoke in foreign lands" caught my eye for sure, because people here smoke a ton! I used to think this prophecy had to do with volcanoes erupting, but now I think it could just as well apply to the people in this strange land who are exhaust producers in miniature.
Lastly, the "wars, rumors of wars" is relevant, especially in light of Osama Bin Laden's recent death and the warring that has ensued since 9/11/2001. I am grateful they discovered the plot to attack again on 9/11 this year, on the 10th anniversary of that tragic incident! Also, everyone can agree with me that the last prophecy regarding "earthquakes in divers places" is extremely applicable, considering how many large-scale earthquakes have happened in recent years in places such as Haiti, Chile, and Japan.
Well, having been thus richly nourished and chastened, I went on with the day, and did I ever enjoy the simple pleasures! At breakfast, my host mom had put out my beloved brioche with the normal jelly, butter, and Nesquick, but she left an additional surprise: bonbons! At least in Europe they don't hide artificial flavoring by saying, "grape," "cherry," or "orange." Instead, they use a short phrase to show that it's like grape, cherry, or orange, but not for realsies. Notice that there are actual sugar cubes in the container! Maybe those exist in the States, but I've never had cause to find out.
Just after noon, I went to the marché just down the street and it was HUGE! I thought it would only be a few stands, but I think I spent an hour walking down the middle, taking pictures of anything interesting. Some of the scarves were a good price, so I might get one there. They had stands for clothing, flowers, fruits & vegetables, cheese (which included cheesecake...of course), spices, canned goods, seafood, meat, and food ready to go (mostly patisserie/boulangerie bready stuff). Some of the fish were enormous, and they even had some paella from Spain! (Hint: It's the ginormous pan on the corner of the stand.)The "vapors of smoke in foreign lands" caught my eye for sure, because people here smoke a ton! I used to think this prophecy had to do with volcanoes erupting, but now I think it could just as well apply to the people in this strange land who are exhaust producers in miniature.
Lastly, the "wars, rumors of wars" is relevant, especially in light of Osama Bin Laden's recent death and the warring that has ensued since 9/11/2001. I am grateful they discovered the plot to attack again on 9/11 this year, on the 10th anniversary of that tragic incident! Also, everyone can agree with me that the last prophecy regarding "earthquakes in divers places" is extremely applicable, considering how many large-scale earthquakes have happened in recent years in places such as Haiti, Chile, and Japan.
Well, having been thus richly nourished and chastened, I went on with the day, and did I ever enjoy the simple pleasures! At breakfast, my host mom had put out my beloved brioche with the normal jelly, butter, and Nesquick, but she left an additional surprise: bonbons! At least in Europe they don't hide artificial flavoring by saying, "grape," "cherry," or "orange." Instead, they use a short phrase to show that it's like grape, cherry, or orange, but not for realsies. Notice that there are actual sugar cubes in the container! Maybe those exist in the States, but I've never had cause to find out.
Speaking of Spain, I heard some women speaking Spanish and I knew they were from Spain because they used the word "mono" to mean "cute." And speaking of women, I thought of my mommy for Mother's Day!
Once I finished browsing the market, I returned to my host apartment to drop off my stuff and got ready for a mini adventure: I was going to go and explore the area, taking pictures of anything that caught my eye as different, pretty, or whatever. And you know what? Apparently I only live about 4-5 blocks away from a famous place to go and look at the Eiffel Tower. On the way, I discovered an aquarium! Too bad it cost too much and doesn't offer student discounts for people my age. I eventually made my way across the bridge to the Tower's side of the Seine, where I sat for a good half hour at least, just enjoying the weather, enjoying not being in a hurry with a huge to-do list, and enjoying the simple things. I took a couple of vids to record the sound of the water splashing on the steps lining the river and the boats passing by. I realized a good number of things as I sat there in the serene spot in the shade, away from the bustling crowds up above, one of which was that wherever I am, I need the sound of moving water and smell of water or the peaceful, majestic presence of the mountains--if not both--to come to me and relax. I loved that the smell was so much like that of being near the Puget Sound.
I also realized that there must be a reason for why I'm here. Okay, so I don't have to worry about grades and this isn't exactly fun, having to struggle, but I have somehow become the recipient of a large sum of money to learn French. Yes, I want terribly to get to Spain, but there are wonderful people here that I can meet and perhaps share the gospel with. More than that, I really believe that there must be an even grander reason as to why I'm here. I don't have to stress over grades, and it's ridiculous to expect myself to be as advanced as French majors/RMs when in June I'll have only had 12 months of French training--broken up, no less. And I'm not here just to while away the time and endure these classes I've been more or less paid to go to. No, I am here to meet people and do something more. When I told Mom, she said that she feels more and more like I'm meant to be here, and I agree. And I think it might be that I'm meant to be in Europe for more time later in my life. We'll see. As for today, I was meant to wander and find peace and enjoy the rich blessings that surround me.
Song of the Day: La Vie Passe ("Life Goes By," which I thought of while pondering on the banks of the Seine. One line of it says, "La vie passe et je n'ai rien vu passer," or "Life passes by and I didn't see anything," which applies to me far too well because I don't live in the moment enough because I am too busy thinking about the past or the future.)
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