Au revoir Illinois, Salut Michigan... Puis France!

Tonight is my final night in this fine month of mai in Illinois. Demain, I depart & arrive in Michigan. I will be staying with mon amie, Lisa, for a night. Then, we leave for France ensemble on Sunday! The moment has finally arrived & ready or not - here we come, France!

Lately, I have been reading The Misanthrope, Tartuffe, and The Life of Molière to prepare myself for our histoire class. Since my content-focused paper is on the family, I have been placing a deeper focus on the family system in these plays and stories. It fascinates me to see their family set-up - with the mistresses, scandals, servants, and arranged marriages in so many of the stories. I sometimes have difficulty keeping track "who is who" in these plays with all the relations. However, by the end, a plot twist usually closes up the show. Thank goodness we have a terrific professor that clears up all of the confusing parts!

While I was partaking in my last minute packing tonight, I came across my France box. It simply breathes memories of my last trip as it is full of treasures and mementoes. I found the postcards that I never used from last trip & tucked them into my backpack that is going to France. As one of my teachers would say, "we are trying to keep this el cheapo." But in all honesty, they will come in handy as I have promised a few friends & family members a letter. 

Next time you see a post will be when I am in the Central European Time Zone! Bon soir, mes amis!

Preparez.... maintenant!

The countdown is nearly over. What was once just an information meeting last fall semester is quickly escalating to a trip across the ocean in a matter of days. My french textbooks used to always include a section in every unit called Enquête culturelle which means "Cultural survey." It would talk about places such as Montmartre, Champs-Élysées, and Hôtel des Invalides; I would read and only dream of actually setting foot there. However, finalement, I do have this opportunity to bring these many readings alive and experience it first-hand!

Since I have been "out of the loop" in the French department for 2 years now, I decided to hit the bookshelves and go through my high school textbooks/ workbooks. I went through French I textbooks in a breeze and am currently working on French II.

Stuffed between the pages of my French II textbook was our prayer page. We had to recite both Notre Père and Je vous salue Marie at the start of the class period.  I will attach Notre Père to the end of this entry for your reading pleasure. 

My itinerary for the Paris portion of the trip is nearly complete; Since my content-focused paper is on family systems within the French royal  (during the heydey of the châteaux across France), I will probably be visiting many museums to uncover information regarding the similarities and differences to more modern-day families. Expect more the come!


Time to do some final packing preparations! À bientôt, France!

Notre Père

Notre Père qui es aux cieux,

que ton Nom soit sanctifié,

que ton règne vienne,

que ta volonté soit faite sur la terre comme au ciel.

Donne-nous aujourd'hui notre pain de ce joir.

Pardonne-nous nos offenses,

comme nous pardonnons aussi à ceux qui nous ont offensés.

Et ne nous soumets pas à la tentation,

mais délivre nous du mal.

Ainsi-soit-il