One step at a time...

In the wise words of Jordan Sparks:


We live and we learn to take one step at a time, 
There's no need to rush.
It's like learning to fly, 
Or falling in love.
It's gonna happen when
It's supposed to happen
And we find the reasons why
One step at a time.  


Day 3 of being in this completely foreign country and I have to say that each day is getting better.  Yesterday I met with Claire, the English teacher at the high school I am teaching at.  We had lunch at a creperie and then walked all over the city.  She showed me the University of Caen and the Chateau in the middle of the city. It was so nice to have a friend to talk to and spend time with because I have had a lot of 'me' time over the last two days.  Last night I went to the Monoprix (basically a super Wal-Mart but smaller and French) and bought some bread, cheese, ham, and fruit for dinner.  I watched TV in French and skyped with mom and dad for the first time since I have been here. 


Today, I had a plan.  I made a list and was going to do everything on my list.  Well, sometimes life doesn't work out according to a list but it turns out better than what you were planning.  This morning I talked to Sue, my site director in Angers, for about a half hour.  It was so good to talk to her and get her opinion on some of the things I need to get accomplished before school starts. She gave me some really good advice and it was just so nice to talk to a friend.  After that, I set off to find a church.  Well let me rephrase that, I could probably walk 500 feet in any direction and find a Catholic church in this country.  But finding one that was open for mass and at the time I was about town, that's what I really needed.  I headed over to the Office de Tourism to get some information on mass and see if they had information on housing.  There was a very nice woman working who photocopied a sheet of the churches in the area and all of the mass times.  Unfortunately, they did not have information on housing.  As I was walking out of the Office, I looked across the street and people were hurriedly shuffling into a grand, Gothic style church across the street.  Looking down at my phone seeing that it was 10:59, I knew I had found 11 o'clock mass and those Catholics were all trying to get to church on time.  Perfect.


I went in, found a seat, and immediately tried to hold back tears.  It is amazing to me that I can be anywhere in the world, walk into a Catholic church, and feel like I'm home.  Of course, it took all of my concentration to understand bits and pieces of what was being said, but I was able to follow along enough.  I was more comfortable in that hour than in the entire time I have been here so far. It was definitely what I needed. 

Eglise Saint Pierre (view from the Chateau)

After mass was over, I headed over to the Chateau that is right across the street.  How cool is that, they have a castle right in the middle of their town! This weekend was some sort of festival which meant that all of the museums were free to go in and walk about. What I enjoyed the most was walking along the outer walls of the fort/castle and looking out onto the city.  Here are some of the beautiful views of the city. 

  

The castle is one of the largest in all of Europe.  It was the home of William the Conquerer and now housing two museums inside.  During World War II, the castle was the target of many bombings and artillery fire and was severely damaged.  Today, they have restored many of the castle walls and even grow some herbs and plants from the middle ages in a garden inside.  I went into both museums today and had a good time just walking around and finding out more about the castle. 

I also took on the task of walking up to the University again today which in hindsight was probably not the smartest choice being I was there yesterday, I have to go back tomorrow, and nothing is open on Sundays.  There weren't many people around but it was a beautiful day outside.  This is the front of the University. 

After walking back through the chateau, I grabbed some lunch and went back to my hotel for a nap (I'm still getting used to the time difference).  Tomorrow is a big day so I think I will go to bed early tonight.  In the morning, I am getting up and going to the University to see if they have student accommodations available for me and hopefully by tomorrow, seeing as I do not have my hotel room for tomorrow night.  In the case that I can't get a room I have many back up plans but getting a room near or on the University would be my best option at this point.  I appreciate any prayers or crossed fingers that I find housing tomorrow!

That's all for now. Hopefully next time I write, it's from where I will be staying these next 7 months!

A Bientot! Bises!