Paris, the First Day
Here I am, in my room in Sevran, France, finally writing this first post. It’s been a whirlwind since I left my work pastoring Vineyard Sawmill in late August, and I haven’t had a moment to think, let alone write down what I am thinking. I have two weeks before I start French lessons, and I am hoping I can spend this time decompressing, getting to know the suburb I’m in, and learning some French on my own. For those who don’t know, I am serving with a church called At Home for the next three months, and I’m staying with one of the women from the church in a nearby suburb. I am going to try to post updates here as I am able.
I have been here for 26 hours, and thanks to my host, Alice, I am way ahead of schedule. I was hoping to spend the first two days figuring out grocery stores and SIM cards, but it turns out I can walk to the grocery store (and the bakery!) as well as to a small shop that sells mobile phones. Alice showed me around last night, spent an hour helping me figure out the SIM card (when they say “oh it’s easy!” don’t believe them), and made sure I knew the ins and outs of the train station, which is also a 10 minute walk from the house. This is one of my top favorite things about Paris: everything that is necessary is nearly always within walking distance.
The canal in Sevran.
Today I took some time to explore Sevran, re-tracing what Alice showed me last night, and stopping at the street market which operates three mornings per week. The market is less Parisian and more North African because of the migrant population, and it was fun to muddle together my teeny, tiny vocabularies in both Arabic and French to buy some fruits and vegetables. On the walk home I stopped for my first croissant of the season, so this morning was full of joy.
The indoor portion of the street market. The spices were piled high - it smelled like heaven!
What I’m mostly grateful for is the joy and peace I feel, even with the jet lag. My first time in Paris was nearly eight years ago now, and was riddled with fear, doubts, and confusion. I was 22, fresh off a break-up, and had no idea what I was doing with my life. I’m not 22 anymore, and I’ve wrestled through some hard, confidence-building lessons since that time, and it is strange to walk into a similar situation and be able to viscerally feel the difference in my character. I am still running off of adrenaline, of course, and I expect a crash and fair bit of loneliness. But for now, I am going to drink in the excitement and the joy, because I know what it’s like to feel otherwise.
A few other things I’m grateful for:
That I chose to take the hit and stuff a travel yoga mat into my already-full suitcase. It’s been used twice already, and is something I missed my first round here in 2015.
My new Kindle! I had 10 books stacked up before realizing I was not going to be able to fit many books in my stuffed backpack, so I finally sprang for a paper white. I am OBSESSED. Currently reading The Winemaker’s Wife and N. T. Wright’s biography of Paul.
The house I’m living in. Alice bought it last year and has been renovating it since then, and it is lovely - full of natural light and big windows and attentive design.
Things I would like prayer for:
That while I wait for French lessons to start, I would actually get some rest. It’s been a crazy non-stop year so far, and I’m going to need stamina for all the learning.
That I would make a few good connections with people from church and others who are serving in different ways throughout Paris over the next few weeks.
That I would retain some French from the lessons I am giving myself while I wait for real lessons to start.
That’s all for now! Love to you all <3