Paris

Hi everyone, sorry I haven't updated my blog. I have not had access to the internet for the past week. I have been staying at a boarding school outside of Paris and participating in a prep course. In this course, there are some French lessons, information about the culture, and trips into Paris. I got to visit the Eiffel Tour, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, and other famous sites. Here are some pictures!

The building I stayed in

The students in bright yellow for our walk along a busy street into town



A tower of an old church

 

 

 

 

It's really happening!

As I sit in my hotel room in Boston waiting for orientations tomorrow, everything feels so surreal. I can hardly believe that soon I will be in France! All of my family and I's work has paid off and our prayers have been answered. It seems like just last week when I decided to apply for a study abroad program. I am both nervous and excited for what the next year will bring. Thank you for your prayers and thank God for his travelling mercies.

My recent trips

Last weekend my cousin Jessica had a soccer tournament in Oregon. My grandma, my cousin Bayley, and I went along to watch the games. We had fun shopping, spending time at the hotel, and watching soccer. My cousin's team got second place in the tournament!



My cousin (in grey) playing soccer

This Thursday we went to a little tourist town called Leavenworth. We played put put golf, tennis, and phase ten. We also walked around town, saw The Hat Store, went horseback riding, and grilled some steaks.



The condo we stayed in at Leavenworth

 



Bayley posing for the camera

 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am back at my grandma's house. I am having a lot of fun this summer with my family, and am getting nervous about going to France on Monday. Tonight I will be finishing packing! Please pray that I will learn French quickly and have a great time this year.

Shaw Island

Hi everyone! For the past two weeks I have been on Shaw Island, one of Washington State's San Juan Islands. I stayed at Our Lady of the Rock Priory and helped out the nuns that live there. For the first week, there were several youth groups there. I stayed in tents with them. We worked on some big projects for the nuns, including bringing the hay in, building a green house, and making a bridge. Here are some pictures of what we did.

A sailboat I saw on the ferry ride to the island

One of the San Juan Islands

The ferry

Another ferry

The tent camp all the youth stayed in

The chicken house we replaced the roof of

The sign on the coop

More chicken coop

Hosea, the calf who likes to lick things, eat boots, and kick his soccer ball

Llamas and Alpacas

More llamas

The sign "The garden of my God" the kids made for the herb garden

A gate we made

Inside the herb garden

My work team (the girl in black is my friend Claire)

The hay we brought in from the fields and stacked

A cow I got to milk

The koi pond

the brick flooring and wooden arbor one of the groups made

A greenhouse I helped build

The front of the green house

The cement mixer and buckets we used

The construction site

Fence post caps Claire and I put on 

A bridge we made

A bench we built by a pond 

After the youth groups left, I moved out of the tent camp and into the house. There was a lot less work to do, and I mainly weeded the garden. Some other things I did were make mustard and pick lavender. I also had extra free time to explore the island. Three other people worked there as well; Alex, a young jazz pianist, Christina, a lawyer, and Mary, an older lady who is thinking about becoming a nun.

My room

St. Joseph's, the house I stayed in

The lavender we picked

The lavender drying in the sun

A bull

The beautiful forest

I had fun helping out on Shaw, and I highly recommend visiting the San Juan islands. I miss you all on the ship, but I am glad I came to the U.S this summer.