Oh the pain...I mean fun...

Well, it finally happened. I waited 30 years and it finally happened. I went snow skiing for the first time. The good news is that I am alive and that I can say I have skied in the French Alps. The bad news is that I tried to learn to ski in the French Alps. After 3 times down the beginner slope (which I was sharing with kids Hannah's age and younger), one of my buddies convinced me I was ready for the regular slope. Well, the picture above (although not actually of me) tells the story of how that went. Apart from "manger beaucoup de neige" (eating lots of snow) and being really sore the next day, it was lots of fun. Once again I came away amazed at God's creation. Words can't describe the beauty I saw, that is, when my face was not planted in the snow.

Taco Salad with a French Touch

When we first arrived here in France and were looking through our cabinets here in our apartment, we came across an interesting kitchen contraption. Later, we found out that it’s a table-top raclette grill and a friend showed us how to use it. Raclette is a type of cheese that melts very nicely and doesn’t have a very strong taste (my kind of cheese) and all the grill us used for is to put slices of raclette into the trays and melt the cheese so that you can pour it over the other things prepared to eat. Usually, a meal like this consists of small baked potatoes, deli meats (several raw types), tomatoes, and, of course, bread. It’s kind of like eating with a fondue pot. It makes the meal sort-of an event. It’s a lot of fun.

So, last night we used the raclette grill with one of Hannah and Malachi’s favorite meals- taco salad. Taco salad is always a bit hit and there’s never much left at the end of the meal. Yesterday, we decided to try something new and use the grill. It’s hard to find cheddar here (and very expensive, too), so we usually substitute a cheese called mimmolette for anything requiring cheddar. However, it doesn’t really give that nice melty-cheese effect. Raclette did the trick. Voila! Taco Salad with a French touch.

Side note on cheese. As far as I know, there is no other country in the world that can boast as France can that they have more types of cheese than there are days of the year, maybe as many as 500.

Sweet Potatoes for Thanksgiving

When I think of fall, the vegetables that come to mind are all shades of orange- pumpkin, squash, and sweet potatoes. I have come to believe that even in the States, we eat more sweet potatoes in the South than anywhere else in the country. Just an assumption. There is only one store in Albertville where you can buy that wonderful vegetable. So, if we’re to have sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving (which we’re celebrating with the other students on Wednesday because we have class on Thursday), it requires a bus trip to ED’s, a store across town. So, Friday during our lunch break, I caught the bus (in the rain) and made a quick 45 minute trip to load up on sweet potatoes so that I can make a huge casserole. It’s a bit of a whirlwind trip to do some shopping in my 2 hour lunch break (without a car), but well worth the effort.

Now, what about turkey? Well, the French only eat turkey one time a year- at Christmas, and they don’t cook the whole bird like we do for Thanksgiving. So, one of my classmates has been working on ordering all the turkeys (special order) for the big meal. Unfortunately, there’s been a mix up on the exact cost of the bird and she found out on Friday that we were looking at more than 700 Euros (more than $900 US) for 8 turkeys. Wow! I would be sad to not have turkey for the Thanksgiving meal, but not that sad. I think she’s worked it out to buy fewer turkeys and add some other types of meat. Regardless, it’ll be fun to share a common meal with our classmates and the staff here on Wednesday.

The Little Things

Some of you may remember the blog entry I wrote a while back about my trip to the local sports store and the excitement that came when the store alarm went off when I was trying to leave. Well, for the past 2, almost 3 months, that story has repeated itself over and over again. Almost every time I have gone into a store with an alarm it has gone off. It has gone off in the toy store, the grocery store, and the sports store.

I tried wearing and not wearing all kinds of different things to try and find out what it is that trips the alarm. I was beginning to think that my parents put a plate in my head when I was a kid and not told me about it. (If that were the case, it might explain a lot more than just alarms going off in random stores)

Just the other day our family was planning on going to one of the local grocery stores. It happens to be the store where the alarm has gone off every time I have been in it. In preparation for our visit to this particular store I was running down the list of possible combination of pants, shirt, jacket, belt, and shoes that I could go with to see if I could find a winning combination (I’m not talking about style…one that would not set the alarm off). After selecting what I hoped was just the right combination I started gathering the other little things I need for our trip. One of those little things was my wallet. I looked through my wallet before, thinking maybe there was a chip in one of cards I had in there. My searches before turned up nothing, but I was desperate and thought I would look again. This time I decided to search every little pocket my wallet that I could find.

At this point you have probably already guessed what happened. In one of the small back pockets of my wallet was a sticker. It was not just any sticker. It was a security sticker. Before we left for France I bought a new wallet because most money in the world is wider than the American Dollar. With a mix of feeling stupid for not checking before and excitement that I had finally found the cause of the problem I peeled the sticker out of my wallet.

I will admit, my heart was pounding when we got to the store. I let Amanda and the kids go through security alarms first. With my heart beating and Amanda looking back in hopeful expectation I walked through, and the strangest thing happened…nothing. Nothing! It was great. The alarm did not go off when I went in or when I left. It may seem crazy, but I told Amanda on our way home that it was a huge blessing to have that mystery solved. I can now go to the store without fear of alarms going off and awkward conversations.

I kept that little security sticker I found in my wallet. It is on my bedside table so I see it every day. It is there to remind me of something. Sometimes the little blessings turn out to be the biggest. I would have taken finding that sticker over getting a new music CD or a new movie. I would have taken finding it over a day off from French class (now that should tell you something). It was a small, but huge blessing to me, and that is the way it works sometimes in life. We think a great blessing equal a big blessing. We think waking up and finding a brand new car in our drive way is a great blessing, or something like that. However, God in His great wisdom, being a perfect Father, gives us better gifts that we think to ask for. He knew just how to encourage me that day in a way I would never have though of.

Over the Break

Wow! We jumped back into class two days ago and went straight into all French. That means class is only in French and we're only allowed to use French during the breaks during school hours. It's a stretch, but already we can see the benefit.

Over our 12 day break we mostly hung around our grand little city- Albertville. The first several days it rained very heavily, so we found ourselves infected with cabin fever after about 3 days. The next week was filled with finding creative ways to spend time with other families here- potluck dinner, games in the evening, meals together, and even a little Halloween party (they don't trick-or-treat here in France as in the US), complete with bobbing for apples.


BUT, the main even was potty training. Isn't that what you would want to do with your vacation? Well, it is nice to be using a few less diapers, so it's time well-spent.



We did manage to take one trip out of Albertville via the train system here. It was quite an adventure. We planned to visit Annecy, known as the Venice of France, for the day, but when we took the wrong train in Chambery (toward Lyon, the opposite direction), the day changed a little. Rather than spending the entire day in Annecy, we spent 2 hours in a little town called Pont de Beauvoisin while we waited for the bus that would take us back to Chambery and then to Annecy. We made it to Annecy in time to spend 1 1/2 hours there before our train ride home. As crazy as it was, it really was a nice day. This part of France is just beautiful, so riding the train through the mountains and countryside is really nice. Malachi thought riding all those trains was the plan the whole time...he was quite content.

Snapshots of Life

Last week we took a field trip with the school to experience a bit of French culture and history. We visited a glass blower, who explained the process of making glass- all in French, of course. After that, we visited a museum/park dedicated to the history of mining in the Savoie region in France (the region that we live in). It was a bit of a rainy day, so that spoiled the outside tour a bit, but it was nice to have a break from a regular school day and see a new place.

Did you know that our apartment came with an indoor gym? You can see here that our hallway doubles as a workout room. Working out is still a priority to Eric and, as you can see, it's rubbing off on Malachi too. He's getting in his daily push-ups while Daddy works on his pull-ups.

The day we receive a package is always a special day. Here you can see the kids enjoying the discovery of the contents of a package from our family in Georgia.

Riding the bus, our secondary mode of transportation (the 1st being walking, of course), is always a hit with this little man. Can you blame him? No seatbelts, people getting on and off all the time, and a great view of the city. Here, he's avoiding a picture and drinking some applesauce. Yes, I said drinking applesauce. Applesauce comes in these neat little foil packages with a spout for the kids to suck the applesauce out of. It's both convenient and yummy at the same time!

A Parenting Moment

When I was in college, I had a professor who said that if you can simplify a concept enough to explain it to a kindergartner, then you really have a good grasp of the essence of that concept. For example, how do you explain grace or righteousness to a child? You must really know the essential components to that particular concept and be able to explain it in language plain enough for a 5 year old to understand.

Well, yesterday I had an opportunity like that. Recently, there has been a bit of talk around here regarding the upcoming presidential elections. We've all been working to register to vote absentee and there's been talk of candidates, voting, etc. Yesterday, on our way to the postoffice (which we found closed, of course, because everyone knows that the post office closes for some reason on Tuesdays at noon- except me, of course) Hannah asked me, "Mommy, what is voting?" So, as I tried to explain voting, I had to also define candidates, democracy, what a president is, etc. After we got through all that, the question came, "Mommy, how do you know who to pick?"

Well, for me there's a very simple answer to that question. Abortion. It's the very first thing I ask of anyone who wants my vote. It was one of those moments when, as a parent, you ask yourself, "Do I really want to answer this question honestly, or should I give an easy answer?" No doubt, there are certainly times when you must do the latter. Sometimes Hannah's not ready to know the answer to the questions she asks, but yesterday, I think she was.

So, asked her, "Hannah, have you ever heard the word abortion?" As the words came out of my mouth, I was shocked by the immediate sadness that overtook me. Maybe it's because I carried her inside of me and helped give her life, maybe it's because I knew that what I was about to tell her would be very difficult for her to understand or would change the way she looks at the world. For whatever reason the sadness was overwhelming to me. How do you explain to a child the depravity of such an act? As simply as I could, with as much composure as possible, and in as G-rated language as possible, I explained to my 5 year old daughter the horror of abortion. She asked me why people do such a thing, how they do it, what happens to the babies and more. It was a very difficult conversation, but one that I want her to have with me and not with someone else later on down the road.

The questions that fell from her mouth are the same ones that many of us adults ask as well. "Mommy, that's so mean. Why can't they give the baby to someone else?" To her, it just didn't make any sense, and really, it doesn't, unless you understand and believe in the innate sinfulness of man.

Moments like this hit parents out-of-the blue, usually when you feel least prepared. No one tells you that kids ask the most difficult and simple questions with such an abundance of ignorance as to the depth of the depravity of man. No one tells you that you must be prepared for these kinds of moments...you just have to be on your toes all the time.

Thank you Lord for your grace to us in showing us the Truth and please help our little ones to see the very same thing. Lord, please protect the lives of the unborn.

...And Then it was Winter

We woke up this morning to one of the most beautiful and cold things. The picture above should make it clear. Two things came to mind when I saw the scene above. The first was, "The heavens declare the glory of God." If these mountains were made for me they are way to big and beautiful, but if they are for God they could not be big enough.

The second thought was, "What happened to fall?" Right now there snow is only on the mountain tops, but we have two little kids who are hoping it gets much closer. When Malachi saw the snow he asked if he could go up there.

An Interview with Hannah

We thought it might be interesting to give you a glimpse into Hannah's perspective on this new phase in her life. First, we'll let her answer a few questions for you and then we have a couple of 'Hannah moments' we'd like to share.

What are your favorite things about living in France?

I like that I have nice friends who live in the apartment building with me and I like my class at school. I think it's neat to sleep in a bunk bed with Malachi.

What is school like?

Something that I really like about my school is that we have a library (in the class). We have neat toys at school like toy tools and stuff to play house- a baby room, a kitchen room. My teacher is nice because she tries to keep me comfortable and help me know what's happening in class.

What new foods do you eat here?

I like the chocolate cookies that we get at la boulangerie (bakery). Sometimes we walk there and get treats. Mommy and Daddy try new breads when we go. I like it when we eat taco salad at home with beans in it. There are a lot of new yogurts here, like the ones my friend Hayden (another kid whose parents are students here at CEF) brought to class.

What does it look like outside in Albertville?

Right now there's snow on the mountaintops and trees on the mountain. I like when it's sunny here and I get to go outside and ride my bike. The roads are different because they have bike lanes and places for people to walk.

Now, a couple of glimpses into Hannah's life:

Last week when she was making a card for a friend's birthday, Eric thought it would be fun to spell happy birthday for her using the French alphabet (same as English, but with different names/sounds). To our surprise, as Eric spelled the words, she wrote them down correctly. It was shocking, to say the least.

A couple of nights ago, Hannah woke up early in the morning after having a nightmare. I asked her what happened in the dream and she said something about Dora coming out of the television with something scary. So, I suggested she think on something good, like Dora going on an adventure somewhere exciting, like Six Flags. Hannah replied, "No, Mama. I think I'll think about Dora going to the Eiffel Tower." What in the world.

What is Class Like?

For those of you who are curious how we spend our school days, here's a quick synopsis:

For Eric:

Eric has spent the past several weeks learning the basics of the French language... structure, the sounds of the language/pronunciation, common/useful verbs and how to use them, basic vocabulary, numbers, days of the week/month, which words are masculine and which are feminine- just to name a few things. Anne-Marie will teach in English until after the school break at the end of October (1 1/2 week break) and then she will switch over to teaching in French. It's crazy to think of learning a language you don't know in a language you don't know. But, it works, however painful it is.

For Amanda:

Since I've had a few years of French (2 years in high school, 3 semesters in college) and understand some basics of structure, vocabulary, etc., I started out in the intermediate class, where my teacher spoke French from day one. Many days it gives me a headache, but I can certainly see how helpful it is. We usually cover the same things that Eric's class covers, but more in depth and we're required to converse in French. Some days we have discussions on various topics, debate, or make up skits using the concepts we're studying. We do all this, but at a very basic level...I'm sure we sound like 5 year olds. My classmates are all good sports, so that makes class not quite as painful as it could be (we laugh a lot- at each other and at ourselves).

Other Stuff

There are a few other things that we do collectively as a school. Monday, Thursday, and Friday we have chapel. Sometimes the teachers share and sometimes students in the advanced classes share (next year we'll be required to do that!). Fridays we have a music-only worship service where we sing French hymns and praise & worship songs (some are familiar & translated into French, others are new to us).

Also, we have chorus on Tuesday afternoons. This is quite a difficult task, especially for those who have no idea how to read music. Supposedly, it will help with pronunciation. Also, we're told it's good to learn French hymns because they're used throughout the francophone world (French-speaking countries).

Outside of that, I (Amanda) have a language helper I meet with on Wednesday afternoons. Her name is Helen and she was the cook here at the school for 20 years and is now retired. It's a bit of a nerve-wracking experience to try to use what I know, but she is a very gracious lady and, like many others here at the school, she sees it as a ministry and as part of building God's kingdom.

Hope that paints a picture for you of life here. We welcome questions!

Take a Hike

I am 30. There is no question about it. Now I know 30 is not old, but that is not my point. My point is 30 is not 21 or 25. 30 is just 30. This past Sunday I, and all 30 of my years, went with a group from the language school for a hike in the French Alps. I spent an hour and a half trying to keep up with a 15 year old guy and an 11 year old girl, who were both shooting up the mountain like it was a mole hill. Despite the pain I felt in my legs (and the shot to my pride), the hike was amazing. The view from the top was something only a Master Designer could have created.

A Medieval Date

For our first date night in France I went all out. Like a good night is shining armor, I swept my lovely bride off of her feet, took her back for a tour of my castle and then treated her to some fine French cuisine. Okay, so that is not exactly how our first date night went in France. Here’s the real story…

I didn’t really sweep Amanda off her feet because we had to walk everywhere we went (we missed the bus). I did take her to tour Conflans, a medieval town in Albertville, but you could not get inside the castle. However, the view from outside was fabulous. Dinner was French cuisine, but not overly-fancy. We went to a creperie in downtown Albertville and enjoyed good conversation and some good laughs as we tried to order in French.

Hannah and the biker gang

Well, I thought France was a good place to learn French, but apparently it is also a good place to learn how to ride a bike. Three kids Hannah’s age have all broken free from the bondage of training wheels and are now flying around the school parking lot on nothing but two wheels. Why am I telling you this? Because Hannah is one of them. That’s right! Our darling little girl has taken to the road. She is getting quite good at riding around the parking lot here at the school. Before long, the trip to school will be much more exciting, but we’re working our way up to that.

Malachi is not quite ready for the bike thing yet, but he has taken to running all over the place when he is outside. He tries to get the attention of anyone who will listen and says, “Watch me run fast!” He then takes off around the parking lot. We thought a jump to France might mean a jump out of diapers for Malachi, but even with a fine 3 euro French potty, he is not interested. Other than that, he is picking up a little French (it’s cute to hear him say “bonjour” and “au revoir”). They have certain phrases they purposely use as often as they can in the nursery to help the kids learn and adjust (he is only spoken to in French!). All in all he is doing well and just as cute as ever.

Tower of Babel Experience

So what was it like? What was that moment like at The Tower of Babel when all of a sudden people spoke completely different languages? Until this past week I have not given that moment in history much thought. But now that I have found myself in several different situations were being able to speak the language people around me speak would be really helpful, it has given me a better feel for just how overwhelming that moment must have been.

Earlier today I went to a local sports store to get an attachment for my bike. After riding through the rain and spending a good bight of time trying to make sure I was getting the right part, I entered the checkout line. When I got up to the front the dialogue went something like this:

Cashier: Bonjour. Ca va?
Me: Ca va?

Cashier starts ringing up my stuff. I after putting all of my stuff onto the counter. I walk to the end of the counter where you pay. To get there you have to walk through security censers- security censers that started going off as soon as I walked through them. The lady looked at me with suspicion and I really can't blame her. After all, I was wearing a big raincoat with lots of pockets and I also had my backpack on. I opened my backpack to show her there was nothing inside and then set it on the counter. I walked through the detectors again, and again they go off. I emptied my pocket, took off my jacket, and even my hat. Each time I took something off I walked through the detectors and each time they went off. All during this time there was a dialogue of some sort going on that went something like this:

Cashier: Monsieur .... blah blah blah blah blah blah... Monsieur blah blah blah...
What I said (from the cashier's perspective): Pardon, Madame... blah blah blah blah blah...

This was one of those time speaking the same language would have been really helpful. Eventually she gave up. I payed and left the store.

Now, if simply buying a part of a bike can be so confusing when you don't speak the same language, I can only imagine how impossible it would be to work on a building project without a common language.

Well, all of that to say we finished our first week of classes, and we can say two things for sure. One, we are blessed. This school has been teaching people French for longer than we have been alive. They see their work as a service to the Lord by helping make sure missionaries that head to the francaphone parts of the world can communitcate the message of the gospel effectively.

This is not just the mindset of the administration, but also of the teachers and that shows in the classroom. Second, language learing is going to take more strength than we have to give, but not more not more grace than God will supply. This process, as everyone has told us, and as we are now witnessing first hand, is going to be very trying. However, no matter how trying it may be God is able and worthy.

First Day of School

At 8:20 this morning we set our for a walk to St. Sigismond, the primary school in our area where Hannah will begin school in "la grande section," the class for 5 year old students.

The school is colorful, clean, and looks like a lot of fun. Although Hannah will have some days ahead of her that will be a stretch for a little girl who has always done so well in communication, I don't doubt that she'll adjust and eventually thrive. Her teacher does speak some English and there will also be another student in her class who speaks English (her parents are students at CEF with us), so that is a comfort to us during this transition stage.

A couple of nice things about school here are that she will only go on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and that she will come home from 11:30 to 1:30 on school days. So, hopefully that will aid in a smoother transition into being immersed in French.