I'm going to preface this post with saying that one of my new favorite things is saying "my new favorite thing". I know I've always been one to exaggerate and use superlatives. This is just supporting that fact, I believe.
I'm also a person of phases. I think this is true of most people; mine are typically shorter than most, I think. Maybe I'm wrong, though. For example, here are a few of my phases that I've gone through in my life:
Curling my hair. This phase has actually happened twice. Both times it lasted approximately 3 weeks; these phases were approximately 2 years apart. Both times I just got lazy and quit curling my hair.
Lighthouses. When I was about 13 or 14, I was obsessed with lighthouses for approximately 2 months. I thought they were the most beautiful things. I talked about them all the time. Then, I was so abruptly over them. The downfall to this: the ending to this phase happened about 3 days before Christmas. Most things I received for Christmas were lighthouse related. Young teen Jordan was disappointed that no one saw this change in interests coming. Even back then, I knew how easily my interests changed.
Edgar Allan Poe. This lasted about a month and a half one summer. I wanted to read everything he had ever written. I don't this phase at all (or most of them in fact), because he wrote some great stuff, and I enjoyed reading it. I still read him from time to time.
Taking Vitamins. I'm a little ashamed of this one. Only because I know I should take vitamins all the time. But I don't. About two years ago, I used to take a multi-vitamin every day. That lasted less than two months. Then I just forgot about it. Recently, however, I've been taking one every day because I've been living on coffee and yogurt (because that's all I have in my apartment), and I feel guilty about my poor diet. So I take a vitamin to make myself feel better.
But okay. Those are past phases. On to my current new favorite things! This will just be a list, because who knows how long these will last.
Saying "My New Favorite Thing"
Listening to French rap music.
Drinking tea
Painting my nails
Writing down new French words that I'm learning
And finally, I think it would be nice to share with you my loves that have spanned the test of time (well, I haven't gotten tired of them yet). I swear, I'm not super fickle. I hope.
- Jesus. [He's not one to get over, though. He'll always be around :) ]
- My love for sleeping.
- Dancing.
- Really nerdy love, part a: Dragonball Z.
- Really nerdy love, part b: Star Trek.
- Angst-filled music.
I'm sure there's others. But if I tell you everything about myself now, what will we talk about in the future?
Love.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Radio Silence and Attitude
[Normally this is the part of the blog where I apologize for having not written in a long time. But I do that every new blog, so I'm just going to say that 12 days is unacceptable; I know.]
What to write about? Hmmm. A lot has happened to me in the past two week, and of course, I've happened to a lot of things as well. However, the thing that's currently on my mind is that I received another care package! So exciting! This time it contained: peanut butter, post-its, Mere Christianity, 2 nail polishes, instant Starbucks(!), bobby pins, and lots of letters :) I feel so loved. Yay!
Hmmmm. A vision trip from Minnesota has been here this past week. What is a vision trip, you ask? It's a week-long trip to check out the ministry here. It's been great to have more UofMers here with us! They've been so encouraging!
What else? I ran into some Mormons today, and I'm just going to say that Minnesota-nice went out the window. I wasn't rude, but I was definitely blunt. Oops.
Oh! I gave a presentation on Wednesday. It was supposed to be for 10 minutes, all in French. I talked for about 14, then my professor and classmates proceeded to ask me questions. For 11 more minutes. It was great! What did I talk about to spark such great conversation? Christian rap. The 116 Clique actually. I know, great idea. And it was so fun to talk about them and share samples of music with me class. Way to go, God, for the inspiration!
I've been teaching my friend Lea really great American-attitude phrases like "Girl, please." "What did you say? (With hand on hip; this one's in French though)", and some others. I also taught her the model walk. So much fun. She's awesome, too. I feel so blessed to get to know her better recently :)
We had an outreach-type thing tonight. Basically, we got together, made sandwiches, and went out in small groups to distribute the sandwiches, bananas, and soup to homeless people. There was about 40 people who helped! French, American; believers and non-believers. It was so cool!
In general, life here has been really great. God is still doing great things here. And I trust He will continue to do so. I read a verse in Luke today that I thought I'd share:
"After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves." - Luke 10:1-3
I've read these verses a lot of time, but today they really hit me. I just thought I'd share that. Sorry if my thoughts are jumbled. I'm tired.
Love.
What to write about? Hmmm. A lot has happened to me in the past two week, and of course, I've happened to a lot of things as well. However, the thing that's currently on my mind is that I received another care package! So exciting! This time it contained: peanut butter, post-its, Mere Christianity, 2 nail polishes, instant Starbucks(!), bobby pins, and lots of letters :) I feel so loved. Yay!
Hmmmm. A vision trip from Minnesota has been here this past week. What is a vision trip, you ask? It's a week-long trip to check out the ministry here. It's been great to have more UofMers here with us! They've been so encouraging!
What else? I ran into some Mormons today, and I'm just going to say that Minnesota-nice went out the window. I wasn't rude, but I was definitely blunt. Oops.
Oh! I gave a presentation on Wednesday. It was supposed to be for 10 minutes, all in French. I talked for about 14, then my professor and classmates proceeded to ask me questions. For 11 more minutes. It was great! What did I talk about to spark such great conversation? Christian rap. The 116 Clique actually. I know, great idea. And it was so fun to talk about them and share samples of music with me class. Way to go, God, for the inspiration!
I've been teaching my friend Lea really great American-attitude phrases like "Girl, please." "What did you say? (With hand on hip; this one's in French though)", and some others. I also taught her the model walk. So much fun. She's awesome, too. I feel so blessed to get to know her better recently :)
We had an outreach-type thing tonight. Basically, we got together, made sandwiches, and went out in small groups to distribute the sandwiches, bananas, and soup to homeless people. There was about 40 people who helped! French, American; believers and non-believers. It was so cool!
In general, life here has been really great. God is still doing great things here. And I trust He will continue to do so. I read a verse in Luke today that I thought I'd share:
"After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves." - Luke 10:1-3
I've read these verses a lot of time, but today they really hit me. I just thought I'd share that. Sorry if my thoughts are jumbled. I'm tired.
Love.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
When You Roll out of Bed at 1PM, You End Up Writing a Blog at 1:30AM
Dang, I've had a week of break and still haven't kept up my blog in a timely manner. My apologies. However, since it is break, there's not a whole lot to report. Here is a brief synopsis of my week.
Monday
English club. Hmmm. I don't really remember what else I did that day.
Tuesday
Lunch at a little pasta place with Yann. Following a lovely penne carbonara with a coke, we watched "The King's Speech". In English. With French subtitles. Though I have nothing to compare it to, I think that's the best way to watch it :)
Wednesday
Read a lot. Wrote in my newest novel a lot. Went to the movies again. This time I saw "Sans Identite". Also known as "Unknown". However, this time the movie was in French. With no subtitles. I was with Adam and his friends, so they helped me out when I didn't understand. Which was often.
Thursday
Lots of reading. Lots of writing. Lots of cleaning. In the evening, Philippe came over, and we watched a movie on my laptop. In English, it's called "Hoodwinked". In French, the title is much longer: "La Véritable Histoire du Petit Chaperon Rouge" which, when translated exactly means something like "The Verifiable Story of Little Red Cape" or something like that. Anyway, we watch "LVHdPCR" (that acronym was ridiculous and I like it) in French. Without subtitles again. However, when the movie was over, Philippe and I Youtubed our favorite Disney songs. In English, French, and French Canadian. Apparently, I speak more like French Canadians than actual French people, which was a little discouraging to me. Oh well.
Friday
On Friday, I met up with my friend, Marélie, and we went to Le Bookshop, which is basically the quaintest little place I've ever been. It's a little café/bookstore. AND ALL THE BOOKS ARE IN ENGLISH. I love it there. So I got a hazelnut espresso, and she got tea. We sat there talking for a little over and hour, then we walked around the bookstore discussing books for another hour or so. Then we walked all around the city.
On Monday, at English club, Adam Roub (a STINTer) informed me that there's an "American" store near my place. It sells bagels, American soda, and all beef hotdogs. Most places have Sprite and Coke, but this new place has Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper. Can you say, "Little piece of heaven"? Because I just did. So on Friday, Marélie and I went on an adventure to find it. And because Adam had given me such great directions, it was easy. We didn't go inside (we weren't hungry or thirsty) until we noticed a man staring at us through the window. And that man was Philippe. He was there with Adam Roub! Small world, I know. Not really. We then went in and said hello.
Friday evening, I went to the movies with Yann again. This time, we saw "Largo Winch 2" (I think the name in English is "The Burma Conspiracy"?) in French. Without subtitles. And I've never seen Largo Winch 1. I understood most of it though. Mostly because the entire movie was action. We then went to a Kebab place; Yann got a sandwich, I got fries and a coke. All the tables were full, so we were going to go sit in the park. But it was late, so only shady people were in the park. Not ideal for eating. I had the bright idea that we could stand against a wall to which Yann replied, "Oui, on peut etre comme les gens de la rue!" which means "Yes, we can be like people of the street!" I knew it was a good idea :) So that's what we did. And we laughed a ton. And spoke Franglais.
Saturday
I did nothing. Absolutely nothing. I think my brain hated me for watching 3 movies in French 3 nights in a row. So I gave it the day off. I read some in Luke (so good!), and I finished reading "The Great Divorce" by C.S Lewis. On to another book!
Tomorrow is church and seeing the STINTers who have been gone all week! Then class Monday. And more adventures, I'm sure.
Love.
Monday
English club. Hmmm. I don't really remember what else I did that day.
Tuesday
Lunch at a little pasta place with Yann. Following a lovely penne carbonara with a coke, we watched "The King's Speech". In English. With French subtitles. Though I have nothing to compare it to, I think that's the best way to watch it :)
Wednesday
Read a lot. Wrote in my newest novel a lot. Went to the movies again. This time I saw "Sans Identite". Also known as "Unknown". However, this time the movie was in French. With no subtitles. I was with Adam and his friends, so they helped me out when I didn't understand. Which was often.
Thursday
Lots of reading. Lots of writing. Lots of cleaning. In the evening, Philippe came over, and we watched a movie on my laptop. In English, it's called "Hoodwinked". In French, the title is much longer: "La Véritable Histoire du Petit Chaperon Rouge" which, when translated exactly means something like "The Verifiable Story of Little Red Cape" or something like that. Anyway, we watch "LVHdPCR" (that acronym was ridiculous and I like it) in French. Without subtitles again. However, when the movie was over, Philippe and I Youtubed our favorite Disney songs. In English, French, and French Canadian. Apparently, I speak more like French Canadians than actual French people, which was a little discouraging to me. Oh well.
Friday
On Friday, I met up with my friend, Marélie, and we went to Le Bookshop, which is basically the quaintest little place I've ever been. It's a little café/bookstore. AND ALL THE BOOKS ARE IN ENGLISH. I love it there. So I got a hazelnut espresso, and she got tea. We sat there talking for a little over and hour, then we walked around the bookstore discussing books for another hour or so. Then we walked all around the city.
On Monday, at English club, Adam Roub (a STINTer) informed me that there's an "American" store near my place. It sells bagels, American soda, and all beef hotdogs. Most places have Sprite and Coke, but this new place has Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper. Can you say, "Little piece of heaven"? Because I just did. So on Friday, Marélie and I went on an adventure to find it. And because Adam had given me such great directions, it was easy. We didn't go inside (we weren't hungry or thirsty) until we noticed a man staring at us through the window. And that man was Philippe. He was there with Adam Roub! Small world, I know. Not really. We then went in and said hello.
Friday evening, I went to the movies with Yann again. This time, we saw "Largo Winch 2" (I think the name in English is "The Burma Conspiracy"?) in French. Without subtitles. And I've never seen Largo Winch 1. I understood most of it though. Mostly because the entire movie was action. We then went to a Kebab place; Yann got a sandwich, I got fries and a coke. All the tables were full, so we were going to go sit in the park. But it was late, so only shady people were in the park. Not ideal for eating. I had the bright idea that we could stand against a wall to which Yann replied, "Oui, on peut etre comme les gens de la rue!" which means "Yes, we can be like people of the street!" I knew it was a good idea :) So that's what we did. And we laughed a ton. And spoke Franglais.
Saturday
I did nothing. Absolutely nothing. I think my brain hated me for watching 3 movies in French 3 nights in a row. So I gave it the day off. I read some in Luke (so good!), and I finished reading "The Great Divorce" by C.S Lewis. On to another book!
Tomorrow is church and seeing the STINTers who have been gone all week! Then class Monday. And more adventures, I'm sure.
Love.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
I Wouldn't Give This All Up for You
It's officially break! Yay! I don't have class all week! I pray this week is restful but also that I take full advantage of it. I want to work on support raising for project a ton. I also want to spend a lot of time in prayer. That's something that's fallen to the wayside as I've gotten busier the past two weeks or so.
I started reading a new book yesterday - The Great Divorce by C.S Lewis. I think I'm becoming a C.S Lewis junky. Oops. There are worse things to be addicted to, right?
You may not know this, but I have a disorder. Some call it Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I call it that, too, but I just wanted to vary my sentence structure. Anyway, because of this disorder (disclaimer: I've never actually been diagnosed. I doubt that I actually have it, in reality) I make lists. That's one reason why I love post-its. I can make a list and stick it on my wall. Goodness, the day I discovered the "Stickies" application on my Mac was such a good day. Here is a list of things I tend to make lists of:
- Books I Want to Read
These lists tend to have time limits. For example, "The Christmas Break Reading List"; "Books of the Bible to Read Next"; or "Books I Have to Read Before I Can Buy More Books".
- To-Do Lists
These also have time limits: day, week, weekend, month. They can vary dramatically in length. Sometimes they're as long as my arm. Other times they're only two items long.
- Groceries
I never remember what I need while I'm actually at the store.
- Things I've never done that I want to do soon
Right now, I would like to share part of that particular list with you. Because this week is break, I plan on marking a lot of things off that list. While in France, I have a special "Things I Will Soon Do for the First Time" list.
These things tend to be small. But I love going on what I call "Non-Adventurous Adventures". Also known as "Doing Things I've Never Done Before". Two weeks ago, I went to a hockey match for the first time. Yesterday, I rode the red tram for the first time. Today, I had a conversation in French on the phone for the first time. Next week, I will eat sushi for the first time. Things I also plan on doing soon:
- Going to the zoo in Montpellier
- Riding the blue tram to the end of the line
- Getting my hair cut in France
- Going to a club
Exciting, I know. I'll keep you updated on my adventures. I promise :)
Love.
I started reading a new book yesterday - The Great Divorce by C.S Lewis. I think I'm becoming a C.S Lewis junky. Oops. There are worse things to be addicted to, right?
You may not know this, but I have a disorder. Some call it Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I call it that, too, but I just wanted to vary my sentence structure. Anyway, because of this disorder (disclaimer: I've never actually been diagnosed. I doubt that I actually have it, in reality) I make lists. That's one reason why I love post-its. I can make a list and stick it on my wall. Goodness, the day I discovered the "Stickies" application on my Mac was such a good day. Here is a list of things I tend to make lists of:
- Books I Want to Read
These lists tend to have time limits. For example, "The Christmas Break Reading List"; "Books of the Bible to Read Next"; or "Books I Have to Read Before I Can Buy More Books".
- To-Do Lists
These also have time limits: day, week, weekend, month. They can vary dramatically in length. Sometimes they're as long as my arm. Other times they're only two items long.
- Groceries
I never remember what I need while I'm actually at the store.
- Things I've never done that I want to do soon
Right now, I would like to share part of that particular list with you. Because this week is break, I plan on marking a lot of things off that list. While in France, I have a special "Things I Will Soon Do for the First Time" list.
These things tend to be small. But I love going on what I call "Non-Adventurous Adventures". Also known as "Doing Things I've Never Done Before". Two weeks ago, I went to a hockey match for the first time. Yesterday, I rode the red tram for the first time. Today, I had a conversation in French on the phone for the first time. Next week, I will eat sushi for the first time. Things I also plan on doing soon:
- Going to the zoo in Montpellier
- Riding the blue tram to the end of the line
- Getting my hair cut in France
- Going to a club
Exciting, I know. I'll keep you updated on my adventures. I promise :)
Love.
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