My Year Abroad in 100 Photos

So here I am, back in Blighty for the foreseeable future. Instead of doing the clichéd lengthy report on the immensity of this past year and all it has meant for me, I decided to portray my experiences via the medium of photographs. Here are 100 pictures that represent specific points along my journey, people who have made an impact on me and memories I will never forget.

Here Comes the Sun! leaving party and flag to sign

That Darned Language Barrier...

So, it turns out I still have many things to learn when it comes to the foreign languages. This week's lessons:

No. 1 - Speaking English sometimes doesn't help. In French, 'footing'  = jogging. Yes, the quite standard English concept of jogging has been dragged through the language barrier and somehow came out as the French noun 'footing'. This is almost up to the standard of the Germans and their 'Wellness Weekend' (Spa Trip), or 'Talkmaster' (TV show host). The creativity of non-native English speakers never ceases to amaze.

Cocktails in Chaponnay - without onions, this time (see 5).

No. 2 - Sounding like a native is difficult. I still can't get my mouth round the difference in pronunciation between 'rue' (road), and 'roue' (wheel). There's not much in it. You give it a try!

Little Highlights

I was about to start this post by saying that nothing much had happened this week, then I looked back over my diary for the past seven days and discovered that there had been some things going on, after all. Life still continues on much the same vein - (very) quiet weekdays, more to do at the weekends - but these little highlights definitely made things a little bit sunnier.

Firstly (in order of importance, anyway), my sister got accepted into Uni! And to her first choice, nonetheless - Manchester, the London of the North (or so they say). This made me very happy, and I'm very much looking forward to visiting her next year. Congrats, Amy! You deserved it.

Secondly, I managed to go and visit my flatmate from last summer, when I was working at Cap Esterel. As far as unexpected international meet-ups go, this one was quite random - not least for her, seeing me suddenly pop up in her home town and demand a tour! It was good, though. It also gave me a great chance to see some different parts of the city, having more or less only been witness to the train station (five times!!) and the airport, on my way to other locations further afield. Vieux Lyon is beautiful.

On that note, so is Fourvière - the location of this rather stunning photo (if I do say so myself). We went there on Friday, as Isabelle - the mother of the family - had a day off, and decided to aid me in my quest to see more than just the transport hubs of Lyon. We walked up a massive hill to the old church, through the 'Parc des Hauteurs' (Park of the Heights, how apt), and then drove down to the Roman Amphitheatre to test out the acoustics - not as good as they were when it was constructed, I fear.

So, yes. A rather pleasant little collection of sunbeams, I feel. Add to that the fact that I just booked flights to go to a wedding in Madrid in September (woopee!), and things are looking fairly radiant. Fabuleux.

Moving Forwards (Playlist)

View from the front passenger seat on my way to work at Betel, Madrid

This playlist is a collection of songs that I have recently come across, have long loved or simply encapsulate a moment for me. For a link to this playlist on Spotify, see: Moving Forwards

Enjoy!

Tom Odell - Grow Old With Me
Ellie Goulding – JOY

Noah And The Whale – There Will Come A Time

Steven Curtis Chapman – All Things New

Alan Pownall – Life Worth Living

Gary Go – Wonderful - Radio Edit

Gaby Moreno – Ave Que Emigra

Oi Va Voi – Wonder

Noah And The Whale – Now Is Exactly The Time

Amaral – No Sabe Donde Va

Simon & Garfunkel – El Condor Pasa/ If I Could

Jack Penate – Everything Is New

Mumm-Ra – She's Got You High

Maroon 5 – She Will Be Loved

Lee Fields & The Expressions – Love Comes And Goes

Mia Diekow – Herz KT Tunstall – Someday Soon

Bombay Bicycle Club – Ivy & Gold

Electric Light Orchestra – Across The Border

Taylor Swift – Everything Has Changed (feat. Ed Sheeran)

Sting – Brand New Day

The Calling – Wherever You Will Go

Jamie Cullum – Gran Torino

Carla Morrison – Me Encanta

Bob Dylan – Things Have Changed

Mumford & Sons – I Will Wait

Steven Curtis Chapman – God Follower

C2C – Down the Road

Muse – Invincible

KT Tunstall – Suddenly I See

The Feeling – Set My World On Fire

Steven Curtis Chapman – Only Getting Started

Ellie Goulding – Anything Could Happen

U2 – Beautiful Day

The Beach Boys – Wouldn't It Be Nice

Muse – Starlight David

Bowie – Let's Dance

Touch Down to Earth

So, finally, a week without crazy international mishaps, cultural cross-border day-trips and random Italian suitors proposing marriage... And what happened? I got bored. Of course I did!

After several weeks of being in transit-mode, I've finally touched down, in this small French village to the south of Lyon, population: 3,000, twenty-somethings: 0 (figures approximated). My job: to spend the day keeping two au pair children adequately amused and spend a couple of hours trying to teach them English as well. Not rocket science. It's no wonder that spending 24/7 in one house and no visible way out started to take its toll by the 3rd day.

http://www.palmerstation.com/history/0515/signpost.html

However, after a chat with a good friend and discussions of the possibility to go and visit someone in Lyon, things started looking up. In fact, after I decided to have a more sunny disposition towards how things were (and adjusted my sleep pattern), things were indeed a lot better. We've managed to get in a daily walk to the boulangerie in town: a small task, but no mean feat, and a time out of the house that does us all good. We also took several trips out in the car this weekend, with me driving, which ended in a solo journey into Lyon and back on Sunday evening! I'm not going to lie, I was a little terrified of going by myself, with the prospect of getting lost and truly having no idea how to get home again. But I had a trusty little SatNav (although in French, bien sûr), and the family phone for use in case of emergencies, and, thankfully, it didn't come to that. I even managed to get in a bit of parallel parking (heck of a lot easier in a Peugeot 206 than a van, I can tell you!), and made it with plenty of time to make it to the church service I had been aiming for, despite a minor deviation en route (turns out SatNavs sometimes aren't as easy to follow as I thought).

So, on the whole, not a terribly exciting week, but one that I can appreciate all the same. With fourth year quickly approaching it's actually rather good to have a bit of preparation time - I've been getting out the Spanish Grammar books, oh the excitement! And with more and more people returning to British shores ('end of year abroad' statuses galore), things are starting to calm down a bit. Perhaps it is time to touch down to earth. Well, until the next trip...

Piecing Things Together

This has been a lovely week. I've been at the seaside, enjoying the benefits of a lovely au pair family with good food, good wine, relaxed moods and the occasional day trip to Spain to go and visit the Dalí Museum - amazing! I even managed to spend a couple of days with my good friend Laura, as she worked for the same family last summer, which was lovely - particularly as she's currently working at a vineyard, and happened to bring us a present (drinkable, of course).

This week has given me the chance to chill out and bit and start piecing things together from what I've learnt during this crazy year abroad: yes, it has been a whole year! I won't do the full report, as it's not over yet - far from it - but having now come almost full-circle, back in France again, things are starting to piece together and take shape for what's to come next year, and perhaps beyond. Ideas about jobs, lifestyle and location are abounding, none quite certain as of yet, but certainly there in bud, ready to blossom and/or fade away. I'm thinking about interpretation, journalism, doing a lot more travelling, and possibly ending up in France... We shall see.

I think perhaps one thing that's lent itself to this momental creative thinking is that through this year I've seen that even the wildest things are possible and the highest of heights touchable when your heart is willing and God gets behind it all. I'm feeling pretty excited, not least because I know that whatever happens, be it amazing or catastrophic, if I'm with God I am certain it will be the best thing.

A Bible verse I was reading the other day sums this up for me:

Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11
New Living Translation (2007)

On the Road Again

Soundtrack: Down the Road - C2C (again, I know, but it's terribly apt)

Here I am, back on my travels again - never stay in one place for long! Having spent ten days at home in good old England it was time to get on with the last chunk of my Year Abroad, a second summer in France to keep up the art of shoulder-shrugging, refresh my essential knowledge of cheese and wine, and to make sure I haven't forgotten how to pout...

In fact, these past few days I really have been on the road again - after arriving in Lyon to meet my au pair family on Thursday, I barely had time to settle in or even unpack my suitcase before I was told to get packing again as on Friday we were going on holiday to Narbonne, three hours away on the coast! Having made it here, I have to say I'm very glad we made the trip - firstly, we've come to see my friend who worked for the family last year, but also we're in a beautiful chalet, right on the seafront and the view is amazing. Just what the doctor ordered.

With regards to work, the kids (two, aged 10 and 13) are really cute and the parents are very nice and keen to learn English. It's a little bit odd being on a holiday with a family other than my own and I'm never quite sure how much I should help out (when you're living with your employers even going to bed can feel like skimping out sometimes), but they're incredibly chilled out and work is not too challenging at the moment. All in all, things are going pretty well. I foresee a fairly relaxed summer with various exciting interludes (I'm going InterRailing in two weeks!). It's been strange adjusting to life outside of Betel again - so much free time! - but God knows what He's doing.

In a way, it's just back on the wheel of change - new place, new faces, new lifestyle - but now that Fourth Year is getting so close I can feel things slowly gathering momentum. This should be a nice summer to gather my affairs and get myself slowly back into study mode. By the side of the swimming pool, of course...

With love,
Nat xxx

In Limbo-Land

Music - C2C - Down the Road.

So, here we are! I'm on the ferry with my family, soon to return the not-so-distant shores of my homeland, adding another few precious hours to my travel total of 21 hours in transit this past week. And I do feel a little like a cargo shipment at the minute. Not in a negative way -  this in-between time has really been a chance to clear my head and sort my thoughts out (and boy, did they need sorting!) - but I do feel a little displaced. I'm sure this is pretty normal for someone who has spent two months living the lifestyle of a crazy, French children's entertainer and then suddenly finds herself in the midst of her very British (and very lovely!) family. I'm even having difficulty getting random French phrases out of my head - worrying… Having expected a slight return to normal life at this point in the proceedings, and having not really got it, I have come to the realisation that I, in fact, no longer have a normal life! This fact is both exciting and rather worrying, but in any case is sure to continue, as I head off to Germany on Monday to start my latest adventure. Slight feelings of anticipation, but mostly just wanting to get there and begin all over again. And it will be completely different again, of that I am sure. Please pray that I manage to get everything organised in this (very!) short time that I have to sort myself out. Your support is invaluable to someone who is feeling a little rootless <3 xxx

Overwhelmingly Everything

So, yet another week has passed at the beautiful Côte d'Azur and I am left with just seven more days of my adventure here in France. At the moment, I can't decide if I want to stay or I want to leave - I love the madness here, but you can only live madness for so long without actually going insane! At the moment, I have so many thoughts going round in my head I have difficulty separating them - hence the non-specific title to this post. Let me explain:

My two perspectives regarding my time here are thus:
I love the excitement that comes from working with children - the imagination, the noise, the giddiness. I love the friends that I've made here, the social life, which is non-stop, and the fact that when I walk down the road here I can say hi to the waiters/receptionists/life guards/trapezists/cyclists etc., etc., and I know them as friends. I love the weather (except this ridiculous heatwave), and the fact that when we go out in the evening, we can casually just stroll down to the beach - just amazing. Also, I love the challenge that comes from pushing myself to be stronger, better, more imaginative every day... and finally, I love that all of this happens in French, and I happen to be part of it!

However, there are also things that I don't enjoy quite as much. When I get tired (which is often), I lack the motivation to challenge myself in the way that I want to. Also, that way it becomes harder to socialise - either I can't concentrate on the conversation, or I just can't understand what's being said! Another thing - I miss church. I miss being with a group of people that believe deeply in their hearts that Jesus is love and that God's way is the best way to live your life, no matter what the cost. The culture here is pretty secular - in terms of drink, sex, etc. - which is difficult for me - I struggle without someone to call me to account in what I believe, and sometimes I find myself accepting things that I don't necessarily like, or even agree with at all. And, lastly, I miss my friends and family. This summer has made me appreciate those close friends with whom there is a deep level of mutual understanding - I have had the luck to have made these kinds of friends in the UK (you know who you are), and I hope to make more in the future - but for the moment I have to be content with what I have, which is a large group of lovely people who I like spending time with, and who like spending time with me (I hope!).

So, to sum up, I have loved my time here, and I appreciate every minute that God has given me, but I think I am ready to leave. I will never forget my summer in La Belle France - and perhaps I'll come back next year! Who knows? I'll just have to wait and see!

Nearing the finish line.

Not sure exactly what to write this week - it's been a bit of a blur. In fact, even when I try to think of what I've done, I can't bring to mind straight away what's happened! OK, so there was:

1. My move to the Juniors - an interesting one, that. I can't say that I didn't miss the Kids (the team in particular), but the Juniors do know how to have fun! Water fights, ultimate frisbee, Jungle Speed (yes, I said it), doing surfing on a belly board along a wet tarpaulin covered in soap... I can't think of a day where I managed to stay dry! Also, the kids are hilarious! We had many a discussion centred around which team-member was going out with who (oh, the scandal!), who they found the most attractive, etc. etc. Brilliant.

2. My gradually creeping-on tiredness... I definitely made the most of this week in terms of socialising, etc. (finally managing to do so), but as a result this leaves me rather lacking in sleep and in the claws of an energy deficit. And, working with children, energy is something that is needed in abundance! I have realised (again) the necessity to take some time out now and then, pray, sleep, relax, just be - not very easy when you're surrounded by the buzz that goes on here. Also, for those who know me, I do not deal very well with fatigue (in fact, I become rather bizarre...). So, this week I have decided to chill out a bit, look after myself, listen to what God (and my body!) is saying to me and prepare for the next couple of weeks - where I will be heading off to Germany before I know it! This leads me on to the final point:

3. Trying to find myself (without wanting to sound pretentious). In the battle between acting like an outgoing adventurer who doesn't care if she makes a few slip-ups and the slightly more reticent character who wants every sentence to be well-formulated in her head before it comes out of her mouth, I find that the line between the two is getting less and less distinguished. This is great, as it obviously means that things are starting to come more naturally to me, but it also presents me with the strange question: which one is me? I have come to the conclusion that I am therefore both and neither. Both, because both of these characters come from me, and it is I who have 'created' them, as such. Neither, because my true character lies somewhere in-between the two - somewhere between mad extrovert and striving perfectionist - and it is up to me to find out where. So, without wanting to turn schizo, I simply have to accept these different versions of me (of which there will be even more once I move to Germany, I'm sure!), take what I've learnt from each, and wait to see what comes next. Perhaps this is what is meant by Isaiah 64:8: 'We are the clay, and you are the potter.' - there is definitely something about being moulded by God's hands that rings true for me in this situation.

So there you go: my week in rather more than 100 words. I hope you found it interesting -  just a quick call for prayer for the next couple of weeks, in preparation for moving back to the UK and then on to Germany in a very short space of time. Also, just that I can really benefit from/bless others during my last two weeks here - it's been quite a journey so far, and long may it continue!

A Quick Visit to Cannes =]

All Change!

So, after a week of walking the fine line between icy cold and over-friendly, I think I have managed to work it out: basically, you have to make it dead obvious if you like someone - if not, it's all fun and games! No worries there.

So, this week - everything is starting to change! The fact that I've been here already for a month (which makes me halfway through my placement here), added to the fact that my housemate went back home last weekend, and there are even more people leaving soon - it makes me realise that I really don't have long left here at all. What's more, I've been moved to a different club this week - instead of being with the Kids, I'm with the Juniors - bye bye littlies! It definitely doesn't do to get too comfortable here - before you know it, everything is different again. I suppose that's a lesson in life - never take things for granted. Things change!

On a different note, as my spoke French improves, people are starting to notice less and less that I'm a foreigner. Obviously, I still have an English accent, but either it's becoming less noticeable or people just care less! This gives me an interesting opportunity - I can either tell people that I'm British, or I can carry on without mentioning it, and stick with the French. However, I'm finding that, more often than not, I choose to tell people where I'm from - and I'm proud of it! Why not? We have the les J.O. (Olympics), London, the Queen, Adele (who they LOVE here!), Ed Sheeran, etc. etc. Vive l'Angleterre!

Culture Challenge

Disclaimer: Apologies for the long delay, it's been a busy couple of weeks! Here are two posts for the price of one, just to make up for it =D

I'll start my post this week with a quote from my dear friend Annie: God has sent you out and put you in an incredible place, and remember he never gives us more than we can bear. And indeed, this is true. I have spent my week trying to be as friendly as I can, and I seem to have managed it. There are still times when I have passed by an opportunity to chat, but all in all, I'm happy with the progress I've made. Thanks God! So, next challenge... 

The problem about being really friendly is that it is very easy to give the wrong impression. From what I have seen, the French are very tactile and rather flirty. The dilemma: if I stick to my roots and act like an English girl, I come across rather reserved and quite cold. However, if I go native and try to act like a frog (not literally, obvs), it's very difficult to discern where the line is between just being friendly and being a bit over-friendly, if you know what I mean. Which, all in all, tends to make things a little awkward! I have to admit, it's a bit like being 13 again, having to learn all the rules and social etiquette that comes with the teenage years. Oh la la. So, what to do?

The Night at the Museum.

Taking the Initiative

Wow, another week has already passed and I'm still not quite sure how - time goes so quickly here! I would say that things are settling down, which they are, but at the same time, each week God brings a new challenge to test my confidence/abilities/trust in Him. This week, it has been all about taking the initiative.

Now, to explain, you probably all know that I am a reasonably confident person, happy with myself and the person God has made me to be, but I am not the most outgoing, forward-thinking person in the world (for example, if someone says: 'Hey guys, I've got a great idea - let's do this!', it's not normally me). However, due to the circumstances, I am finding more and more that this is exactly what's required of me. If I want people to talk to me, and make friends, and do exciting things (all of which is obviously true), I have to talk to them, and make friends, and think of exciting things to do. All this might seem ridiculously obvious to those reading this post, but for me it's something I'm still working on! It is also doubly important in a culture where I am, essentially, an outsider - there are many similarities between French and British culture, but the differences are becoming more prominent as I am starting to work out where people are coming from and what attitudes they have towards life in general. My current target is to be continuously pushing the boat out, talking to people even when I feel fed-up/tired/shy/embarrassed of my very English accent (delete as appropriate). And when I do, good things happen! French people are actually quite nice, after all...

So for all of you who are giving me prayer support (for which I am incredibly grateful), I would just ask you to pray for strength, courage and confidence in Christ - that way, I can walk out with my head held high and take the initiative whenever I'm called to do so. Or at least, that's the plan!

Until next time!
Much love xxxx

p.s. I am well aware that there are many details that I have failed to mention in this week's post - for those who are interested, there are photos on Facebook, and I'll try to include more next week (but I make no promises!).

A Snapshot.

Note: It's usually more sunny than this!

Taking on the Challenge

Ok, so it's day eleven and here I am, trying to think of a way to sum up the last seven days in one short paragraph. It's quite hard! I finished my last post with work, so I'll start there and see where I end up. Work here is great fun - every day there's something new, many excited children and a lot of dressing up (pirates, anyone?)! The great thing about children is that they don't care that you aren't French - they just go ahead and speak anyway. I've had many a child come up to me, jabbering excitedly about something or other, and as long as I nod and look interested, they seem to be happy. The difficulty comes when I have to give instructions - the accent is hard enough when you're speaking to one person, but a group of 30? Quite a challenge! But a challenge I can take. I am really enjoying this new stretching of my capabilities, and it's definitely never boring. I even had to translate from French to German for most of the days this week for a little German girl called Lily! In short, the work this week has been incredibly tiring but incredibly rewarding.

On to of that, there's the nightlife. I think I'm going to have to continue, as there's still a lot to be said - I hope you don't mind that this post is a bit longer than the previous two. As nearly everyone lives here at the holiday village, there is a lot of opportunity to meet people and make friends with the other 'animateurs' (and others). In addition, we are right near the beach, so there is a pretty good opportunity to go down to 'la plage', or even 'la crique' (WordReference tells me that this is a cove) to do a bit of socialising! The language is rather more difficult when it is dark/noisy/full of people, so I am quite often a silent bystander, but I'm getting there on the talking front - at least they tell me my accent is 'mignon' (cute) - a little patronising but positive all the same. I have also made friends with a Spanish girl called Lara, so quite often I end up spending the night talking in two or three different languages!

OK, I think that's enough for now. I'll tell you all about the people here, and the events that are put on, and perhaps that fact that I've signed up to be in a show (!) next week. That is, unless something else momentous happens that I don't know about yet. Oh, and we are going to have another resident in our little flat this afternoon (Marion), so I shall have to tell you all about her. Until then - farewell - au revoir!

And so, the journey begins.

Only a few days in, but it seems a long time ago now that I was sitting in my bedroom writing my first post. It's not just the distance that separates me from that place now. The over-packed suitcase is gone, now my surroundings are quite different - I am in a white, reasonably big, slightly dirty kitchen with a large bay window at the front, looking out onto a paved courtyard, from which I can see the rolling hills of the Côte d'Azur, and hear the cicadas as they sing (very loudly!). An idyllic setting, really. And I can't complain - I feel that God has truly blessed me in these first few days of my stay here in France, and I hope that He continues to do so! There have ben a few teething problems (like the fact that I arrived, exhausted and rather sweaty, to be greeted with a very confused employer who wanted to know why I was here several days too early for my shift!), but these are massively outweighed by the gifts that God has given me - a friendly, helpful flatmate called Marie (who seems to know everyone!), a reasonably active social life, and of course, a few days to settle in and explore. It's still a challenge to understand everything that people are saying, and I am yet to build up the confidence to really step out and lead a conversation, but hopefully this will come with time. I look forward to the challenges that the next few days will bring me, as I start work on Monday, and pray for confidence in tackling them head-on. This was not a bad beginning!

Leaving...

I am sitting here on my bed, in the midst of chaos - a very full-looking suitcase by my side; a gradually dwindling 'to do' list and a certain nervous feeling that I just can't seem to shake. The reason? I'm moving to France tomorrow! This moment has been a long time coming, in fact many years, as I am a student about to embark on the year abroad that I have been looking forward to since before I came to Uni. Now that it is here, however, everything is a little too real. I am now coming to appreciate the beauty that is in friendship, comfort and homeliness - and how lucky I am to enjoy all three in abundance. However, the show must go on, and a great one it will be too! This year I will be heading to France, Germany and Spain on my travels, and I hope to encounter many fantastic things along the way. This blog is here to document my journey - from la France to Deutschland to España, from hot to middling to cold, from my present self to the person I'll be in 12 months' time (or so). As a Christian, I know that things will change, but I also know that God will be by my side, and that He is powerful and awesome and just pretty amazing really. Also, He has a plan, which is rather handy when you have none! For this, I put this next year into His hands - and I know He will not let me down. In the words of Steven Curtis Chapman, 'Bring It On'!

p.s. If you don't know who Steven Curtis Chapman is, look him up. A brilliant artist, and well worth a listen.