So what language do you speak anyway?

After being here for a couple of days, it's my general impression that although French would be the main language used out and about, most Quebecois are quite skilled in the use of English and so if you show any sign of not having a clue in French, they will quickly switch to English.

Case in point, this morning after church, I was talking to a young girl in church. She was curious about the girl standing beside me because she had part of her arm amputated. Imagine that conversation as one of your first in a language you will be attempting to learn! Anyway, as I struggled to comprehend her quick speech, she picked up on the fact that I didn't have much of a clue. After attempting that first conversation, I then introduced myself and asked her name. Easy enough...let's move on to a tougher question. I asked her how old she was. She told me "J'ai onze ans." (I am eleven. I totally understood her.) She followed this sentence with another heavily accented one. After asking her to repeat it several times, I finally told her that I didn't understand. Turns out she was speaking in English, saying "Eeeleevenn." Sheesh, can't even understand my own language these days. :) She thought it quite funny that I didn't understand her when she was speaking in English. I had a good laugh, too.

Priorities Revealed

And now, here it is. My number one priority revealed. When moving into a new home one of the very first tasks to be accomplished must be .....

the filling of the ice trays.

See all the stuff lying around. That ice tray is filled and hitting the freezer. Can't go long without some "cubes." So there it is. Now you know something random about me.

Parole de Vie Bethel

Welcome to Parole de Vie Bethel...my home for a year and where I will be working hard to learn to speak proper French! :)

This is the outside of my new home. I live in a one bedroom apartment on the bottom right.

And now for the inside of my home...the grand tour begins in the living room where you see me relaxing in one of my pink chairs. There are two of them so feel free to drop in on me anytime. I will have a comfortable seat available for you.

Here is a wider view of the living room/dining room area.

This is the kitchen which is quite roomy.

And finally, the bedroom. Don't worry. I also have a bathroom which is not pictured here so there will not be any midnight runs to the outhouse in the middle of winter.

Quebec

Well, it's official! I am finally in Quebec. The sign proves it. It was quite a long drive from Toronto. It actually didn't feel that long until I reached Quebec and then there was a lot of traffic so it felt congested as though I wasn't getting very far very fast. It was interesting because I think for me this felt like more of a "fish out of water" cultural experience than being in Niger. Just have to get that French flowing out of my mouth instead of just floating around in my head.
So what's Quebec like? Well, once I got on the road from Montreal to Sherbrooke it began to seem a little like Georgia. There were lots of trees along the side of the road and some of them are even beginning to turn color! Can't believe that! I guess that would be the major difference between Georgia and here, most of the trees are ones that turn colors rather than the Georgia pine. Perhaps my car will not be turning green in the spring this year. :) Anyway, there are also some fair size hills or small mountains. I'm not sure what they are considered to be. In fact, the town of Sherbrooke has some considerably steep streets. Makes me think of a place in Gatlinburg that I detest...some of you may know of which I speak! Well, more about my "apartement" tomorrow and some pictures, too.

Priorities

When moving into a new home what is your very first priority? Can you guess what mine is? This will be a test of how well you know me. :) Leave your guess in the comments and I'll post the answer tomorrow or the next day.

A beautiful thing

Friendship is a beautiful thing!

In Keeping with Tradition

Tuesday morning at around 2 am my brother and I were busy packing my trunks and washing machine onto his truck. I went in grabbed about six hours of sleep and then hit the road for Sebring, Florida where I would deliver my loads to be shipped on a container to Niger.

In keeping with my friend Amy's tradition, I stopped at the first rest area in Florida to enjoy a cuppa' freshly squeezed Florida Orange Juice. Here's to you Amy, for a mighty fine tradition! (I had great fun setting my camera on self-timer and taking this picture so that I could share the moment with you.)

God provided a beautiful day on Wednesday. No rain in sight which was kind of important because the plastic around my washer ripped right away. I made it to Sebring late on Wednesday night. Thursday morning I had breakfast with some friends who just came from Niamey so it was fun hearing the latest news. We unloaded and I took time to visit a 93 year old SIM retiree that worked with my mom and dad and in Sokoto and is praying for me now. Then it was off to town to buy a mattress and make sure it was delivered to SIM and put on the container. All that complete at 2 pm and I hit the road to return to Charlotte. It rained most of the way back and it didn't matter a lick! God is good!

Anyway, it was a whirlwind trip but I enjoyed the sights along the way. Here are some of them...

entering Daytona Beach

an electric pole in the shape of Mickey's head...how fun is that?

entering Orlando

passing Seaworld

the latest gas saving version of the Mary Kay pink cadillac???

giant pineapples or are they palm trees?

Weekend Visit

This past weekend found me in Greensboro, NC with my friends K and M and their family. It was such a relaxing weekend. I got there Friday night and after the kids were in bed, we went out and roasted marshmallows around a fire in the backyard. On Saturday, we took the kiddos to the Greensboro Children's Museum which was a lot of fun. And besides that, I had time for good conversation, playing with the kiddos, reading a book and helping in the kitchen. Ahh, how lovely to be in the company of good friends!