Anyway, I have rather enjoyed the past few days, having been busy but not too busy. Thursday, I attended a “soirée avec les animateurs,” which basically means an outing with the program assistants. They remind me a little bit of the TeenPact staffers because they manage all of the same kinds of things, and they’re young, energetic, and sometimes goofy. However, since FLE isn’t a Christian program like TeenPact, there is an obvious difference in motivation, attitude, and even quality of work. So…good job, TP Staffers – you win! ;-) The outing I attended was an “International Picnic,” where everyone brought a dish originating a foreign country. We trekked over to a lovely park in the Basse-Ville, close to the ballpark, and you could hear the crowd cheering. Speaking of which: I’ll have the chance to go to a baseball game next week, and I’m so excited! It should be like a Travelers’ game, except in French. :D Does it get any better than that?
Saturday, I went white-water rafting on the Jacques-Cartier River, a bit of the Buffalo, actually. It was both extremely beautiful and extremely cold. As tight and constricting as the wetsuits were, I was definitely grateful for mine when we had to jump in the water! (Oh, and a little bit of advice for you guys to keep in mind: if you ever have to put on a wetsuit, by all means, do it when it’s dry, because - excuse my French - it’s hell putting on a wet one.) :P Ok, anyway, I didn’t take my camera because I didn’t want it to get wet, so I don’t have pictures of my own. Unfortunately, that means you don’t get to see me in the helmet, lifejacket, boots, and wetsuit with my paddle. However, I found this uncopyrighted picture of the river for you, just so you can see how gorgeous it is:
The water levels were perfect Saturday, and we were able to do some Class 4 rapids. I’ll have to admit, I was a little nervous at first, but after the first couple of rapids, it was just plain fun. The guide spoke French most of the time, but he made sure we understand all the essential safety information in English. We all appreciated that. Flying into the river and being half-drowned in the rapids because you thought he said “right” and he really said “left” wouldn’t have made for an enjoyable experience. It didn’t take us long to become accustomed to the various commands: position, par en arrière, par en avant, tiens le raft, à la droite, à la gauche, etc. Basically, that’s just: position (seated on the side with feet firmly anchored, ready to paddle), row backward, row forward, hold the raft (drop to the middle and hold on), everyone to the right, and everyone to the left. In the more crucial moments, he just yelled everything in English. About halfway down the river, the guide told us all to get out on the bank, climb up on this ledge, jump, and swim to another point downstream. Let me tell you, cliff-jumping into a river that cold was an unforgettable experience. Overall, it was one of the most awesome days I’ve had so far. It made me wish I had the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors more often – rafting, canoeing, hiking, climbing, skiing, etc…I love it.
Sunday, I returned to St. Mark’s Reformed Church, this time in time for the service. It was such an incredible blessing. I was so surprised to see Megan, one of the girls in my class, sitting across the aisle from me. Protestant churches are extremely rare in the area, and there are hundreds of students in the FLE program. How incredible is it that she and I ended up at the same church on the same morning? I hope to get to know her a little more during the rest of our stay here. She said that she attends a Reformed Baptist church back in Pennsylvania, a denomination with which I am completely unfamiliar. I’ve heard of so many new denominations since I’ve been here; I think I feel a research project coming on. ;-) Anyway, I am still amazed by how much this church felt like home: the people, the service, the music, the sermon…everything. Everything about the pastor and his family reminds me of the Jordans (except that Mr. Jordan isn’t bilingual yet), the congregation is about the same size as Sylvania’s (except there are a lot more teenagers), the order of service was incredibly similar (with a few additions), the hymns were simply sung with the accompaniment of a piano and an acoustic guitar (Sylvania doesn’t have a guitar yet…), and the thoroughly prepared sermon was delivered humbly and gently, but with deep conviction (the pastor doesn’t move as much, but that’s ok). I was familiar with several of the hymns and the passage of Scripture, so I was able to follow along with the French fairly well. I found out from experience that the Holy Spirit is definitely multi-lingual. If God has something to say to me, He’ll make sure I get it. ;-) Anyway, there were actually three things in particular that really blessed me during the course of the morning:
1) Being welcomed so warmly (and by people my age!)
2) Singing hymns in a foreign language, but being one in spirit with the rest of the congregation
3) Receiving the benediction in French, because the Word of God holds the same power regardless of its linguistic translation
After the service, the entire congregation gathers for coffee, snacks, and fellowship – a good opportunity for practicing French with the locals. One of the ladies ensured that Megan and I were introduced to several of the other students before a visiting minister began a presentation on a missions project in Uganda. This particular minister was affiliated with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, but evidently the two churches have some type of partnership in this endeavor. It’s good to see. I’m glad I stayed for the presentation, because it gave me an idea of what the Orthodox Presbyterians are like (very orderly, staid, and accurate – typical Presbyterian), and I also had the opportunity to observe how the interpreter translated the English into French. I asked the minister afterward about the differences between the OPC and the EPC because I was curious. I’m not really sure how much he knew, but the one main difference he pointed out was that the EPC allows its congregations freedom to allow or disallow women in ministerial positions. Anyway, something else to research. One other thing I found interesting about the morning is the congregation’s focus on evangelism. It shouldn’t be surprising, but having been raised in the Bible Belt, it’s something I haven’t encountered in the same way. The youth group is going to distribute tracts in the city twice this week, and there is a lot of emphasis on reaching the community. It’s essential to them, not only because God asks it of all believers, but because of the spiritual climate of Québec. (Most Québecois are non-practicing Catholics, and the real gospel is a foreign concept.) It’s refreshing to see a congregation in the trenches, seriously living out a part of the Christian life we often brush aside. They are setting an excellent example. Oh… I just can’t wait to go back to Sylvania and share about my experience here.
In other completely unrelated news, I’ve tried escargot! It’s awesome, too. I haven’t tried anything here that I don’t like yet, actually. I even liked “poutines,” which is French fries with gravy and cheese curds. I know, it sounds disgusting, but it’s amazingly good. There are a lot of things I’m going to miss when I come back to the States. I’m going to bring some recipes, though, like this one:
Délice aux poires
7,5 ml (1/2 sachet) de gélatine neute
60 ml (1/4 t) de jus de poire
540 ml (19 oncecs) de pores en conserve non égouttées et non additionées de sucre
250 ml (1 t) de yogourt nature 0,1 % m.g.
60 ml (1/4 t) de succedané de sucre
Facultatif : 5 ml (1 c. à thé) d’essence de noix de coco
Dans un petit plat, verser 60 ml de jus de poire. Saupoudrer la gelatin et laisser gonfler 5 minutes. Chauffer la gelatin pour la dissoudre. Dans un bol, incorporer les poires et leur jus, le yogourt, le succédané de sucre et l’essence de noix de coco. Ajouter la gelatin et bien mélanger. Diviser la preparation dans 4 coupes à dessert. Réfrigérer au moins 1 heure avant de server.
Basically, that’s just mixing plain gelatin with plain yogurt, pear juice, a little sugar, and coconut milk, and then adding slices of canned pears to it. When it’s had some time to firm in the refrigerator, it’s amazing.
Anyway…I’m looking forward to the events of the next couple of weeks: the baseball game, visiting the Louvre exhibit at the Musée de Beaux-Arts, visiting the Musée de la Civilisation, exploring more of the city, going to Lévis, trying more food, attending the finale of the international fireworks competition, going to an outdoor classical music concert…
It’s gonna be great. Alright – gotta get on the phone now, so bonne nuit! Au plaisir.
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