Other tidbits from Alice this week

November 13, 2017

Other tidbits from Alice this week:

The language is good. I mostly explained in my other letter. It's hard because my companion speaks really fluidly.

Also she runs with me so I really can't complain. She goes about 9:15 pace but when we go on the trail by the river (SO PRETTY! WITH SWANS!) I run in loops around her, which she likes because she likes running by herself more than with other people.

We get fed and we make our own food, too. Most our rendez-vous are in the evening, and people always feed us snacks (usually juice and chocolate. It's so good.) We were fed 3 times last week. Once just because Brigitte invited us last-minute (and fed us fantastic zuchinni soup and croque monsieurs), once at a restaurant with the famille Clause, and once at Lysiane and Moiri's house (who are Tahitian and she is a recent convert. He is probably 6'6" and is HUGE--like strong huge. He is in the military. He joined the military so his family could move to France so his wife could hear the gospel and he could live the gospel, because before he lived with his family and they became anti-Mormon except him). Lysiane and Moiri fed a crazy international meal that consisted of Tahitian-style roasted chicken with rice, scalloped potatoes with ham  (Moiri ate literally half the 9 by 13 pan), and baguettes. It was delicious, though. Their daughter, Heavenly, has chicken pox so I'm glad I already got that! She's adorable though. They invited us over early, right after church so we wouldn't have to walk in the rain, so we practice-taught her the Restoration while they made dinner. It was so fun! She's only four but she told us she loved Jesus and she wanted to be a missionary.

I'm so glad I went shopping today. Apparently I eat like several times as much as Soeur Sedrick (Soeur Bennet's trainer) because I ate all the food in the house and there were only eggs and lettuce left. Oops. Also, I got to buy some French cheese and I can't wait to try it! 

I bought a warm scarf today because my neck has been FREEZING and I only had my flowy thin scarves. Yay, my first French scarf! The store in our town had really classy, warm, cute clothes so I know I have a good option when I need it.

I also bought my first pastry today! Not really a pastry, actually, it was called pain cocoa and was soft, delicious French bread with tons of cocoa in the bread itself, and huge chocolate chunks of the best chocolate you've ever had. Ahhhhhh it's so good! (Good thing I'm running. I got in 5 miles this morning at an average of 7:30 pace so I'm super blessed to be with Sister Bennet.)

Also, we're trying to bake pumpkin bread for our district meeting tomorrow so we bought a pumkin-like squash and adapted a banana muffin recipe. I hope it works! 

Also, crazy story I forgot to share in my group letter. My first lesson ever was with Michael, an old man Sister Bennet and Sister Sedrick met on the street. He was totally crazy and would not stop talking. And although he was really nice and loved to talk about God, I'm not sure he was really hearing a word we were actually saying because his comments were entirely irrelevent. Like we asked him how his family had blessed his life and he went off on a story about exorcism. What on earth?!? But he wants to meet with us again sometime, so we'll try.

Our branch president, President Claus, and his family are awesome. They take us out to lunch every week we get 24 lessons, so we got to go this week....to McDonald's. The French are obsessed with McDonald's. I just don't get it. But the food tastes better here only it's really pricey. And the side salads are huge and come with delicious vinaigrette! And there is a KitKat McFlurry--what?!? 

I'm sorry I didn't have time to write individual emails. I will next week because I'll be more settled in Toul. Also, we called the mission office and they're going to send me the French grammar books they give in the MTC!