"Safe" in Paris

Well, I thought that I would share some rather unbelievable story - but it's truth - before I forget it and also before I post some more pictures :).
For those who don't think that God exists, here is a proof:

During my Paris trip, I happened to be right in front of Cathedral Notre Dame. It is a very big gothic cathedral with a big square in front of it. On that day (Sunday) there was a concert going on in the evening and so the area was full of chairs. As I tried to get the best shot of the beautiful building without anyone standing in front of me, I walked all the way to the last row of chairs and placed myself very close to the chairs (this is a very important fact).

And so I was taking my picture all calm, happy that nobody's head was in it. And all the sudden, this guy comes running in with bunch of police men, pointing at my feet! None of the men looked very calm and they seemed to hurry to my feet, so I got scared that my feet did something bad and stepped a bit to the side.

Well, I also looked at the stone tiles on the ground and I could not believe what I saw. There was a small (4-5 inch tall) cylinder-shaped metal-ish thing, filled with something and closed off with clay. And, yes, the French word for bomb sounds much like the English one and I could hear that from both the guy and the policemen.

This all happened really fast, and right after, the policemen began clearing out the area.
So all summed up: My foot could have been a foot far from a bomb. I know that it was God's will that I didn't step into it, or kick it, and that the bomb didn't blow up. But, wherever God is, I am safe and I know that God has been here with me in France; wherever I go, he is there.

La Defense

La Défense is a major business district for the city of Paris. The district is at the westernmost extremity of Paris' 10-km long Historical Axis, which starts at the Louvre in Central Paris and continues along the Champs-Élysées, well beyond the Arc de Triomphe before culminating at La Défense.
Around its 100-metre (330 ft)-high Grande Arche and esplanade ("le Parvis"), the district holds many of the Paris urban area's tallest high-rises. With its 77.5 acres, its 72 glass-and-steel slick buildings including 14 high-rises above 150 metres (490 ft), its 150,000 daily workers and 3.5 million square metres (37.7 million sq ft) of office space, La Défense is one of Europe's largest Business Districts.

La Grande Arche

Stairs

Garden from the future

Thousands of windows (Bill Gates would love this ;)

Paris - un reve modern

Montmartre

Montmartre is a hill which is 130 metres high, and also the name of the surrounding district, in the north of Paris. It is primarily known for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur on its summit. The other, older, church on the hill is Saint Pierre de Montmartre, which claims to be the location at which the Jesuit order of priests was founded. Many artists had studios or worked around the community of Montmartre such as Salvador Dalí, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh.

Old man and his paintings...

Basilique du Sacre Coeur

Stairs of Paris...

Have you ever tried to make a car out of Scotch Tape?

Paris, je t'aime... Samedi

So I took a trip to Paris on June 7th and 8th and have to admit that it was wonderful time spent. First, I got to go alone, which has its advantages and second, the weather was on traveler's side - meaning sunny/cloudy but almost no rain.
Right when I arrived, I got a bit lost while trying to buy a ticket for Paris Metro, but eventually this guy (METRO employee) showed up right in front of me and helped me to get everything set up. I bought a 1 day ticket which paid off about million times. Then I took my first metro, switched trains and popped up right in Montmartre, about 200m from Sacre Coeur. As a well-prepared tourist, I had my Michelin green guide at hand and was set to follow the walking tour described there. So instead of getting to Sacre Coeur in 5 minutes, it took me a whole hour!
Afterwards, I decided not to follow the guide and not to take any more walking tours, unless I wanted to visit every single street in Paris and spend there couple weeks.
Another 20 minutes on train took me to La Defense which without a doubt is the most modern "quartier" in Paris. The rest of my Saturday was then spent on Champs Elysees, near Louvre, and by visiting the Opera house and Madeleine (a church).
Once I decided to find my hotel, things got a bit rough. After passing by a group of men most probably using drugs, I turned into this very tiny street. There was not a hint of Hotel Neptune there, only a little sign "hotel" was sticking out in front of little door. I decided to enter that house and was welcomed by an Asian lady who could speak neither good French, nor English. She did not believe I was supposed to be in the hotel until I showed her my reservation confirmation. The hallway was full of suitcases with Chinese signs on them and it seemed to me that I could expect at least a bus full of Chinese tourists. My room was very nice though and clean. My neighbors were very quiet and there was nothing to complain about.

The Choice

Something from the first couple pages of my journal:

"For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I am free to choose.

I choose Love....
No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose Joy....
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical...the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose Peace....
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose Patience....
I will overlook the inconvenience of the world. Instead of cursing the one that takes my place, I will invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for the moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose Kindness....
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I choose Goodness....
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I accuse. I choose goodness.

I choose Faithfulness....
Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I choose Gentleness....
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice, may it only be in praise. If I clench my fist, may it only be in prayer. If I make a demand, may it only be on myself.

I choose Self-Control....
I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my Faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest."

-Max Lucado

J'aime ma classe avec Randi... - The Story of a Roaring Sunflower

Our classes are usually very boring and monotonous. We do the same "fill-in-the-blanks" or "talk-your-teeth-off" over and over again. While many consider this to be a creative and non-traditional way of learning, some (like Randi and I) get done with exercises very quickly and spend over half of our class time in "lalaland".
But, praise God for Randi who not only is an awesome person to live with, but also a fun classmate. We have so far written couple pages of letters to each other, drawn pictures, did a car accident simulation, and couple other things.
Today, however, Randi decided to draw the whole world on one page of paper. After about an hour of drawing, she showed me the picture, pointing at a circle with eyes, smile, and a fuzzy edge.
Randi: What is this?
Me: A sunflower.
Randi: Oh.................do you see the bubble right next to it that says "ROAR"?
Me: Hummmmm............yeah...........is it a ROARING SUNFLOWER?
Laughter....




Correct answer: a lion

Je Vous Souhaite Toute le Bonheur du Monde...

Ref : On vous souhaite tout le bonheur du monde
Et que quelqu'un vous tende la main
Que votre chemin évite les bombes
Qu'il mène vers de calmes jardins.

On vous souhaite tout le bonheur du monde
Pour aujourd'hui comme pour demain
Que votre soleil éclaircisse l'ombre
Qu'il brille d'amour au quotidien.

1. Puisque l'avenir vous appartient
Puisqu'on n'contrôle pas votre destin
Que votre envol est pour demain
Comme tout c'qu'on a à vous offrir
Ne saurait toujours vous suffire
Dans cette liberté à venir
Puisqu'on sera pas toujours là
Comme on le fut aux premiers pas.

{au Refrain}

2. Toute une vie s'offre devant vous
Tant de rêves à vivre jusqu'au bout
Sûrement plein de joie au rendez-vous
Libres de faire vos propres choix
De choisir quelle sera votre voie
Et où celle-ci vous emmènera
J'espère juste que vous prendrez le temps
De profiter de chaque instant.

{au Refrain}

3. Chais pas quel monde on vous laissera
On fait d'notre mieux, seulement parfois,
J'ose espérer que c'la suffira
Pas à sauver votre insouciance
Mais à apaiser notre conscience

Aurais-je le droit de vous faire confiance ?