31 janvier 2010 (Day 153)
The start of the cold…kind of like the abominable snow man…
Waking up was way too hard this morning. I definitely needed to sleep more. Today was ward conference and we had to be there early for choir practice. I checked my phone and realized that had a message. Apparently someone wanted to have a picnic with me yesterday, but they never said who they were and I don’t know the number. I had the missionaries and Isabel listen to it, but none of us could figure out who it was…sorry mystery picnic caller! I was tired and not doing so well at paying attention, so I started reading my patriarchal blessing. It is amazing how something new sticks out every single time. Sacrament meeting ended really late. They had over 6 speakers scheduled and an intermediate hymn (we sang all the verses). It was worth the wait though because there was a big luncheon for everyone to share and eat together after. There was rice and chicken, pizza, quiche, potato salad, and lots of yummy desserts. I helped wash up in the kitchen and it was pretty funny. I think that most adults really are just big kids.
1 fevrier 2010 (Day 154)
Oh boy did I wake up sick today. It is a good thing that I don’t have class on Monday and Tuesday, because all I did was sleep, or at least attempt to since I couldn’t breathe. Hannah was a sweetheart and brought me over some medicine and the movie Chocolat. The movie Chocolat is actually really good. I recommend it…and all those chocolates, they exist. It made me hungry for chocolate!
2 fevrier 2010 (Day 155)
So I didn’t want to call the missionaries on Monday because it was their P-day. After multiple guy friends telling me to call, I got off my high horse and I called Elder Bourgeois and Elder Maxfield a little after ten and asked if I could get a blessing because I’m sick. Elder B. said yes, of course they would love to serve. He told me that they were having splits and so that I could come over to the church at 11:30 and there would be four of them there (not two, like we now have in Nantes) or if I was bed ridden they could all come over later. I told them I’d come to the church (like they’d all fit in my room anyway, and I’m not bed ridden). For once I decided against wearing my sweat pants (I get odd enough looks cooking in the dorm in my sweat pants) and, as Trisha always said, “If you don’t feel good, look good.” So I got ready and I went to the church. On the way there I got some chouquettes (yummy kind of cream puff balls without the cream, but with sugar on top) for the missionaries and some medicine from the pharmacy. The pharmacies in France are the only place you can get pretty much any kind of medicine (it isn’t in the grocery stores like it is here), so it was different. The funny pharmacist was telling me what else I should do besides take the drugs that she picked out for me (retrospect: they didn’t work) and was telling me I should be cleaning out my nose with some sprayer thing and blah blah blah.
So, I got to the church and walked into their little district meeting and Elder Smiley was there on splits with his companion. Elder Smiley grabbed a chair for me and Elder Bourgeois was asking how I was sick and if it was like when he was sick (when you wake up your lips are dry and I don’t know what else Elder Bourgeois was saying). Elder Smiley came to the rescue and was like it is evident she is sick with her stuffy nose (or whatever he said, I don’t remember). He might have said something else, but he was definitely the most concerned (late me rephrase, concerned period that I was sick). I gave them the chouquettes I brought and Elder Bourgeois (who shall now be called Elder B. in this post) started eating them, saying that they taste like French toast. They DON’T taste like French toast, so I told Elder B. so and he was like yes they do and tried to get Elder Smiley to eat some of his chouquette to see that it did taste like French toast and reluctantly (he said he didn’t want to spoil his appetite and that he’d have one later, lol) took a bite and sided with me that it doesn’t taste like French toast, all the while Elder Smiley’s companion was just wanting to know what a chouquette was.
Elder B. asked who had oil and Elder Smiley was the only one who responded so he got his out. I sat down and Elder Bourgeois asked me to say a prayer to invite the spirit. I said the prayer and then Elder B. asked me who I wanted to do the anointing and then the blessing. I said it didn’t matter. He said they were all prepared and worthy. I said I didn’t care because they can all be mouthpieces for God and that they can decide. Elder. B. then said that would be like being prideful if they were like oh I want to and I told him that I really didn’t have a preference. This frustrated him that I wasn’t picking (I didn’t want to pick) and so then I told them to pick a number between one and ten. I picked three, my favorite number. Elder Smiley was the closest, picking four with Elder B. in second with six. Elder Smiley asked if that means he got to pick so he picked anointing and I said no, it means you are giving the blessing. Elder Smiley asked what my full name was and then Elder B. did the anointing. They all got together for part 2 and then Elder Smiley asked them to shut the door. He verified that my name was Mari Lisa and then proceeded to give me the blessing. It was a really nice blessing for health and saying that I’d get better quickly with faith and that Heavenly Father was proud of the work I was doing in France and to continue it and that He wants what is best for me. When it was over they all stepped back at the same time, which was kind of awkward and someone jokingly said, “Hug!” (which we didn’t) They all shook my hand, even on my insistence not to since I’m sick…Elder B. said, “We’re missionaries.” I don’t think that give you super immunity though…but maybe it does.
We started talking about the burrito fest and Elder Smiley asked how Nana, my non-member friend that I brought to the last one was, and that I should bring her. I asked Elder Smiley if he was going to be there. He said no he wouldn’t but Elder B. said that Elder McKay (who went to my school) would be there though. I don’t remember what else happened, but Elder Smiley ended up signing something in ASL. Apparently he signs as well.
I dropped by the boulangerie that is by the church and bought some bread with my last three euros and then made the trek back to my bed. It was quite a long trek because the garbage men are apparently on strike and were burning things today so some of the tram line was closed for safety reasons so there was a multitude of people walking. I kind of like it, it makes life adventurous.
3 fevrier 2010 (Day 156)
Oiy. I’m still sick, but I went to class anyway. My nose would not stop running, it was torture. I made it through all of my classes though (included 3.5 hours of French lit) and then I slept.
Thursday 4 fevrier 2010 (Day 157)
Still sick and going to class. Luckily today my nose wasn’t running like a leaky faucet. In other good news, my money came in, which means I can go grocery shopping!
Friday 5 fevrier 2010 (Day 158)
Wow, this has got to be a record. I think the last time I was this sick, the doctor prescribed me sleeping pills. I do pretty great at sleeping during the day, but once it is night time I am wide awake and unable to breathe. I feel a bit better today than yesterday, which is good. Oh man, sociology of art was so funny today. The teacher really is just so hilarious. Today he was reenacting different parts of the annunciation, playing both the angel and Mary and it was too rich. I actually ended up eating lunch with a French person! I got some pizza (closest thing to I’m-sick-comfort-food that is not the soup which I’ve been eating all week) and went looking for a spot. I saw a girl sitting alone and asked if I could sit by her, but she said no, she had friends coming. I then recognized some bushy hair from my sociology class, so I asked if I could sit by him. His name is Theo and we talked all lunch and it was really good, other than it was hard to hear because my ears are clogged and Frenchies don’t believe in talking loudly. He actually wants to go study in America (who doesn’t) or in Sweden.
We had a really interesting conversation about humanity and races in history. We read a quote from Jules Ferry about colonizing the savages and then about other people who divided the world into races and such. After class I went to commerce because I thought I deserved some melted hot chocolate. I went to Amorino (naturally) and got some orange cinnamon hot chocolate. I was actually kind of disappointed that it didn’t taste more orangy. I took my time drinking it and then went to go try a macaron, because macarons are wonderful things, although expensive. I went in and asked for just one, “nature” flavor (kind of like “plain” I guess you could say) and she gave me one that had a crack in it for free. I told her that I was going to try all the flavors and she said I’ll need 16 weeks if I have one a week, so I better come try another one tomorrow. I think I will. I went to institute and got there ten minutes before class was to start. The gate was locked. Luckily our teacher did arrive and I had a nice long hour and a half of mind wandering. It was pouring, really pouring rain after institute. It was coming in sheets and sheets and there was water everywhere. It was a really neat site to see, I just wish that there would have been lightning as well.
