Katherine en France

short update

2008-06-30T07:57:00.003+12:00

the other day (yesterday) i went to the church as i thought i had some leads on a job...turns out it was just a really weird situation...email me for more details...i can't really post stuff here... I then had a talk to the Youth Pastor, ginger, who is a real sweetie :) and i had a picnic by myself at luxembourg and then took the RER (train) C to St-michel Notre Dame, and then had to walk home from there because the RER C was closed because of strikes (happens a LOT)
Anyway, I was waiting for the light to turn green so i could cross the street and then suddenly realised there were people ALL over the street...and that there was a lot of noise...turns out i had to fight my way home through the Parisian equivalent of the Hero Parade. Carrying groceries. Behind a guy smoking....

anyway today the interesting thing i did was see a handbell choir...i took a video and will post it somewhere someday...it has shots of the "sanctuary" (main part where services are held) of my church.

Feel free to email me or send me mail :)

it's so hot gonna have a heatstroke-ah!

2008-06-25T10:14:00.002+12:00

sooo hot...milk was a bad choice...
actually, it is delicious and the only cold drink i have...

It was at least 34 degrees here today.
34!
that is HOT and i am on the 7th floor...melting.

but don't worry, by 11 30 it had cooled down to about 27 degrees....

katherine melted into a puddle

teehee someone thought i was cool coz i said "dodgy"...apparently that is cute...

Moving Day

2008-06-16T09:57:00.002+12:00

This morning I moved out of Monica's (my host mum's)

It was a total mission... i had bought a whole bunch of stuff such as groceries (though later i discovered i had NOTHING to eat (except cornflakes and tuna...mmmm) (i had ither stuff but it turns out the hotplate doesn't work...eep

In other news...the dumb guy from my work called and said he has to go away for a couple of days so he will ring me in about 4 days...grr. Not Happy.
Anyways, gtg to bed, very tired from setting up my new home sweet home and lugging it all up the stairs :p

so tired

2008-06-10T11:19:00.003+12:00

so tonight i spent 6 hours washing dishes at Kiwi Corner...
it was an interesting experience...someone had had a family emergency so they really needed someone there to wash dishes. they paid me really well for it, about 15 euros an hour (i got paid for 5 hours) so it wasn't too bad
The people there swear like sailors and from what i heard, drink like fish so there is a nice nautical theme going there...
anyway....i need sleep so that i can comprehend what is going on tomorrow...i may have 2 weeks or so of dish washing work so if i can fit it in that would be cool...though my hands are so dry

I ate kangaroo...it was very bloody, but then that's the french for you

Goodnight all, god Bless

Katherine

Things you don't expect in Paris

2008-06-09T07:47:00.002+12:00

the other day there was this kid in the starway as i was walking up being noisy and then I suddenly realised he was doing the HAKA

I refrained from telling him if he were in South Auckland he'd totally be beaten up, but I did say "I'm actually from NZ"...I'm not sure the mother actually understood the connection...

Another thing wouldn't expect in Paris, the city of secular humanism was the Passion world tour... If u want to know what that is, look it up :P

and on another note, i will be moving into my new "appartment" (just one room, shared toilet no shower or bath) next sunday

things with work are still pretty screwed up, but tomorrow night i have kinda a trial with Kiwi Corner, a kiwi restaurant, so that should be interesting :P

any specific questions please ask...i forget things to say, not entirely sure what u guys want to know...

oh yeah, i sang at the American church today...they've got me good....rofl one of the guys in the band(wait maybe the only guy in the band TOTALLY reminds me of blake....except for being a little shorter and having an american accent...)

2008-05-24T03:08:00.003+12:00

Today I went to buy myself some lunch and dinner because i am going to see christine Caine speak at hillsong so i may not get dinner....
hopefully these pictures work:

the bread was soooooo goooood and I really like gummy bears
the croco things are ketchup flavoured chips shaped like crocodile ad the thing on the end is a very fatty dried sausage

Yay happy Face

2008-05-14T09:30:00.002+12:00

Went to Jardin du Luxembourg the other day with some people. I was invited by this Uber cool guy from my church.
It was so cool but a little overwhelming because almost everyone is at least trilingual.
Oh well, i have to remember a lot of them have a minimum of 5 years on me
I could learn 2 languages in the next 5 years.
i got a reply to one of the emails with CVs etc i sent out today, which is an answer to prayer. Hopefully more to follow.
I am getting so freckly from the sun, because here i don't burn :P
today i spent a lot of money (ouch) but on things i really needed, such as a bag (like a shoulder bag) and nail scissors, tweezers and floss. It is amazing all the things u have at home that you take for granted...and then realise that your parents must spend so much money taking care of you!
Thankyou Mummy and Daddy :P
I saw a girl tonight with a glass of wine on the metro...a wine glass...only in paris i guess
we had a pizza night and discussion tonight. It was so great to talk with people who are christians over here, to know that there are real Jesus-loving people all over the world with the same hopes and fears as us in NZ...
they even hate Crocs too!
Looking forward to checking out Hillsong paris on fri night

Keep me in your prayers, i will try to keep my posts regular :P
God Bless you all :)

Katherine(already getting called Kat here)

2008-05-12T09:25:00.002+12:00

on sat I walked to hotel de ville to buy some things, i think a diary, socks and a topup card.
I came back with none of those things.
Diarys were for the wrong months, socks were WAY expensive and i decided i didn't need a topup card as i have no friends.
I did, however, buy a pair of jeans for 44 euro(ouch) which hopefully will last the rest of my trip.
Try explaining to a sales attendant in french whether u r not sure a pair of jeans will fit for long as u have lost like 5 kg in the last week or so from being sick.mmm.
i also bought a little notebook to write things in. oh and some hairties.
accidentally stumbled upon the pompidou centre which i begrudgingly took photos of (it is so ugly)
and then decided i should go to notre dame.... So many tourists though!
and it is SO hot!
because of my bruised legs and lack of short socks/ summer shoes i have been wearing black jeans and sneakers in 27 degree heat... not too confortable...
went to the church "lock in" which was a sleepover and played frizbee golf (look it up if u want to know), bedazzling the french with our terrible throwing skills. they wondered y we were so bad

went to 2 church services, one was the normal the other contemporary (i think the only diff is the hymns/ songs) and then observed the 11 to 14 year old group i might be a leader for.
Hung out in front of the air France building/ napoleons tomb talking to two guys from my church. see facebook for pictures of me with them.
that was cool
and tomorrow? another holiday, but not for me. I will be sending my cv to all and sundry hurrah... and writing cover letter after cover letter. w00t.
gosh i is tired.
talkss to u peeps later.
email me :P
i miss u guys and the non-burocracy of NZ

Kat

2008-05-10T23:32:00.002+12:00

On Fri night I went to the louvre because it was free for under 26year olds.
to kill time before i went in i walked through Jardin des Tuileries.
I think culture is lost on me. I was wondering why. I think it could be partly that these things are just things made by humans, just earthly things, and there is a whole lot more amazing to come later.

I was wholly disappointed by the Mona Lisa. It is so tiny! and all the other paintings are so much more spectacular than her. Why is she the only painting people want to see?
Maybe it was partly just going by myself and being exhausted, but i got bored and my back was sore so quickly that i just left after getting myself lost and wandering aimlessly for about 2 hours and then asking the information lady if they had any armour or weapons (which they didn't :P)

tonight i am going for a "lock in" at the church, which should be cool as :)

God Bless you all,
Katherine

2008-05-09T08:32:00.003+12:00

Today I went to see an appartment that a very lovely girl from my church is vacating at the end of the month. It was in a really cute neighborhood, and there is a park right across the road from it which i sat in for a while. You have no idea how much you miss trees etc in Paris
Especially Grass.
I had Planned to go to the tour d'Eiffel, but i got a text indicating that some family friends were at Montmartre, so i decided to go there and hang out for an hour until meeting them
There were so many people at Sacré Coeur!
It was soo hot too!
I was improperly prepositioned on 2 separate accounts (you'll be glad to know, Jerren), and one of the times the guy grabbed my arm and i was like "non! non!"and he was like "don't be sad, i'm not a bad guy"
I guess that is just one of the downsides to travelling alone...but it is a funny story because nothing bad happened :)
Sacré Coeur is trés belle. But I couldn't help thinking how unnecessary it all is:
Acts 7:48- 50 :
48However, the Most High does not dwell in houses and temples made with hands; as the prophet says,^(AF)

49Heaven [is] My throne, and earth the footstool for My feet. What [kind of] house can you build for Me, says the Lord, or what is the place in which I can rest?

50Was it not My hand that made all these things?^(AG)

^{it just seemed kinda sad that the catholic church has soo much money, and yet the majority of catholic countries have so many poor people. And the amount of statues people were praying to...it kinda broke my heart a little. I mean, it is great to have nice churches, and keep them pretty etc, but that isn't how the early church started off, they sold everything they had and all lived off it. There was little hierarchy and just a big community feel.}

^{I then descended the steps (after walking around a little) and went back to the metro station to meet my parent's friends.}

^{It was good to see some people from NZ :) We ascended the stairs (again, by this time my legs were shaking) and went to find a place in Montmatre to have dinner :)}

^{It was a good dinner, in a nice air conditioned place with a piano. Thankyou for dinner, Bruce and Myra :)}

^{then i came home and had little tastes of Monica's wonderful cooking :) (i was full but just HAD to taste it)}

^{(today was a holiday here BTW which is why i was not looking for work)}

^{so tomorrow, my search continues. If you know anyone in Paris, hook me up :P}

^Kitty

^{(ps check my facebook for pics, for some reason it uploads photos way faster)}

Things can only get better:)

2008-05-07T09:21:00.001+12:00

Feeling better today.
Well, i wasn't but I forced myself to go out.
Went to Bastille to try to buy a carte orange (for some reason it didn't work)
Posted a letter(HUGE accomplishment) almost fainted in the bureau de poste
Came home, ate something
went to the louvre
got lost
ate lunch
got lost again
went to the american church in paris
cried to the youth pastor
rang about a job
had dinner with the youth pastor(she is really nice)
went to Reach (youthgroup thing)
went home :)
ate more food :0
from the photo you can't tell it is like 23 degees (!)

Better News

2008-05-05T03:27:00.003+12:00

I saw the doctor today, following the advice of both my father and the insurance company.
He said i was near the end of a case of gastroenteritis, so it is nothing too serious, just annoying and gross. It could have been food poisoning or something else, feel free to wikipedia it.

I'm hoping to go to a church i found on the internet this tuesday, so pray i am better and that it all works out :) (i had hoped to go today but that didn't happen)

They meet for their young adults (18 to 30) group in the catacombs... How cool is that????

as soon as i am well enough, i will get a cellphone, update my CV with my new contact details etc and maybe visit aquarius to print stuff etc (oh and get a metro etc pass). Things should be looking up once i am better and start to make friends etc etc

just for fun, a picture of the result of bailing in the middle of a street in paris while dragging my broken bag:

ça va étre meilleur

titbit

2008-05-04T03:36:00.003+12:00

just a short post:

No one can work out where i am from. one dude thought i was belgian :p and i managed to confuse/ fascinate some kids with my weird accent. they asked me what language i spoke. Everyone here has been really nice, one guy ( i think he overheard my weird accent) was at BHV (a department store) and helped me find the adapter which was cool

better stories to come later, when i can laugh at things like vomiting twice in the metro station and falling over in the middle of the road and such.
God bless you all,

KittyKat

ps keep me in your prayers and please leave comments or email me so i feel loved

The Longest Day of my Life

2008-04-29T21:02:00.004+12:00

(written on the plane from auckland to bangkok at about 9 37 New Zealand time)

I woke up at 6am this morning as Matt was picking me up at 6 15 to go swimming at Murray's bay beach. He and James were to swim, I wanted to take photos of the beach.
It's amazing how plans almost never turn out exactly as you envisage(?) (envision?) them.
There was a thick blanket of fog over the city as we drove to the beach, rendering my ideas almost useless. James was a no-show too, which is extremely unusual for him. After realising that waiting any longer for him was futile, Matt decided to brave the waves :)

Against my Dad's best advice, we then drove to Monday morning prayer and waited outside (well, in a car:))
Monday morning prayer was good. I think it will be one of the things i really miss about NZ, even if it does mean an early start :)

People at Monday morning prayer were really supportive. they prayed for me, but unfortunately i had to leave
(We're climbing now: at 11393M) ( I can't breathe, and the paranoid part of me thinks i'm having a pulmonary embellism,i tried coughing and it felt like something moved)

because i wanted to get to the airport with plenty of time to spare.

Just as a semi side note...Goodbyes for a long trip such as this never seem adequate. you always feel like there's something more you should say or do...

After packing a few last minute items and eating my breakfast (marmite on a vogels-ish toast, you'll all be glad to know) we headed off to the airport, along with an empty backpack to store the 20 excess kilos my dad had told me i had probably packed.

Us three "kids" sat in the back of the car and sang along to songs while my father drove (from the passenger seat)
Despite his ominous warnings at 2am, our car did not break down and my insistance on going to monday morning prayer did not result in me missing my flight, or the end of the world.
we got to the airport and immediately weighed my bags. 20.2 kg. Almost perfect. "i'm awesome!" I cried, pumping both fists in the air triumphantly, and immediately questioning whether my theology was correct in saying that.

i weighed my hand luggage, and it was ridiculously accurate also.
(now i feel like my nose wants to bleed...but since ive never had a blood nose, i cant be sure.)

ii feel like such a ditz, so disorganised through this whole thing, but i just totally have to trust God that this is what he wants me to do, and that he'll guide me through it and engineer circumstances so that it all works out. I think sometimes we put our faith too much in being organised, and not in trusting God. It's kinda a big thing for me, stepping out where i know absolutely NOONE and am as far away as possible from my friends and family whom i rely on so much to help me along with basically everything.
but, at the same time, it's not such a big thing.It's not a big thing because God is a bigger thing, and i can trust him to keep me safe " in all things god works for the good of those who love him" and i do. So whom ( or what) shall i fear?

Matt, gina, Rache and James came to see me off at the airport. that was really cool. Thankyou guys.
They arrived before i checked in, and had a loud conversation about explosive devices, much to my horror :P
I checked in when the gate opened, and there was much rejoicing(basically my friends were yelling stuff at me)
We went upstairs and had lunch. I had a strange meatlovers pizza and yummy juice while James rang payphones and made general mischeif
(im so ridiculously tired right now. its 11 15 in NZ right now ive been up since 6 am and i only had about 3 hours sleep last night. Oh well, only 5 or 6 more hours to stay awake)
I kinda felt like we should have been DOING something in those last couple of hours, something meaningful, but what was there to do?

that is where i finished on the plane, and ill post it like this for now cos i am really sick( long story, ask rache or my parents) so i gotta sleep

Bienvenue!

2008-03-05T13:09:00.003+13:00

Bonjour tout la monde :)
Bienvenue and welcome to my France blog
This will probably be my main form of generic contact with my peeps back home, as it gives me a chance to make my news updates pretty and add pictures without clogging up your inbox.
Feel free to send me personal emails too, and i will try to reply as soon as i can.
This is more like a newsletter than me trying to cop out of actually properly keeping in touch.

:) God bless and updates coming soon;
Kat