Mon petit chou

This week I found out my darling Camille's parents have split up. Her father still lives out in the country, but her mother and brother have moved to Amiens so her mother can be closer to work. It is very sad that this has happened, but Camille says it is also good because her parents were always fighting. It is weird when something like this can shatter a part of your world. It's been a little hard on Camille, especially because she has been so busy with school, then having to deal with her family problems.  She does enjoy having her family closer to her though sometimes.
Camille has been doing very well in school, but she has to work all of the time. She says she loves learning about being a doctor, but all the school work that goes with it is very hard. But she has very good friends that I met when I went there, who help each other out and they all work and study together. They are like a support system like in Grey's Anatomy with Meridith, Liz, Georgia, Christina and Alex. That is at least what Camille and I joked about. She says her friends there and me are also helping her with her parents devorce, because we are supporting her and loving her. And this is true. Companionship is what we as humans are made for. God made us to be together and love one another. I am so blessed with all the wonderful people God has brought into my life. And I love having my friends overseas because it broadens my scope of the world, allowing me to reach across the nations God's love and joy.

p.s. the title is a cute saying people nickname their adoration for other people. Like a pet name in a way. It is a joke between my french friends and me.

My Dearest Camille

Camille and I have decided that we are going to save up our money so we can see each other soon. It is hard to be so far away from your best friend. Her and I talked today about how hopefully we could live near each other. If all goes well I might be able to be a novelist in the countryside of France, or her a famous doctor here in the US. Those are what we dream, might come true might not. I do not get to talk to her as much anymore because of our busy schedules as well as the time difference. It is rather sad-making. Although, everytime I watch Grey's Anatomy I think of her since she is the one who got me hooked.
In my French class we had to write and do an oral report about France, so I spoke of my adventures there this past summer, but in order to get my details right I had to reread my journal that I kept while I was there. I almost cried because I missed it so very much. It is quite awing how such a journey can have such an impact on ones life.
I am not sure where life may lead me, but I hope Camille and I will be able to see each other soon.

Sharing humor

Mmmmmmmmhm. So for the past few months my French friend Camille would talk about this tv show called Grey's Anatomy. Since she is studying to be a doctor she really likes this show and since it is from the U.S. She would always ask me if I heard of it or watched it, but since I do not usually watch tv I had never watched it even though many of my friends did. But a few days ago one of my friends gave me the first season to watch, and as I am watching it right now I am on episode 4. It is quite entertaining, interesting, but also a little sad. I can see why she loves it so. I think it is rather intriguing how even though we are across the sea, we both can enjoy the same tv and movies. Fun to share so many aspects in our lives together.

French Sister

Last weekend I went to Los Vegas for my choir’s mini tour, where we sang concerts at a school and different churches. On my Facebook though I had written how we had passed about 10 little chapels in a row and all I needed was a man to marry me (because it’s what people do in Vegas apparently). Camille, my French friend, commented telling me that I should meet a French man and marry him, so that I could move to France and be with her. She really does make me laugh, but I know that she truly is one of my best friends.

               We call each other sister: I her American sister, and she my French sister. It still is really wonderful to me that one can be so deeply connected to another, even across the continent. She brings such a smile to my face, and I do miss her greatly. Hopefully soon I shall be able to visit her again.

               We talked today. She has been extremely busy with studying to be a doctor, her classes very hard and taking up all of her time. She joked a little today about how she is not in an English class anymore and is afraid she will lose her English speaking skills. I just told her I will get very good at French so we can still talk.

               I would love to be in France right now. At the café, drinking an orange hot cocoa, laughing with her and friends as I try to pronounce French words properly. It would be lovely to be back at the Normandy beach listening to the waves wash over the smooth stones that make up the beach instead of sand, such a smooth noise that can lull one to sleep. Being able to pull cherries straight off the trees we walk by and stain our fingers from the juices. Their culture is so wonderful, I may not completely agree with the government over there, but culture wise I adore it, the people really aren’t as rude as we perceive them to be. Truthfully, compared to Oklahoma, California is full of not so friendly people, but I guess it is just something about the Midwest.

               Well. Bonne nuit!

TOMs Shoes. A Day Without

TOMs

An organization dedicated to donating shoes to children all across the world who do not own shoes.

“In 2006, American traveler Blake Mycoskie befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One. Blake returned to Argentina with a group of family, friends and staff later that year with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by TOMS customers.”[1]

What would it be like to grow up without shoes? What most people do not know is how many children grow up without ever owning a pair of shoes. Day to day walking around barefoot: cuts, bruising and diseases easily transmitted from the soil the children walk on without any form of protection.

Imagine:

•A leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted diseases, which can penetrate the skin through bare feet. Wearing shoes can help prevent these diseases, and the long-term physical and cognitive harm they cause.[2]

•Wearing shoes also prevents feet from getting cuts and sores. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected.[3]

•Many times children can't attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don't have shoes, they don't go to school. If they don't receive an education, they don't have the opportunity to realize their potential.[4]

               So if you happen to have some extra money, or want to buy someone a gift, a pair of TOMs shoes would be a gift worth giving, one not only for the person you love, but for a child in need.

               April 5^th, 2011 is a day without shoes. It is a day where people who support the cause take off their shoes to raise awareness of how much no shoes impact so many children’s lives.

               I am hoping you will join me in raising awareness. God calls us to disciple around the not just the nation, but the world. We need to reach out to those across the world, and what better way than to share our love and support with other countries, showing how much we love their children and want them to live healthy lives with the opportunities of education. Help me get the word out about TOMs shoes, and even the day without shoes.

Only 59 days away. How many people can you tell by then?

---

[1] http://www.toms.com/our-movement/movement-one-for-one

[2] toms

[3] toms

[4] toms