Le week-end avec JULIE!

This weekend I went to Laval and Montréal with JULIE! We went to her parents Camping trailor, rode on their golf cart, ate CLUB HOUSE SANDWICHES! soo yummy, watches movies, pet her cats, julie went for a tan, I did homework, and yeah! Below are just a few pictures, others are on facebook.. go and look :)

If you click on the photos it makes them bigger :)

That cat has to be my favorite cat alive now! It has such an attitude. Ie. If you pet it wrong, it hisses at you, you let it down, it walks away, turns around and hisses at you again, Its such a big cat! Well I call it chunkers and Julie doesn't like it. His name is Nunushé (Noo-noo-sh) (Noo is pronounced with the Noo-noo on teletubbies..). It was beautiful the whole weekend. There were tons of bees at her parents Camping trailor. They had a electric fly swatter and everytime i went to kill a bee, i got it first try, they called me the fearless bee killer. We went down by the lake and wrote in the sand, as you can see above, and jsut had a nice time speaking french and relaxing.

Now being back at Béthel its time for the books. I woke up at 5:15am this morning to do my book report. It took me 2 hours to do a 5 minute speach about a little kids book, "Quentin le patin" (Quentin the skater for those who didn't understand) and now I'm going back to the books to do the homework that I missed from class on friday because I left for the weekend. It was fun overall, but now its thinking time :)

Picture time!

Well i guess you need pictures again and I'll introduce some people.

Meet Olivier. He's basically my best friend here and has helped me so much! We had a theme day, thats why he is dressed up (i don't have cowboy stuff). Yeahh pretty much.

Meet Julie on the left and Débora on the right. They are super cool! Julie is one of the only girls that knows alot of english. I talk to her the most out of the girls. She too, along with Olivier have helped me tons. Don't know what i could do without them. Its goign to be hard next year without them

We had a youth rally and these things were set up, so we attacked them with pictures. Here is my favorite. Maxiem on the left and Julie on the right

JULIE!!!

and finally my wall of 169 pictures! I miss everyone on it :(

There is nothing really new in my life besides I'VE BEEN GETTING SNAIL MAIL! My most favorite thing here is snail mail. I like the thought that people take time out of their life to sit down and write me a letter. Its makes me happy. Then i write them back and attack the envelope with markers and colour it so it is pretty. So if you write me a letter, and i write you back, you will be able to find my letter in your pile of mail really easily! If you want my address, e-mail me at: ericabraam@hotmail.com



I don't want a creeper reading this and finding where i live exactly. Anyways, dinner!!

HOly mollllllllllllly!!

Last night we had a reunion of past years coming back and seeing the school and having a little barbeque thing. They had all the choirs go up and sing songs they had sung while here and it was just great to see. After that people went up to speak about where they are at and how they have been the past year. When the choir from last year went up to sing, they sung, "Voice of Truth" but in french. That song is an amazing song! You know how when you hear something really sad or else a song that really touches you, you get this fuzzy feeling and you just want to cry? Well that is how I feel everytime i hear "Voice of Truth". Even though it was in french tonight, I still knew what they were saying. It has got to be one of my favorite songs ever! Well there are a few others, but that is one of the best now.

So my thoughts now. As I was saying before about my plans verses Gods plans? Well let me tell you a story. Growing up in a Christian school and going to a christian youth group and going to a christian church... well we'll just put it this way, I've been surrounded by Christianity all my life. For the last 2 years I have been attending the Pentacostal Youth Group. It has been a blessing going there and Casey, oh Casey, he is my life saving HERO!!! Every time we are singing he always says, "Connect with God and just hear what He is telling you. " or "Press in! Keep Pressing in!" Well I tried and tried, and all around me I could sence that the other people were. I would try and try, but never really understood what it truly ment. Then Casey would start to speak in tongues and all I could think about was that he was there with God and he was having a "God moment" as I call them. I always tried, but never really got anything it felt like. I would just be standing there, singing, lifting my arms in the air, praying afterwards, having people pray for me (while I'm balling my eyes out, casey always makes me cry it feels like, HEYYY!!) but I never really had a sence of what they ment. Pastors would always talk about visions they had and talk frequently about what God was telling them. Honestly, I've never had a moment like that. A feeling that God was there. A sign that He was there and showing me where to go. A path showing me where to go and how to follow it. Well things have changed this year. Here is my novel. You ready?

In 2007 or 2008, don't remember when, but the Watotos Childrens choir came to visit. We had two people stay with us. A man by the name of Gideon and a little boy named Samuel. It was so sweet having them stay with us. Gideon was talking about how in Africa, in the Watoto village, they were needing help with things. I asked him millions of questions about how to get connected with the program and was wondering if it was at all possible that I could work there after I graduated. Gideon went on telling me that if I wanted to work in the Watoto village, all I would need to do is just contact them, fill out a bunch of paperwork, and I should be good to go. I was so stoked to do it, but then college came up. I wanted to go to college also. I applied to numerous colleges, but the only one I got accepted to was Parole de Vie Béthel here in Sherbrooke, Quebec. My original plan was to do the French Immersion program, but after coming here and being in the bible and french classes, it got to be a little bit stressful. I had to take a test when I got here to see where my level of french was. Then on friday I had to take an immersion test to see if my french is good enough to be in the immersion program (bible and french). I needed to get 60% to be in, but I only got 51.95% 52%. I was so proud of that mark! I thought I was going to do really bad because there were 50 long answer questions to do and it was redonculous!, but I didn't get to their passing mark, so now I'm just in the french program. Next year though I am going to come back and do the immersion program. Earlier friday morning, before I took the test, (don't know if I've said it already, but I will say it again) I talked to Wayne Josephson asking him if i could just be in the french program and not the immersion because it would have been a waste of money paying for a course that I don't know what is going on, can't do the homework properly, fail every test, and not understand what the teacher is talking about. He said that he would have to talk to my teacher, Mariette Plante and Michel Roby to see what they could do about my situation. After lunch I was checking my e-mail when Mme Josefson came to get me. She brought me into Mr. Josefsons office and they told me the news.

They showed me my test and I was super stoked about the grade. I thought I was going to fail it, but the test showed that i was wrong and PASSED! Just never passed the 60% that i needed to get into the immersion program. They were glad that I had talked to them earlier about just being in the french program because they didn't want to have to break it to me and me be really upset about it. Now that I'm just in the french program I had to buy a program called, "Rosetta Stone". It is a hands-on program that teaches you french. Everyday I have to do 2 hours of it, maybe more, to catch up to the other students doing Rosetta Stone. Well here is the rest of my story.

After being accepted, I looked more into the Watoto website and it turns out that the children there speak french and english, but mostly french. HOLLLAAA!!!! 2 pieces of my puzzle together :) Being here has been crazy, as I've said numerous other times. Last night I had a dream, but it felt like a vision! Crazy? I know! It was about me being back here at PdVB, but I wasn't in the same class. This time i was in Evangelism and I understood what was going on and there were new people. Is this showing me that it is next year? Am I being shown that I will be here next year? Am I supposed to be here next year in the immersion program? So many questions that I wish I had answers for, but I guess i will have to see how everything pans out.

One of the things we can do here is Evangelism with Children. I got asked if I wanted to be part of it and I said I would if they needed me. This would be a great experience and it would show me what it would be like in Africa. Africa has always been a place that I wanted to go and there are quite a few missionaries here that are going to Africa. They would love to have me go with them if i wanted to, but maybe after being here I will go there and visit them and stay and work with them. Who knows what could happen. Anything could, but I will just wait and see what God's plan is now. I've made plans, but they have all changed since being here and who knows what else could change. The world is a big place and its just waiting for me to open the doors and join whatever is given to me.

PARTYY!

Last night we had a suprise party for one of our RAs... residential assistants. We ate black forest cake and just chilled. It was Great fun!!

Setting up

The Cake :)

One of my RA's Cathrine!

Most of us girls... just missing 2

The birthday girl SARA!

Ma coloc (room mate) SHÉILA! She's super awesome!

Update on yesterdays post, I am not going to be doing the immersion program, but instead just doing the french program and next year I can do the immersion program if my french has improved strongly. Here, this is God's doing all over! Its amazing whats happening. Since being here I have helped one of my friends at home, well Hongcouver. I told her why I wanted to come to bible school and it influenced her in her everyday life. She's made so many foolish choices like me and wants to start her life again and try and stop doing the things she knows are hurting her. It makes me feel good knowing that I am helping people even though I am over here, 5 provinces away, in good old quebec.

stay in immersion program... just be in french....

Thats pretty much all that is going through my head right now. I took my immersion test today and it was so hard! My brain was about to explode because of everything. I talked to Mr. Josephson... the high head guy.. don't know his title and either does he, and he is going to talk to my french teacher and the other french teacher to see what is going to happen. I am going to come back here next year and do the immersion program, if my french improves, if it doesn't then I am going to do french courses again. I want to be bilingual and going to do everything I can to learn it now. The bible students got told today that they can't speak english with me unless i need help with a word. Otherwise it is all going to be in french. The reason why I kinda want to just go into the french courses and not immersion, is because then I would be paying for a class that I don't understand and I will be paying to fail which sucks really badly. So yeah. We had a bible test this morning and it was a very easy test for them, but hard for me. Why?? I didn't know some words and then i didn't get the question becasue of the word and then the question went out the window. ITS SO HARD I TELL YOU!!!!!!



The girls in the other room, the ones with BIG BERTHA! int he window just discovered her today. I was getting changed when i heard a huge scream! i thought someone got hurt or got told horrible news, but nope, they just found BIG BERTHA! There is another one outside of the door by the kitchen,but I dont really want to get near it. Its so nastyy!! why do spiders have to be discusting and live here!!! I'd rather there be bugs than spiders. Its horrible!

Dinner is ready and I'm going to find out what it is and eat it : )

CHOI!

How Great Is our God!

Its amazing how much more I learn about the bible being here in one week than I have my whole life at my old school. Not trying to bash it, but I really didnt learn much. I guess having to translate everything makes me pay attention more, but its amazing all Ive learned. Today we went over the 5 Ps of life at Parole de Vie. I cant remember all of them right now,but they are all written in my bible. Well I remember some... Patience, Perseverence, Pardon (Forgiveness), and thats all i remember. My french has improved ten times than what it was. I am really starting to enjoy it all. The people are so amazing. They are all really nice and they look out for eachother. We have only been together for not even a week.... 3 days... and we are starting to act like family. In some ways we kind of have to because we will be here for a year, but thats besides the point. Next weekend we are doing our first outting. It will be a very interesting experience, due to we have to speak french and speak the word of God. I am pretty sure I am just going to say,¨Dieu t'aime.¨.... meaning God loves you.

Lunch time : )

My furry friends that i dont really like that much.

Ever since the day i got here there have been 4 creatures that i absolutely hate. If you know me well you would know that i strongly hate spiders and they creep me out to no end and yeahh. Basically I am an Arachnophobic.... if thats even a word. You know the nursery rhyme, Little Miss Muffet? Yeahhh pretty much i would run if one came up beside me. SO yeah i have 2 little spiders outside my window, Bob (left window) and Larry(right window), and Joe and George are outside the window when you just get up the stairs. Then today i met a new one. Big Bertha!! She is HUGE!! She is one that i really want to kill get rid of. Well you want pictures?? Let me introduce you to:

BOB

LARRY (he likes to hide)

JOE

GEORGE

BIG BERTHA

So now you know my not-so-favorite creatures ever! hope you enjoyed it. Today I went to church that was all in french. The only thing i understood was mind boggeling, due to him saying it in english... this is going to be a long year now... ohhh dear. Tomorrow my COLOC comes! Coloc is my newest word. Its roommate... ohh and you know the song: Alouette?? Holy, do you know what it means? Let me tell you..

Little birdie plucking out your feathers

Little Birdy starting from the head

I plucked it from you head

Plucked it again

Pluck, Pluck, Pluck, Pluck OHHHHH

Little birdie plucking out your feathers

LIttle birdie starting from your head.

Ohh the things our parents and teachers teach us as a little kid. No wonder all the french people find it funny that english people sing that song. Its amazing what you find out when you learn a new language. :P

The post of pictures

On August 25th I flew to Quebec to stay with my friend Alexandra. Here are a few pictures of us. The first one is us in a club (didnt drink, but danced the night away.) We met up with her friends Steven (on the right) and ____ Dont remember his name on the left, but he is super nice.

Here are pictures of my dorm... its clean now, only because i took the pictures the day i moved in. It still is very clean, just more stuff.

The closet looking thing, the right side is mine, and the other side is my roommates, but shes still not here yet. Then people were wondering what my new hair cut looked like and here it is!

Before:

AFTER:

Well thats all i have for now. Later I will post a video of the campus... maybe, if i get around to make it, and a picture of my roommate. Today I went to Wal*mart and got things that were too big for my mother to send me and things i needed. I needed a new pillow since mine is to thin now and it was $12 for 1 pillow, a bamboo or a down-pillow, but I got 2 Symmons beauty rest pillows for $10.... good shopping?? I could have gotten a $7 one, but it wasnt comfy. Then I made tea, relaxed, studied a tiny bit and now on the computer.

My day has been kinda boring

One week down, many more to come

WOOT! Week one is done, but still i have so many more to go. Its been a crazy but fun week. Tomorrow is my walmart date with a couple that live on campus. When i got here and unpacked, i finally realized how much i actually forgot to pack. Im not suprised i forgot alot since i was only home for a week and it was filled with wedding plans and then packing when i could. Tonight we are having a get together with the people that are here and then more studying... gosh i hate studying and trying to learn a new language. COming here i thought it would be easy. I knew alot of french, or so i thought, and i thought it would come to me easily. HOly was i ever wrong. Its so hard and yeah. THats basically it.

This mornign i woke up with a sore arm because it fell asleep on me and just flopped like a dead fish.. it felt wierd. That is my story of the day

choir auditions, french class, sleep in

This morning started good. I didnt have classes this morning so i got to sleep in. It was wonderful! Well i slept in till 9am, normally i wake up at 630am, got out of bed, and then started to study. Pretty much I am that dedicated... well i want to learn a new language so why not : ) For lunch we had Tortallini with Tomato sauce and Meat and at every meal they always say, Thank goodness we arent vegetarians because then we wouldnt get to eat this! Then they look at me because i had told them i previously was one and they didnt understand why i would put myself through all that horror. I just got out of my Class Dress and into my informal or casual clothes as they say.

Here at the school there are different dresses. Class Dress, Informal/Casual, Choir, and Formal. Class dress you wear in class and it has to be dress pants with a dress shirt. Dress pants cant be jeans or have pockets sewn on the outside. They cant be tight and they have to look nice. The shirt cant have A big design on it, but can have a little logo in the bottom corner or the top corner of your shirt. Your cleavage has to be covered and cant be shown (its like it for every dress. they want you to be modest with what you wear). Your foot wear cant be rubber flip flops but cloth ones are okay (only for females), high heals, or flats. They have to be dress shoes for males and female shoes have to look nice no matter what. Do you understand what class dress is? If you dont, no worries, it took me 2 days to fully understand what they were talking about and I dumbed down their version for you.
Casual Wear can be anything you like, but the shorts have to be to your knees when your standing, and when sitting they cant ride up to much. The shirts can be anything you want, but once again you have to be modest with what you wear. You cant have writing on the butt because it draws the guys eyes to much and its not appealing. You can wear sneakers if you feel like it, but they cant have holes all over them. You still have to have nice footwear.
Formal is a dark Skirt with a white blouse with nice shoes. Thats the end of it, well for males its different, but i dont know all of their rules.
Choir is like formal, but you wear a scarf they give you and when on tours we have to wear beige pants with a Parole de Vie Béthel shirt.

I had choir auditions at 4:30. Those who live in the dorms are in the choir but you still have to do auditions to find out what section you are in, whether is saprano, alto, bass, or tenor. I am in the saprano section. I sang Shout to the Lord, but it was in such a high key that i was forced to sing high. It was hard, but i did it. Supper is in a few minutes and then studying after, unless we have something fun planned, but no clue about it. Last night we went to a bible study at the Béthel church in town. It was all in french but i know they were talking about the Mark 4-6. I got that much of it. It was cool to go to, but very long feeling.

No clue whatelse to write, but message me if you have questions : )

Choi!

AHHHH!!

Its so crazy here! Its nuts. I had my one and only chapel period in english today. They talked about how you need to get the burnens off your back and give them up to God to handle. THen they read from Proverbs 11 and Mark 8. They were great passages and really showed me alot. DO you know how people say that you are in a place for a reason and God has a plan for you? Well I am experiencing that now. After yesterday, talking to Mme Jo, I really started to see why I am here. Its all because of Gods will. Tons of girls applied to be in the french immersion program, but i was the one picked. Why they picked a girl that lives 5 provinces away and speakes little french? Thats what I am wondering but i know its becasue its where God wants me to be. This past year has been ful of problems and it was rough and hard to get through. I was hanging out with the wrong crowds and my parents didnt like who i was hanging out with. Then tons of problems started to errupt and then i lost the friends who i thought were my best friends. In a way i think that was God trying to send me a message to get away from them and show me that its not the life that i should be living and bible school is the place to go.

When i first wanted to apply, I was sitting in principles of math 12 and looking through all the criteria and the rules they had (you can look for them on www.pdvb.org) and my fellow classmates were telling me not to go and to find a different college because PdV Béthel sounded like a prision school. All but one told me not to go. This one person is my hero and I am glad she talked me into going. I used her as my reference and people wondered why? Why, because i knew she was there for me and was wanting me to go to a christian college. Shes like Gods gift to the world.

So now that I am here, I know that God has a plan. He either wants me to be in the French immersion biblical program or else just in the French Program. We will see what happens next friday after my exam. Now i am really cold and going into my dorm to warm up my ice cube fingers and try and study some more.

french french and more french.

Yesterday, after traveling on a bus for 3 hours, we finally reached SHERBROOKE!! Its nice to be done traveling to college. On Sunday night Alexandra wanted to take me clubbing one last time. We didnt want to drink, only dance the night away, so thats what we did. Sorry i lied, we drank water, but that doesnt count. : )

Life in Sherbrooke is awesome. Its a really small campus. I live in the dorms. My roommate still hasnt come yet because she is in the biblical program and they come on monday. My bed is soooooo hard. Its like sleeping on the floor, but somehow I sleep better on it than I do on my own bed. Today i took my french exam to see where i am at and i bombed it. I couldnt think right and half the things on the test i know for a fact that i learned it in school because my notes say so and then on the test they turned out to be wrong. I was so frustrated. I went back to my dorm room and started to ball my eyes out. Right then, Mme Jo came in and gave me comfort. Honestly this lady is amazing. i dont know what i would do without her. Probably just have break downs all the time. The end result of my test is that i have until next friday to un learn what i learned at school last year, because it was wrong, and relearn it the right way. Its going to be much harder this way.

TOmorrow is my bible exam in that is in french. Hopefully i do better on it!