Un "BON" week-end

I spent a wonderful weekend with Bonita, my parents' college/work friend.  My mom has kept in touch with her throughout the years, and, as it turns out, she only lives 5 hours away in New York.  Through the suggestion of my mom, we worked out a trip for her to come, and I'm so glad she did! 

We had so much fun around the city!  We started off the weekend on Friday and walked around downtown Montreal, exploring Rue St-Catherine and Place des Arts before riding the metro to Ile St-Helene and Ile Notre-Dame to check out the finale of the summer fireworks competition. 

Saturday consisted of many different adventures.  In the morning we headed to Vieux Montreal and Vieux Port for a tour.  We then had a delicious lunch at a small cafe before heading to Jean-Talon Market to get some fresh produce.  We took those fruits with us on what turned out to be an extra-long hike up to the summit of Mont Royal, trekking through neighbourhoods, a cemetery, forests, and along the edge of a highway.  It makes for some great memories!  The day ended with a relaxing night at the apartment cooking dinner and watching some Olympics and a movie.

We woke early Sunday for church, and afterward, we headed to Oratoire St-Joseph after lunch.  We got to hear some of an organ concert while also seeing the amazing view from the bottom AND top of the cathedral.  After that, we had to say goodbye, but it was a fun-packed weekend.  So glad you got to come, Bon!!!

Bug Me: The Hidden Joy of Inconveniences

There I was, minding my own business.  Well, actually I was enjoying a nice evening at a festival called “Weekends of the World,” and I was having a good time watching the Latina section show off their salsa, meringue, and cha-cha...but back to the story.  There weren’t many places to sit, so my friend and I chose to sit upon a stone wall near some bushes. 

So there I was, and that’s when I felt it, something crawling on my leg.  Without looking, I swiped it away, and as I looked down, I saw a huge spider crawling away on the ground.  No harm done, I thought to myself, and there was no reason to make a fuss over it.  Bugs are bugs, and I try not to be too afraid of them or get too bothered by them.  Being so proud in my lack of reaction to the spider, I turned my attention back to the dancers.  My friend sitting next to me, however, jumped up after looking at me.  Thinking she was afraid of the spider who was now crawling its way back up the stone wall, I started to reassure her that it was fine.  However, it was I that needed a talking to as she pointed and said, “You don’t want to know…you don’t want to know.”  I looked to where she was pointing, down at my shorts, and that’s when I saw it, a HUGE bug had attached itself to my clothes.  This indeed caught me off guard, and I immediately jumped up, dropped everything in my hands (including my camera), screamed, and flicked the bug off of me.  

I had successfully created a scene.  Next, my friend and I looked at each other, and we just started laughing.  I, of course, was embarrassed about screaming as many people were now staring, but laughing made the situation way better.  The bug was doing just fine on the ground, slightly better than the camera, also still on the ground.  So of course we had to take pictures of the bug.  The pictures really don’t do it justice.  The bug was slightly larger than the size of a silver dollar (you know, those coins the tooth fairy used to bring), which is of course why I was so frightened at first.  But none of this is the point.

By this seemingly incident, we were able to meet people who we otherwise wouldn’t have gotten to talk to on normal terms.  You see, most people were standing there watching the dancers and enjoying the music, not really allowing for lots of interaction between people as their focus was on the performance.  However, because of what I’m guessing was frantic behavior on my part, the door was opened for conversation.  People came to see what had happened, if we were all right, etc.  My friend Sini ended up in conversation with a couple local people, and it turns out they were Christians too!  She got to have an encouraging conversation with them and even the chance to reconnect with them during the course of the summer.  As for me, I ended up in a conversation with a man from Turkey.  Originally he had thought that I screamed because I dropped my camera, but then he realized the whole bug situation.  This started a conversation, and after talking for awhile, he commented how happy and positive I seemed to be about life.  This led me straight into telling him why I was so happy, and I was able to share about the joy I have because of Christ.  We chatted for a bit more and before going our separate ways, he commented how he thought it was great that I had such purpose and strong belief system.  No, he didn’t give his life to the Lord right there and nothing especially miraculous happened, but I am thankful for the seed that was planted in his life.  I find that it’s always so exciting to share about my Savior, and I’m thankful for the opportunity that I had to do so last night, all because of a bug!  Please be praying with me that God uses others to continue to plant, water, and cultivate seeds in this Turkish man’s life that he may come to the saving knowledge of Jesus!

Why am I sharing all of this?  Well, for one, it’s slightly comical so I thought you might all at least get a smile out of my frantic behavior.  Secondly, though, I want to encourage you all to look for the purpose in seemingly small incidents, especially in ones that could be considered inconvenient.  It was inconvenient for a bug to crawl on me in that moment when I was trying to enjoy the festival performance.  It was inconvenient for me to drop my camera and for it to get a little bit broken.  It was embarrassing to have all those people staring at me.  But you know, God had a plan, and believers were able to be encouraged through the situation, and a man was able to hear about the wonderful hope there is in Christ!  Throughout Jesus’ time on earth, we see numerous times where Jesus was stopped on His way to somewhere or in the middle of His teaching in order to meet someone’s needs.  In fact, it’s hard to recall a time when this didn’t happen!  And yet, He wasn’t disturbed or annoyed; He was always ready to do the will of His Father in helping people and bringing hope, and ultimately, He died an inconvenient death in order to save us all.  Let us all be encouraged today to not be bothered by the inconveniences but to listen closely to the Holy Spirit, to be available to be used by God in those moments!   May we have the attitude of, “Bug Me!”    

Blessings, friends!  :)

Montreal Bucket List Update!

Bonjour mes amis!!!

Well, here I am again, writing this blog.   More apologies for not updating this frequently enough.  I find that there is so much to do that I get caught up with everything else ;)  But, not to fear, because I'm here to catch you up with what's been going on.  :)

Mostly, I would like to review my Montreal Bucket List from before and give you an update about how everything is going:
1.  Run to the summit of Mont Royal (6-7 km)
      --I have yet to run to the summit, although I have run up the Mont a couple of times already (just not to the summit yet).  I have also walked up to the summit already.  I plan on running all the way to the top in the next couple of weeks.
2.  Explore Old Montreal
      --I have done this!  I would still like to do it more, but it's such a beautiful part of Montreal with such rich history.
3.  Go to local public markets
      --I plan to do this in the next couple weeks so stay tuned!  My mom went while she was here and LOVED it. 
4.  Attend mass at Notre Dame Basilica
      --I have visited but haven't attended mass yet.
5.  Tour Montreal's City Hall
      --I will have to find some friends to do this with  :)
6.  Learn to dance during weekly summer ballroom dancing lessons
      --I plan on going this weekend!  I saw them teaching last weekend but unfortunately didn't get to stop and learn.
7.  Visit some of Montreal's museums
      --I still need to research the best options here.  The art museum is not far so I think I shall try that.  :)
8.  See the gardens on Notre Dame island
      --Not done yet, although I have been to the island.  I even drove my car around the racetrack!
9.  Explore the "underground city"
      --I have done some of this, but in the summer it's so great to be outside.
10. Do some sort of water activity on the St. Lawrence River
      --I'm not quite sure how I will accomplish this yet, but I'm looking into my options.
11. Enjoy the Jazz Festival in July
      --I was fortunate enough to attend four different nights, seeing at least 8 different concerts.  The talent of the performers was amazing!  It was so great; I think I shall return here in the future for the festival  :)
12. Walk around the Mont Royal Cemetery
      --I drove around last week.  It is much to massive to walk around, I think, but it is a very interesting place indeed.

Other goals for the summer:
1.  Practice my French
      --This is going okay.  I'm starting to recognize more and more of what people are saying.  I've been able to order a couple of times in French already.  :)  Friends at church and work are helping me some, too!
2.  Read at least a book a week (or more!)
      --I'm actually a little behind on this.  I've been here four full weeks, but I am only on my third book.  I hope to catch up this week!
3.  Keep training for half marathon
      --By God's grace I have been doing this.  I run about 3-4 miles five days a week, and I usually have an increasingly longer run on Saturdays.  It's hard to get motivated but so rewarding to persevere and do it!
4.  Meet lots of new, fun friends
      --YAY!  I've met most of these friends at church, but I have a few in the office as well.  God is so good the way He provides above and beyond what we ask for.  :)
5.  Buy a bike and utilize it
      --Sadly, I don't think I'm going to do this one.  It turns out I don't really need a bike since I'm so close to everything.  It would probably end up more of a hassle.


As you can see, some of these are done, others partially done, and a good number have yet to be done.  However, I hope to accomplish many of these in my remaining weeks.  Okay, this is all for now, but I just wanted to give you a brief update as well as some fun pictures.   

A+ (or @+, which is short for A' plus, meaning until later)
Rebekah

Ma Famille Me Rend Visite!

I had a great time with my Mom, Grandma Yarnell, and Aunt Peggy last week when they came to visit.  We had lots of fun adventures, including visiting the Biodome, St Helene Island, Olympic Park, the Botannical Gardens, hiking up Mont Royal, enjoying the jazz festival and exploring all the different types of food around Montreal.  They also toured the Old City and Port and visited the Jean Talon Market while I was at work.  Aunt Peggy even went to a Cirque du Soleil show!  Here are some pictures from the highlights of the visit:

Bonjours mes amis! 

Apologies for not posting sooner!  I have been getting adjusted to the city, and it's hard to believe that I have almost been here a week already! 

About Work
I'm working for Air Liquide Canada as an international intern.  They're the same company I worked for last summer except this time it's the Canadian division instead of the United States division.  I'm working with the Metal Fabrication group, which basically means I'm working with our customers who buy gas in cylinders.  I'm specifically doing a lot with the marketing department.  It's a little bit different perspective than my traditional engineering perspective, but I'm excited for the learning experience.  That said, it's good that I do have an engineering background because it helps me understand the products more since I have an idea what's going on.  The culture in the company/office is really fun to be a part of.  Almost everyone is billingual in French and English, with the exception of the few of us Anglos who don't speak French ;)  Many choose to speak French primarily so I spend some of my time figuring out what people passing by are saying.  But everyone here is very laid back and friendly.  It's a really good work environment.

About the City
The city of Montreal is very diverse.  There is, of course, the mix of history and contemporary.  There is a mix of languages (primarily French and English but others as well) and with that, a mix of cultures.  There are people of all ages here, and there seem to be people here from all over the world as well.  It's really amazing to see all this diversity!  It makes for all kinds of different foods to try, things to see, and people to meet.  It's been really exciting so far.  I've done a lot of walking around the city, and my favorite is to walk around Old Montreal and the Old Port.  I'm so fascinated by the architecture and old buildings, as well as by all the shops and things down by the riverfront.  I have yet to journey to Mont Royal, but I look forward to doing that soon.  For now, I just look at it outside my window at work everyday.  Haha

My apartment is up close to everything for the most part.  I can go almost anywhere from it, and I try to take advantage of doing that!  I walk to work, to church, to the store, to the Old Port, around other parts of town.  It's been really fun.  The apartment itself is very nice, as well.  It's a bit strange living all by myself, but there is so much to do around me that I don't really get bored. 

I'm currently training for a half-marathon so I've been running after work everyday.  It's another great way to become familiar with the city.  I just pick a 3 or so mile route and hope that it has sidewalks!  Haha, but it really is a great way to become more familiar with the city, and the weather isn't too bad here to run in.  People here think it's pretty hot/humid, but they have no idea what I've experience in Indiana, Texas, and the Philippines.  I'm a big fan of the weather here so far.  It's usually pretty warm but not suffocatingly so.  It's a really beautiful city, and I really enjoy living here.

I am trying to improve my French while I'm here, but I find that it takes a lot of discipline.  Since most people speak English, it's easy to revert back to English instead of practicing my French.  However, I am trying to practice as I walk around town, especially in the stores and when greeting people.  I hope to be able to report in the coming weeks that I'm improving.  We'll see.

About Church
Before coming, I started searching for churches via the web.  I didn't really know where to start so I began searching for churches affiliated with the Pentecostal Assembloes of Canada (PAOC), which is the Canadian equivalent for the U.S.  Assemblies of God.  I narrowed down the search to churches within Montreal and then began to see how close the churches were to Air Liquide's office.  I knew I would be within walking distance of the office so I hoped to find a church within walking distance as well.  I also prayed before coming that God would provide a good church and church community for me to connect with this summer.  In my web searchings, I stumbled upon a church called Evangel, which is in walking distance of my apartment.  I went to their community groups, which is on Fridays, and I met many other young adults right away.  There are people from so many different backgrounds, and it was awesome meeting all of them.  We had a great time of worship and then a good time of discussion together.  Then around 15 of us went out for a time of eating and fellowship afterwards.  I feel blessed to have ended up there, and I'm excited to worship there the rest of this summer.  God is good!  He amazes me just how exactly He answers prayer!

Thanks for reading!  I'll be trying to keep this as up to date as possible.  Also, I'd love to keep in contact this summer with any of you so either Facebook me, email me (steeler@purdue.edu), or find me on Skype (rebekah.d.steele)!  :)

À la prochaine!
Rebekah

Montreal Bucket List

Okay, so since I'm going to be living in Montreal this summer, I figure I might as well take advantage of it!  Thus, I've been researching things to do in the city, and have come up with a list of things I want to do before I leave.  I reserve the the right to add to this as I discover more things  ;)

1.  Run to the summit of Mont Royal (6-7 km)
2.  Explore Old Montreal
3.  Go to local public markets
4.  Attend mass at Notre Dame Basilica
5.  Tour Montreal's City Hall
6.  Learn to dance during weekly summer ballroom dancing lessons
7.  Visit some of Montreal's museums
8.  See the gardens on Notre Dame island
9.  Explore the "underground city"
10. Do some sort of water activity on the St. Lawrence River
11. Enjoy the Jazz Festival in July
12. Walk around the Mont Royal Cemetery

Other goals for the summer:
1.  Practice my French
2.  Read at least a book a week (or more!)
3.  Keep training for half marathon
4.  Meet lots of new, fun friends
5.  Buy a bike and utilize it

But for now, I have quite a few weeks until I leave so there won't be an update for quite awhile, I'm sure  ;)