Dead Sea

I went to the Dead Sea. It was incredible. The water has special healing properties - not just the water, but the mud. I don't really understand why, but for centuries it's helped people with all kinds of skin disorder.

It may be partly because the dead sea is at the lowest point on earth, or maybe because it's saltier than the Salt Lake, or a combination of factors, but you float.

I mean, you REALLY float.

You just lay back and voila, you're on your back, floating. No effort. In fact, when you try to go down, you can't. You can't swim. It's the weirdest thing ever.

A single drop of the water got into my eye and screamed, "F@CK F*CK F%CK F&CK F#CK!!!" Marie-Amelie pulled me out of the water, and got me my towel, thankfully. I felt like my eye was gushing blood. One tiny single drop.

I went to the Dead Sea with the group of French students from the University of Marseilles. Besides Malek, they are my best friends at the University. They leave next week, which is sad.

We stayed up talking, singing, and swimming (brrrr) until 4:30 in the morning last night.

I took a real shower.

My brain is tired from changing languages on command. It's hard to think in Arabic, French, and English at the same time. Nobody speaks English as their mother language. Mooshkila.

One of the neatest experiences for me since being here was in Ayhem's hotel room. He organized and carried out the trip. He invited us all for a drink (yes alcohol, and no I didn't drink, and no they didn't get drunk, and no, they didn't pressure me to drink, and yes I went because I felt like being sociable), so we were all hanging out there in the hotel room, and somebody said something that triggered my thoughts to the song, "You Aint Nothin' but a Hound-dog!" so I started singing...

One of Ayhem's many cousins who was with us said, "Oh, I know who that is. It's John Travolta."

"What? ARE YOU FREAKING CRAZY? That's Elvis Freaking Presley!"

"No no, I seed movie once, was with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John! I sure this song is him!"

"Okay, I know that you know a lot about my culture, and I'm not saying you're stupid, but that song is DEFINITELY by Elvis Presley."

The French kids were laughing hysterically, all (of course) taking my side.

"Okay okay okay maybe you right, but you ever see Grease?"

"Of course!" - and I erupted into, "Summer lovin', happened so faaast..."

Alex, one of the French students, started singing the guy's part, and some of the other girls did background vocals. It was like something exploded. We started singing song after song.

Eventually, the Arabs were like, "Sing something in Arabic!" I burst into a chorus of (what is probably the most annoying Arabic pop song ever) "Ya Tab Tab, wa dela'aaa..." followed by, "ba7bk, ana kateer, ya habebe dela'aa tela'alaaaaaay." The Arabs with us (Ayhem and two of his cousins) sang along, all of us in hysterics.

The French students don't speak Arabic. After we finished that, I started singing, "Quand il me prend dans ses bras, il me parle tout bas, je vois la vie en roooose..." and EVERY single one of them sang along.

It was a big deal for me, sitting there. I was the only one in the room that understood everything going on, who could share in every single part of what was happening. I have a really special gift. I should not underestimate the power or importance of my language skills.

I made a vow to myself that I will use them in my life.

Sunday in France

I went to the Rennes Ward today - Paroisse, on dit en bon Francais. It was a branch when I left. It's not really that it's grown very much in this area of the world, but because they changed the boundaries to make a Stake.

Every single prayer that the children pray involves, "fait qu'il y a un temple en France." - "please make there be a Temple in France." Imagine being one of the most powerful countries in the European Union and not having an LDS temple. Having to go to Germany - where if I'm not mistaken, there are more than one.

After la societe de secours ended, Esther came running up to me. I can't tell you how happy it made me that she remembered me!!! Her father, Frere Cheve, is the bishop now. Her sister married an American and she's dating another American. Cindy, her older sister, is in Lehi, and both Esther and her younger sister Rebecca are going to Utah next year! I'm excited to hook up with her and show her around. She was a good friend to me when I was in France.

Lots of other people remembered me, too - they surrounded me, and made me tell them what the heck I was doing in France again and again and again...it was a great feeling, even if "faire la bise" - you know, doing that cheek-kiss thing they do here - makes me go a little bit out of my comfort zone...it felt great to be remembered.

I can't even explain to you how much I understand. It's weird; I definitely know that I understand more now.

Pierrick and Claire called me "delure" - with an accent aigu on the final e. You have to look up the meaning. It's fun - I get the double-meanings, and words actually have connotations! I can't tell you how strange it is to think about swears when you're in another country. You wonder why one word has more power than the rest, when in the end they're all just words, but that's because of the lack of context/connotation that surrounds it. I have a context!!! It feels good.

I need to sleep.