So, France...

It was awesome! As we rode into Angers on the coach, we could see the river La Maine and the castle...it was absolutely astounding. We were immediately greeted by our host families, and were carted off to our host homes. Our family consisted of two parents and, wait for it...five children! They then graciously accepted my friend Geoff and I into their home. The parent's names were Larent and Emmanuel, and the children ranged in age from 3 to 15. In ascending order their names are: Charlotte, Margot, Ines, Quentin (the only boy), and Julie. We had the most amazing food every night for dinner that, were I to describe in detail here, I would begin to drool on my keyboard and cease to blog. For all of our sakes, I will just tell you that it was AWESOME!!! We sang at the Catholic university, the Cathedral at Angers (in front of some 1,000 people including royalty, clergy, and politicians), and the Cathedral at Saumur (they train the horses for the military in Saumur). Every day was packed with rehearsals, sight-seeing, and performances. I have posted tons of pictures on facebook, so if you fancy a peek at them, I suggest looking there. I leave at 6:50AM from Cambridge tomorrow morning, and I will arrive at Little Rock Airport at 10:35PM local (that would be 2:35AM Cambridge time). If all goes well, I will travel for almost 22hrs, so keep me in your prayers and thoughts, and I will hopefully see many of you back in the States very very soon! Au revoir!

Just a Quick Note...

I am literally leaving in five minutes to go to France, and I just wanted to let everyone know how excited I am, and that I will be in Angers, France to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the father of Margeret of Anjou (one of the foundresses of Queens' college). It is apparently the most beautiful city in France, and I will bring back copious amounts of pictures for you all, and will sample the delicious wines, cheeses, and breads for all of you....Auviore!

Ely Cathedral and Birthday Formal

Hello again everyone! You should all be very proud of me for updating my blog before I actually get back to America. However, awesomeness has ensued, and my pictures show it. This was the last week of term, and I had three essays to turn in at no small effort. I slept little, and am now done! I now look forward to a week of rehearsals to prepare us for the tour of Angers, France to honor the anniversary of Margaret of Angers' death or birth...I don't remember. Anyways, she was one of the two foundresses of Queens' College (thus the appropriately placed apostrophe). Last Tuesday, I celebrated my birthday early with some friends from Homerton at formal hall. It was AWESOME!!! Much frivolity ensued...The day before, they baked me a delicious birthday cake! Everyone left to go home for the break yesterday, so I went to Ely (about 15 min. train ride away from Cambridge) to see the Cathedral with Sarah Percival. The Cathedral was beautiful, and we had lunch at this really cool little cafe where one lady ran a little shop with about four tables for the actual food part. The food was great, and it was a great morning in all. Enjoy the pictures, and hopefully I will have plenty of pictures for you check out when I get back from France!

With all my love,

Cody

Contemplations

I know that it has almost a month since I last posted, and to be honest, there is not a lot to tell. My travel plans are pretty much the same, and nothing spectacular has happened recently. However, there has been a great improvement in my personal life. I struggled to fit in with the other Americans I came here with I think for the fact that there are 9 women and me...and until recently I didn't realize that the remedy to this was to find close friends here. I have, and they are wonderful. Now the crux of the matter here, is that I have to leave them in a matter of about 11 weeks, but the time that we have all shared with each other is just as priceless as the time that I have spent with all of you. They, like you, have seen me grow, hurt, and laugh, and are valuable to me. I still miss home and the people there (home being Arkansas AND Jewell), and there is nothing and no one that can replace that, it is just going to make the transition a little harder. I miss my boys in the fraternity...I still get their emails, and they make me so proud to be a part of something bigger than I am. I miss my family who have sacrificed so much so that I can be happy and have the experiences that I do. I miss my friends from home and church for their open ears and open hearts that supported and do support me for the short stints that I am at home. I am so very thankful for everyone in my life, and I am excited more than anxious to see what God has in store in the next couple of years. I'm terrified because I am going to have to make some very big decisions, but with a little help from all of you, I'll deal. Much love...

Cody