BESANÇON
I am settled in Besançon since my arrival in late August. Two weeks under the tutelage of French instructors has produced many, many translations coupled with an ongoing choppy delivery (/bone-j-air/, this is no good?). The alphabet is mostly the same but the vowel pronunciations are different between English and French. Learning the new pronunciations means breaking the patterns from decades in the English alphabet. It is frustrating. It will take time and repetition.
My host family is very welcoming. We speak French in the house with my limited speech. Charades fill the gaps and on occasion we lapse to English. I have my own room (and bed) and my own full bathroom. I ride the tram to class every weekday for a 20-minute one-way trip with all the stops.
Besançon is a beautiful city of approximately 150,000 people. It is a creative mix of history from old, old Europe (birthplace of Victor Hugo, home to La Citadelle) and modern retail and restaurant space. Fall weather has crept into the area and it is a marvelous time to be here. My step count has increased 2.5 times from Kansas.
I feel good. God comforts my frustrations with communication by creating dialogue with patient listeners. He shows me His compassion for the marginalized as I walk the streets of Besançon. He reminds me what it means to have childlike faith as I am now the “child” in a new culture and language. And daily I marvel at how I got here.
What am I doing here?
Who am I to talk with?
What does He want to reveal to me?
More to come…
