Journal

Kristin Blake is a Missouri girl living in southern France where she teaches English and writes about travel and culture on her blog, Round Trip.

If you’ve read my other articles, you might already know that my first impression of Paris was not a favorable one. After touring several European countries with my high school orchestra, I left France with something akin to a commitment that I would never return.

Before moving to Paris, fondue, croissants and éclairs came to mind when I thought about French cuisine. Now, it’s one of my favorite French meals, if not my favorite dish of all time.

The first time I heard about the concept of a homestay was when I was in Tanzania. A sending agency, separate from the one I’m a part of, required new overseas workers to live with people from the host country for a time.

I experienced Paris for the first time when I was 17 years old. While my visit was very brief, I, unfortunately, left with a negative opinion of French people. As an adult, I never thought about even vacationing in France, so I knew it was God when I felt the nudge to move to Paris.

I first met him at the discovery Bible course that I helped lead last year.  Surfing online, he came across this class where he could hear more about what the Bible teaches. 

I was able to attend two conferences in the last couple of months. One was for the Diaspora in Europe and the other was a type of Church Planting School for ReachGlobal Europe.  

When I first saw a poster at my church looking for singers for The Day of Music (Fête de la Musique) I wasn't even sure what it was, so I went to a friend and asked about it.