Goodbye, Marseille! Ah, yes, you will be missed

Alas, I have now officially left Marseille---although I haven't left France yet. Right now I'm spending my last two weeks in France at church camp with about 200 other Christians in the mountains of Ardesche. I'll post more about camp later this week, but now I'll tell you about my last few days in Marseille (because they were AWESOME!)

This is one of my writing samples. It says, "This too shall pass."
 It's a common Persian expression. 

Okay, so first thing. When we were participating in the English conversation class this summer at the university in Marseille, we got to be good friends with a couple of the people in the class. Our friends Ali, Shabnam, and Hilal (Ali and Shabnam are married and from Iran; Hilal is from Lebannon) came to lots of our events at the church, participated in LST, and played frisbee with us at the park a couple times. So before we left, they wanted to have me, Bethany (my roommate), Catherine (other summer intern), and Derek (cemiste) over for a meal and movie. We went to Ali and Shabnam's apartment, and they had an incredible meal prepared for us. Oh man, homemade Iranian goodies galore! I would tell you what we had, but I have no idea what any of it was called or even how to describe it because I've never had anything like it before. However, it was delicious, and we were full to the brim by the end of our snacking. And then after we ate, Ali had a little activity for us to do. Backstory: when I met Ali on my first day in Marseille, we talked for a long time about how we can write in Persian, and he even showed me how to write my name in Persian and stuff. So since he knew that I was really interested in leaning how to write, he got his calligraphy stuff out for us to try writing in Persian when we were at his apartment. So fun, and it turns out that I'm really good at it too. He showed me how to write the alphabet, happy birthday, I love you, and a couple other random phrases I wanted to learn. And then after our super fun activity, we got ready to watch a movie called "La Belle Verte" (which translates to "The Beautiful Green"). Okay, so this was one of the most awesome, bizarre movies ever. It's about this utopian planet  that has to send someone to Earth to inspect how things are going, and it's sort of a commentary on the Earth's political and economic systems, pollution, etc. Really really funny, and we laughed all the way through. I just can't even describe to you how blessed we have been by the friendships we have made here. Ali, Shabnam, and Hilal are all Muslim, but they loved hanging out with all of us Christians because they could just see how much joy there is in our community at the church. It was the best, last night with them that we could have asked for. 

Then the next night, another one of our friends from the university class invited us over to his house to have a meal with him (Richard), his wife, a few others from the class, and a couple of his friends. And when I say we went to his house, I mean that we drove out to his giant France villa! Oh, my word. He has a gorgeous home, a pool, and outdoor terrace that overlooks the city. Now, get ready because I'm about to describe to you the seven course meal that we were served. When we first got there, he offered us drinks and homemade hummus to start on. We all sat around and chatted for a while, and then the next course of couscous and some sort of veggie/fruit smoothie were brought out. Of couse, everything was delicious. 

After we ate, it was time to take a dip in the pool, and, boy, did that water feel incredible! I haven't been swimming in a pool all summer (at home I get to swim all the time), so I was so happy to be in the water again. And swimming in a French villa is just cool anyway :) Then, after we swam for a while, the real dinner began. (Side note: the French take their meals very seriously. One does not simply eat a quick bite, it's a multiple hour, multiple course event.) With that being said, for dinner we had homemade stone-cooked pizzas, quiche, chicken, salad, and bread. Surely Richard's wife is a gourmet chef or something because everything was tasty and extravagant. And all throughout the night they kept offering us different types of wine and traditionally Marseillaise drinks to try; their hospitality was just incredible. And for dessert, we ate apple tarts (two different kinds) and a rich, dark chocolate mousse cake. Yum! Now, back to when I said that French meals are a multiple hour event, I wasn't kidding; we got to their house at 6:30, and we didn't leave until 1 a.m.! Mind you, Richard and his wife are probably around 60, but meals here are a special event that last late into the night. Again, the friendships we have made here this summer have just overwhelmed us with the incredible blessings that have come out of them. I'll always remember the good talks I've gotten to have with my friends over here and experiences we've shard together. 

It literally felt like I was looking at a live postcard when I took this picture. 

Now, speaking of friends, there are a few people that it was REALLY hard to say goodbye to. Since the very beginning, Forian has been my best friend in Marseille, and we've become best friends. His was the shoulder I cried on multiple times over here when I just felt overwhelmed, sad, lonely, and a variety of other things. I have learned a lot from him (both in terms of French as well as what it means to be a good friend). On my last day in Marseille, he, Benjamin, and I spent the day together walking around downtown. We went shopping, ate ice cream and drank coffee in a little outdoor cafe, and just talked. For dinner, I went with Benjamin, and a couple friends from his track team that I have gotten to know, out to eat. I love spending time with other people my age, and it's a great opportunity to practice my French. After we ate, we just walked around for hours; the best way to spend my last day in the city. 

All in all, my last days in Marseille were well spent, but I definitely cried while saying my goodbyes. It's crazy to me how it's possible to become so close to people in such a short amount of time, but let me tell you, it really is possible. These last few months have been incredibly formational for me, and I definitely have my friends here to thank for that. Okay, I'll stop being all mushy now, but I think you can really tell how much these people have really impacted my life over here. A summer well spent.