Je suis arrivée

Dear friends and family,

I arrived safely in Rennes on Friday and was met by Michèle, the lady I’m staying with. I was very glad to see her at the airport, as the plane was an hour late and there was a small fear in me that she wouldn’t be able to wait around for some reason or other! She took me to her house which is very big despite first impressions. My room is lovely and big with a double bed – what a luxury! There is room here for guests to stay – in my room and in other rooms in the house, which is great as I’d love to have a few friends to visit during the year (hint hint!).

Michèle is a Christian who I got in touch with by emailing churches asking if they knew of anyone who was looking for a housemate or rented a room/flat. God proved His goodness in the hunt for accommodation as I’d agreed on the room that I’m staying in within a week of sending out emails. I have already heard tales of it being very difficult to find a flat or room to rent around here. There is another lodger who will join us at the end of September, Andrew, a British Christian student.

I live in South Rennes, and the university where I’ll be teaching is the other side of the city, but we’ve got a very handy metro link (which we also use to get to the centre of Rennes). The pompiers (firemen) are just round the corner as they were in Lille, so their siren should help me feel ‘at home’! I have my very own French shutters for the first time, but I can tell it’s not going to be pleasant opening and closing them during winter time (I have to open the window in order to do so - brr!).

I’ve already had a little look around Rennes. People say it’s a nice place to live as it’s big enough that there’s enough going on but small enough that you don’t feel lost. I have to get to that point where I don’t feel lost before I can appreciate that, but it’s very early days of course! There are some very pretty parts in the city and some not-so-pretty. There are plenty of shops, and although I don’t live where the main shops are, there is a sizeable shopping centre not very far away from me with a large supermarket. I think it’s best if I never go there in a hurry though (easier said than done), because it’s taken ages to get through the till both times I’ve been!

I have been warned that if there are any student protests, or strikes, they are likely to start at the university I’m teaching at! By the sounds of it, if I can get the students half as excited about speaking English as starting protests I’ll be doing well! I’ve met the other guy who’s doing the same job as me, Martin. He’s chatty and seems quite positive. We’re a bit unsure as to what’s expected of us as the university are leaving us in the dark, but thankfully some knowledge has been passed on to me by my predecessor. We go in on Thursday for the first time, so prayers would be appreciated for that.

I’m feeling a rather overwhelmed by it all at the moment. There are so many new things to face and things to work out. It’s a lonely process starting out somewhere new. But I’m doing my best to trust in God.

My Grandma (on my Mum’s side) suffered a stroke nearly 3 weeks ago and as a result died and was taken to Heaven on Saturday morning (27/08). I’m relieved she’s safely home and out of pain. She was a wonderful woman who was faithful to God throughout her life.

Love to you all,
Fiona x

P.S. I’ll be trying to write fairly regularly, but the workload is set to be high this first term so we’ll see how things pan out.