To survive in Paris:

Rule number one: Just because this sign 

means you can cross the street, doesn't mean you should. Pedestrians here really stand their ground. Don't always trust the "walk" signal! #IMayHaveAlmostDiedSeveralTimes

Rule number 2: try a croissant. Don't ask me why this is a rule. Just do it.

Rule number 3: Don't even try to wear perfume if you know you'll be taking the metro. Smelly armpits and sweaty people seem to take any desire to look nice right out of me. 

(I didn't want to take a picture of the sardine situation in the metro, so just imagine what it was like.)

I'm sure I'll have more rules later, but for now just remember these three and you'll be fine. :)

Yesterday I visited my first adopted grandma! Grandmother Simone. I’m just as tall as she is, and I’m pretty sure she lives in the heart of Paris. She can’t remember what has happened in her life during the past 40 years, but she does recall many things that happened while she was alive in Paris during the occupation of World War II. Basically for my job, every week I’ll be visiting 9 different elderly people – five with Miranda, the other BYU Student, and 4 by myself. We call and make appointments, go to their homes, and visit with them for not usually more than 2 hours each one. We can go places with them, bring activities to do, coloring books (grandmother Simone loves to color), and I’m going to see if I can rent a violin.

Then today, I visited two more people - Grandmother Paule and Grandmother Julie. They are both incredibly sweet and kind. Julie doesn't suffer from Alzheimer's, but her husband did. When he passed away, she requested to keep receiving bénévoles (volunteers), who had before been visiting her husband.  Now we have the pleasure of spending time with her. She's 93 years old! The other elderly woman, Grandmother Paule, finds pleasure in every little thing - including asking what the date is and how old she is. She is surprised every time I tell her, "You are 87 years old!" I hope I'm just as excited as she is someday to find that I've made it to be 87. haha.

Yesterday we (Miranda and I) went to le Cathédrale de Notre Dame, also called Notre Dame de Paris. I was so taken aback by the grandeur of the cathedral and the intricate details from the doors to the windows. I think the cathedrals here in France really show to what extent these people loved God and were devoted to Him. The cathedral has been completed since 1345! All in all, it took about 275 years to complete, which is incredible. Can you imagine starting a project, dedicating your whole life to it, and knowing that you would die before you ever saw the end result? That’s what happened to many workers – they never get to see the result of their hard labour. And I learned this while I was a counselor at French Camp this past June – the average age people lived to was 25 years old. That sure puts things into perspective!

Haha, typical of trying to take a photo without people in the way - it's impossible.

We waited for a couple seconds and he moved, so I got this one with other people in the background. Don't look too closely :)

My first view of the river Seine! It's really quite beautiful.

There are two stain glass windows this size, and they reach to the top of the ceiling, which is over 250 feet tall!

The detail is breathtaking. I could have spent an hour just looking at the door.

Then we did what we shouldn't have done, and we went to MacDonalds. But in my defense, all the patisseries were closed, and we were famished! They have a system here in France where you order your meal by using a life sized smart phone, pay with your card, and just wait for your number to be called. It's brilliant to say the least.

This is a weird sauce that I actually can't figure out what it's made of. I'm not sure if  "pommes" in this sense refers to the word "pomme" in French, which means "apple" or "pomme de terre" which means "potato." The sauce was sweet like apples, but you put it on potatoes . . . I'm at a loss. Oh well, I'll just never know what  the name really means.

Et voila, my first "pain au chocolat!" (bread with chocolate on the inside)

The sun over La Seine. So beautiful.

Tonight after going to institute (a class for young single adults in my church where we study the scriptures like the bible and the Book of Mormon), I was riding home by myself and was thinking of all the wonderful blessings Heavenly Father has blessed me with. I really am so blessed to be here, and while I may feel alone in this big city, sometimes having to go places on my own and such, I know that Heavenly Father cares about me and knows who I am. He truly does hear prayers, and when I feel like I don't know where to go, or I'm scared to speak in French, or I don't understand what's going on, I just ask Him for help, and He helps me, comforts me, and leads me to where I need to be.

After the visits I've done, and after finally having a real croissant, I think I could get used to a diet filled with good bread, beautiful architecture, and near death experiences. Yes, I think I'll survive the next two months.