...that is how long is has taken to go from my initial application to today. On Friday, my application packet was sent to the GeoVisions (the company I'm going with) partner company in France. Yesterday, I asked my contact how long it usually takes for placement with a host family. She told me at this time of year, usually just a couple of weeks. You can imagine my surprise and excitement, not to mention my terror and stress levels skyrocketing, at this revelation. Then came today. Today, I received an email from my point of contact Jodi (who has been incredible through this process), and she says "Well, a new record has been set, we have a family interested in you!" Umm....what?! "Here is their contact info, their host letter, and some pictures. Please email them today and let me know when you do." Here are some of the thoughts rolling through my head at this point:
1. oh my gosh....
2. OH....my gosh....
3. I can't read this letter, it's in French! Where's Mark?! (a guy I work with who knows French)
4. Where does this family live?
5. Oh their son is so cute!
6. Aww look at their family!
7. Only one son to care for, the oldest is 19...I hope he speaks a little English...
8. Oh, none of them speak English...
9. Oh look, this says they don't require any level of fluency in French
10. OH MY GOSH THEY LIVE RIGHT OUTSIDE OF PARIS
11. OH MY GOSH I COULD BE SPENDING THE NEXT YEAR OF MY LIFE IN PARIS!
12. oh my gosh they want me in September...
So yes...I truly cannot believe how quickly this has happened. I still have to interview with the family...via Skype...don't ask me how that is supposed to work with the language barrier, but I guess I'll find out. I seriously cannot believe how easily all of this has come together. There is only one explanation for it. God's has worked out every detail, even the details I'm not aware of yet. Renting my house, finishing up my Invisalign treatment, and about a hundred other things I now have to figure out. But I'm confident every single thing will be sorted out just in time, because...well let's face it. God likes to show off His abilities to orchestrate the things in our lives. I honestly can't explain how this experience...as short as it has been so far...has shown me that He truly does care and loves to make even the craziest of dreams into realities. If you were to tell me one month ago today as I was sitting on my parent's dock watching fireworks over our lake that I would be here...one month later... with the potential to spend the next year of my life in Paris, I'd say you were out of your mind. I guess nothing is too crazy or impossible for our God.
I sent an email to the family today, and I'm sure I will be hearing from them in the next day or too. Pray that if it's meant to be with this particular family, that it will fall into place quickly, and that the rest of the documents I'll need to get after securing a placement (a student visa and apostille for my birth certificate) will be obtained quickly. If this particular placement works out, I'll literally be able to metro in and out of Paris all the time. That would be amaaaaazing!
Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive and so excited for me. I'll be way more excited when my giant to-do list is complete, but still, thank you to everyone!
To read how this adventure initially came to be, check out my last post on my previous blog, My Single Life: https://mysinglelifethoughts.blogspot.com/2015/08/perk-16-making-most-crazy-dreams-come.html .
