All Settled In

I think I’m all settled in here in France now. I’ve even made some French friends (who would have known!) it’s quite useful actually because they teach me some French and I correct their English so it works quite well.

Cute picture of Fanny, Ann-Sophie, myself, Bekah, Sophie, Liza and Jen (left to right) at the Mayor’s welcome.

 

Sophie and I with Luke (a Brit who’s lived in France for 9 years: an excellent translator!)

I was told on one of the first few ways that being in the kitchen was a good place to meet people; I was sceptical but it’s true. I met various people predrinking/playing poker/maybe actually eating in the kitchen! It seems to be the social hub of the floor. It’s always heaving with people and they tend to speak a bit slower when they realise I have no fricking clue what they’re saying – which is handy! There’s a drastic change on the weekend though as all the French student go home. I wouldn’t be surprised to encounter tumbleweed in the kitchen it’s that quiet. The weekend is therefore an excellent time to do washing (if you can work the machines… if we’d found the language setting earlier we may have saved about 10 minutes umming and arring!)

The kitchens are locked after 11:30pm, which I thought was strange but I think they’re trying to crack down on kitchen parties. There was one on Wednesday due to be on my floor which, due to the sign, was shut down before it started! We assume the cleaner saw the note and locked the kitchen early. Because of this it was moved to various places before everyone just went to chill outside. It was interesting, nothing like a house/flat party in the UK: there was just as much wine but nothing was broken and no one was sick!

We then went out on Thursday night (I’m definitely learning too, not just drinking… ) which is student night here, so it’s always rammed. We are still yet to make it to any of the bigger clubs as we don’t ever seem to make it past Rue de la Soif/Place des lices! We then somehow ended up at a rock gig, which was really good! I had to ask in French the name of the band to look them up afterwards: they were called Monty Picon.

They came out with some trombones and stuff which somehow worked! Also, the huge skull prop had a cable attached to it so in the chorus it could “sing along”. Weird. But cool.  Later there was a DJ set which was equally as epic:

I got some nice edgy photos of the occasion. I don’t know how, but the guy did the whole set in a morph suit! It was hot enough in there with everyone smoking cigarettes and weed inside, let alone a full-body tight attire! We eventually retired and got the night bus home.

Now I’m going to attempt to upload some long awaited photo’s onto Facebook!

A bientôt!

Visit to St Malo

Beautiful place on a beautiful day!

Sun, sand and bikinis in September!

International Nails

Before you ask, yes I did them myself!

10 days later

So, it’s been a while since I last posted and I apologise but I have been very busy having fun and getting drunk so I’m not that sorry!

I really love it here, even with my despicable level of French and apparently even worse accent. The weather is lovely; the buildings are gorgeous (Sorry Chloe Crisp!); the people are amazing (albeit I’ve met very few French people so far..). The one thing I haven’t got on board with yet is the cheek kissing. I’m sorry but no. You squeezing your sweaty cheek against mine, not once but twice, whilst seriously invading my personal space is not a normal way to say hello. It’s very odd. Many of the other conventions they have here are lovely, for example, saying bonjour/bonsoir/etc to everyone you pass in the halls. It’s a lot more friendly than I’m used to but it feels nice that everyone smiles at you and wishes you a nice day.

My halls are quite nice, although the stairwell is very clinical and my room is quite small, my room is very well designed. There’s so much storage space packed into little cupboards and corners. It’s blue and grey and my huge window looks out onto a grassy area that people sit and have picnics on occasionally. The bathroom is tiny but again there’s so much storage space in there. I have all my good luck cards up on my shelf but I do need some more pictures of back home on the walls though! The corridor contains about 30/40 rooms but it’s not like in Britain where everyone leaves their doors open, the rooms are very much a private space. The kitchen is communal and quite big. Because it’s shared by so many people we each have a fridge fitted in our rooms. There are 2 microwaves and 4 sets of 2 hotplates but no oven. Weird. I can’t understand why but it’s very much an inconvenience! 

Okay so mid way through writing this the fire alarm went off. Now it feels more like when I was in halls at Swansea and every Tuesday they’d do a test. But then I thought, is it not a test? Awkward because I’d just got out of bed and was no where near appropriately dressed to go and stand outside the building… I threw some clothes on and went out my room. There were 2 other girls who poked their heads out their doors but other than that no-one even batted an eyelid at the ridiculously loud siren! They can’t be that heavy sleepers, and surely not all 30/40 people can be out on a Sunday at 11am. Anyway, I went downstairs and a handful of people were waiting outside, I joined them and 10 seconds later the alarm stopped. There was nobody from the university there to explain what was going on, we weren’t warned there would be a test alarm, and I’m almost certain there wasn’t an actual fire (if there is, someone take care of my cat!)

There was a lot of confusion over modules but I think I finally have mine sorted. The system is strange, you see the catalogue online (though it doesn’t have all of the modules in, great!) then in a department meeting they give you basically the same information in a little booklet, you then have to find your department building and look for the timetables after picking 30 credits from years 1, 2 and 3. Sounds complicated already, no idea why they can’t put the timetables online! After that you must pick groups for your lectures so they don’t clash with others, I believe then you go to the lecture and tell them you’re an ERASMUS student in order to sign up, and finally you kill a few more trees by handing in an abundance of paperwork about your modules. Well, they start tomorrow so we shall see!

I did a tour of the city on Thursday but after 10 minutes of attempting to translate what the guide was saying, I gave up and just decided to take some pictures. I’ve figured I’ll go again in the next freshers’ week in January to see if I can understand then! Thursday night we then went to an ERASMUS party after predrinks in my kitchen. Some people on the floor above were jumping on the floor so apparently we were loud. Also, there’s now a note on the door of our kitchen just casually reminding students that kitchen parties are not allowed… 

On the Friday morning Bekah, Ann-Sophie and I had signed on for a library tour, unfortunately we didn’t take into account going out the night before so I swayed my way through that tour! Strangely enough I understood almost every word… I think drinking seriously improves my French! 

Saturday was a pretty productive day, I completed my timetable, did my food shopping, signed up for a travelcard (I think. I may have signed my life away for all I know because I struggled to read the forms…) Now it is Sunday and I have no plans! Time for a bit of a chill I think!

A little bit of Dutch/French courage

Morning!

So it turns out I have to set an alarm here because with the shutters closed my room is pitch black no matter what the time of day! At least I’ve learnt that early on. Oh well, I’ve only missed a meeting about bank accounts and insurance that would probably be another 2 hour meeting in seriously fast and technical French followed by another mountain of forms and papers; I’ll stay in bed!

So after my last post I said I was in my room with no plans for the evening but then Chloé asked me on facebook if I wanted to meet so I could improve my French and she could work on her English. She invited me to have a drink with some other Erasmus students. I checked with Bekah, Liza and Fanny and we headed to the metro, got off at Ste Anne and then this “drink” escalated. “A drink” I didn’t realise meant a visit to the infamous “Rue de soif” (I don’t even know the street’s real name but I much prefer street of thirst to whatever it really is! We were all told to go into any bar, get a drink and then meet again outside. Obviously that is not the done thing in Britain, but it was awesome. We had such a good night! The drinks were cheap and everyone was congregating in this large open space where some people had brought huge speakers and improvised their own dance floor. We later adjourned to one of the bars as it was warmer inside. At this point I witnessed my first French flirting… I was told in French I have pretty eyes. I understood and said thank you only to have the guy say are you Spanish (not aware I look or sound remotely Spanish..), I told him I was English which he said he loved. This started to get a bit creepy so I said goodbye and turned back to my friends. He then moved closer to our group and said to me “sex”, I replied “six?” confused. He then went on in broken English: “I like the sex, and you?” At this point, about 10pm, I was so shocked I couldn’t speak (which says a lot about me, I know!) I told him I was going to leave and all my friends asked what happened. On hearing the story they couldn’t stop laughing at him and he left! Maybe he should work on his lines…

We started our rather civilised night all talking in French to each other (well, trying) but 2 drinks down and we were all back in English! Oops. Another few drinks, including a lovely Belgian cherry flavoured beer, and we met some guys from Brazil who had been here for a month doing an intensive French course before university. Their English was not good so with a little Dutch/French courage in me: I spoke for about 2 hours in French! Score! I feel Bekah and I may have ruined the allusion when we both went and got some chips to end the night; apparently it’s a very British concept.

Yesterday (Sunday) we went to an ESN picnic for international and Erasmus students. It was lovely weather in the gorgeous Parc du Thabor. We played a game to meet people where you have to write on a piece of paper “trouvez un(e) etudiant(e) avec…” so for example, find a student to has a hat on/has 2 brothers/from Germany. Mine was to find 3 students wearing red t-shirts. This was relatively easy but my next I couldn’t even understand, something about economics I think. This was a great way to meet new people but with so many people, and I’m so bad with names, I think I will stick to my little group for now!

So we are managing a bit in French and apparently drinking helps. Lucky there’s more welcome night out events on Tuesday and Thursday then! For today, the plan is the go to the supermarket (after I get out of my pajamas!) then I have a room inspection (maybe I should tidy my room…) and after that we meet our tutors (I should also probably find out who my tutor is…). I’m so unorganised!

Bises x

One job offer in the bag so far…

My first full day in Rennes (Friday the 6th) and a woman approached us in the bank after hearing English speakers asking for a tutor for her two children! Wow, was not expecting that! 

We had an obligatory meeting that morning which went straight over my head; I understood a maximum of 5% of it. Oops. Luckily, with Liza, Ann-Sophie and now Bekah (who is from Cardiff so we had a good natter about Wales!) I had help understanding the jist of the meeting and all the forms. Yes, more forms. The French are obsessed with paperwork I think! We got a free bag and after were offered loads of food and drink, and it wasn’t half made sandwiches, custard creams and some squash like you would expect in Britain; we had a huge variety of food, so posh I couldn’t name it if I tried, along with fresh juice and some sort of bread cake thing that I wish I took a photo of because I have no idea what it was. Later, the five of us went out to Saint Anne to a pizzeria that night which was scrummy. The French sure know how to cook!

Today we visited Mont-Saint-Michel which was just gorgeous, I have included a photo of our little Erasmus crew there! 

The weather was beautiful and I ran into Chloe so had a chance to thank her for all of her help and translation the other day. My thanks were in English though unfortunately as I still don’t have the confidence to speak in French. But, tomorrow I am going to man up and attempt to have at least 50% of my speaking in French! So what if I get it wrong, I will learn something I’m sure.

I’m currently sitting in my room adding to the scrapbook that Liz and Emma got me as a leaving present. It’s coming along well, I picked up various leaflets today to glue into it. No plans for tomorrow so far, Monday through Friday will be more organising: my bank account, a phone sim, a library/campus/town tour and probably yet more French paperwork!

A bientôt!

Je suis arrivée!

Ah, bonjour!

So, today has been an interesting one… we got the ferry into Caen at half past 9 last night (Wednesday the 4th) and stayed at an F1 hotel supposedly 20 minutes away from the port. Awkward that it took my mum and I an hour and a half to get there as we forgot to print off directions, also, it was dark, AND everything was in French. Shocking. Anywho we headed off this morning and drove down to Rennes. When we eventually found Rennes 2 Villejean campus (not an easy task I tell you!) my mum parked up near building I, the international office. I went to find room i107 as I had been told only to find out prior to this I needed to enrol. Right, back to the car to tell my mum then head to room s202 to fill in some more forms; the French sure like their paperwork! Almost completed the form but apparently I’m missing my term time address. Well, I’m aware of that, I don’t have my key yet. Now I find having a room number is obligatory to enrolling, excellent… Off to building P where apparently a colleague will help. Will they though? It’s been a shambles so far.

I then met Chloé outside building P who basically saved me as I still felt reluctant to speak French, although I wanted to, every time I tried I just stuttered and then headed back to slow English with exaggerated hand gestures. Chloé took me to the residence reception and helped me fill out yet more forms. It was all looking up when I was told I needed insurance to get my key. At this point I was starting to worry because in half an hour the key office closes! I go back to the car to get my ID and just broke down in tears. There’s so much paperwork, it’s so complicated, moving to another country for a year is hard enough! After a few minutes calming down I decided I need to man up. Right then Chloé comes back over and tells me I don’t need insurance details as long as they’re in by the end of the first week! So I finally got a key and the next task (possibly the hardest task of the day) began… moving all my stuff up three flights of stairs due to the lack of escalators!

When finally settled (ish, there’s still full bags and suitcases everywhere!) we went to get food and I ran into some other Erasmus schemers! Fanny from Finland (who lives right near my cousins!), and Liza and Ann-Sophie from Belgium. They invited me out to have food and we found crêpes. They’re a first for me, like most foreign food and in fact a lot of British food, but I gave them a try and mine was lovely. I even ordered in French. Not well, that’s a given, but it was a good try! We had a really enjoyable evening and had a variety of different languages going on all at once, which I’m sure doesn’t help us learning our French but it was good fun.

I’m now back in my room and am retiring to bed after a quick few skypes to Emma and Matt back home. Overall, I’m happy now. Today could have gone a lot worse, and I only cried once. And only a little bit; it hardly even counts!

Au reviour x

Can I change my mind?

So, it’s Sunday (the 1st of September)  today and I leave on Wednesday morning. I haven’t packed yet and I don’t know nearly enough French to live there for a year. I think I’m even less prepared now than I was when leaving for university two years ago! The French seem to be obsessed with paperwork and it doesn’t help that I can’t understand the majority of it

I went out last night with some uni friends and people from home which was lovely, and some of my friends have been sweet enough to get me little going away presents. Okay, I don’t think I can write much more or I’ll set myself off crying…

Note: This has been posted a few days late due to an almost mental break down!