Today we were back at class and that was fine, not a problem. Easy 1030-1230 class. In english. Perfection.
So today was a busy day, we had our courses due, online and on a form for Guillaume, we had to pick up our course packs for classes, and we had to pick up our student cards. So were in Guillaume's office and he hands me my student card, I laugh at the picture and were off to class.
Get into class and I am telling Paddy about how I got my student ID; clearly she wants to see it. I show her, we laugh and then I take a closer look: "Sarah Faton". No jokes. Sarah freaking Faton. The "E" is now an "F".
Not only did I burst out laughing in class, but now I have to go through all the paperwork all over again to redo it. You see, its not only my student ID card (which I wouldnt care about), but my medical insurance receipt and my new student email addrss for the university. Yeah, Sarah Faton cannot stay.
A good laugh though. Keep ya posted on how that one goes.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
LONDON HERE WE COME!
So naturally we went out all week during class, and thursday night was no different. Except that Thursday night was the night before we left. Right. Good call on our part. We went to a bar called Kiosk (which turned out to be absolutely empty...like actually....we were the only people in there but it turned out to be a super funny picture taken by the bartender). We then ended up at a bar called the Dukes. We were charged for cover (super rare) but when we went downstairs it was a dark black light bar; amazing.
Long story short we got home at 430am and our alarms were going off at 630am to go to London. I thought my alarm was a joke. Honestly. I had no idea who was playing this joke on me, or why they were trying to wake me up, but I wanted to sleep and nothing was going to change that. Until I realized we were going to London. I got out of bed pretty damn fast.
So we spring to get ready (Paddy stayed at my place) and we busted it up to Lille Europe to take the train. Funny thing about the train to London, it makes your ears pop a lot. Like a lot. Paddy thought it was ridiculous the way I got rid of my popping ears (huge open mouth), but it worked like a charm everytime).
So Frank met us at the train station and like a gem, got us our first all day train pass (which we later discovered was the saving grace of our success this weekend). We ended up at Earl's Court where Frank was staying and instantly fell in love. It was raining (shock) but the accents and the people, I loved it. We got to Franks pad, and we needed food. He was off to work and told us to head to Frank's - a little dive around the corner across the bridge that had cheap big greasy breakfast. We were there like lightning. Franks was our saving grace. The english breakfast consisted of beans, sausages, ham, toast, eggs and the cherry on top: white coffee. I have no idea what white coffee is....steamed milk I think....but it brought us back to life every morning for the next four days.
After our amazing breakfast we heading back to the fort to put together what we wanted to see over the next four days. With our list completed, we jetted to the British Museum and the National Gallery. Naturally because we were out all night, our feet hated us and you would have thought we were both 60 year old women walking through the museum. But of course, we laughed our entire way through the museum and the day, and people watching was at its prime. We could people watch every day and every night. Easily.
So the museums were free and fantastic. We happened to see one of the funniest moments. So picture this narrow hallway and a man leans in to the glass cabinet to take a closer look, except he goes in quickly and slams his head against the case. His head not only bounces off, but it makes the loudest noise and leaves his face stain on the glass. Not only did we die laughing, but we were the only ones laughing. I could barely breathe.
So after the two museums we went to Garfunkel's for dinner where we had some London Pride beer, sausage and mash, irish stew and people watched. The perfect evening. Productive and relaxing.
The next day was a more productive one. We started of course with our English Breakfast, but this time it had a twist: fried slice. We said "yes" to everything to lets see what it is. Turns out it is deep fried bread. Weird. Delicious for the first couple bites, but the two of us struggled at the last couple. One of those things you have to try once, but you are then satisfied for life.
We then hit the London Eye, London Aquarium, Sherlock Holmes Bar and Cirque du Soleil Varekai. London Eye was amazing. We were able to see a 4D movie before hand about London Eye which was really cool, and then the ride itself lasted about 30 minutes. London Aquarium was the coolest thing yet, and we probably spent about 3 hours in there. We saw everything from sharks, rays, fish, and turtles. We were able to touc a starfish and a ray egg that never developed. Yep, we were in line to touch these things behind the four year olds, but it was super cool.
The best part of that day though, hands down was getting our picture taken. Paddy and I posed on top of a sea turtle for a picture. Not only are these pictures meant for like parents and their children, but like little little kids. But yep, we nailed that picture. Picture this: I'm holding onto the fin of the turtle and Paddy has her feet up in the air holding onto me. Epic. Thank you.
Dinner time - we went to the Sherlock Holmes bar which was really cool. We had the classic fish and chips (delicious) and some Sherlock Holmes Ale. Everything on the menu is themed around Sherlock Holmes and the interior is very old fashioned. Loved it all. Plus the group that came through for the pub crawl all dressed in costumes was pretty funny too.
So then it was back to the fort to get ready for the Cirque Show. We were to meet Frank at the Royal Albert Hall and since we didnt wanna be late, we made sure to leave 45 minutes in advance to when we were supposed to meet him. We took the double decker bus. And yes, we sat on top in the front row. Woooooo. Turns out, it takes no time at all to get there and we were super early lol but it all worked out. The show was breathtaking of course and we loved every second of it.
Funny story: so Paddy and I are watching the show, and there are these big black metal things that cover the exit signs during the show, right. Right. So in the middle of the show, the black big metal thing FALLS right in between our two chairs. I half screamed, half gasped, slash the poor guy working at our door didnt know if we were crying or laughing. We were laughing. And the old man sitting next to me, yeah, he was laughing pretty hard at us too. Nearly died, and it was super worth it to see the show.
We wake up Sunday morning and today is the big day. We have a lot to hit, so we go and get our famous breakfast (different place, but the same thing - minus the fried slice) and our white coffee and we were good to go. We hit Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the changing of the guards (which we saw the end of - it was good though - my master photography skills caught it), Big Ben, and we got last minute tickets to see JERSEY BOYS THE MUSICAL. and god was it good. We were in the very last row of the theatre, like I mean so far back they sold binoculars for 50 pents, but it was a perfect view and didnt bother us any.
After Jersey Boys, we hit up the Absolut Ice Bar. Picture the entire bar made of Ice, so cold (all relative, its -15 C but they only let you stay in there for 40 minutes because its bad for your health lol), but everything is made from ice. The glasses are laser cut and imported from Sweden (cool!) and everyone is given these fur isolated coats upon entering.
After that we hit up a chinese buffet (I know, I know) but it was super good and cheap.
Then comes the last day of our wild adventure: Monday already. We took the metro to notting hill and then were in search for cheap breakfast....we landed upon McDs. Whatever lol, it was cheap and their breakfast is damn good. Judge all you want. They still served white coffee, and really, lets be honest, that was all that mattered. So we hit up Notting Hill and walked to see all the gorgeous neighborhoods and even stopped into the "American Food" store to see what they had - we didnt know what to expect - but they did not dissapoint. He had Kraft Dinner, Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, marshmallows, A&W root beer, mountain dew, you name it - he had it!
We were then off to Abbey Road - of course - how could we miss that. And I have to say, the people who live around that block must hate tourists. There were a ton of us standing at the side trying to capture the perfect Beatles shot walking across. There were even two guys who took their shoes off to capture the perfect picture (soooo cold). But it was worth it to get "that picture".
Last but not least, the Van Gogh exhibit that was at the Royal Academy of Arts for a short time. We scrounged together our last coins and we made it. 7 rooms of his artwork and 902 of his letters he had written. Amazing and very interesting to read thats for sure. But wait - it gets better - funny story. So Paddy and I are minding our own business admiring one of the paintings on the wall, when a man beside us let one rip. I'm talking a loud, clearly defined fart. Paddy and I looked at each other and BURST out laughing. We couldnt believe it. Apparently no one else is as immature as us, because we were the only ones laughing, but thank god we were in the last room, because we had to leave the exhibit we were laughing so hard.
And that concluded our trip - we made it back to the fort to pack up our things, stopped for a quick bite to eat and we were off to the train station. we made it honestly just in time, checked our bags and we ran onto the train. we made it. phew. so were sitting all cozy in our seats, and a girl approaches us saying that i was in her seat. I showed her my ticket and said "nope, its mine too, so clearly we were double booked". Just as this is happening a younger guy comes over to Paddy and says that she is in his seat, she showed the ticket and was like crap, clearly we are double booked too. He leans over and says "Can I see your ticket quickly?"; we said sure thinking that he didnt believe us that we had his seat....and he says "You are on the wrong train." Pardon? No, no, we are not. He points through the window to the train across the track and said "Lille? That's your train right there." OH CRAP. We are half having a laugh attack, slash trying to grab our bags to run off the train. I can't even move I am laughing so hard as the train is literally 30 seconds from taking off. I grab my bag and literally dash over, Paddy just ahead of me. We make it on, screaming with laughter that we nearly ended up in Paris. Yeah, turns out the train was heading to Paris. Can you imagine? We get off expecting to be in Lille, and we were in Paris. Oh boyyyyy.
We finally grab our seat, and just look at each other in disbelief. That would happen to us.
Paddy's friend Karan was on the same train and came and got us: "Beer time on car 6".
Neither of us disagreed on that one.
Long story short we got home at 430am and our alarms were going off at 630am to go to London. I thought my alarm was a joke. Honestly. I had no idea who was playing this joke on me, or why they were trying to wake me up, but I wanted to sleep and nothing was going to change that. Until I realized we were going to London. I got out of bed pretty damn fast.
So we spring to get ready (Paddy stayed at my place) and we busted it up to Lille Europe to take the train. Funny thing about the train to London, it makes your ears pop a lot. Like a lot. Paddy thought it was ridiculous the way I got rid of my popping ears (huge open mouth), but it worked like a charm everytime).
So Frank met us at the train station and like a gem, got us our first all day train pass (which we later discovered was the saving grace of our success this weekend). We ended up at Earl's Court where Frank was staying and instantly fell in love. It was raining (shock) but the accents and the people, I loved it. We got to Franks pad, and we needed food. He was off to work and told us to head to Frank's - a little dive around the corner across the bridge that had cheap big greasy breakfast. We were there like lightning. Franks was our saving grace. The english breakfast consisted of beans, sausages, ham, toast, eggs and the cherry on top: white coffee. I have no idea what white coffee is....steamed milk I think....but it brought us back to life every morning for the next four days.
After our amazing breakfast we heading back to the fort to put together what we wanted to see over the next four days. With our list completed, we jetted to the British Museum and the National Gallery. Naturally because we were out all night, our feet hated us and you would have thought we were both 60 year old women walking through the museum. But of course, we laughed our entire way through the museum and the day, and people watching was at its prime. We could people watch every day and every night. Easily.
So the museums were free and fantastic. We happened to see one of the funniest moments. So picture this narrow hallway and a man leans in to the glass cabinet to take a closer look, except he goes in quickly and slams his head against the case. His head not only bounces off, but it makes the loudest noise and leaves his face stain on the glass. Not only did we die laughing, but we were the only ones laughing. I could barely breathe.
So after the two museums we went to Garfunkel's for dinner where we had some London Pride beer, sausage and mash, irish stew and people watched. The perfect evening. Productive and relaxing.
The next day was a more productive one. We started of course with our English Breakfast, but this time it had a twist: fried slice. We said "yes" to everything to lets see what it is. Turns out it is deep fried bread. Weird. Delicious for the first couple bites, but the two of us struggled at the last couple. One of those things you have to try once, but you are then satisfied for life.
We then hit the London Eye, London Aquarium, Sherlock Holmes Bar and Cirque du Soleil Varekai. London Eye was amazing. We were able to see a 4D movie before hand about London Eye which was really cool, and then the ride itself lasted about 30 minutes. London Aquarium was the coolest thing yet, and we probably spent about 3 hours in there. We saw everything from sharks, rays, fish, and turtles. We were able to touc a starfish and a ray egg that never developed. Yep, we were in line to touch these things behind the four year olds, but it was super cool.
The best part of that day though, hands down was getting our picture taken. Paddy and I posed on top of a sea turtle for a picture. Not only are these pictures meant for like parents and their children, but like little little kids. But yep, we nailed that picture. Picture this: I'm holding onto the fin of the turtle and Paddy has her feet up in the air holding onto me. Epic. Thank you.
Dinner time - we went to the Sherlock Holmes bar which was really cool. We had the classic fish and chips (delicious) and some Sherlock Holmes Ale. Everything on the menu is themed around Sherlock Holmes and the interior is very old fashioned. Loved it all. Plus the group that came through for the pub crawl all dressed in costumes was pretty funny too.
So then it was back to the fort to get ready for the Cirque Show. We were to meet Frank at the Royal Albert Hall and since we didnt wanna be late, we made sure to leave 45 minutes in advance to when we were supposed to meet him. We took the double decker bus. And yes, we sat on top in the front row. Woooooo. Turns out, it takes no time at all to get there and we were super early lol but it all worked out. The show was breathtaking of course and we loved every second of it.
Funny story: so Paddy and I are watching the show, and there are these big black metal things that cover the exit signs during the show, right. Right. So in the middle of the show, the black big metal thing FALLS right in between our two chairs. I half screamed, half gasped, slash the poor guy working at our door didnt know if we were crying or laughing. We were laughing. And the old man sitting next to me, yeah, he was laughing pretty hard at us too. Nearly died, and it was super worth it to see the show.
We wake up Sunday morning and today is the big day. We have a lot to hit, so we go and get our famous breakfast (different place, but the same thing - minus the fried slice) and our white coffee and we were good to go. We hit Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the changing of the guards (which we saw the end of - it was good though - my master photography skills caught it), Big Ben, and we got last minute tickets to see JERSEY BOYS THE MUSICAL. and god was it good. We were in the very last row of the theatre, like I mean so far back they sold binoculars for 50 pents, but it was a perfect view and didnt bother us any.
After Jersey Boys, we hit up the Absolut Ice Bar. Picture the entire bar made of Ice, so cold (all relative, its -15 C but they only let you stay in there for 40 minutes because its bad for your health lol), but everything is made from ice. The glasses are laser cut and imported from Sweden (cool!) and everyone is given these fur isolated coats upon entering.
After that we hit up a chinese buffet (I know, I know) but it was super good and cheap.
Then comes the last day of our wild adventure: Monday already. We took the metro to notting hill and then were in search for cheap breakfast....we landed upon McDs. Whatever lol, it was cheap and their breakfast is damn good. Judge all you want. They still served white coffee, and really, lets be honest, that was all that mattered. So we hit up Notting Hill and walked to see all the gorgeous neighborhoods and even stopped into the "American Food" store to see what they had - we didnt know what to expect - but they did not dissapoint. He had Kraft Dinner, Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, marshmallows, A&W root beer, mountain dew, you name it - he had it!
We were then off to Abbey Road - of course - how could we miss that. And I have to say, the people who live around that block must hate tourists. There were a ton of us standing at the side trying to capture the perfect Beatles shot walking across. There were even two guys who took their shoes off to capture the perfect picture (soooo cold). But it was worth it to get "that picture".
Last but not least, the Van Gogh exhibit that was at the Royal Academy of Arts for a short time. We scrounged together our last coins and we made it. 7 rooms of his artwork and 902 of his letters he had written. Amazing and very interesting to read thats for sure. But wait - it gets better - funny story. So Paddy and I are minding our own business admiring one of the paintings on the wall, when a man beside us let one rip. I'm talking a loud, clearly defined fart. Paddy and I looked at each other and BURST out laughing. We couldnt believe it. Apparently no one else is as immature as us, because we were the only ones laughing, but thank god we were in the last room, because we had to leave the exhibit we were laughing so hard.
And that concluded our trip - we made it back to the fort to pack up our things, stopped for a quick bite to eat and we were off to the train station. we made it honestly just in time, checked our bags and we ran onto the train. we made it. phew. so were sitting all cozy in our seats, and a girl approaches us saying that i was in her seat. I showed her my ticket and said "nope, its mine too, so clearly we were double booked". Just as this is happening a younger guy comes over to Paddy and says that she is in his seat, she showed the ticket and was like crap, clearly we are double booked too. He leans over and says "Can I see your ticket quickly?"; we said sure thinking that he didnt believe us that we had his seat....and he says "You are on the wrong train." Pardon? No, no, we are not. He points through the window to the train across the track and said "Lille? That's your train right there." OH CRAP. We are half having a laugh attack, slash trying to grab our bags to run off the train. I can't even move I am laughing so hard as the train is literally 30 seconds from taking off. I grab my bag and literally dash over, Paddy just ahead of me. We make it on, screaming with laughter that we nearly ended up in Paris. Yeah, turns out the train was heading to Paris. Can you imagine? We get off expecting to be in Lille, and we were in Paris. Oh boyyyyy.
We finally grab our seat, and just look at each other in disbelief. That would happen to us.
Paddy's friend Karan was on the same train and came and got us: "Beer time on car 6".
Neither of us disagreed on that one.
Class = Da da dummmm
a) i couldnt believe classes were starting. I had been here almost three weeks with no class. And it was beginning to feel like a fantatic holiday.
b) classes do not work the same way here as they do in Canada. That you need to understand.
Some classes are once a month, some classes are every other week. Some classes you have on a tuesday and thursday one week and a wednesday friday the next week. How you are supposed to keep track I have no idea. Its a day by day thing for me at this point.
Week one we had 3 classes. One Monday, One Tuesday (one didnt start until next week), and one Wednesday (I was supposed to have two but one was cancelled). So my weekend started Wednesday. Amazing.
But classes are good, some in english, some in french. One teacher for my marketing class is super nice the other in french for a politics class hates us. Ah well. You win some, you lose some. I could live with that. This week was better too, I have almost been to all of my classes at least once now so its good. 6 classes in total, 4 in english, 2 in french.
But the week went by like a flash because LONDON was that weekend! Paddy and I had booked to go to London for four days to visit my cousin Frank who worked with Cirque du Soleil. Incredible. I couldn't wait. We were to leave Friday morning and come back Monday Night.
And the adventure continues....lol
b) classes do not work the same way here as they do in Canada. That you need to understand.
Some classes are once a month, some classes are every other week. Some classes you have on a tuesday and thursday one week and a wednesday friday the next week. How you are supposed to keep track I have no idea. Its a day by day thing for me at this point.
Week one we had 3 classes. One Monday, One Tuesday (one didnt start until next week), and one Wednesday (I was supposed to have two but one was cancelled). So my weekend started Wednesday. Amazing.
But classes are good, some in english, some in french. One teacher for my marketing class is super nice the other in french for a politics class hates us. Ah well. You win some, you lose some. I could live with that. This week was better too, I have almost been to all of my classes at least once now so its good. 6 classes in total, 4 in english, 2 in french.
But the week went by like a flash because LONDON was that weekend! Paddy and I had booked to go to London for four days to visit my cousin Frank who worked with Cirque du Soleil. Incredible. I couldn't wait. We were to leave Friday morning and come back Monday Night.
And the adventure continues....lol
A weekend? That word doesn't exist here.
So I left off at the meter beer race...and well Tuesday was a disaster. It was January 12th, and Paddy, Laura, Elena and I sat there trying to put the pieces of the night together. An epic fail on our part. But luckily my camera filled us in. It was one of those moments from the movie "The Hangover" where they say we are going to look at these pictures once then destroy all of the evidence. I have never laughed so hard in all my life. These pictures were so unbelievable, and the fact that we only remembered the first 5 made it even better.
So classes only started the 18th, and it was the 12th. This meant going out everynight with our new friends. Everyone was bonding and life was damn good. We were laughing, mingling, dancing, drinking and sharing stories from where we were from. High on life for sure.
Latina was frequented pretty often, we tried La Palace, Magnum, and African Children. I kid you not. African Children is the name of the bar - a pretty chill place, small obviously, but super good.
And like a lightning flash it was Monday morning. Class time.
So classes only started the 18th, and it was the 12th. This meant going out everynight with our new friends. Everyone was bonding and life was damn good. We were laughing, mingling, dancing, drinking and sharing stories from where we were from. High on life for sure.
Latina was frequented pretty often, we tried La Palace, Magnum, and African Children. I kid you not. African Children is the name of the bar - a pretty chill place, small obviously, but super good.
And like a lightning flash it was Monday morning. Class time.
Oh yeah.....school.
Right. School. The whole reason I am here in the first place, well sort of.
So its January 7th and it is my first day of school. Not only do I feel like its the first day of school, but I feel like it is the first day of Grade 1. The whole, new school, new friends, new city. Everything. I wasn't nervous but incredibly excited. Who are my friends gonna be? Where is everybody going to be from? So many questions.
So the day before, I set off on the adventure to find my school. I was informed Valenciennes was the stop off the metro. Perfect. I'll get right on that. So I get off and now what? No signs, nada. Right, I'll just keep walking and hope someone knows the street Im looking for. I asked for directions and said to turn left and keep going. Oh I kept going all right, and no sign of my school. God streets are long over here. I walk into a university and ask where "Sciences Po Lille" is; my university. I was told it was back the way I came.....all the way at the end of the street.
I am thinking no way. I must have passed it. You fool. So I walk and walk, and about 20 minutes later MY SCHOOL. Amazing. How did i miss it though? Right, cute little couple sent me left and I should have gone right. No biggie, got the whole tour of the street.
Inside, my school is a gorgeous mix of bright colours. My favorite. Green, Red, Orange, Yellow. Yes, yes yes. This school has my name written all over it. Minus the political part. But I'll get to that later. So I find the room that we are supposed to meet in the next day and I'm off to the races. Now I have to find the metro again. I am literally at the end of the street so I turn right, and look what it is....the freaking metro. I have been walking for an hour, when literally my school is a minute from the metro. Awesome.
So back to my first day, I found the school no problem, clearly since its a 20 second walk. And up to the room. Walk through the door and see three other people sitting there. I introduce myself and sit down. I now know I was sitting with Nicoline from Denmark, Luca from Italy, and Peter from Sweden. Next in was Ilzcally from California and on they came.
Then entered the man of the hour: Guillaume. He is the one we received hundreds of emails from before coming, and was the man that had all the answers. Turns out he is hilarious. He has a ponytail on the top of his head and can speak English, French, Italian and a bit of spanish. Damn. We decided we will all marry someone with a ponytail on the top of their head.
So he took us through the basics of how school is gonna go, how classes will work and how we have to get things done. Now one thing you need to realize about the French is that nothing is done electronically. You go in and ask for a bank account, they will mail you letters and until you receive those letters you do not have access to your bank account. You pay for health insurance and they will mail you the card, until you have that card, there is no insurance. You want a discount VIVA card for the metro, you apply, send it in and wait for the letter to come in the mail. Nothing is done instantly. It's unbelievable. And nothing is just one letter, you have to wait for two or three to come. Insane.
So that afternoon we had to set up our banking. I learned that your prenom is your first name, and name is your last name. My banking said I was Eaton, Sarah. Super. Good one Sar.
That night we went to a bar called the Drugstore. Nice. Classy name. Its like a 70s little place with cheap drinks. Stella is 2.60 EUR for a glass. Amen for non imported beers. Yessss. This is also the night Paddy and I created "THE LIST". A list of things we wanted to do in the next 6 months; some appropriate, some not.
The rest of the weekend became a blur with going out to a nightclub called Latina, that played spanish music and we had a blast. We danced our butts off, and because we are in Europe, these places close at 6am. My feet are still hating me.
The other thing to note is that.....weekends do not exist. Monday-Sunday you party, everynight is a bar night and everynight we have wine. I have been here for four weeks, and I can honestly say there has been one night where I didnt have wine (I was sick). Amazing. And wine is so CHEAP. Its 1.50 EUR for a bottle, some are buy one get one free. Okay. No wonder everyone here drinks wine from a young age.
Then came that Monday evening we went to Led Zeppelin (great name btw). Paddy (my new bff from the USA...but she is German = amazing combo) and I saw "a meter of beer" on the menu. 20 euros, but a meter. We're thinking maybe they mean a litre? Who knows, but "let's go for it". Worst. Words. Ever. We ordered a meter alright....each....and when we ordered at the bar and said a meter, the bartender put her hands out horizontally, literally as a meter. Oh boy. What did we get ourselves into?
That's when the good ol Heineken 10 cup horizontal meter came out. We had each just ordered 10 beers of Heineken. Amazingly dangerous. We each brought our meter back to the table with people staring at us in wonder and sat down. It became Canada vs Germany in the meter beer race, and Canada knew she was gonna lose.
Shockingly enough we made a ton of friends, and were known by everyone as the girls who drank the meter beer. A night to remember alright, and this was Paddy's first sleepover. I clearly lost the meter race, and Germany had to take care of Canada, but memory wise that night will be up there for years to come.
That night, we added and checked off a meter beer race to the list. A night that went down in history.
So its January 7th and it is my first day of school. Not only do I feel like its the first day of school, but I feel like it is the first day of Grade 1. The whole, new school, new friends, new city. Everything. I wasn't nervous but incredibly excited. Who are my friends gonna be? Where is everybody going to be from? So many questions.
So the day before, I set off on the adventure to find my school. I was informed Valenciennes was the stop off the metro. Perfect. I'll get right on that. So I get off and now what? No signs, nada. Right, I'll just keep walking and hope someone knows the street Im looking for. I asked for directions and said to turn left and keep going. Oh I kept going all right, and no sign of my school. God streets are long over here. I walk into a university and ask where "Sciences Po Lille" is; my university. I was told it was back the way I came.....all the way at the end of the street.
I am thinking no way. I must have passed it. You fool. So I walk and walk, and about 20 minutes later MY SCHOOL. Amazing. How did i miss it though? Right, cute little couple sent me left and I should have gone right. No biggie, got the whole tour of the street.
Inside, my school is a gorgeous mix of bright colours. My favorite. Green, Red, Orange, Yellow. Yes, yes yes. This school has my name written all over it. Minus the political part. But I'll get to that later. So I find the room that we are supposed to meet in the next day and I'm off to the races. Now I have to find the metro again. I am literally at the end of the street so I turn right, and look what it is....the freaking metro. I have been walking for an hour, when literally my school is a minute from the metro. Awesome.
So back to my first day, I found the school no problem, clearly since its a 20 second walk. And up to the room. Walk through the door and see three other people sitting there. I introduce myself and sit down. I now know I was sitting with Nicoline from Denmark, Luca from Italy, and Peter from Sweden. Next in was Ilzcally from California and on they came.
Then entered the man of the hour: Guillaume. He is the one we received hundreds of emails from before coming, and was the man that had all the answers. Turns out he is hilarious. He has a ponytail on the top of his head and can speak English, French, Italian and a bit of spanish. Damn. We decided we will all marry someone with a ponytail on the top of their head.
So he took us through the basics of how school is gonna go, how classes will work and how we have to get things done. Now one thing you need to realize about the French is that nothing is done electronically. You go in and ask for a bank account, they will mail you letters and until you receive those letters you do not have access to your bank account. You pay for health insurance and they will mail you the card, until you have that card, there is no insurance. You want a discount VIVA card for the metro, you apply, send it in and wait for the letter to come in the mail. Nothing is done instantly. It's unbelievable. And nothing is just one letter, you have to wait for two or three to come. Insane.
So that afternoon we had to set up our banking. I learned that your prenom is your first name, and name is your last name. My banking said I was Eaton, Sarah. Super. Good one Sar.
That night we went to a bar called the Drugstore. Nice. Classy name. Its like a 70s little place with cheap drinks. Stella is 2.60 EUR for a glass. Amen for non imported beers. Yessss. This is also the night Paddy and I created "THE LIST". A list of things we wanted to do in the next 6 months; some appropriate, some not.
The rest of the weekend became a blur with going out to a nightclub called Latina, that played spanish music and we had a blast. We danced our butts off, and because we are in Europe, these places close at 6am. My feet are still hating me.
The other thing to note is that.....weekends do not exist. Monday-Sunday you party, everynight is a bar night and everynight we have wine. I have been here for four weeks, and I can honestly say there has been one night where I didnt have wine (I was sick). Amazing. And wine is so CHEAP. Its 1.50 EUR for a bottle, some are buy one get one free. Okay. No wonder everyone here drinks wine from a young age.
Then came that Monday evening we went to Led Zeppelin (great name btw). Paddy (my new bff from the USA...but she is German = amazing combo) and I saw "a meter of beer" on the menu. 20 euros, but a meter. We're thinking maybe they mean a litre? Who knows, but "let's go for it". Worst. Words. Ever. We ordered a meter alright....each....and when we ordered at the bar and said a meter, the bartender put her hands out horizontally, literally as a meter. Oh boy. What did we get ourselves into?
That's when the good ol Heineken 10 cup horizontal meter came out. We had each just ordered 10 beers of Heineken. Amazingly dangerous. We each brought our meter back to the table with people staring at us in wonder and sat down. It became Canada vs Germany in the meter beer race, and Canada knew she was gonna lose.
Shockingly enough we made a ton of friends, and were known by everyone as the girls who drank the meter beer. A night to remember alright, and this was Paddy's first sleepover. I clearly lost the meter race, and Germany had to take care of Canada, but memory wise that night will be up there for years to come.
That night, we added and checked off a meter beer race to the list. A night that went down in history.
The adventure of the juggler and the old man
Wow.
a) I live in a beautiful quaint little city
b) there are a crap load of people
c) everyone here is beautiful
So my first day, I wake up to knocking on the door. What? I'm home alone, disoriented and getting my butt out of bed at 2pm. At the door was my roommate Elena! I had no idea she was arriving so soon - I couldn't believe it. My first day and I am meeting my roommate; she was supposed to come in five days, so I was shocked. Her boyfriend Ivo too. Great people. We chatted and ventured to the carre-four that day. Got myself some things to decorate the room with, not to mention some sheets, comforters, lamps and candles. Perfect. Home sweet home.
It was really quite the perfect day. We ended up going to get some chinese food for dinner and everything was a fairytale. Walking downtown this gorgeous old French city, and feeling like I have been here the whole time. Amazing feeling. I love it. "High on life" then and there became my saying for the trip.
The next day was Elena's birthday and her and Ivo were venturing to Belgium. I was alone again, but really excited to walk around and take some photos. We had walked through this big open space the night before on our way to the restaurant with big museums and water fountains. I wanted to find that again. So i ventured. And amazingly enough, I found it.
Super pretty day, overcast, but still sunny. Sort of chilly, but not too bad. It was nice. I come into the open space and I see a juggler and an old man taking his picture. Now when I say old, I mean 70. Super cute, honest to goodness old man. As I walked by he asked if I could take his picture, of course, so I took a couple with him and the juggler and asked if they were okay. He saw that I had a camera so suggested he take a picture of me and the juggler. Absolutely. The juggler and I had some laughs as he tried to teach me how to juggle and I was as I mentioned...."high on life".
The old man suggested that the three of us grab a coffee since it was cool outside, and naturally in France we are surrounded by coffee shops everywhere. Sure, why not. We ended up at this dive looking place on the outside and the amazing interior was 50's hollywood movie themed. We had a beer, a roast beef meal, creme brule for dessert and I sat there listening to stories of how the old man was married for 40 years with 8 grandkids and the juggler was a thriving chef wanting to catch his break.
Then and there the old man became Jean Pierre and Maxime. More than just people I met. They were my first French experience.
To end the most amazing day, we had a ferris wheel that was set up in the city centre. It was gorgeous, old and drew me right in. I figured if I didnt go on right then and there, I would miss my chance and never be able to go. I payed by 4 EUR and got on. Probably the world's most unsafe ferris wheel of life, but that was okay. I snapped away with my photos and drew it all in. The cold air on my face, the downtown lights and the people walking underneath.
The most picturesque moment to say the least.
a) I live in a beautiful quaint little city
b) there are a crap load of people
c) everyone here is beautiful
So my first day, I wake up to knocking on the door. What? I'm home alone, disoriented and getting my butt out of bed at 2pm. At the door was my roommate Elena! I had no idea she was arriving so soon - I couldn't believe it. My first day and I am meeting my roommate; she was supposed to come in five days, so I was shocked. Her boyfriend Ivo too. Great people. We chatted and ventured to the carre-four that day. Got myself some things to decorate the room with, not to mention some sheets, comforters, lamps and candles. Perfect. Home sweet home.
It was really quite the perfect day. We ended up going to get some chinese food for dinner and everything was a fairytale. Walking downtown this gorgeous old French city, and feeling like I have been here the whole time. Amazing feeling. I love it. "High on life" then and there became my saying for the trip.
The next day was Elena's birthday and her and Ivo were venturing to Belgium. I was alone again, but really excited to walk around and take some photos. We had walked through this big open space the night before on our way to the restaurant with big museums and water fountains. I wanted to find that again. So i ventured. And amazingly enough, I found it.
Super pretty day, overcast, but still sunny. Sort of chilly, but not too bad. It was nice. I come into the open space and I see a juggler and an old man taking his picture. Now when I say old, I mean 70. Super cute, honest to goodness old man. As I walked by he asked if I could take his picture, of course, so I took a couple with him and the juggler and asked if they were okay. He saw that I had a camera so suggested he take a picture of me and the juggler. Absolutely. The juggler and I had some laughs as he tried to teach me how to juggle and I was as I mentioned...."high on life".
The old man suggested that the three of us grab a coffee since it was cool outside, and naturally in France we are surrounded by coffee shops everywhere. Sure, why not. We ended up at this dive looking place on the outside and the amazing interior was 50's hollywood movie themed. We had a beer, a roast beef meal, creme brule for dessert and I sat there listening to stories of how the old man was married for 40 years with 8 grandkids and the juggler was a thriving chef wanting to catch his break.
Then and there the old man became Jean Pierre and Maxime. More than just people I met. They were my first French experience.
To end the most amazing day, we had a ferris wheel that was set up in the city centre. It was gorgeous, old and drew me right in. I figured if I didnt go on right then and there, I would miss my chance and never be able to go. I payed by 4 EUR and got on. Probably the world's most unsafe ferris wheel of life, but that was okay. I snapped away with my photos and drew it all in. The cold air on my face, the downtown lights and the people walking underneath.
The most picturesque moment to say the least.
Arriving in Lille
I still can't believe I'm here. It seems like yesterday that I arrived. And it has almost been four weeks....tomorrow. Insane. I have missed the boat on writing on my blog, but today is the day, and hopefully continuing weekly. Fingers crossed.
SO where did I leave off....leaving. Of course. So the first flight into London was great. Heathrow airport - the scene of Love Actually and romance. Naturally I was only there for just over an hour, but all was well. No fairytale ending there yet. Key word; yet. I had the nicest girl sit beside me on the plane, we talked about work, and travelling. She was from Ottawa, but now lives in London, works for a travel company. The whole shabang. I kept thinking; man do you ever have the life. I was jealous but then again she was jealous of me and what I was going to be doing for the next six months. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into" she said. I couldn't wait.
So I get on the next flight no problem, and I'm off to Paris. Holy crap this is actually happening was all I could think about. Didn't feel real. I sat looking out the window the whole time (not like I had anything better to do) and just prayed for some decent weather. I arrived in Paris and went to go get my bags. Oh those beautiful red suitcases came around the track alright.....one with my rain jacket trailing behind it. Super. I broke my f-ing suitcase. This would happen to me. So i grab the beast off the cart and its okay - just snapped open at the bottom - no biggie; I hoped. So i made my way to the SNCF station, finally figured out to get my 12-25 card and purchased my ticket to Lille. Wowzers. I'm a big girl now. Amazing. Had a little time to wait, and it was pretty cold. That was fine. The issue was my bags. A train that has no one to help you lift your bags on and expect you to do it in one minute flat before they take off again. Great. I can do it. Sure.....not. So the train rolls in and its go time. I try and lift one bag one, then the other (clearly not this quickly) but i get them. Then I realize that my bags don't fit through the bloody doors into my car of the train. What am I supposed to do with them? "Leave them in the hall between the two cars" someone said. HA; and get all my stuff robbed instantly? No thanks. But thats what I had to do. Didn't really have my choice. Paranoid me kept walking up to the doors to double check they were there, but they didnt move. If anything they kept blocking people from moving through them or going to the bathroom. Clearly Canadian. I was a show stopper apparently. A few chuckles from on-lookers like "who is this girl? clearly its her first time...." not even. But you try travelling with two suitcases that weigh as much as a 500 pound man. Then we will see who's laughing.
So I was told to arrive in Gare Lille Flandres. of course i didnt do that. I arrived in Lille Europe. Beauty. I had my landlord's number (who is supposed to meet me) and I'll call her. Except I get the answering machine....da da dummmm. So i leave my randition of super great french on the voicemail telling her where I am and what I look like. I have no way of her calling me back, so I tried to give a ton of detail. Funny thing is....you can call a payphone back. Kinda like horror movie flash back, the payphone beside me starts ringing. Im looking around at faces hoping someone is as shocked as I am, but no luck. So i walk over slowly, pick it up and say...."allo?"...ITS MY LANDLORD. wow. no freaking way. she called a payphone. epic really. i was floored. horror movie was my reality. anyways, told her where I was and she said she would find me. she had to call the payphone back cause she couldnt find me, but we finally found each other.
After the long walk and the total adventure of getting my suitcases to my apartment, I was "home". No one else at the apartment but me, but that was okay. I had my room, my old victorian style key and my balcony. I was set. The big windows were perfect. Better than any picture. I was gonna make this my place alright. I couldn't wait.
Now, food. Its new years day and well....everything was closed. After walking around for a half hour, what do I find? McDs. Ugh. My first meal in France is McDonalds. Gross. But not surprisingly delicious. And cheap.
I had no idea what my next week was going to be like before school started but I couldn't wait. I would explore, and meet people and live life. Yeah. Live life.
SO where did I leave off....leaving. Of course. So the first flight into London was great. Heathrow airport - the scene of Love Actually and romance. Naturally I was only there for just over an hour, but all was well. No fairytale ending there yet. Key word; yet. I had the nicest girl sit beside me on the plane, we talked about work, and travelling. She was from Ottawa, but now lives in London, works for a travel company. The whole shabang. I kept thinking; man do you ever have the life. I was jealous but then again she was jealous of me and what I was going to be doing for the next six months. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into" she said. I couldn't wait.
So I get on the next flight no problem, and I'm off to Paris. Holy crap this is actually happening was all I could think about. Didn't feel real. I sat looking out the window the whole time (not like I had anything better to do) and just prayed for some decent weather. I arrived in Paris and went to go get my bags. Oh those beautiful red suitcases came around the track alright.....one with my rain jacket trailing behind it. Super. I broke my f-ing suitcase. This would happen to me. So i grab the beast off the cart and its okay - just snapped open at the bottom - no biggie; I hoped. So i made my way to the SNCF station, finally figured out to get my 12-25 card and purchased my ticket to Lille. Wowzers. I'm a big girl now. Amazing. Had a little time to wait, and it was pretty cold. That was fine. The issue was my bags. A train that has no one to help you lift your bags on and expect you to do it in one minute flat before they take off again. Great. I can do it. Sure.....not. So the train rolls in and its go time. I try and lift one bag one, then the other (clearly not this quickly) but i get them. Then I realize that my bags don't fit through the bloody doors into my car of the train. What am I supposed to do with them? "Leave them in the hall between the two cars" someone said. HA; and get all my stuff robbed instantly? No thanks. But thats what I had to do. Didn't really have my choice. Paranoid me kept walking up to the doors to double check they were there, but they didnt move. If anything they kept blocking people from moving through them or going to the bathroom. Clearly Canadian. I was a show stopper apparently. A few chuckles from on-lookers like "who is this girl? clearly its her first time...." not even. But you try travelling with two suitcases that weigh as much as a 500 pound man. Then we will see who's laughing.
So I was told to arrive in Gare Lille Flandres. of course i didnt do that. I arrived in Lille Europe. Beauty. I had my landlord's number (who is supposed to meet me) and I'll call her. Except I get the answering machine....da da dummmm. So i leave my randition of super great french on the voicemail telling her where I am and what I look like. I have no way of her calling me back, so I tried to give a ton of detail. Funny thing is....you can call a payphone back. Kinda like horror movie flash back, the payphone beside me starts ringing. Im looking around at faces hoping someone is as shocked as I am, but no luck. So i walk over slowly, pick it up and say...."allo?"...ITS MY LANDLORD. wow. no freaking way. she called a payphone. epic really. i was floored. horror movie was my reality. anyways, told her where I was and she said she would find me. she had to call the payphone back cause she couldnt find me, but we finally found each other.
After the long walk and the total adventure of getting my suitcases to my apartment, I was "home". No one else at the apartment but me, but that was okay. I had my room, my old victorian style key and my balcony. I was set. The big windows were perfect. Better than any picture. I was gonna make this my place alright. I couldn't wait.
Now, food. Its new years day and well....everything was closed. After walking around for a half hour, what do I find? McDs. Ugh. My first meal in France is McDonalds. Gross. But not surprisingly delicious. And cheap.
I had no idea what my next week was going to be like before school started but I couldn't wait. I would explore, and meet people and live life. Yeah. Live life.
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