So I've been here already one month and I've seen... Nearly nothing. I've been so lazy, no travelling, nothing. Ok I have to say that I'm not a typical tourist, I don't like to go somewhere just to take photos. That's why I keep avoiding those tourist-cities and beaches, no sense !! I like to get to know the culture by living the way the locals do. So i wasn't that much into tourism this first month, which is silly now that i think of it, because the main reason why i chose to come to Lille was that it's close to Paris, London and Bryssels so that i could travel... And i didn't do it.. Yet.
So my priority for this first month was to get to know people. In my point of view there's no point in travelling across the country and seeing as many places as possible if it means that you don't really know you're classmates or anyone else here. For me it's very important that there's someone who I can call to if I need to tell something. Everyone can imagine that creating a whole new life somewhere else doesn't happen in one day. All of us Erasmus students start creating our relationships for the point zero, you know nobody the first day. Except for if you came with a friend. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO EVERYONE !! And don't tell me it's a day for lovers only cuz in Finland it's not, it's called "friends day" and I think friends are more important that some random lovers that come and go ; ) At least at my age when it's not yet about finding a life partner !!
This morning i drank some coffee, sat in peace thinking about my situation.. It was about a time to take some time to listen to myself, when all that i really have done is drank loads of alcohol and partied.. I have a few friends here that I could say are good friends to me. If I have something to say I know i can share it. It's a comforting feeling. Before leaving Finland I was a little bit afraid that I would feel lonely. But i'm all good. Even though this weekend was a disaster. I obviously still don't know how to party sophisticatedly... I drank some whiskey, made a mess, poured drinks on everyone and lost my memory, way to go girl, or what do you guys think... Well on the opposite I have been on a very strict diet; 100 abdos each time I eat nutrition that contains carbohydrates, AND my arms are hurting cuz I've been to the gym ; ) So It's not all messy in my life... But I need to calm down.
I did something else too, I went to Arras, Merlimont and Berck. Arras is the neighbourhood town and Merlimont and Berck are on the coast, so I*VE SEEN THE SEA ! yei. Photos:
I also ate some moules frites, simpukoita ja ranskiksii in finnish. Sorry that I only took the pictures after they were already eaten ;
and there were also snails or hmm. How can i explain. If you order "escargots" (snails, etanoita in finnish) they are usually in a small pot on 6 snails in garlic sauce or similar. But these snails were HUGE, they were green and you had to pull them out of their cover with this stick, i'll attach a photo for you:
This is it for today, I wish a productive week for everyone!! Productivity is gonna be the theme of my week, because Im sick, I have the flu but I hate to stay home and rest so here are my plans for my freetime:
- Read a book of "laïcité" (separation of church from the state) in french for my Masters thesis
- Gym today, thursday and friday
- Dance class tuesday and thursday
- Study for exam (on friday)
I want to share everyone a text written by my roommate, Frank Lühnemann. This text matches my thoughts about France. Its called "Why easy? We love it complicated!":
It is hard to believe but I am already a month part of a culture which is still puzzling me. On the one hand students complain here when the internet is not working but on the other hand people pay here by check, a technique we used 20 years ago in other parts of Europe. But it was quite an experience to have some nostalgia in a supermarket. The word busy is here a foreign word. In Germany it is a competition between the cashier and you, who is faster the cashier with scanning or you with packing the groceries in the bags. In France however my 80 year old grandma would be faster in scanning. I adjusted to it and calculate more time doing the groceries but this coziness does not fit into high technology society picture I have from France. One thing is for sure I will pay once by check getting my pen out and filling everything out instead of using my credit card.
In general everything seems to be more complicated than in other countries. It started off with the schedule. While it takes in Holland only a few mouse clicks in order to get the schedule, it takes 100 more clicks in France. Unbelievable but true you have to look every course extra up and the courses are not listed directly by name but by category so it took ages to finish the schedule. The French keyboard is really a culture shock. Using a French keyboard reminds me of getting my first computer not knowing how to use a keyboard properly. It took me 5 minutes to get the @ and writing a report is almost impossible because it takes twice the time than normal.
About the courses it is funny to note the professors do not use power point presentations in their lectures. Probably they still use office 95 here- it wouldn’t surprise me. As soon as the professor starts talking you have the feeling of being in a huge secretariat because the only thing you hear besides the professor are the noises of the keyboards. It is unbelievable but students here type every word the professor says. I thought why not distributing the professor’s transcript it would save a lot of hazel but this would not fit into the French concept of making things more complicated than they used to be. So far so good, as soon as I have the time I will keep up with my French experience.
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