the more, the merrier in bordeaux

first of all, sorry for the long dry spell!! the past 10 days have been filled with everything from trips to bordeaux to intership interviews to my first friends visiting for the weekend. this post will be about bordeaux, but i'll write another one about the other hecticness that is my life in france.

so, BORDEAUX.

my trip to bordeaux came out of a mishap, as does many of my life's experiences happen, i have now come to realize. i was supposed to visit daniel, a really good friend of mine from toronto, in london, uk, where he's doing his masters studies. not wanting or having 200euros to spare, i started looking at the carpooling site in france. i found one for 50euros return and jumped on in. initially, the driver said yes but as the day of departure approached, the driver wouldn`t answer my emails. finally, i found his number and called him when he said "oops! i forgot to email you to tell you that i`m cancelling the trip..." by that point, tickets to london were definitely out of my price range so i began looking for somewhere else to go, when i stubbled upon 30euro tickets to bordeaux. without hesitation, i bought a return trip and began investigating what i could do there. within a few hours, i had gone from being set to go to london to being set to go to bordeaux. i booked my train and a full day wine exploration tour on their tourism website. the only problem was accomodations. because in europe the prices are quoted to you on a per person basis on the basis of 2 people, i forgot to factor in the fact that the 25euros a night really meant 50euros a night for one person and thus for 2 nights - 100euros... definitely NOT being in the budget, i remembered my friend asking me whether or not i had ever done couchsurfing. never having done it but knowing that it was a way of having free accomodations, i joined couchsurfers.org and quickly found a place to sleep.

a small aside:
joining couchsurfers.org is a little long, but it`s definitely worth it. i really found that it was a great way to see the city, meet the locals and have a good time while staying within budget. honestly, as a single person travelling, i would not have done it any other way. couchsurfing essentially makes you feel like you have a friend waiting on the other end of your trip ready to share what`s special about their city and introduce you to their friends. while a little bit of a toss-up in regards to cleanliness (the place that i stayed at was horribly dirty BUT very welcoming - let`s just say that i was very happy that i brought my own sleeping bag that `protected`me from whatever happened to be on the cushions...)

the day of departure - of course - my alarm didn`t go off properly. thank god i set a second alarm telling me when i had to leave because otherwise, i would have never made it to the train station on time. i literally threw on some pants and my sweater, stuffed my sleeping bag into my knapsack and ran out the door. after all my careful planning to find out when the tram was supposed to come, i got to the tram stop only to find out that i had a 15 min wait before it was set to arrive. thankfully the metro isn`t too far, so i "ran" as fast as my crutches would let me to the metro and hopped on. i probably looked like a hobo but i didnt care. i didnt have time to stamp my bus ticket before stepping onto the metro because the metro was just pulling in as the elevator doors were opening so i just ran. having been ticketed for not having a stamped ticket before (it wasnt my fault, their ticket machine wasnt working!) i spent the entire journey looking around to make sure that no ticket police were on the platform... so stressful. anyway, i got to the train station and went directly to the ticket office to pick up my ticket. thankfully there was no line up, but when i got there, they said, "of course we can get you your tickets. can i have the card used to make the reservation please?" i froze. the card. how could i forget the card??? i used my canadian card to make the reservation and pay because my france one hadnt arrived yet. but, because it was my canadian one, i didn`t bother to take it with me as i always use cash here. it was too late for me to cab back to croix and too expensive for me to buy new tickets (100euros one way!!!) so i did what any self respecting student would do: i begged.

hahaha, the guy at the ticket counter just looked at me as i tried to reason with him and show him the inside of my wallet and thus LACK of card. he just said "i`m sorry. our systems wont let me print them without the card..." ok, fine. i give in. no card. no tickets. BUT, that doesnt mean i dont have a reservation... i asked him to print my reservation proving that at least i did have a ticket bought. he shrugged and said "i can't guarantee anything, but it might work. it all depends on the guy on the train." he explained to me that since my tickets were non refundable and non-exchangeable, theres really not much that can be changed BUT just in case, i asked him to write it on the reservation and stamp it officially (lucky that i did because on the way back, i was questioned and only because all of that was written, was i not kicked off the train...)

Ready to go Bordeaux!

anyway, "ticket" in hand, i head to the platform and await my train. when i climb aboard and fumble my way to my seat, i find someone else sitting in it... gah, fine. its early. i`m non caffinated and i`m sleepy. i was planning on taking pictures, but i realized that i probably wouldn't be because i was sleeping. so i sat down and settled in for a 5 hour trip. within minutes, i was knocked unconcious and when i woke up 4 hours later, it was sunny outside and i was looking at rolling hills of vines. ahh... i had reached wine country and i was itching to get off. wanting to capture every moment, i took out my camera and began snapping away. then i saw the red "low batt" sign blink on and said `wow, arent i smart? i even brought my battery charger and adapter!` i crawled on the floor looking for an outlet - none. i ask around - none. i`m informed that they only exist in first class... oh, thinks I, how lovely. then, ingenuity strikes and i say "eureka! the bathroom has an outlet for a razor! i'll use that one!" so i stand up to get my bag and everything begins to spin... motion sickness takes full control and i`m forced to abandon my quest for at least the next few minutes. gulping down, i quickly grab what i need and head to the bathroom. i set everything up and check the battery charger when i see that nothing is happening... i wiggle the plug around hoping for something... nothing. crap, all the work and spinning head in vain. deflated, i head back to my seat, close my eyes and wait til i arrive in bordeaux.

i hear, in my subconscious, the sound of the ticket man coming so my eyes fly open and i "hide" in the bathroom. while i really had nothing to be afraid of, i still didnt feel like having to take that risk if necessary. i come out only because someone has tried to open the bathroom door 3 times and i start to feel guilty. i pop my head out and look around... phew... ticket man has passed my seat and i have nothing else to worry about. i fall back asleep and wait for the nausea to pass and for bordeaux to arrive.

Bordeaux - Gare St. Jean

On the way into the station...

i wake up just outside of the main station and just in time to see a beautiful bordeaux sign. the station is beautiful - full of old metal framework and cloudy glass. i know that there`s a tourist office nearby, so i go there and check their opening times. nope, everyone`s on lunch break until 2, so i go back to the old sign and snap a few pictures and laugh silently in my head (you know, in case i had on-lookers) about the fact that my dad would have spent hours making me pose in front of the sign while i couldn`t even figure out how to get me into the picture... then i head back to the waiting area and notice plugs near one set of the chairs... hmm... time for a battery charge? so i set everything up, make someone move and oop, yet again, my charger isnt working. so i change plus. agian, no charge. in my head, i start figuring out my budget to buy a new charger, when i spot another one behind some machines. i head over and plug up again.... there`s charge! and then there`s none... i touch it again and the light blinks on. ok... just don`t touch it and leave it be... i head back to my seat to have my sandwich while never taking my eyes off of the little red light.

i stay until 2:10 charging my battery before heading to the tourist office. i pick up a map, some pamphlets and ask where to buy a tram ticket. i head over to my couchsurfer`s place to leave my stuff before going to explore but am taken aback by the beauty of the seaside and the difference between lille and bordeaux. none the less, my pack is getting heavy and i wanted to take it off so i leave the riverside to look for the apartment. when i get there, i`m greated by 2 guys completely glued to their computer screens. one is apparently the roommate and the other a friend. not exactly the warm welcome i was expecting, but at least i could leave my bag and regroup my stuff before heading out. looking around, i realized that everything was dirty. there was no dining table, just an assortment of tattered cushions to sit on and a bunch of flipped over wooden wine boxes. i couldn`t help but think, "wow, how different this is to the way that my mom travels... she would die right now..." hidden in the corner, a delapidated ikea sofa hidden under a mountain of opened sleeping bags."make yourself at home. you can choose pretty much anywhere to sleep. sorry about the mess..." says the room mate. "thanks. and no problem..." says I - insert fake smile and a small but nervous laugh. "how on earth am i going to sleep in this place!?!?!" is really what i`m thinking... i look down and the cat is helping himself to some pâté left over from lunch... gulp. note to self: buy your own NEW food...

The Medival Bell Tower

with that in mind, i say goodbye with a promise of returning around 6. off i go, down the street and towards the largest outdoor shopping street in europe. - la rue st. catherine. there`s a small book store near the intersection that`s calling to me, so i go in and head to the cookbook section where i find french cook books with recipes from the middle ages and from around the regions of france. while i wanted to buy them all, i decide on saving my money for soemthing else and settle with `la cuisine de nos terroirs`- "The cuisine from our regions". Just a little further and i stumble upon one of the largest remenents of the 13th century. The large bell tower was left intact at the end of the 13th century and is still used to day to tell the time by sounding every hour. just a little further and i`ve found la rue st. chatherine and am ready to go for a walk. watching the city change on a friday night, from teenagers in the late afternoon to young professionals in the early evening to familys getting a treat at the end of the evening is truly facinating. seeing as crepes are 3euros or more in lille, i grabbed a nutella crepe as a snack for 2euros and happily munched it at the side of the street. window shopping, i happily hopped down the street to the place de comédie and then around the block to a small grocery store to pick up a bottle or 2 of wine and some french basics - ie cheese, pâté and baguettes. i get home thinking that i`ll be dining alone, when i`m told that a bunch of friends are coming over and that dinner is set to be at another friend`s house, except that that friend doesn`t cook, doesn`t do dishes and doesn`t have any drinks. essentially, we`ve been asked to bring everything over to him... logical? not so much. we
convince him that it`s better for him to come over and begin making dinner. another couch surfer

Vin chaud, a ukalele and lots of good times

arrives and joins the party. the more the merrier is the motto for the evening. she`s from australia and doesn`t speak french very well. i invite her to join me in the wine tasting set for tomorrow and she agrees. finally all of the friends arrive and then more couch surfers, and more friends. we`re 20 around this little make-shift table and all i can say is, it`s awesome. i couldn`t have bought this experience anywhere and all i needed to do was ask. everyone leaves around 3am and i set my bed and alarm for  6 hours of much needed rest.

wine tasting at the school of wine

9am and julia, the other couchsurfer, and i are already out the door heading to our wine tasting. she hadn`t yet bought her ticket and we wanted to make she that she could come so we left early. tickets in hand, we go to a near by chain patisserie - brioche dorée - for a quick breakfast before immersing ourselves in the world of bordeaux wine. from it`s history to its current, very controlled state, bordeaux has worked hard to make itself one of 9 wine capitals of the world. we tasted a red, a white, a fortified white and one of high standing (think about 45$ a bottle -hehe, and yes, it was the best) before being left out of "class" for lunch. a quick sandwich with more students and we were off to the vineyards for further tastings.

A famous wine house near the 2nd wine tasting in Medoc

the first one is very rustic. i loved learning about how wine is made, but i can`t say that i really cared for the wine made by that particular "chateaux" or wine house. the second however, was absolutely gorgeous. it was evident that they had a lot of money put into the place but it made everything look that much better. they let us taste a pure merlot -rare for that area because houses usually mix varieties to achieve the desired style of wine, and i have to say, i didn`t really care for it. it wasnt horrible, but it wasnt something to be served alone. it should be served as an accompaniment for a dinner. that way, it really shines. the second wine, from haut-medoc, was complex and required unraveling. it was spicy and fruity. really cool. very much enjoyed that bottle and look forward to finding a similar one in canada :)

after a long day of wine tasting, i can honestly say, that i couldn`t smell or taste another bottle for at least another day, but julia and i decided that we`d cook dinner that night and so wine was a necessity. we passed by a supermarket for some pasta, sauce, fresh veggies, bread and wine and headed home to make a thank you dinner for our host. with no surprises, everyone (and more) was back for another night, but this time, the festivities went until 5am. thank god i didn`t have any plans for the next day other than church and the market. at 5am, i closed my eyes and slept a deep deep sleep.

St. Michel by night

my final day in bordeaux started quietly with no one awake and me sneaking out to go to church and the market. the church, st. michel, is another piece of history stopped in time. i`m not quite sure why it was so famous, but i do know that i was beautiful inside. not like the notre-dame, but beautiful none the less. its bell tower still rings every now and then and plays the european national anthem (ie the ode to joy). i was surprised to find an african choir singing mass and thought it was a great. after mass, i wandered to the nearby flea market to people watch some more and soon, like all french towns on a sunday, everything closes and i head back to the apartment to apply to some internships. before i know it, it`s time for me to pack up and say my good-byes. the train awaits and i don`t want to miss it.

Pont de Pierre, my final view of bordeaux

my final view of bordeaux is the pont de pierre, a beautiful manifestation of old old old architecture once the only form of wheeled connection between the two sides of bordeaux river backs. lit by night, its a beautiful last memory of the city.

i get to the train station in good time and i decide to sit down in the only space available. an old man starts to talk to me and tells me his life story. he`s a wine harvestor, has been for ever and ever. he`s lost the only woman he`s loved due to cancer and can`t seem to find himself again. i swear, sometime i think i have something that says "tell me your life story" written across my forehead! as i leave he gives me a hug and promptly tries to feel me up... seriously?!?!  anyway, i don't say anything because i prefer not to think of my last moments in bordeaux in that way, but seriously... it always happens to me...

on the train, i pass out and wake up just before we pull into lille. a quick, but expensive, taxi ride home and the weekend in bordeaux is done and a new week began...

sorry everyone!!!!!! updates will come next tuesday!

hi guys,

i'm so sorry for the lack of posting! it's been a very hectic week with very little time to sit and write so hence no updates...

in the past week, i`ve finished my first full week of classes (meh, heavy on the theory?), gone to one of the wine capitals of the world (more on that later), applied to what feels like a billion different internships and gotten 2 interviews in the span of 12 hours (both in marketing?!?! who'd'a thunk?!?!) and received the biggest scholarship in my history (worth $2500!!!!!!! ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!)

this upcoming week will be no different. it`s 5:30am here and i,ve only just half-assed-ly finished my homework and prepped the next 3 days which will go without me breathing because of meetings, class and interviews. this weekend, i'm playing host to some friends for paris, but on tuesday, i've booked time to write to you all.

sending mucho vikki love!

see you at the next post!

315 rue Verte, Croix, appartment no.4, chambre 4

Salut tout le monde!

After over 1 week of pure searching, I've moved into my "permanent" residence while here in France. It`s located right outside the gates of my school so I literally have to walk down one driveway, cross the street, and walk up the school`s driveway. Super convenient. I`m sharing the apartment with 3 other EDHEC students. They`re all french and in the same year (about 2 years under me, from what I can understand). 2 girls and 1 guy. Super nice and patient when explaining things slowly when I can`t keep up with what they`re saying. One of the girls is a foodie like me and we`ve decided that we`re going to do a `franco-canadian`food night! (This entire conversation happened because we were discussing what people eat for breakfast here since there`s no bread nearby... crisis!!... and I started talking about banana bread. I said that I would try and make some for them... let`s hope it turns out properly... :S)

Around me, there isn`t too much because it`s all residential. There is a boulangerie about 10 mins walk up hill from me and a McDo about 10 mins away in the other direction; I`ve been to neither. Rather, I walk to the tram and go either to Roubaix or towards Lille. There, there are supermarkets and boulangeries and everything. Much more worth it. To get to the tram, there is a beautiful walk across a large park where, on the weekend, you`ll find both young and old going for walks, playing soccer or feeding the ducks.

Speaking of  crossing the park, I did yesterday when I went back to Roubaix to see what was on sale during the big sales that are happening now for about a month. It`s crazy! From Lacoste to Guess to Geox to Haribo, everything seems to be on sale for at least 30% off, if not more. I saw sweaters at Lacoste for 39E! Crazy!! At Kipling, there was a bag for 25E that I wanted to buy, but really, I didn`t need it so I used my better judgement (and a lot of will power) to walk away... instead, I bought another kitchen gadget. Yes, my first `purchase`(other than food) in France obviously HAD to be a kitchen gadget. It`s a wine pourer and stopper that keeps bottles from spilling and going bad. It`s great, already in use in my fridge :D well, now out of use because the bottle is done. I will have to pick up another one when I go to supermarket. (I think my favourite wine right now is Bordeaux - mellow and fuity, not to heavy and great for sipping with cheese and pâté or just by itself while hanging out with friends :) Next time, I think I`ll try something from Bourgogne while making beouf bourgignon!)

 First dinner in my new place!

(do you see a similarity with my first dinner at my other place? LOL)

Views from the walk to the tram stop:

 Just outside my building`s back exit.

Parc Barbiaux

 the other side of Parc Barbiaux

Scene from Roubaix Eurotéléport (the main bus/ tram/ metro spot of Roubaix)

Some delights of lille, from creperie beaurepaire, vieux-lille

Apparently I'm still not adjusted... that, or I've over adjusted. I can't fall asleep until 4 am and then I wake up at 11am :s just in time to miss my first class. Thankfully I didnt have class today so it didn't make a difference, but I am worried about tomorrow morning....

Just as an update for everyone, no, I haven't yet moved into a place for four months - now more like 3.5 months, but who's counting. I'm still at Emma's. While I love it there, I've found an apartment that's right in front of school and right in front (well, as close as I'm going to get) to the tram stop that takes me either to Lille centre or roubaix (another small city rolled into the greater Lille area). Ie, my perfect mix. I'm learning slowly that the "french diet" is definitely bread, butter, cheese and pate, BUT, everyone walks everywhere. Which means, no instant trips to the mall or downtown, its always, at least at my turtke pace, 15 mins away. I'm learning to be patient and learning to love the walk. Realistically, who's mind walking around when its 10 degrees outside with no rain!

I spent the day at school and at roubaix teleport, the main bus/tram/metro centre of roubaix. Roubaix is about 5 mins by tram from school and just around it, there's a bit of everything. For me, it was important to look for a pillow and I found a store - babou- that was selling some for 2.5€! It really doesn't get cheaper than that. If you're not looking for atmosphere but need instant internet, there was a Quick burger joint right beside the main square that let me check some emails, have a cheap coffee (1€ vs the usual 1.40 - 1.80€ evrwhere else), warm up and go to the bathroom - backpackers paradise. Also right there is the MacArthur glen shopping district famous for having big names in one area all over France. Apparently 6 weeks of Wednesday sales start tomorrow so I'll definitely be going back.

Right now, I'm sitting in a cafe that's probably way over priced, but I don't mind, just for the atmosphere. I'm eating my first crepe - cheese in a buckwheat pancake - and all I can say is -YUM! They've made it just a tad crispy on the outside, but the inside is nice and ooozy. At first I wanted just to take it to go, but apparently this place doesn't do it anymore. It was 4€ which isn't horrible because in a little place near Paris, it was 3.50€. For all you travellers reading this, learn to order water "en caraffe" with your meal. It means tap water instead of bottled which means 2€ less at least at every meal eaten out. Trust me, it can add up. For dessert, a crepe au confiture de marilles ( or something like that). It looks sort of like blueberries but it comes from the alpes and it much sweeter. The crepe itself is much more buttery and much less crispy. All in all, 7.40€ for dinner and one very full and happy victoria.

Before this, I took the suggestion of a new friend of mine at school who's been here for about 4 months and went to an apparently famous Patisserie/ chocolaterie called Meerts. they are famous for their macaroons and seeing as I've never had one before, I thought it was high time. With that in mind, I went inside and asked for 1. Apparently, thay're only sold in boxes and each box of ten cost 18.50€. My jaw almost hit the floor! But, I guess, why not. School starts tomorrow and -sorry Gemma, but the nerd in me just had to come out I've decided totake the normal course load of a french student, so, 30.5 credits for me! We'll see how it goes.

Tomorrow, I'm hoping that I'll be able to move into my "permanent" place and get into the groove of school, but that might be wishful thinking.

Well, that's it for today everyone. A plus tard!

This is La Grande Place in the heart of Vieux-Lille ("Old-Lille")

 

Market day in lille

Its market day here in Lille. The major market is called Marche de wazemmes, where I am currently sitting in a small bistro called bistro de Bordeaux. There's a group of friend sitting in the cafe beside me catching up over a glass of rosé, and beside me, a couple just back from a trip. Here it doesn't matter what walk of life you come from, you're welcome. Off to the side, almost completely hidden save its steeple, is Eglise Sts. Pierre et Paul. Mass happens only 2 times 8:30 and 11. - both of which I missed because a) I was sleeping at 8:30 and b) I was lost in the market.

The market itself its sort of a mish-mash or pele-mele of colours, sounds, languages and smells. From the incessant smell of a lit cigarette nearby to the sounds of friends laughing or stalls opening or closing, this place is a feast for the senses. It consists of one building that has the meat and cheese and fish. Outside, even in the middle of their winter, and I say their winter because its only about 10 degrees outside, there are 2 main squares of activity. But, realistically, the activity spills over to the surrounding streets. The market starts super early in the morning and begins its shut down around 2pm. These squares hold everything from clothes and bags, to fresh flowers, to fruits and vegetables for the week, housewares and shoe insoles. Now that mommy and Auntie monette have gone, I wish they had had a chance to see this - they would have loved it.

Oh, and now, off to the side, a dancer or uh.... something else, looking for a new outfit but seemingly having forgotten to put on a pair of pants. A group of friends just sat down around me and I can't help it feel lucky to be able to observe people at close range. They're nice. Curious about canada,. Weather, school, what I'm doing here, etc. In general, I feel like people here are very friendly. Usually, they are very willing to help out when possible and they are always eager to laugh. Oh, and be friends. I've just befriended a young morocan named Soufiane Jennane in his first or second year of high school (lycée in France).

There is one thing about this market - it makes a lot of garbage. I even saw a guy cleaning out his tire hub before driving because it was so full of plastic bags. That said, the city of Lille has made provisions for that as once the market is packed up, large garbage trucks come in and begin the clean up.

Sundays, in genral, are slow in France. Most shops are closed and, truth be told, it makes sense. Its a day of rest; wish I could go back to my apartment a make some beouf bourgignon (probably very much mis-spelt).

....7 hours later....

Just had a wonderful "french" afternoon at the local pub. I was sitting down writing on my tablet when a girl came up to me to ask what make it was. We got chatting and before you knew it, I was asked to join their table inside where her boyfriend and another stranger was sitting. Her name was Barbara, the boyfriend, Steeve ( yes, with two 'e's) and the professeur remy, like remy-martin. It was awesome. We just laughed and talked all day long about nothing in particular. I don't know how to put it into words, but I was just so much fun. I can't think of a better way to finish one's first weekend in Lille.

Et donc tout le mode, bienvenue a la France!

 Some colours from the open air market

 Everybody here has one of those bags with the 2 wheels that you drag along. In this case, 2 old women (a daughter and a mother I suppose) wearing exactly the same coat, pants and boots were wobbling along their way after a day of shopping. It was too cute!

 The fresh market happens outdoors at the Marché de Wazemmes. Here, only fresh produce from around mainly France (and its colonies), or at most Europe, are sold. Prices are very reasonable (and of course change depending on who you are!) For example, a kilo of fresh clementines or oranges cost about 1.20E -- or if your a blatent tourist like me, coming at the end of the day and only wanting 5, 1.00E. Lol...

 After a day of marketing, friends and strangers come to one of the many little cafés and bars that surround the square. Musicians of every sort, mainly from gypsy decent I think, `work`for a few cents or Euros by entertaining you with their songs.  The next few photos were taken from the bar just beside the one that this photo was taken in front of. 

 Some of the many characters from the Lille area. There`s Remy, the economics professor; Remi, the unemployed; Barbara, the student in city design from Bordeaux; her visiting boyfriend Steeve; and the guy who`s name I still can`t remember (even after 5 hours of hanging out with him and hearing his name multiple times... I think it started with an M or a C... maybe...) There was also a Pierre and a Jacques at some point throughout the 7 hours of being there that I don`t have a picture of.
I wish I could do this more in Canada. It was so much fun!

first blog from lille!

hello everyone!

so, according to the little widget on my homepage, ive been in lille now for 3 days, but really, with the timechange, its more like 4, but what a few days it has been!


arriving in lille was no problem. we flew from toronto to zurich to paris - all in executive class... ahhh...to be able to sleep lying down after almost 48 hours of no sleep was soooooooo necessay. in paris, we met up with auntie monette in t2 of cdg where the train tickets to go to the rest of france can be found. then a pleasant hour trip across the french country side where green fields were only interupted by a cluster of small bldgs -ie a little town.

as predicted, getting the bags around prooved to be "interesting" at best. it consisted mainly of my mom trying to pull as many bags as possible, me attaching two to my knapsack (imagine a train and you might see me :) ) and auntie monette just trying to keep up. what it really turned out to be was a minor fiasco where mommy's push cart being overloaded and toppling over, my train breaking down and auntie monette pushing one along as she forged ahead.  i swear, if there was a camera watching us, they would have been on the floor laughing!

100 meters and 20 mins later, we reach the main floor. first impression of lille - brrrr is cold! and rainy! having already looked aheaf, i knew i had to get my metro card asap so that i could move around. with that, i left mommy and auntie monette by a heater near a cafe and left to go to lille flandre station to get my student card - but, to no avail. apparently, a 2€ check is necessary... hopefully i can ask either the person im staying with now or one of the students for it?

as for my current locationa, i'm renting a bed in someone's appartment in downtown lille. omg, i love living here. just downstairs there's a coffee bar. half a block later, a supermarket, one block  later, a major street for night life. oh and a theatre! now, if only it didnt take me 15 mins to get to the subway, 25 mins ride by subway (longer in metro) then another 20 mins walk minimum to my school  for a grnd total of 60 mins, full kilt and loads of sweat. ie, i cant live in dt lille because it takes too long to get to school :( oh, apparently my class schedule changes every week so apparently it will be harder to book ahead than i thought.

other than that, nothing much else to report other than, im happy and loving this experience thus far.

On the way to Lille from Paris CDG

My temporary accomodations in Lille:

 The Living Room or "Salon" in french

 My bedroom or, since it was really just partitioned off from the main living room, it's called a  "séjour"

 The kitchen or "la cuisine"

Part 1 of my morning commute, otherwise known as the stairs up to the 2nd floor (the equivalent of the 3rd by Canadian standards)

1 day 23 hours to go and still not packed

yup, you guessed it. as the title of this blog states, i have less than 48 hours til i board the plane and nothing has yet been packed. a list has been made, but things like unlocking a cell phone, finding a place to live, packing... you know, "useful" things have not yet been done.

what has been done, is a visa to get into the country and a camera with charger. i thought those were most important, don't you think?

so i promised a few days ago that i'd write about the adventure it was to get the this point, so let me tell you about it.

it began in my first academic semester at mcmaster university when we were all encouraged to attend the "BizX" info session. having always wanted to go on exchange but never letting myself do it for academic reason, i decided that now, of all times, was time for me to go. so, after having mentally decided that this was what i wanted to do, i of course, forgot to do anything about it...

2 semesters later and i attend the mandatory pre-departure meeting, which was, FYI, the most unproductive 3 hours ever. they tell you things like, be careful when traveling, use the "self love" method so as not to contract STIs while away, oh, and keep in contact with the school. what would have been productive, would have been things like how to get a french visa or how to find a place to live when both your home and host school leave you out to dry. to their credit, they did mention that duedates where coming up fast... great, thanks... i didn't notice.

getting a french visa took about 4 months in total (including time to search the consulate, figure out which visa you need - 2B by the way -, get special sized photos taken -by my little sister in our laundry room and printed by the nice lady at the loblaws -, and all the other million documents - doesn't help when your host university sends you your papers almost too late to get the visa based on the timelines given on the website which are then turned upside down when you finally reach someone at the consulate that tells you that it really only takes 3 days... gah) necessary to get the large sticker placed in your passport ). thank goodness i was working in a flexible downtown office that let me work around the random 9-12 by appointment only visa times for the french consulate! anyway, the day of getting my visa was a proud one and i'm glad i got it done before the family arrived.


that being said, my other part of the 4 months has been spent trying to find a place to live. from having a place to loosing contact with the person giving it to me, i've now geared myself up to find a place asap.

now that all of the family (well almost all of the family) has left from the grand family reunion, my focus has turned back to getting things back in order and ready to do. it's getting late and i'm still not done, so "bisous et a la prochaine!"


- victoria