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!
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")
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