All over again, I find myself constantly panicking and relfecting whilst I am packing for the big move back to Scotland, as well as wondering why in the name of Jebus and his furry friends I have so much stuff with me. I arrived with no less than FOUR suitcases, mostly filled with clothes, which is obviously nothing out of the ordinary. Another suitcase was filled with cooking essentials, bathroom stuff, etc. What? WHY?! Why the hell did I bring that sorta crap with me? Did I think that France wouldn't sell pots and pans, etc? So that's basically a suitcase I can leave behind. I remember frustratedly stating to my mum 2 nights before I came here that "I HAVE NOTHING WITH ME!".
Rule #1 for moving abroad: Ignore yourself when you say that. You can buy practically EVERYTHING you need wherever you move too. Poitiers had the €2 shop etc, I could ahve got everything JUST as cheap here, and at less expsense. Still, lesson learned, etc.
So far, I have 3 cases - 2 of which are coming home with me, and the other filled with things I am leaving with a friend here so I'll have clothes when I come back, and with things I may or may not need in the future. Therefore, cutting down costs and leaving behind things that I really don't need.
So, Rule #2: Prioritise your items. Clothes, but ones you WILL wear. Little trinkets etc, but that WON'T add a million kg to your weight (think back to the 750g teabag incident - I took out half the packet and lost over 500g to my weight - CRUTIAL MUCH?)
This rule applies to almost any household item - don't be mental like me and bring EVERYTHING over with you...
Once you are over, however, do what you like, it's your room, make it your own. But here's a little advice that's a good money saver and just a good idea in general: Take advantage of most airlines 10kg hand luggage rule. While it is strick, if you follow the above rules, not only will you be able to avoid paying an extra £15 for hold luggage, it means you are just bringing back say out of season clothes (and I literally mean summer-winter clothes, not style, though that too I guess) and other non-necessities to make room for more!
Therefore, Rule #3 - Only use 10kg hand luggage when flying home for visits, unless you REALLY need to book holdluggage.
Even over Christmas I managed this. Basically, anything you think that won't do for winter, that you realised you don't need than you can't throw away, take it home with you. Summer clothes etc are relatively light so you should be able to bring a LOT back. Also, by this hand luggage, I don't mean stuff 10kg worth of stuff into a handbag, get one of the small cases that fit cabin luggage regulations. It's worked every time for me, and means I can check in online and basically proceed right to the gate rather than standing in long queues waiting to check in big pieces of luggage. But obviously, this only works if you aren't bringing back half of the country you are in.
NB: Doesn't matter if it's when you are first going over, etc, always wear any jackets or HEAVY pieces of clothing. Saves like 1kg per item, so frees up a lot more weight and space!
However, as mentioned, it is a lot easier to bring back home summer clothes than winter clothes. Which leads us to Rule #4, Wear ALL your heavy clothing and jewellery whilst travelling. Yes, you may look absolutely mental with 3 necklaces, 2 bangles, a large jumper, a cardigan and a jacket/coat on, but it saves SO much weight, as previously mentioned. Plus it means you have more pockets, which allows for phones, mp3s, make up in those daft clear bags etc to be stored there if they are big enough, or if you happen to have a man friend travelling with you (jean pockets hello?).
I think that's all the main advice I can give you, apart from mayeb recruit family or friends to make the big moves with you, providing you aren't hated by everyone and they can't wait to see the back of you. Which I'm sure is unlikely.
Hope this helps any budding movers/ future ERASMUS/ Languag assistants!!
Wednesday 30 March 2011
Tuesday 29 March 2011
Fetchez la vache!!!!!
Throughout the 7 months I have spent here, I have often thought how to describe what it's like speaking French, or "French", to French people. And, after much deliberation/ watching Monty Python and The Holy Grail, I feel the Python's have done a rather excellent job in summing up exactly what happens when we Brits and other foreigners attempt to speak French:
French Soldier: Un cadeau.
Other French soldiers: A what?
French Soldier: A present.
Other French soldiers: Oh, Un cadeau!
Other French soldiers: Oui oui.
French Soldier: Allons y!
Other French soldiers: What?
French Soldier: Let's go!
Other French soldiers: Oh.
*NB: Replace "French soldier" with me, say, or any other Brit, and "Other French soldiers" with actual French people.
Also, how this is said in the film pretty much gives you an idea of how we sound when we speak French:
"I'm French. Why do you think I have this outrageous accent, you silly king?"
If you have not seen the film, FOR SHAME! Go, buy or download it now, watch it, then come back and read my blog.
Anyway, joking aside, there is a point to all of this. As of Friday 1st April, I shall be leaving Poitiers. Not forever, as I must return in early May for exams (cheers, Poitiers), but I am leaving a wee bit early due to some much needed resbite. So, I am reflecting. Also, it is 05h30, I'm halfway through packing my suitcase and am only awake because I decided to have coffee and noodles just after 3h this morning. Clever Lauren and you're smart decisions.
It feels very strange to be packing again, because this time I have 20kg hold luggage and my 10kg hand luggage and have given the notice for my room - so this is the big move back. And all over again, I feel like I'm leaving behind so much, I can't decide what to bring, only this time it's not like if I come back here my things will be waiting for me - once I move out, that's it. It's the end of the first chapter of my new, independent life. And I am REALLY gonna miss living on my own. But fear not, as Nadia, my Irish pal from Glasgow Uni, and I have decided to flat share in Glasgow next year - YALDI. It will be a bachelorette lair of which the likes Glasgow will have never seen before. Or just us getting drunk, talking shite, pretending to study languages and being poor for a year.
Anyway, over the next few days I am going to try and update as often as possible with any little happenings etc before my depature. Last Saturday I went out with the usual crowd to Est-Ouest, and it was fairly uneventful, apart from Anna teaching Katrin and I a valuable lesson about how chocolate must always be available when you are sad, nearly being shot in the face with a champagne cork (Thanks, Katrin :P) and that rose, rose champagne and sangria are not our friends. Or shots of vodka, for that matter. I also believe I was invited to a James Blunt concert and may have said yes... Anyway...
The weather here is still AMAZING, reaching 24 degrees the other day. Suck on that! I'd wear shorts if I didn't hate my legs so much/could be bothered shaving them more often. Hey, noone sees my legs, why do they need to be smoothy smooth everyday? Course, I realise that makes me sound like a human yeti, which isn't what I mean. Why do I need to defend this? Shut up.
On that slightly mad and irrelevant note, I shall leave you with more encouraging words from Monty Python :)
" I don't want to talk to you no more, you empty headed animal food trough wiper. I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!"
Now, go away or I shall taunt you a second time. :|
Quotes Copyright © "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", 1975. (Seriously, get it watched.)
French Soldier: Un cadeau.
Other French soldiers: A what?
French Soldier: A present.
Other French soldiers: Oh, Un cadeau!
Other French soldiers: Oui oui.
French Soldier: Allons y!
Other French soldiers: What?
French Soldier: Let's go!
Other French soldiers: Oh.
*NB: Replace "French soldier" with me, say, or any other Brit, and "Other French soldiers" with actual French people.
Also, how this is said in the film pretty much gives you an idea of how we sound when we speak French:
"I'm French. Why do you think I have this outrageous accent, you silly king?"
If you have not seen the film, FOR SHAME! Go, buy or download it now, watch it, then come back and read my blog.
Anyway, joking aside, there is a point to all of this. As of Friday 1st April, I shall be leaving Poitiers. Not forever, as I must return in early May for exams (cheers, Poitiers), but I am leaving a wee bit early due to some much needed resbite. So, I am reflecting. Also, it is 05h30, I'm halfway through packing my suitcase and am only awake because I decided to have coffee and noodles just after 3h this morning. Clever Lauren and you're smart decisions.
It feels very strange to be packing again, because this time I have 20kg hold luggage and my 10kg hand luggage and have given the notice for my room - so this is the big move back. And all over again, I feel like I'm leaving behind so much, I can't decide what to bring, only this time it's not like if I come back here my things will be waiting for me - once I move out, that's it. It's the end of the first chapter of my new, independent life. And I am REALLY gonna miss living on my own. But fear not, as Nadia, my Irish pal from Glasgow Uni, and I have decided to flat share in Glasgow next year - YALDI. It will be a bachelorette lair of which the likes Glasgow will have never seen before. Or just us getting drunk, talking shite, pretending to study languages and being poor for a year.
Anyway, over the next few days I am going to try and update as often as possible with any little happenings etc before my depature. Last Saturday I went out with the usual crowd to Est-Ouest, and it was fairly uneventful, apart from Anna teaching Katrin and I a valuable lesson about how chocolate must always be available when you are sad, nearly being shot in the face with a champagne cork (Thanks, Katrin :P) and that rose, rose champagne and sangria are not our friends. Or shots of vodka, for that matter. I also believe I was invited to a James Blunt concert and may have said yes... Anyway...
The weather here is still AMAZING, reaching 24 degrees the other day. Suck on that! I'd wear shorts if I didn't hate my legs so much/could be bothered shaving them more often. Hey, noone sees my legs, why do they need to be smoothy smooth everyday? Course, I realise that makes me sound like a human yeti, which isn't what I mean. Why do I need to defend this? Shut up.
On that slightly mad and irrelevant note, I shall leave you with more encouraging words from Monty Python :)
" I don't want to talk to you no more, you empty headed animal food trough wiper. I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!"
Now, go away or I shall taunt you a second time. :|
Quotes Copyright © "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", 1975. (Seriously, get it watched.)
Saturday 12 March 2011
The sun has got his hat on!!!
Spring is well and truly underway in Poitiers - in actual fact, it's more like Scottish summer weather! Hannah Grello and I decided to have a day out to enjoy such lovely weather. We met at Notre Dame just after half past 12 at the local market, which sold everything from fruit and veg to weird little antique things - so French!. So we spent an hour or so browsing the random and amusing artefacts, with Hannah buying a wee surprise for Adam (won't say what it is in case he reads this :P) and me buying something wonderful for Amy - again, not saying what, but if she doesn't love it I'm going to slap her with a tuna.
We soon realised, though, that at everyone stall there was at least one Jesus-related item. Jesus on a plate, Jesus on a cross, Jesus on a cross on a necklace, a small Jesus book (that wasn't a bible!), a portrait of Jesus, and so on and so forth. This lead to us randomly shouting "JESUS!" every few seconds and me saying something along the lines of "I really wanna find something nice for - Jesus?", when really I meant Amy...
Some of the best items we found were:
We did kind of want to buy it because it was so elegant and wonderful, but then we felt bad and release we'd probably get egged in the streets and denounced by our friends. Plus the face freaked me out, it felt like it was just looking at me, even though it had no eyes...
Anyway, after all that excitement we sat and had a nice beer in the sun and had a good old catch up, discussing everything and anything and commenting about the strange but intriguing people we saw wandering around the market. I'm pretty sure I got a little sunburnt though, or at least "caught some sun" as they say!
Next, we took a trip to Géant for some retail therapy and stopped to go to many weird French shops - why can't they at least invest in a Primark :/ Still after many fails, we eventually made it to H&M and I got myself a nice, floaty, flowery top :) Win! It has to be said though, France does love its autumn/old people colours - beige, cream, beige, navy, beige, sometimes red or green, beige, brown, black, BEIGE :@ For a fashionable country, Poitiers really isn't. It's like those équipe books we got in school where everyone was dressed in bad jumpers and jeans. They seem to think rainbow jumpers qualifies as colours. Noooooo it doesn't :| .
We hit Casino so I could get some groceries, i.e. left with milk, cereal, biscuits and PORRIDGE! Not Scots, but Quakers porridge, but it still tastes great :D But the self service kept telling me to "Place your basket (it meant bag) correctly", which was only slightly more annoying that "There is an unexpected item in the bagging area!". Still, after shouting at it, I managed to successfully buy my shopping.
We then decided on a spur of the moment bowling trip, which was HILARIOUS. We both needed some cheering up and this was just the thing. I managed to get a strike on my first go and another 2 or 3 shots after, but after that I just gutter balling it. Fail. Though we were doing celebratory jumps off the wee step, but this resulted in us looking rather... "Special". Here is what I mean:
As you can see, my head has gone transparent and my legs look very disproportioned to my body. Many of these pictures were taken (see Facebook!)... I'm not even sure how the angle of this picture happened, because in fact I was higher up than Hannah?! Either way, Hannah beat my sorry ass at bowling then we had some chips - proper fat chips! We then jumped on the bus and went home, where I finally managed to sleep! Ok, it kinda wasted my Friday night as I fell asleep just after 6pm, woke up at 1am, then went back to sleep at 2am, then woke up at 6 am, but a hole 10 hours sleep as made me feel fantastic!! All in all it was a banterful day out that was really needed!!
A la prochaine!!! x
P.S. Here are some more of our wonderful jumping shots:
We soon realised, though, that at everyone stall there was at least one Jesus-related item. Jesus on a plate, Jesus on a cross, Jesus on a cross on a necklace, a small Jesus book (that wasn't a bible!), a portrait of Jesus, and so on and so forth. This lead to us randomly shouting "JESUS!" every few seconds and me saying something along the lines of "I really wanna find something nice for - Jesus?", when really I meant Amy...
Some of the best items we found were:
- An old fold up school desk and chair.
- Various bird baths
- Axes and other weapons
- Ivory and bone jewellery, etc
- A little porn picture book thing (Hilarious!)
- A real dead fox fur scarf
 |
| Hannah modelling the fox scarf. Fabulous, but oh the controversy!! |
Anyway, after all that excitement we sat and had a nice beer in the sun and had a good old catch up, discussing everything and anything and commenting about the strange but intriguing people we saw wandering around the market. I'm pretty sure I got a little sunburnt though, or at least "caught some sun" as they say!
Next, we took a trip to Géant for some retail therapy and stopped to go to many weird French shops - why can't they at least invest in a Primark :/ Still after many fails, we eventually made it to H&M and I got myself a nice, floaty, flowery top :) Win! It has to be said though, France does love its autumn/old people colours - beige, cream, beige, navy, beige, sometimes red or green, beige, brown, black, BEIGE :@ For a fashionable country, Poitiers really isn't. It's like those équipe books we got in school where everyone was dressed in bad jumpers and jeans. They seem to think rainbow jumpers qualifies as colours. Noooooo it doesn't :| .
We hit Casino so I could get some groceries, i.e. left with milk, cereal, biscuits and PORRIDGE! Not Scots, but Quakers porridge, but it still tastes great :D But the self service kept telling me to "Place your basket (it meant bag) correctly", which was only slightly more annoying that "There is an unexpected item in the bagging area!". Still, after shouting at it, I managed to successfully buy my shopping.
We then decided on a spur of the moment bowling trip, which was HILARIOUS. We both needed some cheering up and this was just the thing. I managed to get a strike on my first go and another 2 or 3 shots after, but after that I just gutter balling it. Fail. Though we were doing celebratory jumps off the wee step, but this resulted in us looking rather... "Special". Here is what I mean:
 |
| Not sure what happened here... |
A la prochaine!!! x
P.S. Here are some more of our wonderful jumping shots:
 |
| Lol!!!!!! |
 |
| My arms are transparent?! I have NO idea how this happened or why I look like this.... |
Thursday 10 March 2011
Quoi de neuf?: Angoulême, my 20th, raclettes, cognac and flu.
NOTE: This entry has taken me weeks to write due to various distractions, ups and downs and other things. Apologies for it's short and probably generalised content.
Hello again to my blog! It has been well over a month since I last updated and feel it's time to give at least a short synopsis of what's been going on here in Poitiers! Well a lot has gone on in the past month! I spent the weekend before my birthday in Angoulême with Renaud and his family, where I was treated to a very French weekend! We visited the Bande Dessinée festival, where we got to see some famous comic book authors and various other arty things, but were a bit disappointed as you had to pay this year - apparently that's only happened in the last 2 or 3 years! Then we went for dinner at Renaud's parent's friend's house where I tried some tasty wee snacks like caramelised peanuts! Also had my first every raclette, which is like a grill thing with special little trays to melt special raclette cheese in and a thing where you can grill the different types of meats you have and you eat it all with potatoes! It was very exciting!! I also got my first taste of Cognac which was so amazing but left me a little bit too drunk - not that the whisky or red wine had anything to do with it! Then on Sunday for Epiphany we had a special galette and I found the little ornament so I was queen for a day! It was all very French and exciting :D
The Saturday after that (5th of February) was my 20th! I started the celebrations on the Thursday night with a bottle of malt whisky and buying myself a Chanel lipstick! We then proceeded to get wildly drunk on the Saturday night, drinking at the residence before hand before bantering off to Petit Cab, Est Ouest and the Goule as per! Renaud bought me a lovely dress for my birthday :D Pictures are on facebook so I can't be bothered uploading them here!
After my birthday... Well you can probably guess the banter that's gone on! Nights at the Petit Cab, Est Ouest, the goule etc! Last saturday (the 4th March) was the party at the Irish people's house for Aoife's birthday which was followed by a lovely trip to the Goule! Where we danced all night, but I was sober. Which was, coincidently, a very sobering experience. Hahaha, puns, etc.
What else? Well, there was the 2 week break around the 16th of February where everyone went home but I... didn't. Mainly because Ryanair thought it'd be hilarious to charge me £150 for ONE WAY. No thanks. So, instead, I got French flu which my mother and I thought was meningitus and went to Angouleme for a week with Renaud, which was lovely, until he got sick and we were a restless, sleep deprived, coughing and snoring mess. But we did go and see Tron which was beyond awesome!! In 3D as well! Not before there were 4 power cuts in a row, though.
Tuesday (8th march) was Mardi Gras and there was a huge festival/ carnival at notre dame - there is still confetti and streamers everywhere! Sadly, though, I missed it due to not being well, I just saw the remains as I dragged my sorry self to Monoprix for essentials. I have also recently enjoyed a lovely lunch and my first with Zoe last week, various sober weekends, various weekends drinking whisky and the weird orange rum punch they make up in bottles in bars, light sabers and metal music, and had some excellent banter with my friends! But I lost my Chanel lipstick, a definite tragedy.
Sadly, however, my time in Poitiers is growing to a close. Due to some personal problems, problems with uni, people, the area etc, I am not sure if I can continue with the rest of the term here. But fear not, dear readers!! The wonderful place that is the University of Glasgow has told me that if I should choose to return now, I can study at the Alliance Francais between now and some time before September, am still accepted into Honours, and can study for 3-4 months in Toulouse next March - May/June with the people who are studying French and Spanish but are currently in Spain! But I haven't decided yet.
Anyway, if I can think of more happenings etc I shall write another blog. Sorry for the tedious content!!
Hello again to my blog! It has been well over a month since I last updated and feel it's time to give at least a short synopsis of what's been going on here in Poitiers! Well a lot has gone on in the past month! I spent the weekend before my birthday in Angoulême with Renaud and his family, where I was treated to a very French weekend! We visited the Bande Dessinée festival, where we got to see some famous comic book authors and various other arty things, but were a bit disappointed as you had to pay this year - apparently that's only happened in the last 2 or 3 years! Then we went for dinner at Renaud's parent's friend's house where I tried some tasty wee snacks like caramelised peanuts! Also had my first every raclette, which is like a grill thing with special little trays to melt special raclette cheese in and a thing where you can grill the different types of meats you have and you eat it all with potatoes! It was very exciting!! I also got my first taste of Cognac which was so amazing but left me a little bit too drunk - not that the whisky or red wine had anything to do with it! Then on Sunday for Epiphany we had a special galette and I found the little ornament so I was queen for a day! It was all very French and exciting :D
The Saturday after that (5th of February) was my 20th! I started the celebrations on the Thursday night with a bottle of malt whisky and buying myself a Chanel lipstick! We then proceeded to get wildly drunk on the Saturday night, drinking at the residence before hand before bantering off to Petit Cab, Est Ouest and the Goule as per! Renaud bought me a lovely dress for my birthday :D Pictures are on facebook so I can't be bothered uploading them here!
After my birthday... Well you can probably guess the banter that's gone on! Nights at the Petit Cab, Est Ouest, the goule etc! Last saturday (the 4th March) was the party at the Irish people's house for Aoife's birthday which was followed by a lovely trip to the Goule! Where we danced all night, but I was sober. Which was, coincidently, a very sobering experience. Hahaha, puns, etc.
What else? Well, there was the 2 week break around the 16th of February where everyone went home but I... didn't. Mainly because Ryanair thought it'd be hilarious to charge me £150 for ONE WAY. No thanks. So, instead, I got French flu which my mother and I thought was meningitus and went to Angouleme for a week with Renaud, which was lovely, until he got sick and we were a restless, sleep deprived, coughing and snoring mess. But we did go and see Tron which was beyond awesome!! In 3D as well! Not before there were 4 power cuts in a row, though.
Tuesday (8th march) was Mardi Gras and there was a huge festival/ carnival at notre dame - there is still confetti and streamers everywhere! Sadly, though, I missed it due to not being well, I just saw the remains as I dragged my sorry self to Monoprix for essentials. I have also recently enjoyed a lovely lunch and my first with Zoe last week, various sober weekends, various weekends drinking whisky and the weird orange rum punch they make up in bottles in bars, light sabers and metal music, and had some excellent banter with my friends! But I lost my Chanel lipstick, a definite tragedy.
Sadly, however, my time in Poitiers is growing to a close. Due to some personal problems, problems with uni, people, the area etc, I am not sure if I can continue with the rest of the term here. But fear not, dear readers!! The wonderful place that is the University of Glasgow has told me that if I should choose to return now, I can study at the Alliance Francais between now and some time before September, am still accepted into Honours, and can study for 3-4 months in Toulouse next March - May/June with the people who are studying French and Spanish but are currently in Spain! But I haven't decided yet.
Anyway, if I can think of more happenings etc I shall write another blog. Sorry for the tedious content!!
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| Lightsabers are fun. ALWAYS. |
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