I have my computer back, so I can take my time with this entry. I think I will start by posting some photos. I will go chronologically...
The Lille Braderie took place the first weekend the ISEP kids were here. It's basically a huge famous flea market that swallows up the entire city. There were so many people- I had never seen an actual "people jam" before. It was perfect for us, because we had the opportunity to buy some of the stuff we really needed. We also tried a regional specialty for lunch - moules frites (mussels and fries)!
Here is my room- it's rather small, but it's my own, and I get my own tiny tiny bathroom too, for which I am very grateful.
And some random pictures from around Lille...
Triolo- notre quartier :)
Me in Brussels! I went with some girls for a weekend trip to see one of my favorite musicians, Patrick Wolf.
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I think that will do for now, I don't want to overload anyone's computers.
Classes are going fairly well, as far as I know. This is because for most of my classes I will only have one grade, and I haven't gotten it yet. I sit in my literature classes and pretend I can keep up with what the teachers are saying. Other courses aren't quite as stressful, for translation I have at least as much as an advantage as the French kids do. It's hard to compare, though, because each class I have over here is really only worth one half or one third of a class back home.
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When I first arrived I was slightly disappointed that so many of the international kids I met were into the clubbing scene. It's expensive, I don't get it, I don't like the music, and personally, I would hardly call that dancing, if you know what I mean. But I discovered that I'm not the only one! Every weekend there are multiple local bands playing in Lille, all different genres. I've seen a ska band, a shoegaze band and a punk band in the past month. I found some venues I really like, and it is so great to support local music.
I am getting used to the accent here - people calling me what sounds like Saro, and when my next door neighbor told me about her pet "ro" it took me forever to figure out she was talking about a rat. I think I lucked out having her as my voisine. We have a lot in common, and she really challenges my communication skills. When I first met her I had NO idea what she was saying. Now I can understand at least half of it. Her boyfriend is in a band and they've invited me to come along to one of their répétitions, it should be fun.
There is a series of postcards I came across in the bookstore, le Furet du Nord, about Nord-Pas-de-Calais, this particular region of France. They poke fun at the ch'ti accent, the weather, etc. Very cute, I think. My favorite is this one
http://www.adelchicon.fr/images/112A-04.jpg
And the rest can be found here
http://www.adelchicon.fr/cartes.html
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Last week was Fall break and I went with some girls to Ireland. We saw Tralee, Limerick, Galway and Dublin. It was fun but I was kind of glad to return to home sweet Triolo. The next couple of weeks are going to be fairly busy, as this is not only when all of my projects seem to be due at the same time, but a friend is coming to visit next week and we are going to see Morrissey at the Lille Aeronef! It always seems to work that way though.
Time for bed, I would like to be somewhat productive tomorrow, I still have some paperwork to finalize. But I can't end this entry without mentioning the GREAT beers that can be found here! Merci, Belgique. ;)
A la prochaine!
