This was my first week of holidays in France! Unfortunately, the original plan of travelling throughout Europe didn’t work out, it’s too expensive to do at the last minute, so that’ll be put off to another week. I was able to visit Claire and the Souchets though (my old host family) on the other side of France for the weekend! It was so cool to see them again.
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| Grenoble to Rennes (Claire's University), to Vannes (Claire's Family's House) |
11 Rue Maurice Gignoux
Chambre 120 Vercors
Cité Universitaire du Rabot
38000 GRENOBLE
France
I rearranged my room and added my own little “innovative” touches, like a laundry line and a desk organizer (made from some old packaging), and my homemade night-table. I’m only here for a few months, so I don’t really need to go out and buy a bunch of new stuff. I’m starting to feel a bit more settled in.
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| Innovative, eh? |
I had lunch with different people this week. Lunch is the big meal of the day, not dinner. A lot of the stores and banks close during lunch. I ate with 2 German guys one day who had been here for a term and were heading back to Germany this week. Another day, I ate with 6 French students, and another day, 3 Chinese students. I find it’s easy to meet people here, but it’s not as easy to hold onto those relationships. I miss having “close friends.”
One day I had a hot chocolate at one of the squares in the “Centreville” = downtown area, Place Lafyette. I felt French.
It’s a very rich area with all the fancy shops and high fashion French people. One thing that’s very popular right now: black nylons. Everyone walks around with their long jackets and heals and black nylons.
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| Place Lafyette |
But there’s lot of homeless people there too. I’ve got to know quite a few of them. Many are immigrants from Romania and don’t have their “carte de séjour” or work permit, so that makes things difficult. I’m researching how to obtain one.
I’ve met Alina, a mother of 2 cute little girls (6 years old and 1 year). Her husband has a carte de sejour, but can’t find any work. I hope to help him put together a résumé.
While I was praying at a church, 10-year old Stephanie from Romania came up to me with an envelope collecting for the mute and deaf children of Grenoble. I’m not sure if that’s really where the money was going, but I do believe she needed it more than I did. Sometimes people say, ‘she’s not your responsibility,’ but I think that really she is, she’s everyone’s. She was born into a different 'lifestyle', I’m sure she doesn’t choose to beg. I watched her go from person to person on the streets asking for money, and get turned down over and over again. No fun for a little girl :(
I hope to find a longer-term solution than just giving them pocketchange. If anyone has ideas, I’d love to hear them! christinacrowley3@gmail.com
Oh here’s something cool. This week, Elizabeth (U of Western Ontario) and Nicole (U of Guelph) and I took the “gondolas” up the mountain.
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| Gondolas going up the mountain (in the distance) |
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| Me and Elizabeth |
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| Quite a view! |
Weekend with the Souchets
Claire met me at the train station. It was as if I hadn’t left, kind of neat. We headed back to her flat for a bit and then toured a bit of Rennes.
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| Parliament building in Rennes |
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| Claire and her housemate, Jean Leuci |
We stopped at her university in Rennes. Claire made it into med-school! She’s in her third year out of 9-12. The application process is different. Here, there’s a general first year of science with 1200 other students, then you write an exam. There are only 200 spots for doctors in le concours = the competition. If you don’t make top 200 on your first try, you can try once more next year, but if you don’t make the cut again, you’re not allowed to re-write, ever. Crazy! It also cuts out being a dentist, midwife and pharmacist. Claire passed on her first write! First year was extremely hard, she lived with 25 students and some nuns and all she did was study. She was one of only 2 of those 25 students to get accepted. Congrats, Claire!
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| Claire in her third year of med-school |
We drove back to her family’s house in Vannes that night. It was almost surreal to me, being back. Her family was very welcoming and kind.
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| Souchet House in Vannes |
That night, we ate at “Mac-Doe” (as the French say it) with some friends.
The next morning was the typical French breakfast! I missed this. A bowl of hot chocolate with toasted bagette. Mmmm
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| French Breakfast: Bowl of Hot Chocolate! |
Then we did some shopping at the centreville with Claire’s mom and sister Delphine. Delphine shops like Cara!
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| Centreville Shops |
Daniel, Claire’s dad, took her and I to “la mer”=the ocean that afternoon. I felt like I was back at Université Sainte-Anne in Nova Scotia. Just lovely!
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| Claire and her dad, Daniel |
Later, we met up with Claire’s friends for tea at the port. I had met a few of them last time I was in France, so it was great to see them again.
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| The Port in Vannes |
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| Tea with Claire friends, Fanny, Jean-Leuci, Clement and Pricille |
Claire and I went to Mass at the Cathedral in Vannes that night, which had an amazing children’s choir. Incredible voices. Then Marie-Claude made us crepes for dinner! Yum!
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| Marie-Claude and her AMAZING crepes! |
Claire’s youngest sister, Benedicte, showed me her awesome skills on the classical guitar. Beautiful!
Sunday morning, they showed me maps with all the sites to see in Paris next weekend with Breanne. All-in-all, a great visit with the Souchet’s. I hope to see them again soon! As a parting gift, they sent me off with a pair of “French” black nylons, very sweet.
Tomorrow’s my first day of real school! I’m excited and nervous of course. I think I’m ready though. It’s amazing what you can learn in 3 weeks.
À plus !
Bravissima--I mean--très bien! Tes experiences sont très belles! Alors, pour la nutella avec le 'ti dej, on a besoin de voyager plus à l'est! :P
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