(Père) Noël arrive à Lannion!

Salut!

After such a wonderful day at Rennes last week, how could I decline an invitation to some Christmas events in Lannion with Frances and Laura? I woke up at the crack of dawn to make sure I had enough time to find the bus stop and catch the bus on time. I was about thirty minutes early, but that's always better than missing the bus.

I passed the time by attempting to chat with a lady who was waiting for the same bus. I was really pleased with myself for making the effort, and when she got off the bus, she made a point of finding me, and wishing me luck for the rest of my time in France. How lovely?! Also, the bus is such a bargain compared to the price of the trains. It was only €2 on the bus, where the equivalent journey on the train is just under €7. I asked for my ticket in my best French and the bus driver had a big grin on his face, obviously smiling at my wonderful attempt at a French accent!

After an hour I arrived in Lannion, and I was met by Laura and Frances. The first event on the To-Do List was the decorating of the town christmas tree. Unfortunately absolutely no one was there, so we went for a walk instead. First we walked along the river and watched some people kayaking; some only wearing shorts! They must have been freezing. That said, the weather for mid December was quite lovely, brisk enough to see your breath, but lots of sun too. 

We then walked back to the apartment through the town, and I managed to get a snap of some of the town's decorations.

Back at the apartment we had pizza followed by some lovely treats that Frances had picked up from the local patisserie. I must admit that I felt like Mary Berry, sat by the table sampling Lannion's delicious pastries, with my chocolat chaud in hand!

(Lemon tart, Paris Brest and Coffee and Speculoos Eclair)

After a lovely catch up, we made some origami dragons! Thank you Carrie Hope Fletcher for the tutorial. I am so happy to have found people who are just like me in France! I loved our little origami tea party. Before we knew it, the time had come to leave the house in search of more christmas activities.

We walked a different way into town, through a wooded area, which reminded me of similar places back home. We got back to our starting point, and in all honesty, the tree was no more decorated than it had been in the morning. However, there were far more people about this time, and we could see a Mrs Clause who towered about her hubby (how bizarre?), and there were lots of people dressed as elves doing circus type things.

Behind Mr and Mrs Christmas, there was a celtic type band with bagpipes, oboes, drums and bombards (a double reeded instrument similar to the oboe but much smaller, and specific to the region of Brittany) began to play. 

The band started marching, following the lead of Father Christmas, some juggling elves and a very enthusiastic man waving a flag, and lo and behold, we became part of the parade!

Conveniently, the parade came to a standstill in the town square which was lined with tents. The band formed a circle and continued to play their music whilst the flag was being waved about.

After the band finished we had a look in the tents, and they were serving free chocolat chaud and vin chaud! Free!!! I should have picked the hot chocolate because mulled wine really isn't my things, and wasn't the most pleasant drink I've ever had. Then, along the table, people were giving out lanterns for a parade that was happening later on through the town. We made our lanterns, but unfortunately it was time for me to go home before the parade began!

Yet again, I had such a fantastic day, and maybe I am starting to enjoy being in France a little bit more than I have been previously. It really helps when you go out and make the most of your time, and experience different things that you wouldn't get at home. When will I ever celebrate Father Christmas coming to town in a celtic parade again?

This was my final weekend in France before the New Year, and it's fair to say, it has been one of the most cultural by far!

Thank you Frances and Laura for another wonderful weekend!

A bientôt!

Bises

Jess

xx

Excursions to Paris and Troyes

Salut!

Well, as I said in my last post, my 2 weeks of holidays were only finished briefly and this is because I had to meet up with my uni lecturer to in Paris to discuss my time so far, and my upcoming university project.

So bright dark and early on Wednesday 5th November I was boarding the train to Paris, and I wouldn't be returning to Guingamp until Sunday evening. I managed to get the time off work as it was mainly for university work. After the three and a half hour journey, I arrived in Paris Montparnasse and had about 6 hours to kill, so instead of navigating the metro, I decided to pass the time by walking through Paris towards the Seine, and trying to find a Kiko on the way!

I flânered through the streets on Paris, managing not to take any wrong turnings, and ended up at the love lock bridge. I tried to find the lock me and Lewis put there last year, but I would have been there forever. I walked over the bridge, pausing to take in the view of the Seine and Le Louvre from across the river. 

There's something quite peaceful about walking around leisurely in a busy city. I felt like it really gave me a bit of time to breathe after being so caught up in everything since moving abroad. I sat around people-watching in Le Louvre for what seemed like hours people watching, and it was so relaxing, watching people eat food on their lunch break, rushing to take photos before moving onto the next tourist spot and people hastily moving towards the exits, probably running for the next train, whilst I was calm and still watching the hustle and bustle. It reminded me of the line from that poem, "What is this life if full of care? We have no time to stand and stare...".

Afterwards I decided to walk to the hostel where I was staying for a couple of nights to drop my bags off before meeting my tutor and classmates. On the way, much to my surprise I saw three "women of the night" only it wasn't the night, it was mid afternoon, in broad daylight. What on earth?!!!!

Then I caught the Metro to Saint Michel and waited by the fountain for a good half an hour before anyone else from uni turned up. The fountain was quite spectacular compared to street corners at home. 

After our meeting our lecturer, myself and my friend Dan went for a stroll around and Dan took me to the bookshop Shakespeare and Company, somewhere I have read about a few times, and always wanted to have a peak inside. It was so quaint, and for the second time on my year abroad I felt like I was in a bookshop in Diagon Alley!

After heading back to the hostel for a second time for Dan to drop off his luggage, we headed back out to see the tower all lit up. Not quite as good as the Bonfire Night I was missing back home, but it was definitely a close second!

Me and Dan spent ages trying to get decent pictures of the Eiffel Tower, hence the amount of them...

...but this is the best by far!

The next day we decided to go to Le cimetière du Père-Lachaise which was as Dan put it "strangely beautiful". I didn't take any photos as it really didn't sit right with me. We walked around for hours, paying our respects to Edith Piaf and Jim Morrison, but I was disgusted to see people clambering over graves, or standing on them in order to get a better picture. Have some respect! We continued to walk and talk for a while, and then we had to leave to meet another classmate, Izzie. 

Once we met up, we headed straight for the Champs Elysees. First stop M&S! It made me miss home so much when I saw all the food that it's so easy to buy from home! Then we had enough time for a brief picture of the Arc de Triomphe, before meeting up with our lecturer for a second time.

After our little meeting, our lecturer took us around a few of his favourite places in Paris. We headed for The Pantheon which was really interesting. We found out that very important people who have impacted on France in some way get buried here, which I had never heard of before. I felt quite honoured to be able to stand at the tombs of the Curies particularly, who's work has had such an effect worldwide on their discoveries in medicine.

We walked through Paris and ended up settling in the Jardin du Luxembourg, which felt sooo Parisian on a crisp November day at dusk, sat on the little green chairs. After an evening of crepes, baguettes and fresh cream cakes, it was our last night in Paris before moving on to Troyes, where Dan is spending his year abroad, the following day.

We were so tired by the time that we got to Troyes that we just popped out for essentials (baguette) and then spent the evening watching Love Actually. (Well it is nearly Christmas!)

On Saturday Dan decided to host a dinner party for all the assistants in Troyes, so we popped into Troyes to get some ingredients. On the way to the marked we bypassed H&M, and I had to go in because it was the first clothes shop I'd seen in France that we also have at home. Anyway...we got all our ingredients from the market, fresh fruit and veg, and it was also an opportunity to interact with French people!

We walked back to Dan's and got to work on chopping the veggies for the shakshuka we were making whilst listening to Abba. As you do! We also decided to make Eton Mess for pudding. It was more like Eton slop as the local food shop didn't have the powder to make the cream whipped cream, but still, tasted delicious! 

The dinner party was great and the food went down a treat. It was so nice to meet lots of new people and they were all lovely. We spoke French all night which was exactly what I needed! The following morning it was time to get the train home. I was a very sad to be leaving, but my time in Paris and Troyes made me feel a bit more positive about my time abroad, and that's never a bad thing!

That's all for now! I'm slowly catching up on myself on this blog, but it may take some time yet!

A bientôt! 

Jess
xx

Toussaint Week 2 - A Week With My Other Half!

Salut!

If you've been keeping up to date, you'll know how *ahem* wonderful the first week of my holidays was, and how much I needed a break, to spend the second week exploring some of Brittany with Lewis.

After waiting like what seemed forever, Lewis finally arrived on Friday evening, with a carload of some things from home. Y'know, all the important things, baked beans, spaghetti hoops, Dairy Milk, gravy granules etc. Plus I have another suitcase full of my winter woolies, a stack of books to read in my spare time, and a few DVDs. After unpacking the car, we had a homemade Nando's for tea (yup, missed that too!) and set to catching up as much as we could on The Walking Dead! 

On Saturday we ventured to the very cultural Ikea to do a bit of shopping. This was necessary because the furniture the school had put in my room was tragic. Eg. A wardrobe without a rail to hang things. I left Ikea with a bookcase, cubing unit and lots of candles. Once it was all assembled, and my duvet and cover from home were on the bed, my room looked more cozy and welcoming, unlike the prison cell it resembled before. 

Sunday was a lazy day where I showed Lewis around the town, despite the fact that everything was closed. We planned to visit Mont Saint Michel and Saint Malo the next day.

Mont Saint Michel was breathtaking. I loved it there. The picturesque buildings, the drawbridge, the cobbled streets and the inviting smell of the food cooking in the numerous restaurants. I felt like I was in Diagon Alley. 

After Mont Saint Michel we drove over to Saint Malo, which was a really special place for us to visit as it was a place Lewis went on holiday to with his family when he was a bit younger. Traffic getting into Saint Malo was ridiculous and we had no idea why, but when we got there, there were thousands of tourists, loud music, and lots of boats and it turned out that it was the start of the Route de Rhum which is a yacht race between Brittany and Guadeloupe, which takes place every 4 years, and we just happened to stumble across all on the excitement. What are the chances?!

The beaches looked incredible, especially due to the fact that we were there at the end of October.

Then Lewis showed me this place, which is a swimming pool built into the sea, where it is revealed when the tide is out! What a cool idea! I wished I'd brought my cozzie!

Then of course, how can you be a tourist in Brittany without indulging in a Crêpe au caramel au beurre salé. Delicious!

On Wednesday, we decided to visit one of the Spanish assistants in Lannion, which is about 30 minutes away by car. Unfortunately I forgot to take photos, but we had a lovely walk around, and again, ended up in a Crêperie for lunch! On our way home, we decided to detour and drive up to the Côte de Granit Rose which was beautiful.

On the way home we stopped off in a place called Ploumanac'h, which again, did not tai to impress!

And of course, how can a trip to France be complete without des macarons?! Chocolate and chocolate orange! A win.

After a lovely week it was time to say goodbye to Lewis which was awful. I'd had such a great time and knew that from that point on, it would be a long stretch until Christmas before seeing anyone from home again. It was so difficult saying goodbye, and many tears were shed! I tried to focus on making sure Lewis drove home and arrived safely, and by that point, my holidays were over...briefly.

Opening a Bank Account

I'll start by saying I had a lot of help with opening a bank account. My responsable had already arranged a "rendezvous" before I arrived. 

The documentation I needed was proof of address, proof of employment (arrete de nomination), a rough estimation of what I will earn a month (I'm sure this is written in British council documents) and my passport.

I think I have to pay 3 euros a month for my debit card, and thats about it. I'm with Banque Populaire and I have to wait around 8 days for my bank card. That's all I know.

Just thought it might be handy to write this post just in case it helps anyone else.

The Pros and the Cons of a Helping Hand

I met Jacqueline at the station on Thursday, and then she took me back to her house to meet her husband Pascal and son Benoit. She told me I'd be staying the weekend and maybe moving into the school apartment on Monday. We'd sort my bank account and the internet out on Friday as well as visiting both of the Lycées that I will be working at. All good I like a plan, but things aren't always as easy as you think they will be.

Jacqueline and her family are lovely, and welcomed me in English and continue to speak to me in English, this has been great in terms of making me feel at home, but I know I'm struggling with my French at this stage. When they switch to French I only really understand 30-40% of the conversation, and as for replying...ha.

The trouble is, as great as it is to have things planned for me, it would be good to sort things out in my own time. At the moment I keep needing an early night because I keep getting awful headaches, but I feel rude going to bed early to Skype home and then going to sleep, but I'm sooooo tired. In the last few days I have spent so long travelling, and concentrating on what everyone is saying that my brain needs to rest by 20h. 

Also I haven't been able to unpack because I am only staying here temporarily until after the weekend, so there's absolutely no point in unpacking to pack again, but I really don't feel at home yet.

AND, what is the deal with eating so late at night? I can't wait until 9 or 10 to eat. Especially after having been so busy in the day. If it comes down to food or sleep, I choose sleep every time.

I'm so lucky though, she had been SO helpful, translating things when I don't understand, helping me open a bank account, sorting out the internet, and introducing me to my flatmate. 

I have been able to use their internet to Skype home, and she has insisted that I phone home whenever I want. 

I know that if I have any problems I have somewhere to go, and someone who is so willing to help me. 

Things aren't so bad at the moment, I just really miss home.

But as the song goes, the only way is up (baby).....

Mon voyage à Guingamp

Day 1

I split my journey into 2 bits. For the first leg of my journey, I travelled down to London with Lewis. It was really emotional but I was so lucky to have the support of someone, when I was feeling so apprehensive about the next few days (months) ahead. Lewis gave me a hand with my bags, which made me so nervous about the next day when I'd have to do it alone, and whenever I thought of that I'd get emotional knowing that I wouldn't see Lewis for at least 4 weeks.

I was rushing around so much that I managed to get to London with just a few tears. But it was hard!

Once we got to London we found our hotel, which was right opposite St Pancras Station and dropped off my luggage. We had a lovely meal, and then came the tears. I felt like I was on a mini break, and I didn't want it to end. I knew how difficult the following day would be, saying goodbye, carrying what felt like 70+ kilos of luggage across Northern France and being in a completely new environment that I'm expected to call home for the next 7 months.

After trying to calm myself down, and watching Bake Off, it was time for sleep. HA. I got no sleep, at all. I couldn't switch off, I worried so much, and I wanted to catch the first train home.

Day 2
Morning came, and soon enough we were stood by the Check In at St Pancras. All morning I'd had a steady flow of tears, but I was only nanoseconds away from sobbing my heart out. How was I supposed to walk through the gate when my fiancé was the other side, waving me off, and then going home.

I know I sound so ungrateful about having the opportunity of a lifetime, but I'm a home bird and suffer with homesickness and anxiety like you wouldn't believe. I managed a smile when the man on the luggage security desk was really nice and told me not to worry because it wasn't forever. 

I managed the Eurostar fine, besides the miserable woman sat next to me, who did a lot of grumbling when I asked to squeeze past to pop to the loo. However, when we pulled into Paris Gare du Nord I was frozen. I was so scared I wanted to stay sat in my seat and wait for the journey back home. I felt sick and generally rubbish. All these feelings plus the stress of having to carry my luggage across Paris made for a really positive start to my Year Abroad!

I managed to jump the queue for a metro ticket because I was the only one with change, and I hopped onto (clambered with stupidly big/ heavy bags) onto Metro line 4 to Gare Montparnasse. There I have about an hours wait until the next train, so I managed a few bites of my sandwich before I felt sick again. 

By the time it got to boarding the final train, I was an emotional wreck again. I'd managed this far, with tears, but this was the train taking me far away from home to a new place that quite honestly I didn't want to be going. Anyhow, I boarded, with much ado with the luggage situation. A grumpy old(ish) man was very dismayed at the 2 minute wait I had caused him by trying to put my luggage into the luggage rack. It goes without saying that he offered no help, but instead sighed loudly at my struggle. 

After that I found my seat and had a good cry (again). It all got too much and I even resorted to locking myself in the train toilet to have a cry in peace.

After what seemed like hours (because it was!) The train pulled into Guingamp Station. I made my way around to the gate which is where I met Jacqueline. 

Here is the end of the hardest, most emotional day of my life...