Bruges!

This Tuesday I was taken to Bruges, Belgium with my mentor teacher Caroline and her family.

Bruges was around 1h30 in the car from Douai, not bad to get to a different country! We arrived at around 10 am and began our adventure looking at all the fabulous buildings...and shops! Even our high street shops such as Zara or Claire's Accessories were incredible looking buildings. I guess Walsall could learn a thing or two about architecture from these amazing structures!

We were also really fortunate as the weather stayed sunny all day...most of this week has been grey, foggy and coooooold. Luckily Bruges brought out the sunshine!

You cannot go all the way to Belgium and not end up in chocolate shops, it's inevitable. One thing is for sure - it's not cheap. I'd advise anyone going to take a lot of spending money!! I thought I'd include some of our favourite chocolate constructions of the day....and I'm sure you'll learn why....

 Halloween chocolate...and slighty rude chocolate... always good fun! It really did make me laugh, it's not everyday you see chocolate like this I guess!!!!

For the beer lovers (shout out to Oli in particular) there was a whole bar dedicated to Duvel beer. You could have glasses with your name engraved onto it, notebooks, cases of duvel...pens/rubbers you name it it's there.

 What was also fantastic was that this was attached to a really large balcony, that had some fantastic scenes of the main town square - pretty breath taking. Maybe just as breathtaking as the chocolate Duvel....

Lunch was also fantastic. We decided to go and find a pub Caroline had discovered years ago, which has been now branded the most popular in Bruges. This pub was lovely and got so busy!!!! I decided to have a Croque Madame - toasties with egg on top! And then got given a free desert from the family - how kind!

  What was also really impressive was the size of Alain's beer. This beer came in a bottle with a special glass to drink it in - apparently it makes the beer taste better? I think Spoons at home needs these in their lives: 

 After filling our tummies, it was time to explore more of the architecture, spend more money and enjoy the sunshine. Alain really wanted to show me the canals so it was fantastic for photographs and generally a lovely day to sit by the water. What I found really bizarre was after a whole day of speaking French, when arriving in a shop where the serveur only spoke English or Flemish, I could only think in French. I think the problem was his accent, but my sentences were coming out half in French half in English...I did look like I'd lost my mind!

I'm really glad we went to Belgium again, it's starting to become one of my favourite places - especially for its fantastic views! I'm also glad in many ways I've stopped in France for half term. I think anyone who is looking to do the assistantship next year needs to really consider stopping. At first it feels difficult seeing everyone heading home and hearing your family and friends say DECEMBER THAT'S SO FAR AWAY but really it isn't, and how many times can you have a whole year to travel, relax and learn all at the same time? I think staying in France and making the most of your time is never a bad idea...it just makes Christmas that much more exciting.

December is coming round quite quickly. Next week I'm back at work in NOVEMBER and then have only that whole month to improve more...before heading home for two weeks and forgetting it all? But what's really motivating me is the constant news from home in calls and messages, all my trips, and my reading. I've discovered I've got an interest in Proust at the moment so he's sure to keep me busy!

So what's next? This weekend I'm in Paris with Caroline and her family..I CANNOT WAIT. I've not been to Paris since I was in sixth form and didn't really get to see everything I wanted to. This will be a true French day out...with a McDonalds on the Champs Elysées of course. Next week I'm back at work for two days before the weekend - so I really need to start thinking of ideas for my English Club! The week after I'm in Paris again, and the end of the month Zoe is coming to stay!

It's all go go go here. Still missing my family and Matt as always but time is going to go so quickly I can tell! What's most important is that I actually feel settled here...and not like my first year of University! Maybe you'll make a ch'ti out of me yet..

Tonight we have a huge meal with Isabelle's friends from the South just arriving - there goes the doorbell! Catch you soon!


JR


xxxxx

The Start of October Half Term!

My first impression of October half term in France was that I was going to spend a huge amount of time with other assistants, travelling and finally having more time together. What surprised me was the amount of assistants going home! A lot of my friends have gone back to the UK or have decided to have guests over (very jealous). My decision not to go home was preplanned when I left England and I guess if my birthday hadn't have been so early, I may have seen family or Matt now. What's done is done and I'm in France, so "profitons-bien", speak French and carry on!

I broke up from school Wednesday afternoon and since then have been super busy! Wednesday afternoon I caught the train into Lille and met up with Nia, Christina and Lucy. I hadn't properly met Christina or Lucy at this point so it was lovely to make new friends (and shop of course!) The evening resulted in Nia and I having our favourite meal, with diabolos (grenadine and lemonade, or peach and lemonade for Nia)

Wednesday night we ended up at Vanessa's flat chatting which was lovely, before Nia stopped at my house....and we ended up booking Paris tickets..oops! November the 11th here we come! Thursday was a day of cinemas and Douai and just great company! Thank you so much Nia it was a fab start to my holiday.

              

Friday was another adventure to Lille, to meet my pen-pal Jeanne. Jeanne and I have known each other for around 7 years or more, through writing letters, skype calls and emails in French and English. Before, she lived in Bethune, not too far away from Lille, yet I have never got the chance to meet up with her. Friday was this chance. It was lovely and sunny (and even a bit warm) and we got along so well! It was brilliant to walk, talk and catch up about our lives. I think we instantly clicked! Merci beaucoup pour une journée incroyable Jeanne et pour le chocolat chaud - et le gateau!

Luckily, I had been brought this lovely blueberry muffin...as it turns out my trains were all cancelled on the way home...it took nearly 4 hours but I met two lovely girls: Chloe and Oihiba, and we chatted through this stressful and long experience. I was so happy to get home but really grateful that Jeanne was so so lovely, and we had the best day together. Hopefully I'll see her after the holidays when she is in France.

 





A bientot Jeanne! See you soon :)




Saturday I went to see Bridget Jones with Caroline and her family - it was just as good as all the other films! Then we went to an official Italian restaurant in Arras ....wow it was incredible. I had lasagne and a diabolo again, but then a huge ice cream with hot chocolate sauce! What was a shock, was the wine. Here, this will be the second time I've had wine in France and it is incredible. Saturday's wine was expensive but it was so nice! The first time I had wine it was only 4 euro and still better than anything in England I'd had - I don't normally like wine, or alcohol so you can see the shock - so it was really nice to try different French wines so far!

 
Sunday is a day to myself, the French family are away but have left me so much food!!! (HAPPY).
I think it's good to also be honest on my blog posts - today is difficult. I woke up feeling home sick/matt sick and needing some TLC (I found it odd as I'd had such a good few days!) But these things happen. Luckily, I had some lovely words sent to me:

C'est normal d'avoir des petites baisses de moral surtout les dimanches car tu sais que tu pourrais être avec eux! Aller fais un petit Skype, relis 2-3 pages de Proust et remotive toi!  

(For none French speakers: It's normal to have these little dips in moral, especially Sundays because you know you could be with them (family)! Go skype them, re-read 2-3 pages of Proust and motivate yourself again!) You can now see why Jeanne est la meilleure !! Merci, thank you. This made me feel so much better. I've spent my morning in my PJs, skyping my Mom and then Matt for ages, which was unbelievably lovely. Unless you have distance, you'll never know how much these little things matter. The year abroad cannot always be exciting adventures and sometimes you do just want to be at home. I'm really lucky I've got such lovely french friends, family and of course Matt (SO MUCH LOVE) in my life (soppy) because it's making it all so much easier. 

So this is me, feeling better, off to watch crap French TV shows, eat my food and read read read. MOTIVATED once again. I think anyone on their year abroad can take Jeanne's advice - skype home, do your favourite things. So what's next? BRUGES Tuesday...PARIS SATURDAY!!!!!!

JR xxx

PS Thank you again Matt, you're my rock!

All gifs are from giphy.com and not my own.

More language troubles from a Bloxwich native

After living in France for nearly two months, it's inevitable that I was going to come across certain language and vocabulary troubles, this is the reason I'm here after all: TO IMPROVE! First of all this is nothing to worry about. Personally, I find it either funny or interesting to see a language difference. What is important is that you learn from it.

For example, saying goodbye has even become a bit weird for me at the moment. In England it's easy, it's bye, see you later, or in Bloxwegian: in a bit! I've been using the French for see you later a lot: à tout à l'heure, sometimes this works - bye family see you later - but other times it doesn't. This may seem like common sense (I do lack this), but in English I say see you later in a vague, general way of saying goodbye. In French, saying à tout à l'heure to people I may not see later on that day gets bizarre looks, or questions like "vraiment Jessica?!" OK, maybe I won't then....

Au revoir, however, seems to work for brief encounters or with strangers, but not so much with really good friends or family. One friend said it was too emotional (whaaat?) and others said it seemed too abrupt. What's lovely, is that from this, in France it's never goodbye, just "see you soon" ..à bientôt! But this again, depends on your relationships. In our house we say bye-bye too, so goodness knows what I should be using.

Another language trouble is my pronunciation of the french 'U' as in pull, Cou cou, écoute, mute, but...A handy tip has been to push your lips together so you look like a fish...or to think of it as the 'U' sound in: 'foot'. I'm trying to practise in my free time, just making this natural is becoming difficult!
I'm getting better at correcting myself at the moment, but sometimes I don't realise I'm not making the right sound! This hopefully will come - ça va venir as Isabelle says. Let's hope it does.

The accent is also a strange one. I'm no longer as 'anglaise' as before, but there is a twang that is still there at the end of certain phrases. It's nice to dream that one day this will be gone, but it's unrealistic unless I stay for 5 years (au revoir Nottingham).

Onto the positives! What's a little creepy is that apparently I've started to "um" like a French person...as noted by the French family. They're currently really proud of my progression and speed - I don't search for my words anymore and they believe I can have a conversation the same as any French person...hope I'm making Mme Daillet, Mme Hole, and Mme Merill proud! I just hope I don't forget things over Christmas! What's also useful is that I can correct myself and feel (?) when I need to use certain words: partitive articles, indefinite articles, definite articles, certain verbs I've heard in conversation and understand without knowing the English.....

This does lead me into me swearing in French without realising it: C'est bordel! Bordel - I've heard this said a million times and thought it just meant disorganised, a mess (like my room in England), just a state. No no no. This is a bit of swearing word which I accidentally came out with in conversation (thank god with my mentor teacher and not the pupils). This is also an issue with language learning, you pick up phrases you think you understand...when really BOOM no.  The horror and embarrassment. E.g. Never say je suis excitée....

Overall my French is far from perfect, but after two months I'm really happy with how things are going. Maybe you'll make a française out of me yet?

Stay tuned for more funny errors, travels and culture of course..or do I just mean cake?

JR xxx


All gifs sourced from www.giphy.com

Farm, theatre and list of fave things!

I'm finally well again and starting to feel like my normal chatty-self hurray!

Celebration cake with Vanessa (I'm now feeling better and she's got somewhere to live!)

This week has felt long due to me being ill, but I did get to go to a French farm at the start of the week, before the jessflu came! I've now learnt how to make my own butter too, pretty cool.

I saw a cow being milked too which was interesting! The whole tour was done in French too - I was pretty proud I understood it all!

Saturday was my only huge plan of the week, that had been planned with the family for a while, so I was glad I felt better! It's called La Nuit des Bibliothèques The Night of the Libraries/Library night! This occasion was about libraries opening their doors and for the public to watch theatre productions, discover new literature and to socialise too.

The family and I watched an improvisation play: for those that don't know, this is where the actors/comedians have no script and have not rehearsed anything in advance. The two comedians began by asking the audience (who were told to bring their favourite books) to pick an extract, which the actors would then continue however they thought best. It was incredible. The man and woman had no hesitation and continued stories from Zola to the Smurfs. The Smurfs sketch was my favourite - they're called les schtroumpfs (sh-tro-mphs) here, how funny! They come from Belgium actually :)

The evening ended with more and more crepes and cider (goodbye strongbow hello real cider!)

After being here over a month now I thought I'd give you all a list of my favourite things about living here! Enjoy :)

1. Freshly baked bread. From decent bakeries or boulangeries in town, these are god's gift to humans. Straight out of the oven, full of flour and they smell as good as they taste. Baguettes are incredible.
2. CAKE. You can't live in France and not try their different gateaux! My favourite are tarts or ones with lots of fruit!
3. TRAINS. Ok so I don't love commuting to work at all, it's tiring dark mornings etc. But I do love the fact that all the trains (so far) are clean, modern and even have huge sofas inside them. The TGV's are the best as they're really quite flashy and modern too. You get what you pay for...(for once: not like the 2 carriages to Birmingham we all know of). In fact, another point is they have double deckers - their buses don't but their trains do! So there's ALWAYS a seat! Even at the busiest of times!
4. My French Family. I can't imagine life without them. I think I'd have been extremely sad, lonely and homesick, so thank goodness I have them for home comforts!
5. English assistants/French friends/colleagues! Also a huge plus to living in France, having plans!! If it wasn't for all these amazing people I'd be so bored! So thank you for the travels, the meals and the fun times so far!
6. CHEESE. And how every time we eat a meal its normal to be asked if you want some...
7. Aperitif. Eg. A drink before your meal. This needs to be enforced more at home! You pick a drink for your stater and for your main meal. Drinks galore.
8. Their amazing libraries. I'm just a big geek, there's nothing different about these and English ones, I just like books!
9. Faire les bises. Kissing someone on both cheeks to say hello, goodbye, good-morning, goodnight, goodbye - adorable.
10. Les boutiques - Not just ordinary shops but your high end special French ones, family owned with expensive clothes or jewellery that I'll never afford but I can dream of.

Despite all this, I've got a huge desire for a Sunday dinner to see my family and to attack Matt with hugs. Guess December isn't too long to wait when we break up from school Wednesday for two weeks of holiday and then there's just November to go. I best keep practising my French before it's over!

JR

xxxx