Intensive Program

As I mentioned before, I was placed into the lowest level of the available classes of the intensive French class.  It was four hours every day for that week.  While it was taught in French, the class was a very multilingual experience.  The largest groups of language were English and Italian, so classmates were often helping each other.  With my American friends, and with another Italian classmate, I found google translate to be very helpful (though switching back and forth from English to French to Italian made for some pretty garbled phrases).  This class got me thinking in French more during the day, which was helpful, but the material taught in my class was not.  On our first day, we went over how to conjugate simple -er verbs ("Parler" being the example).  Now, I know I’m not a linguistic genius, but I do in fact remember learning that in 6th grade.  How badly did I really do on that placement test haha?!  On the last day, we were allowed to chose if we wanted to take the extensive course (a French-as-a-foreign-language class for this semester) and I marked myself down for it.  There was no test or any form of assessment at the end of the intensive class.  We actually just watched a movie (le dîner de cons) that I’d already seen in a French class at UNCW.  I do know that some of the other classes went on a walking tour of the downtown area, so I guess it pays to come with a high language skill.  

First Week and ROOM TOUR*!

As soon as I was settled into my hotel room, I left to go on an adventure through the maze of streets in Vieux Lille (the old and lively down-town area of Lille, called “old Lille”).  My goal was to meet Raul for food and have a chance to catch up and finally speak English to someone.  The challenge was that the streets are not consistently labeled and I did not have a functioning phone (meaning no ability to contact Raul or the hotel, or check the maps to see if I was on target).  I got to the main square (my goal) just as the sky opened up.  

Raul eventually found me and we went to a nearby restaurant.  Here, kabobs are common, but are not the same as in the States.  A kabob is a sandwich of meat that is carved off of a rotisserie and some veggies.  These sandwiches, along with fries, are extremely common cheap food in the area.  

We walked around for hours.  Raul showed me his residence hall (a beautiful refurbished building in Vieux Lille) and helped me take the metro for the first time.  It was terrifying, but it is SO FAST AND SIMPLE!!! Lille has an automated metro system with no drivers (very unique) and the trains come to each station every minute, from early in the morning until 0h30.  We took the metro and found my residence hall, so that I would have an easier time finding it the next day for move-in.  After Raul and I parted ways, I got horrifically lost on my way back to the hotel and wandered around with bleeding feet for 45 minutes until the found the building.  I walked more than five miles that day, not even accounting for traveling with my bags.  After getting back, I elected to not eat, because this would mean more walking.  That was also my logic in the morning, so I’m glad I had a granola bar with me (thanks, Mom and Dad, for that reminder!).  During my check out, I had my first slightly extended conversation in French that involved zero English- the maid was trying to figure out when she needed to clean my room.  

I forked up way too much money for a taxi in the morning to my residence hall- I’d realized that I would have had to bring my bags over about a mile of cobblestone streets and it just wasn’t worth it to me to walk.  I hauled my bags up the steps (it should not be expected for anything to be handicap accessible here) and awkwardly stood in line with other students (who already seemed to know each other).  I payed a deposit and first month’s rent and was shown to my room on the second floor of the building (in Europe, it’s referenced as the first floor, with ground floor being zero and anything below as “-1,” “-2”).  

I started to unpack and then realized I needed things (like blankets, and basic food items) and panicked, thinking that I needed to find some of the girls from the lobby immediately before they went shopping before me and left me alone.  I wandered out of my room and upstairs to where I could hear music.  I knocked on the door, and a French girl appeared.  I stammered out somehow that I was a student at Lille 3 and I wanted someone to walk with so I could register with the school and go shopping.  She kindly agreed to take me to both places (I will forever feel an immense amount of gratitude for this girl, who helped me so much when I was completely lost).  We made it to the school (using the metro again!) and discovered that I had to go to the office the next morning and sign a waiting list (we were only informed after waiting for about 20 minutes with the crowd outside the door).  My French friend then took me to Auchan, the French Walmart equivalent.  It is in the mall that is one metro stop from my residence hall.  I’m grateful that I had to use French through this entire adventure- it felt good to be trying so hard from the very first day.  I bought bedding, a pot, pan, plate, cup, one set of cutlery, and some food.  Yes, this was a lot to carry back, even with the help of the French girl.  

The next day, I went back to the school to register with the international student office as soon as it opened.  Then I got lost for 30 minutes after getting off the metro and walked a mile in the opposite direction and awkwardly cried before I asked a local for directions.  I may have tired myself out due to all of the walking, but through my time here, I honestly haven’t had a hard time with jet lag.  I took a melatonin the first night, slept for 10 hours, and my sleep was regulated after that.  

I was contacted later that day by Margret, a girl who is studying here for a year from Alabama.  We got lunch at the mall and went back to Auchan for more food (40 cent bread and 30 cent wine? How can you live any other way?! (actually, that wine is disgusting, please don’t live that way)).  I was glad to have an American friend at my residence hall and school that shares several of my interests and who is so nice. 

The next morning, Thursday, was the French test that would place us in an intensive French class for the next week, intended to help our transition in living in France and refresh our minds on grammar or tenses.  Of course, I placed into the lowest level but it was probably better anyway.  After the test, there was a réunion (gathering), where I met some Americans and Brazilians who I would become close to.

That night was the first night I went out.  We went in a huge group to a meet up of international students at one of the very numerous bars downtown- it was crazy and fun and I like not being carded everywhere (since I don’t look 16).  

That recovery day after you overestimate you abilities.  

On Saturday, la Braderie was in town.  It is the biggest flea market in Europe and takes over the entire city of Lille (100 km of road, if I am not mistaken).  It happens once a year and is a HUGE tourist attraction!!! We spent hours wandering the streets, looking at old junk, neat finds, tasty-looking food, and mass produced shoes (combat boots for €15? Of course I bought them).  Moulles frites (mussels with a side of fries) are famous at la braderie and they were served at every restaurant that was open.  The group i was with went for hours on Saturday morning, again that night, and once more on Sunday morning.  It was an exciting way to get to know the city a bit better!




*I will share this post again once I add pictures of my room!  Of course, this requires me cleaning it.  I completely lack that motivation, for now.  

Bienvenue à bord

Here is my travel story from leaving Charlotte to arriving in Lille.

On Sunday, August 30th, at 2h02, I took off from the airport in Charlotte.  The plane was very small, and I fortunately had a window seat.  The flight was uneventful, except for the landing, where I got to see New York city for the first time.

After two hours in Newark, I boarded the plane to France.  I've never been on one so large!  I has an aisle seat for the ~7 hour flight.  The seats all had TVs behind the headrests with a wide selection of shows and movies to pass the time.  Despite the melatonin and complementary glass of wine, I didn't sleep at all and instead played dozens of riveting games of solitaire and watched the flight trajectory on the screen slowly move across the Atlantic.  

When we landed in Paris on schedule, at 7h45.  After filing off the plane, the rush of people pulled me in what I assumed to be the right direction.  Some signs were in English, but none of the signs seemed conveniently located for a first time international traveler.  I wound up in the correct line for border control, where I waited for about 45 minutes with other impatient Americans.  I got through without a problem and collected my bags.  I regret overpacking, but I also like that I brought enough things to avoid buying (and having to carry) so much upon arrival.

I fought through the crowds at CDG to where I thought the train station was, so I could catch a high speed train (TGV) to Lille.  I waited in line at a ticket machine for about 20 minutes only to discover that the machine only produced tickets for travel in the Paris area.  Then I waited in the correct line, where I couldn't figure out the machine and needed two French people to help me because no one knew what was going on.  I then had an hour wait, during which I paid to use the restroom for the first time.  The best part was that it wasn't clean, I just paid €.70 to pee in a very dirty room (and be interrupted by someone).  

Near where I waited for the train- you ride a bike to charge your phone

I lugged my bags downstairs and onto the train platform.  When I was boarding, I asked for help finding my seat.  I was directed to a specific car and was told to go to the back, but the attendant left before I could ask him to clarify exactly where I should be.  I asked the first person I saw to help and they just told me to sit next to them.  I slept most of the way there.  I did realize, though, that no one checked that I had a ticket to board.  The system was based on people being honest (this is similar to my experience with metro tickets, as well).

I arrived in Lille and got lost twice after leaving the building from different exits.  I found my way to a taxi and I was whisked away over the cobblestone streets to the hotel.  I checked in, and found my way up to the room:

Though I didn't need the bunk bed, I appreciated the space-saving initiative!

Immediately after arrival here, I made plans with Raul, a friend from high school who is also studying abroad in Lille this year.  I didn't stop the entire day, to avoid having the jet lag hit me too hard. 

Leaving

I'm stuck between believing this isn't real and being absolutely terrified.  On the one hand, the length of the preparations make it feel like it is just going to keep going- like there will be more paperwork, more waiting, more things to buy or pack.  But also, the reality is that tomorrow, at 2pm, I will fly to another continent to a country where I can almost speak enough of the language to get by.

I am going to assume (and hope) that this feeling will pass quickly, at least once I am there.  Earlier today, I booked a two hour walking tour of Lille (in French).  Since I will have most of the day to spend before I allow myself to sleep (have to fight that jet lag early), I figured it would be a good idea to see the city and immerse myself in French from the moment I arrive.

Even though I am a mess, at least my bags are packed and I'm excited (albeit nervous) to finally embark.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Visa

A little out of order, but I forgot to let the masses know that I now have my visa!!! Since the process of getting a French visa involves leaving your passport at the Embassy/Consulate, there was a lot of hoping and crossing of fingers that my documents would be mailed to me on time- or I wouldn't be able to leave the country!

The morning of my wisdom tooth extraction, UPS came to the door and delivered it (I've had to rush several medical appointments so that I would have them done in time to go abroad, so I have been pretty laid up for a few days with a sore and puffy face).  It was a little underwhelming, because all it was was a form that I had already filled out and given to the consulate with a small stamp in the corner.  Hey, at least it got here before their three week estimate (Friday, instead of Tuesday, which is today).

But that's not all!  Since it is a long stay visa (longer than 3 months), I am required to have a medical exam by a French doctor within the first 90 days of my visit or my visa expires.  Endless fun.

Packing (Yikes and Yay)

Okay, I probably didn't need two full size suitcases.

I did a lot of research (which ended in me pretty much guessing, since everyone packs different things) when it came to luggage size and what would allow 50 pounds but that wouldn't be too large for me to lug around.  I have two Travel Pro suitcases (pictured in a previous post), in 29 inches and 25 inches in depth.  From what I could glean from other blogs online about luggage weight, it seemed like the larger case would be better for chunky objects (ie: shoes) and could be packed to reach 50 pretty easily.  The size down from that, the 25 inch, seemed like it would be a little more difficult to reach the weight limit unless I was really packing it full.

I packed most of my stuff (excluding items like socks and all of my toiletries/cleaning supplies) into both of them a couple weeks ago and was thrilled to see myself far under the limit of 50 pounds per bag.  My larger one (with my shoes, all extra bags/purses, a towel, a small blanket, and all jackets and toiletries I had gathered at the time) came in at around 32 pounds, which is great since the size makes it cumbersome even when empty.  The smaller one I packed full of all my other clothes that were on my packing list (other than socks/undies).  It seemed to fill the case, but by no means did I cram it full and it still had plenty of space.  It came in at 35 pounds, so my plan is to pack everything else possible into this bag since the smaller size makes it more manageable.

The luxury of having the extra space (especially in the smaller one) is that I am able to bring full-sized toiletries and some packets of cleaning supplies (clorox wipes, since use laundry detergent) to make my first couple weeks there easier on me.  I know I'm going to a first world country, but the less I have to carry from the local store on that first day, the better.  Also, if the small one ends up over the limit, I will be able to shift some of my things to the other one and prevent me from being overcharged.

In total, I will have one suitcase in each hand and a backpack with my tech, changes of clothes, basic toiletries, and all of my travel documents.  Hopefully I'll be able to shuffle all of this stuff around from plane to train to wobbling down the street!!!  Though the space I have is excessive for just the trip there, I am glad that I'll have almost 20 pounds for the return trip to bring back to the states.

If anyone has gone abroad and has any tips on what they wish they'd had (or what they wish they had left behind), I'm up for suggestions!

My AMAZING Planner

Almost as important as the trip to the Consulate is my new planner.  I ordered it from personal-planner.com/US/ and love it!!!

Front cover, a Monet I love that has a similar feel to my phone background

The inside layout, everything perfectly customized for how I use planners!

It is a 12 month planner and the site allows you to chose the starting month.  It also allows you to select the country of origin, inputting both language and holidays.  In hindsight, I should have chosen French so that I could have French holidays while I'm over there, but I can always just write them in later.  There are also 18 pages at the back, both lined and blank, if I need to record longer lists/events that do not fit in the daily boxes or the weekly notes sections at the bottom of the pages (which I was able to customize exactly the way I wanted them).  I'm also glad that Sunday is in such a bright color, which will serve as a reminder that things in other countries actually close/have limited hours on Sunday.  

I wanted to have the perfect planner, as it will be a day-to-day record of my time in France.  I'm not one for detailed and consistent journaling, though I have this blog for intermittent use.  This way, I can have a very specific chronicle of my time in France.  I loved my planner last year and relied on it very heavily, so I'm hopeful that I do the same this year as well.  

Atlanta Adventure

After accumulating and organizing mounds of paperwork required to apply for a French long-stay student visa, the next step was to drive to the French Consulate in Atlanta, GA.  My dad and I were able to drive down the day before to get settled into a hotel literally across the street from the building where the Consulate is, so we had that going for us.  

After a painfully busy morning and a dreary drive, we arrived in Atlanta.  The Consulate was located in the Buckhead area of the city, so in the drive from the highway to the hotel, I saw some of the most beautiful and expensive homes and condos available (gated, of course).   We relaxed and had dinner before turning in early to prepare for our checkout and appointment at 10:45 in the morning.  

The binder of paperwork I brought into the Consulate.  No bags allowed, so my wallet was jammed in as well.  

In the morning, we took the hotel shuttle and I was at the consulate 30 minutes ahead of time.  I was allowed into the office space, but my dad had to wait in the lobby downstairs.  I was ushered into a space reminiscent of a bank, with a counter that had two windows, with men behind the glass.  A fun surprise- my friend Brett from UNCW was also applying for her visa!  It was a treat to see her before she ships off to Paris (best of luck, girl!).  

The room was quiet and, after Brett and another man, I was beckoned to the counter.  I removed the required documents from my binder and handed them to the man at the desk.  After all of my careful preparation, I still lacked a proper photo.  I was directed down the street to CVS to have an official passport-style photo taken before the Consulate closed for business.  After rushing there in a taxi and back, I submitted the photos and I was free!!!

 

L: Photo I brought to the consulate   R: Photo from CVS, that looks like a mugshot, but is on the required photo paper.  

Overall, the whole experience with the Consulate was so-so.  Weeks ahead when we emailed about appointment times, our email was never returned.  When we called, the operator was impatient and seemed unwilling to help.  The website was poorly organized and the list of required paperwork was very difficult to find.  However, my experience with the office workers there was pleasant and the man I spoke with was kind and clear in his directions.  I'm not looking forward to anything having to do with visas in the future, though I have more work to do on my immigration form (part of the long-stay visa) once I arrive in France.  

Luggage!

Feast your eyes on this purple luggage!  It rated very highly online and it came in the best color in the world, so I immediately acquired it.  I have a 25" and a 29" (the one I am sitting in).  Of course, the very best news of all is that with all of this space, I can bring all the shoes I was hoping to.  I'll be traveling with these two bags and my backpack, so I definitely have enough space for everything I could want or need!

I really love the tangible progress like this towards leaving.  The steps involving insurance and visas are crucial, but this is a physical sign that it's getting close to time to leave.

For those that know me (at least over the last year), you know how dependent I am on my daily planner.  I ordered a custom one online with a beautiful Monet as the cover and it should be here in about a week!!!  I'm excited to have both this blog and my planner to record my journey.  I'm not one for writing a daily diary, but the planner will chronicle my day-to-day life while abroad and I consider it an incredibly important piece of memorabilia.

Updated Flight!

After much confusion on my part, and a slight update in my program arrival date due to housing, I am now leaving Charlotte on August 30th.  I'm glad that I don't have to languish (expensively) in a hotel room in France for a week and that I get seven more days with my family and friends, but now I'm even further from starting my journey.  Ouch.

Another update on the other blog I discovered (with the girl who had an identical schedule to me):  She has not contacted me yet, but someone else has!  A guy who studied at Lille 3 in 2013 through ISEP (International Student Exchange Program, by the way) at the same school emailed me!  I can't wait to pick his head for all things study abroad!

http://bonjourmarissa.blogspot.com/2011/09/arrivee.html  This is the blog post I discovered with pictures of the residence hall where I'll be living (though of course I will post my own pictures after I move in!)

Slow progress

I feel so ready to leave already!  My family and I have been doing so much in preparation- dealing with a cell phone plan, navigating my housing, insurance, luggage- that I feel tired of waiting. In reality, I'm not ready to leave and there is still much to be accomplished, but I feel too stagnant. 

I have, through the gaciousness of my aunt and her flight points, officially acquired a ticket!  I will leave Charlotte on August 23rd and arrive in Paris on the 24th mid day.  Once there, I will take a train to Lille and stay in a hotel briefly until I can move into my residence hall.  Unlike residence halls in America that are on campus, the affiliated dorms for French universities are off campus, though nearby and seem completely exclusive to attending students.  

As part of the paperwork for confirming my bed space, I am finally making first contact with the university officials who run the international office at Lille 3.  Writing administratively appropriate emails in French is really putting my limited language skills to the test and showing me how much I need to improve on before I feel comfortable communicating accurately in any situation.  

The delay for my visa is a struggle for me.  Before even applying for my visa (which requires a trip to the consulate in Atlanta), I had to complete a separate student application that is required before I can even send in the application.  This is my first encounter with the "French" pacing, as opposed to the very predictable and trackable American system.  I feel like I should already have everything done and I need to remind myself that not everything needs to be rushed (but this waiting game, though).  

Amusingly, I was looking for more pictures of where I'll be living and I found a blog by a girl who flew out of Charlotte...to Paris...and took a train to Lille...and lived in my future dorm...and applied through ISEP.  I kid you not, this girl had the same experience a few years ago that I am about to have!!!  I'm really hoping to get in contact with her so I can pick her brain and talk to her about her experience!  Such a small world, guys:)

Sorry for the scattered post, I'm just a mess with all of this prep, not to mention that I turn 21 in 3 days!  I can't wait to really get organized as it gets closer to the end and I can really see progress:)

Exciting News!

On the morning of April 20th, 2015, I found out where I would be spending the next year (well, 10 months) of my life: Lille, France.  After a long silence from my placement program, I was happy to hear that I had gotten into my first choice school!  An hour from Paris and 1.5 hours from London, I'm very excited for the travel possibilities living in Lille will bring.  Charles de Gaulle University (or Lille 3) offers courses in the human sciences taught in both French and English, which drew me to apply. 

I've been given so much information that it is difficult to sift through it all.  I am eager to begin preparing for my trip and somehow fitting my whole life into two suitcases.  The prospect of leaving home for so long is equal parts terrifying and exhilarating.   Here's to hoping culture shock doesn't hit me like a ton of bricks!

I'm already looking forward to seeing friends who live in France, Great Britain, and Switzerland, as well as tracking down my distant family in Italy.  I want to see as many things as possible in the time allotted to me because I know it will seem new and exciting just to be there, but I don't want my time to slip away from me before I experience everything Europe has to offer!

A blog?

Hello, everyone!  I've decided to keep a blog, keeping track of my time leading up to studying abroad and, of course, the trip itself.  I figure this will be a good way to keep everyone up-to-date as well as create a condensed story for me to look back on later in life of my adventures :)