Getting used to that French Life

Hey guys!

Hope you guys are enjoying what I've written so far! Make sure to give me any feedback, so that I can keep improving as I go along this adventure! Whether it's a different layout, less writing, more writing or more pictures, just let me know!

Wednesday, January 03, 2018

On Wednesday, I got to have an incredible breakfast at my hotel before checking out! This was such a fun time, as it was the first real experience eating French food! They had incredible croissants, cool rice krispie type french chocolate cereal, fresh juice pressers, smoothie dispensers and even a fancy coffee/cappuccino machine!

Then I headed next with my baggage to my university to check into the international desk! It was crazy though, that my cab drive there ended up costing me 23 euros for only a 15 minute ride! Last time I will take a taxi here! After things were sorted out there, I headed to my residence which I was looking forward to seeing! It was a bit confusing trying to understand all the paperwork and documents that I needed to get, especially since everyone spoke very quick french! I don't know what I would have done if I didn't know french so well, it would have been impossible to do any this otherwise!

But after everything was filled out, I finally got my keys and passes for my residence building and I got to finally see where I'd be living for the next couple months! Now what awaited me upstairs was definitely a shock! My room is very retro, and definitely nothing special. With a small single bed, a desk, a mini fridge, sink, and retro wardrobe/bookcase, I could definitely see why I was only paying $300 CAD a month. I'm hoping to liven it up though in the following weeks, with some posters, pictures and flowers to make it a little homier! But at least it's a lot of money to save to go travelling!

But France is definitely very different than home, which has made me feel quite home sick for the first few days! When I went to go to the bathroom, I was shocked to find there were no toilet seats on any of the toilets and no toilet paper included! Who knew I'd miss these little comforts! Even the showers are a bit of the pain, as the handle to the shower needs to be pressed every 5 seconds to keep the water going, which is very inconvenient for an enjoyable shower! But as my grandma put it, this is just all part of the adventure! The other thing that's quite different from home is that all the public accommodations are co-ed! When I was on campus and had to run to the washroom, I went inside the bathroom only to find a wall full of urinals just by the bathrooms stalls and there were both guys and girls students inside! This is definitely something to get used to.

Thursday, January 04, 2018

Today started off great, as I used the rent-a-bike system called VéloV, which are bikes you can rent all around the city! Although, I got a little turned around on my ride to the school, I absolutely loved to explore my new home and seeing all the beautiful sights around the way! Taking the metro or cab, I wouldn't have been able to discover a little marketplace just down the road from my university, a cute little kindergarten building, and get to pretend to be a real French citizen!

(Left: Me riding my bike through the city)

(Right: On my ride around the city, I ended up finding a cute little fresh food marketplace just down the street from my university)

(Below: I found the coolest kindergarten building, which had amazing old architecture!)

Thursday also started out better than the rest as it was the first day of my program orientation! It was so nice to see other students like me who were new to France and it felt like a little piece of home had come to France, with all these people who spoke English and came from the same cultures as me! Learning the layout of my program, hearing the speakers give an inspirational "Ted-Talk" type speech and meeting other students, my worries started to fade away!

Now with new friends in France, we went out for lunch and came across the cutest little restaurant café called the Patchwork Café! It was so cool that you got to pick up a tray, utensils and order food. Now maybe I should have gotten something more french, but I ended up ordering pizza which was amazing! It was so much fun talking to all these people from around the world surrounded by the charming decor of the café.

The day wasn't all easy going however, as I still need to figure out a phone plan for my cell, possibly set up a bank account, and send in the last of my paperwork. It's still been busy and a bit overwhelming at times, but after meeting people at the school and even a couple people in my residence, France started to seem a bit homier! Overall, a much better day!

Friday, January 5, 2018

Up and at the school for 9am, we started a day of classes! This orientation week we've done "Getting to know Lyon" classes, which have been long and informative. Although the classes went on for a while longer than any of us really enjoyed, there was some really interesting facts, which will help with travelling Lyon. From learning about the famous bouchons of Lyon, which are popular bistros serving wine, meats and popular French gastronomy. Then there's facts about Lyon is the place in which cinema was invented, or about the French culture. It's been good at least learning a bit more about where I'm living!

Then for our break between classes, my little group of friends went to a local grocery store called Carrefour, where we had fun discovering all the different types of French food! Funny enough, we all ended up getting the most French meal you could expect, a combination of baguettes, cheese, an apple and Perrier! With a total price of 3 euros, I will definitely see about getting the same meal in the future, haha!

After classes were finished a couple of us traveled on the city metro to the heart of the city, le place Bellecour, where I picked up a month metro card. I was so amazed by the beauty of this square, this was exactly what I had been waiting to see so far! All the buildings surrounding the square were so beautiful with amazing french architecture, in the middle sat an incredible, colourful ferries wheel, and there were cute little shops everywhere I looked! This weekend, my friends and I will be exploring this older part of the city and I cannot wait! I will definitely be talking more about it later!

(Left: Europa Rad, Ferris wheel in the main square)

(Right: statue of Louis XIV, the sun King)

( Below: beautiful architecture in Lyon)

Finally for dinner, I had a very common and very delicious meal of Kabab! For only 5 euros, you get a huge helping of slow roasted meat, sauce, and wrap! Maybe it was because I was so hungry or maybe it was the meal itself, but I absolutely loved this meal and would highly recommend it to anyone travelling in Europe! Overall, things are turning up here, and I cannot wait for the months ahead!

Thank you guys for reading!

-Tori

#Lyon #Bellecour #Café