Update: Little Lecture on Lovely Lille

I realize I haven't done much to preface my readers with a proper description of Lille itself, where I am currently studying.  Now that I have gotten to know the city and its people quite a bit, I feel like I should give you all an adequate picture of what this city is all about:

Lille is a seemingly small city in the very far north of France right next to the Belgian border.  The city of one million consists of about 300,000 students, meaning it is a very young and lively city.  This has made my stay here extremely fun - students my age eager to meet new people and spark up conversations at bars, restaurants, or even like today in the laundrymat, are scattered throughout the city. Lille is a homey city that is easy to figure out; everyone is nice, welcoming, and lives a simple, care-free lifestyle.  It was different and hard to get used to saying 'Bonjour' and 'Au revoir, bonne journée' every time I entered and left a room, whether it was the community kitchen in our building or just passing by in a hallway.  It's not that I don't like saying hi or bye, but I'm just not used to saying it to an entire room of people I have never met every time I walk through the door!   But that's an example of how welcoming and polite the people here are.  I'm not in Paris anymore!
As far as getting around, most 'Lillois' walk around or take the metro.  The metro only has two lines, so it's easy to learn in a day and I use it from time to time.  There is a bus system as well but I haven't needed to use it.  Pretty much walking is the main way that people get around, even in the rain.  Like Seattle, Lille is kind of known for having lots and lots of rain three seasons out of four.  Surprisingly also like Seattle, though, the people all seem to be happy and upbeat despite the gloomy weather, for the most part.  It's kind of nice just walking around, something I thought I would dread every day.  To walk to school in the morning it takes about 15 minutes and it's about the same to get to the center of the city (although it's a really quick metro ride to get to the center of the city).  I have enjoyed walking, though, and realize now why French people are so thin!  The only part I dislike is walking on cobblestone or uneven pavement, common to the sidewalks in Lille.  The visual appeal of the old cobblestone streets wears off after your feet begin aching.  There is a lot less English spoken here than in Paris or Brussels (Paris is an hour south by train, Brussels only 30 minutes northeast by train) but I would not have it any other way.  I am definitely enjoying speaking French with the locals and learning new words and phrases. 

I promise to get some pictures up on here soon!!!

Broken Computer and Lots of Rain, but an Awesome Day of Fun!

Recently my computer was having difficulty connecting to the internet on campus until all of the sudden it froze and would no longer start up.  It hasn't been all that bad roughing it out without my computer, in fact, if anything it is liberating.  But still, with classes requiring research, friends trying to make plans to meet up abroad, and a blog left un-updated, I wish I would not have to walk fifteen minutes to the computer lab here to get onto the internet.  Hopefully I can get that figured out soon, but until then, apologies for the slow updates. 

So far, Lille has been quite on and off with the weather but there has been lots of rain.  I bought a cheap umbrella for the first time - unlike Seattle, where it sprinkles constantly but rarely ever pours down, Lille has lots of rain that comes down hard.  In addition to that, everywhere I walk to is at least a ten minute walk (school wise - luckily getting to Lille Centre is easy to get to by metro and I'm just a minute away from the metro stop), so by the time I get to class without an umbrella, I am absolutely soaked.  It only took one of these experiences to teach me that in Lille, an umbrella is a necessity.

Fortunately, the weather yesterday was magnificent; cold in the morning, still, but warm by day and throughout the night.  I say fortunately because yesterday was a sort of field day for all of the school's residences where we had a bit of a social.  They bused over 800 of us students to an off-campus location where there were bouncy obstacle courses, a mechanical bull (I resisted), dance parties, lots of food, and many other organized activities.  Each residence passed out different colored t-shirts so you could tell who was coming from which residence and there were some competitions between each one.  They also taught each residence a choreographed dance - nothing close in comparison to the Orientation dances, I will say - to the Black Eyed Peas song 'I've Got a Feeling' and at the end of the night after dinner we all did the dance together, all eight hundred and some of us.  Water was tossed in the air, people were jumping up and down, and everyone had a smile on their faces!  It was loads of fun and I was thankful to live in a school residence so I could have the experience. 

Lately I've been planning out my trips to go around Europe and if there's one conclusion I have come to, it is that I'm just going to have to come back.  There are too many things I have on the old bucket list that I don't want to rush and too little money in the bank account to make all of them a possibility (although, donations are welcome).  For now, London, Amsterdam, and Paris are on the books and hopefully more will be solidified soon enough!

La Braderie, My First Class, and More!

Sorry that it’s been as long as it has without a blog post, I’ve been not only busy with classes but also have a broken computer. I will definitely be filling you in on what I’ve been doing but will also be concise as I am typing this on a French ‘AZERTY’ keyboard (the switch is near impossible !) . Luckily my business school here has an IT department and they say they will be able to repair my computer … cross your fingers !!!

First thing is first : THE BRADERIE. If you do not know what the Braderie is, don’t worry, you’re not alone. One of my friends in Paris was unaware of what it was. But as a whole, the Braderie is HUGE – it is all of Europe’s largest flea market based in no city other than Lille. It takes an entire weekend and vendors and sellors (whether selling legitimate products or just their old junk, garage-sale style) set up their tents weeks before the weekend of the Braderie just to reserve a prime location. There is no way as a Lillois (what I’ve learned someone who lives in Lille is called) that you could not know about the Braderie and certainly, there is no way that you can make any sort of plans to get around anywhere. The entire city is a huge cluster of people. That being said, you can only imagine how amazing it was. I could easily find absolutely anything i needed and at a low price that I could negotiate even lower. What would basically happen is you would ask the price, the seller would throw out a number that felt right at the time (it was usually different every time) and you would stare at whatever you want to buy for no more than five seconds without saying anything before they say « Trop chère ??? » (translation : too expensive ???). the negotiation would go from there. This kind of negotiation was more prevelant in the outskirts but in the center of the city you could find more regulated markets selling everything you could find in a typical (American) grocery store. It was difficult being there as a foreigner, though, because there was no way I could get half of the things I wanted back to the states, or else the price of shipping it would be too much. There were definitely things being sold there that would not be found at any flea market back home, though, so maybe if you’re an antique fan, or collect old albums (Malyssa : every and any album imaginable for around 4 euros) or maybe you want old furniture or anything, book a trip to the Braderie 2011 now !!!

As far as my purchases, there were not many. In fact, the first day we toured the Braderie, we mistakenly went to the outskirts first, the far outskirts. It was interesting enough but nothing we were really looking for. The second day we finally found ourselves in the city center where brand new scarves are 3 Euros, every restaurant is selling Moules Frites (Lille’s traditional dish of mussels and fries), and what made me happiest, I could buy pots, pans, and tupperwear all for under 5 euros each. Finally, now I can cook.

I was not able to take too many photos while at the braderie, I was overly cautious about being robbed and didn’t want to bring my camera. Still, when I get my computer back I will have many more photos to load.

Next up : my first week of classes ! I definitely have seen the full effect of the educational differences here already. Like i discussed in my last post, we were told to constantly check the website with our classes to make sure the class time/room/building had not changed. My friend and I had checked the day before one of my first classes (actually, for my friend it was the night before) and found it to be at the same place and time. Good, all is well. Except that when they said to check the website ‘constantly’, they literally meant every morning before you leave for class. As it turns out, about 8 or so of us from the class (all international students) found ourselves alone in the classroom where we thought we were to meet and eventually were able to determine where our class had been changed to late, late the night before our 8:00am course. Incroyable ! Luckily, we didn’t miss out on much and I guess you could say we learned our lesson…

My courses overall have been going well, though. My Frenc h course is not too hard or overwhelming (it is called Français des Affairs, or Business French) and the other classes I have do not seem like they will be overwhelming either. If anything, I hope that they would be more challenging, but I have yet to go to half of my courses yet, so hopefully I won’t be biting my tongue when I do. My very first class, however, was certainly a different experience. It was Introduction to Marketing and it was in a medium sized lecture hall with, I would guess, maybe 75 or so students. My friends and I sat near the middle so to not be hidden in the back but certainly we were too anxious and nervous to sit in the front. During the entire class the students around me were chatting and laughing and completely disregarding the professor. Now, I won’t say everyone in the class was doing this the entire class, but for the entire class there was a steady level of clamour that the professor, I suppose, either expected or did not know how to control. Needless to say, the four or five of us American students were looking at each other with wide eyes wondering if this was how every class would be like. Thankfully I can say that no, this class was an exception with a professor who did not choose to lay down any sort of ground rules or ask the class to be quiet even once. She just continued to talk on her microphone the entire class. Probably the only humorous thing about the class was when I turned behind me and saw a group of Taiwanese exchange students with the most horrified look on their faces. At that point, I had to laugh and realize that things could be worse.

Indeed, despite that class things could not be much better than they already are over here. I can’t complain about the food, I can’t complain about the people – who are ten times more welcoming, understanding of foreigners, and polite than the average Parisien, I must say – and I certainly cannot complain about the experiences I have been having. I have continued to meet more people both local and foreign and am thankful every day that I have had the chance to.

Until next time, cross your fingers that my computer is alright and then I can post some pictures!!!

French Schooling System

So far, the schooling system in France has been completely different to the one I’m used to at Santa Clara.  I came into it with expectations that things like signing up for classes and figuring out which ones to take would be much different than what I am used to – of course, it’s a completely different country with a different way of doing things – but I did not expect the school to be so… disorganized.  I’ll explain.  Firstly, when signing up for classes, we go online and pick the ones we want (without any guidance, whatsoever) but these courses we choose do not show a time or place.  We can go to a different part of the website to see the times of all the courses and each section of each course, but this is pointless because we do not choose our section.  In fact, the following day, after I had chosen the classes I hoped to take, I met up with an advisor who had selected for me the time slots so that there are no conflicts.  The nice thing about this was that I did not have to look myself for sections that matched up in order to avoid signing up for classes that had conflicting times.  The not so nice part is that I have no control over the times or days during the week of my courses.

But that in itself was already a given.  Why?  We were told, when getting our schedules, that we needed to check the website constantly, every week, in order to make sure that our class time and place had not changed.  So I currently have a class on Mondays from 1:40pm until 3:10pm in building A, room 101.  At any point, this can change to a different time on a different day in a different room of a different building.  I was pretty baffled when I found this out.  If you don’t already know, I am a huge planner and anyone that has had a class with me or knows me well can attest to this.  I love my planners, my weekly reminders on my computer, my calendars, etc. etc.  And now, I can’t even plan when my classes will be in a couple of weeks, much less the rest of the semester!  I’m just not used to it and I crave structure too much in my life. But it’s nothing I can’t handle, it’s just different.  I definitely have found myself to be very thankful for the structure we have at Santa Clara, though, when it comes to course selection and obtaining (solidified and unchanging) class schedules.  

Brilliant Belgium: Bruges and Brussels

From Lille to Bruges (Brugge), Bruges to Brussels, Brussels back to Lille!

I just got back from Belgium yesterday after traveling there with my two friends Molly and Andrew for the past five days (since Sunday), and we had quite the experience.  We made a triangle of sorts, taking the easy and cheap (I mean, CHEAP) train from Lille to Bruges, Bruges to Brussels, and then Brussels back to Lille. 

BRUGES:

Upon arriving in Bruges, I was immediately amazed by all of the architecture.  The city is old and has a lot of history.  We were a little cautious coming into our first hostel, which got mixed but mostly good reviews, and I’m so happy to say that it exceeded our expectations so much.  Most of the reviews were positive but there were some that wrote things like “there was just a little problem with a big spider,” and “it’s a nice place, if you don’t plan on taking a shower,” so, needless to say, we came in with low expectations to begin with.

First Meal in Belgium

It was a youth hostel that helped us to really get to know the city.  Immediately they gave us a map with all the great spots we needed to visit marked and a token for a free beer tasting at the adjacent restaurant that was connected to our hostel.  So we got to try three beers that night right off the bat!  I really learned SO much about beer in Belgium and felt so blessed (really, though) to be able to be able to taste the beers that I did.  For our first three beers, we got a dark beer called Abbaye de Leffe, which I liked the most with my meal (chicken stew with croquettes, which are the best little fried potato things ever), a blond beer we get a bunch in the states called Hoegaarden, and then a cherry beer called Bellevue (coincidence?!).  I liked the Abbaye the best, Molly liked the cherry beer the best, and Andrew liked the Hoegaarden the most, go figure.  But enough about beer (for now…), after scarfing down our food we were ready to get settled in our room, a five person room.  We had a sink in our room but the shared bathrooms on the floor were really clean.  If you’re ever trying to book a hostel in Bruges, St. Christopher Bauhaus is definitely a good one!!!

Croquettes = Great invention

We met a guy from London named Nick that was staying in our room.  He worked at a University there but was traveling through Belgium for fun (he was maybe 28 or so).  He joined us that night at a bar someone had read was a must-try, which I was mostly happy with because if he was with us, then he wasn’t stealing our stuff in the room (half joking…).  More seriously, though, one of the best parts of staying in these youth hostels is just meeting all these different people you wouldn’t normally have met.  As you’ll see, trying beers at local bars is a common theme on this trip.

Side note to Grandmother: I know that you said I would lose your inheritance if I drank beer/alcohol before I was of age, but in Europe, I am of age… So I’m not breaking any promises! 

First Belgian Waffle

One of the first things I learned from Belgians is that there are seven true Trappist beers in the world, meaning they are munk-made beers.  Six of the seven are in Belgium and most are found in any bar or restaurant.  We can get most of these in the states, but they’re more expensive and never on tap.  I learned that all the profits made off of the production of the Trappist beers goes toward remaking of more beer but then after that, charity!  So I could feel good about drinking these beers, too.  So I was able to try almost all of these Trappist beers… I’m going to have to look for the remaining ones during my other travels.  Not only was I able to try these beers, but I was able to learn about them in detail (as well as a few others) at a beer tasting put on by none other than Kai. 

Andrew with Nick, from London.

In Bruges (there, they say Brugge)

Molly and Andrew joined me for a shot in front of the
hotel/canal where they shot the film 'In Bruges'

'Rarest' beer in Belgium!

Kai was our tour guide on the second day on a free walking tour throughout the city of Bruges.  He had lived in Bruges for a few years but was originally from Brooklyn, surprisingly.  He was a phenomenal tour guide, pointing out different areas in Bruges that were in the film, ‘In Bruges’ throughout the tour.  He would also make the group to fun things like hide behind the wall of the bridges and jump up and scream when a boat tour was just under us, promising that if we get one person to fall off the boat he would buy us all a round of beers.  I won’t bore you all with the long history of Bruges (you’ll just have to visit and do the tour with Kai, he’s a lot funnier than me), but I think that the funniest part about the city is why it is visited by so many tourists.  Tidbit: In 1892, there was a popular book called ‘Bruges la Morte’ that described the city as a dark, poor, and ugly place.  Coincidentally, this attracted tons of tourists that I guess found it pretty romantic (which I can attest to the fact that it is quite the romantic city).  Then when the movie ‘In Bruges’ came out recently, the same sort of thing happened.  The main quote from the movie is when Colin Ferrel says, “If I grew up on a farm, and was retarded, Bruges might impress me. But I didn’t, so it doesn’t.”  So just like in 1892, Bruges is seen as a bum place which only attracts more tourists… like me!  So anyway, later that night after the tour, Kai gave a tasting of 5 different beers (1/3 of each beer) followed by a free full beer of our choosing and all for ten Euros!  It was a deal we couldn’t turn down. 

On our tour, Kai also showed us where there is a bar down Bruges’ smallest alley. This bar had the rarest beer in Belgium, supposedly, because you couldn’t get it anywhere else but at that bar.  Their beer was called Garre and it was served with Gouda cheese.  It was pretty good, we thought, but more just worth it to say we had the rarest beer in Belgium. 

Finally, last but not least, we went to a chocolate museum called the Choco-Story.  The museum itself was very informative and literally showed us the full history of cocoa from the beginning.  The most interesting part to me was how prized it was by the Aztecs and Mayans.  But anyway, we then got to try some chocolate and it was definitely not a Hershey’s bar.  So Belgian chocolate was a plus and the museum was definitely interesting!

Thoughts on a Train Ride:

Between my travels on the train, I would plug in my iPod and listen to songs that reminded me of home.  I’ve realized a couple of things.  First of all, I’ve realized that the best Christmas present in the world will just be for me to be able to take an American shower at home.  After four months of these dinky European showers where I have to hold up the faucet over my head, bumping into walls every time I need to bend down, it will be incredibly refreshing to be home for that reason alone.  Second, I realized how weird it will be not being home for Thanksgiving.  I always knew that would be the case, but I suppose it hit me on the train ride.  A bunch of the Americans here have decided to find a big turkey and cook a big meal together, so that will still be fun.

BRUSSELS:

Interesting hostel...

Leaving Bruges was hard for us because we loved the city so much.  Our time there was incredible and I won’t forget it any time soon.  But our hostel in Brussels awaited us.  This time around, we treated ourselves to a slightly higher end hostel which didn’t get one bad review.  The only weird part about it was that we had to check in and get our keys at a different hostel, but most reviews said it was not a big deal.  Well, (here is the ‘yes, but…’) this hostel ended up being janky.  ‘Janky’ is a word we say a lot at school in California but I know a lot of people haven’t heard of it, so allow me to elaborate.  The bathroom door knob was taped on on one side and inexistent on the other, the wall was peeling off, the cabinet door wasn’t screwed on, the shower didn’t drain (we were looking most forward to a nice shower, too), the main lights never worked, and when we tried to turn on the light fixture in the bathroom the entire thing fell off the wall.  So, obviously, this hostel was quite the experience.  Since getting to our hostel, it seemed to be one thing after another in Brussels, but we still ended up having a lot of fun. 

The first night, we met up with another student from Santa Clara who is studying in Brussels named Mike.  He had us meet him at a bar where we tried ‘half-en-half’, a combination of drinks that made for a sweet, peach beer that we would call ‘Busch-Peche’ when we ordered it.  And no, this is not the same Busch beer from home.  It is a very traditional drink to order in Brussels, so I found, and as was our motto for the trip, when in Belgium, do as the Belgians do.  During the day we decided to do a self-guided walking tour that was drawn out for us on a map that we received at check-in.  Brussels is definitely an interesting city, but it’s not like Bruges where you can just visit all of the sights or even really begin to comprehend the city in a day or two.  So while we did the walking tour, we were really confused by the city overall.  It’s an ugly city – they openly admit this – where the locals speak a multitude of languages and mix each one that they know in between sentences.  It baffles me that everyone speaks Dutch, French, and most of them Flemish, everyone English, and some of them German, as well.  Crazy Belgians!

Andrew, Molly, and Mike

Overall, we concluded that Bruges beats Brussels as a place to visit, but I feel like Brussels would be an awesome city to live in for a year or two.  Belgium in general had great food and beer – waffles, croquettes, chocolate, 3 Euros pasta… and we were really glad we chose to go.   

Westmalle Tripple, one of 7 Trappist beers

Cool shot in Brussels