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!!!