salut! Into the second week then...i cannot believe where the first week went! So...yesterday was Tuesday the 19th. I went on a trip to the laundrette. Was very interesting...was sitting there next to the wahing machiene, when “Hamid” appears out of nowhere. Ive never seen this guy in my life before. We exchange the time of day and he gives me a grin displaying teeth that probably have never seen a tooth brush...honestly, dentists everywhere would have a field day! He puts his hand on his hip and i notice that he is wearing some kinda holster thing. (ARRRRRGH...run for your life!!!) he sees that i have noticed, and say, (all in French, cause he cant speak a word of English), “oh this, don’t worry”. I start to worry...LOTS. He reaches into the bag and goes to pull out his gun!!! mon dieu... All i wanted to do was finish my washing and live another good fifty years-is that not too much to ask?!..cough cough...okay...it not a gun. (phew) its a wallet full of identiy cards. Nice. Hamid then pesters me for another 10 mins trying to get me to come to his apartment!? –er...non Hamid. Anyway. By now my washing has stopped and he goes to “help me” unload my washing. I think i actually jumped in front of the machiene...there was no way that guy was going anywhere my underwear! YUCK! Anyway. Hamid finally gets the hint and disappears....carl, i obviously forgot my slime repellent!
After an afternoon of shopping with the girls we all head to our different flats, and make some dinner. We all meet at the fountain at 10pm and set about finding a beer bar that cecille told us about. We find it after asking a guy in a kabab and a receptionist in a hotel. It tres cool! Its quite small, but five stories high. We pick a table in the centre of the first floor...soon a couple of French guys come over-and they practice their English, and teach us some French. By about 2am we have made friends with most of the guys on the first floor and get invited to a musicians house party on Thursday! We stay at the pub until we get kicked out and then head to a secret underground club where you have to do a special knock to get in! Its really cool, dimly lit with good music and nice people. We leave at about 4am and get walked home by Pen and Chris. Bon nuit, mes copains!
Donc...Wednesday...im suppost to be meeting Simon today, i was going to get up early and go running, but due to the beer..(je sais, i never drink beer!!)...my plans have all been put back a stage. Plus, we are meeting our new found friends tonight pour allee ou cinema pour voir: Le filme les Simpsons! (yes. Again.) Maybe we might watch something else...anyhow...ive got to get more credit on me phone and buy some more toilet paper...so...for now, arriverdarci! Okay...didnt go to the cinema...met with Chris and went to the irish pub....Mary went home early...after about ten whole mins Chris suggests showing us a view of the entire city...er...yes please monsoir Chris! We drive for at a 45 degree angle until we come to what looks like “make out point” in any teenage American movie; think American pie...the view is AMAZING!!! The only thing spoiling it was a couple of French dudes yelling obsinities out of their smoke filled car. Nice. So Chris drops me home, and then i try to sleep. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Thursday...we all agree to meet Chris, (AGAIN!) at the “square” at 1pm, sharp. We all decided last night to go a la patinoire!-yes, you anglaise, ice skating. Yippeeeeee!!!! So...we skate for about an hour of so...yep...fell over, and have the bruises to prove it. I like to think its cause i was going so fast....yer....anyway.....So chris invites us chez lui for dinner that night....murky buckets Chris! So we all agree to meet at ermmm....2000hours. We all turn up around the same time...Chris is there with his best friend. Chris....we decide that chris 1 and chris 2 is not the nicest way to address someone, (unfortunately, not before i say it out loud-thank God they laughed! Awkward!) so we settle on, Chris and Toff. Yep...makes complete sense....anyway, Chris’ friend Toff is tres beau with dark hair, green grey eyes, sporting a slight stubbly beard and a gorgeous smile. Hum. Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaalut! Anyhow...we all squeeze into Chris’ car and arrive at a one room apartment...eat dinner sitting on each others laps, sing, play guitar accompanied by Chris on his piano while Toff sits tapping his foot looking smoulderingly sexy. The night ends at Boit a beer...and everyone recognises us...we are now know as zee ingleese gerls! Its nice to feel included...anyway...i actually talk French more or less all night, apart from translating to Mary and Liz. I find all that junk French TV has paid off...I can actually understand more of less everthing! YEY! Just need to learn correct grammer! Do you know Catherine tate? (this is relevant, honest!), well theres this sketch she does with a posh family; a mother and two kids...anyway, those of you who know me, will know that i do a “posh accent”...anyway. Chris seems to find it hilarious when i talk, (in English), in this accent “i love horse riding and going fishing with Daddy” and “if you continue to act that way Elisibeth, you will end up with a sore bottom and no husband”...are two of his favourite lines...i smile as he laughs, and about 30seconds later, still laughing, he says; “these iss funny, as when you are speaking in the French, you speak poshly!” Damn stupid textbook French! Oh, talking of books, Chris has given me a novel to read, by Stephen Clarke called: “A year in the Merde”. –need i say more?!!
Friday...hummmm...i didn’t really do much today....did some Yoga and then the girls came round and i made them dinner, a Chinese dish. Nina, you would be proud! So...Saturday...Mary and i arranged to go to the laundrette. (outing of the week, eh!?) my alarm didn’t go off...but ssstillll got to Laundrette for about 9.30am where we learnt French verbs. And theeeeeennnn...(dude where’s my car), We met Liiiiiizie and Hannah by Joan of Arch Road....went for lunch-le salad pour moi! And theeeeeeeennnnn///i did the French thing and had a siesta...managed to fall asleep watching ‘lost in translation’-ironic, as it was in French, but mostly Japanese. Alors, everyone was chez moi, at about 7ish for guitar/singing/doing hair/cake eating/wine drinking session and then we headed down to the Irish pub. Made friends with one of the waiters there...Chris, (Toff) text me, (!!) and got invited to a gig next weekend by a guy at the bar. Result! I may try for a job at the irish pub...we’ve been there a few times...almost regulars now! HA! Donc, Han went home early, (2.00am!!), and the girls came back to mine for a chat about various piercings, boys and tattoos. Finished reading the book Chris one gave me, and was making the zee’s at about 4am. Ciao!!
Monday, 25 February 2008
Monday, 18 February 2008
My first week in Rouen
Okay. I have just arrived at the flat. It’s extremely boyish with random posters everywhere. The toilet seat is broken and the table is adorned with flowers, morning their own death... (Placed in an old jar of “compote de pommes” bien sur. Yum. BUT...I am in Rouen!! I can’t actually believe it!!! Its soooo beautiful. It reminds me a little of the streets in Portugal. The weather is fantastic- the second floor flat has HUGE ceiling to floor windows, overlooking the street....perfect...I am just about to go to ‘visit’ Mary, but first, I must write all about my day....
It was a good journey...arrived at Luton airport at 4am...all good so far...I check in my bag, and it is 6kilos over weight...I have to pay £40.00!!! EEEEEEK! Whilst I’m handing my card over...Mary is stooped over her suitcase, emptying it as much as she can...she has also packed a little too much!! Finally we get checked in, and after a full on body search, (and the removing of all my four jumpers), we make it to the waiting lounge. We are just about to check in when I look at my boarding ticket, and realise I have been given a reprint of Marys ticket! Hum...after proving that I was actually Grace Da’Silva, and not Mary Heaney in disguise, we troop onto the plane. Mary and Liz soon reveal that neither of them like planes, as they suffer from sickness...so to distract them, during take-off I tell them all my gory stories about various scars on my body.
We arrive at Paris airport and catch a taxi to the station. A grand total of 46 euro’s! (Tourists price!!) We find a ticket box, and buy tickets to Rouen, departing from platform 24, a la 12.04pm. The views are absolutely amazing...we make it to Rouen....we now had to find Cecile’s petit amis, who was waiting going to meet us...so armed with the knowledge he had a beard, (une barbe), we set out to find him. Did you know there are a LOT of men with beards in Rouen...anyway; we came across a guy holding up a sign saying “Erasmus”...our guy! After a few awkward exchanges, we all squeezed into a tiny car and drove to Cecile’s, (aka Mary’s flat) I said au revoir to Liz and Mary and followed one of the guys to my place, about a two min walk away. Handy! (I don’t think he felt too awkward carrying my massive bright purple suitcase!!)...we let ourselves into the block and after clambering up the spiral staircase we arrived at the right door....then I was left on my own...
And this is where it all starts...
Although my first impressions of the flat were not good, due to the condition I found it in, the flat itself is lovely. It has a good size kitchen, a small bathroom, and a bedroom/living area. I nip o the local shop and buy the basics...mainly cleaning stuff! After spending about an hour cleaning, I pop over to see Mary and Liz. We have some lunch and chat for a while...then I descend back into my cleaning for another four and a half hours...by the time I have finished, I have 15 mins to spare to change before meeting Kevin, (Simons best friend) for the other set of keys, we arrange to meet later that night for drinks. Kevin is rather lovely. Liz and Mary come over and we drink wine, play guitar and sing American pie. (We now have formed a mini band called “the donuts”-because we’re jamming (HA!!)......we will be touring by the end of the month...) Kevin arrives and we drink more wine...play more cards, sing more American pie...et speak French bien sur! Actually, Kevin turns out to speak amazing English with an Irish accent...(his ma’s French, and his dad Irish)-an Irish English speaking French man...hummmm....anyway...he humours us, and we all speak a mixture of French, English and irish....everyone goes home...and i sleep for the first time in...50 hours!!
Bourjour! Today was really productive...after breakfast we all head into the city to explore! We go to see one of the many cathedrals, and sit on one of the walls-perfect photo opportunity...only to evacuate quickly as a crowd...yes, a crowd, of policemen head towards us...after thinking about it... I don’t think we should have sat on that wall. ! Right...after asking a couple of people, we find le centre du torisme. We find a cinema and decide to go and see Sweeny Todd later tonight. We find a bank to get some money out and eventually find a phone shop, (although Rouen is twinned with Norwich, it lacks the abundance of phone stores!) There’s only one assistant in the shop who cannot speak a word of English...eventually I manage to communicate that I don’t want a contract phone, and I want a cheap pay as to talk with a sim card. –which is a lot harder to say than it sounds! anyway..Absolute bargain... 39 Euros for a phone. Pas mal! So armed with a new phone we get some food shopping done and walk home. Liz and I make dinner and Mary pours the wine...we rush back into town to watch Johnny depp sing his heart out and skip back home singing “Johanna” in appreciation of Mr T. A fantastic first day...with beaucoup of sunshine! I so could live here! I’ve quite taken to watching French TV...its amazing how much I can understand! –even now, I’m finding it difficult to stop thinking of random French words! –maybe that’s a sign that I need sleep...d’accord, le plan is to meet Liz and Mary at the end of the road a 10am...so sleep time now, methinks!
Okay...I have two things to confess...the first...this is now the third time I’m attempting to write this paragraph, as it keeps deleting on me!...the second...it is actually the 16th...okay, I know, I know...vie been abandoning my blog...take me out to the pastures and shoot moi! So...what did you miss...ah...Thursday night we almost went out...we got to the end of the road to the nearest shop and went back to mine, ate junk food(sorry ma!) and watched family guy...allllllllllriiiiight! oh...Happy Valentines Day!!
So...the 15th...we decided to go on a mission...I was late getting up...I blame it on the bed-its just too comfortable! Our mission is to find the train station. Mission accomplished...and it only took two bars of chocolate, a bag of nuts and two hours later. Not bad! Anyway...so the girls go off to their place, I watch Helen et les garcon, followed by superman and the pimp my ride, (en francais, bien sur!) have a bath and wait for the girls to come over for dinner. Mary’s cooking tonight....we have some kinda risotto slash curry invention which tastes rather yummy. (Bon effort Mary!) We have arranged to meet a Friend Mary and Liz made on my doorstep qu’ill s’appelle ‘Pap’ at 10.00pm. Its 11pm now, so we head on down to club emporium galorium (!!!!) sans les garcons. Pap arrives, about two hours late with his partner in crime ‘Iddi’. We laugh at them trying to speak English and they laugh at us trying to speak French. We all get on really well...by the end of the night Liz is known as “le German girl”; as she knows more German than French, Mary is “la fille fatigant et timide!” and I don’t have a name. It’s all good. So...we head to a boit de nuit (aka.club) at about 1am...called ‘R-night’. Its a really good night...I have discovered something new...one cannot say plus beaucoup, or tres beaucoup, as you are actually saying ‘much much’. Not overly interesting, I know, but I thought id share it with you.
Where were we? Ah yes...so...the French (in Rouen), cannot dance. I’m not exaggerating....they really cant, unless making butterfly wings with your hands and jumping around like a monkey is some wacky new routine....and the music....mon dieu. –I’m not even going there. SO...it’s the end of the night/early morning...and we’re escorted back to my doorstep...we all say goodbye to Pap et Iddi, and i desperately fight with the keys as Pap declares his true love for us all. Merci Pap, mais, non-merci. Its about 5am and the girls have just left...Good night Rouen!
So...Saturday night....the plan is to go out tonight...lizz and i leave mary writing her blog a la cyber cafe, and head to the shops! Theres actually not that many shops in Rouen...but we manage to find a few bargains! One thing that all us girls have noticed is that everyone in France looks sooooo smart! How the guys dress during the day is how English lads dress to go on a night out....the women, even the younger girls look so fashionable....putting my oversized baggy jumper to shame! So....a good enough excuse to go shopping! We go to Zara first...and find a little black dress...under 5 euro’s...its extra small...we spend about three days and four nights getting it on me...waallaaa! its on....it looks okay...you couldn’t smuggle peanuts though...theres only the one small problem...i cant actually breathe....hummmm...maybe not. We leave the dress and find some clothes which actually fit. (always good!)
Later....the girls come around for dinner, we have the left over’s from mary’s rice dish avec la salad and cheese. Yum! It actually tastes better cold! We decide to go out after all...so we get ready and trek to the an “irish pub” at about 11pm. Its not so busy...but apparently people normally go to Paris on a Saturday night! So...we find a table...i find my sparkling water costs the same as a glass of wine! –i stick with the water! A French guy asks if i can speak English, (err....yes!) and if i can speak to a couple at the bar...turns out they’re from essex..its sooo weird to be talking to English strangers...i find it really easy to talk to them..but difficult to form English words! – i think its cause when ive been talking to Mary and Lizz its a mixture of English and French! Its about 2.30am and we are just leaving the pub when two guys, (old enough to me our dads), stop me and ask if we can all meet them next Friday in the pub to exchange languages-we teach them English and we teach them French...hummmmmm....bon nuit!
Sunday...slept in till quite late today...we met at 12pm at mine and walked into town to watch le Simpsons, le filme! It was really good to see the film in French...i actually understood most of it! (oooh yeah!!!) we headed back though town...singing “spider cushion...spider cushion”...all the shops are closed here on a Sunday...so the streets are filled only with couples wondering hand in hand wearing long coats, scarves and big dark glasses. Tres chic! We go back to mine and have a late lunch/early dinner –rice and salad, again(!!)- and wait for Orida to call Lizz...turns out Orida wont be meeting till tomorrow...soo...we work out how to play/sing “Rock my wagon wheel”...then to bed!
It was a good journey...arrived at Luton airport at 4am...all good so far...I check in my bag, and it is 6kilos over weight...I have to pay £40.00!!! EEEEEEK! Whilst I’m handing my card over...Mary is stooped over her suitcase, emptying it as much as she can...she has also packed a little too much!! Finally we get checked in, and after a full on body search, (and the removing of all my four jumpers), we make it to the waiting lounge. We are just about to check in when I look at my boarding ticket, and realise I have been given a reprint of Marys ticket! Hum...after proving that I was actually Grace Da’Silva, and not Mary Heaney in disguise, we troop onto the plane. Mary and Liz soon reveal that neither of them like planes, as they suffer from sickness...so to distract them, during take-off I tell them all my gory stories about various scars on my body.
We arrive at Paris airport and catch a taxi to the station. A grand total of 46 euro’s! (Tourists price!!) We find a ticket box, and buy tickets to Rouen, departing from platform 24, a la 12.04pm. The views are absolutely amazing...we make it to Rouen....we now had to find Cecile’s petit amis, who was waiting going to meet us...so armed with the knowledge he had a beard, (une barbe), we set out to find him. Did you know there are a LOT of men with beards in Rouen...anyway; we came across a guy holding up a sign saying “Erasmus”...our guy! After a few awkward exchanges, we all squeezed into a tiny car and drove to Cecile’s, (aka Mary’s flat) I said au revoir to Liz and Mary and followed one of the guys to my place, about a two min walk away. Handy! (I don’t think he felt too awkward carrying my massive bright purple suitcase!!)...we let ourselves into the block and after clambering up the spiral staircase we arrived at the right door....then I was left on my own...
And this is where it all starts...
Although my first impressions of the flat were not good, due to the condition I found it in, the flat itself is lovely. It has a good size kitchen, a small bathroom, and a bedroom/living area. I nip o the local shop and buy the basics...mainly cleaning stuff! After spending about an hour cleaning, I pop over to see Mary and Liz. We have some lunch and chat for a while...then I descend back into my cleaning for another four and a half hours...by the time I have finished, I have 15 mins to spare to change before meeting Kevin, (Simons best friend) for the other set of keys, we arrange to meet later that night for drinks. Kevin is rather lovely. Liz and Mary come over and we drink wine, play guitar and sing American pie. (We now have formed a mini band called “the donuts”-because we’re jamming (HA!!)......we will be touring by the end of the month...) Kevin arrives and we drink more wine...play more cards, sing more American pie...et speak French bien sur! Actually, Kevin turns out to speak amazing English with an Irish accent...(his ma’s French, and his dad Irish)-an Irish English speaking French man...hummmm....anyway...he humours us, and we all speak a mixture of French, English and irish....everyone goes home...and i sleep for the first time in...50 hours!!
Bourjour! Today was really productive...after breakfast we all head into the city to explore! We go to see one of the many cathedrals, and sit on one of the walls-perfect photo opportunity...only to evacuate quickly as a crowd...yes, a crowd, of policemen head towards us...after thinking about it... I don’t think we should have sat on that wall. ! Right...after asking a couple of people, we find le centre du torisme. We find a cinema and decide to go and see Sweeny Todd later tonight. We find a bank to get some money out and eventually find a phone shop, (although Rouen is twinned with Norwich, it lacks the abundance of phone stores!) There’s only one assistant in the shop who cannot speak a word of English...eventually I manage to communicate that I don’t want a contract phone, and I want a cheap pay as to talk with a sim card. –which is a lot harder to say than it sounds! anyway..Absolute bargain... 39 Euros for a phone. Pas mal! So armed with a new phone we get some food shopping done and walk home. Liz and I make dinner and Mary pours the wine...we rush back into town to watch Johnny depp sing his heart out and skip back home singing “Johanna” in appreciation of Mr T. A fantastic first day...with beaucoup of sunshine! I so could live here! I’ve quite taken to watching French TV...its amazing how much I can understand! –even now, I’m finding it difficult to stop thinking of random French words! –maybe that’s a sign that I need sleep...d’accord, le plan is to meet Liz and Mary at the end of the road a 10am...so sleep time now, methinks!
Okay...I have two things to confess...the first...this is now the third time I’m attempting to write this paragraph, as it keeps deleting on me!...the second...it is actually the 16th...okay, I know, I know...vie been abandoning my blog...take me out to the pastures and shoot moi! So...what did you miss...ah...Thursday night we almost went out...we got to the end of the road to the nearest shop and went back to mine, ate junk food(sorry ma!) and watched family guy...allllllllllriiiiight! oh...Happy Valentines Day!!
So...the 15th...we decided to go on a mission...I was late getting up...I blame it on the bed-its just too comfortable! Our mission is to find the train station. Mission accomplished...and it only took two bars of chocolate, a bag of nuts and two hours later. Not bad! Anyway...so the girls go off to their place, I watch Helen et les garcon, followed by superman and the pimp my ride, (en francais, bien sur!) have a bath and wait for the girls to come over for dinner. Mary’s cooking tonight....we have some kinda risotto slash curry invention which tastes rather yummy. (Bon effort Mary!) We have arranged to meet a Friend Mary and Liz made on my doorstep qu’ill s’appelle ‘Pap’ at 10.00pm. Its 11pm now, so we head on down to club emporium galorium (!!!!) sans les garcons. Pap arrives, about two hours late with his partner in crime ‘Iddi’. We laugh at them trying to speak English and they laugh at us trying to speak French. We all get on really well...by the end of the night Liz is known as “le German girl”; as she knows more German than French, Mary is “la fille fatigant et timide!” and I don’t have a name. It’s all good. So...we head to a boit de nuit (aka.club) at about 1am...called ‘R-night’. Its a really good night...I have discovered something new...one cannot say plus beaucoup, or tres beaucoup, as you are actually saying ‘much much’. Not overly interesting, I know, but I thought id share it with you.
Where were we? Ah yes...so...the French (in Rouen), cannot dance. I’m not exaggerating....they really cant, unless making butterfly wings with your hands and jumping around like a monkey is some wacky new routine....and the music....mon dieu. –I’m not even going there. SO...it’s the end of the night/early morning...and we’re escorted back to my doorstep...we all say goodbye to Pap et Iddi, and i desperately fight with the keys as Pap declares his true love for us all. Merci Pap, mais, non-merci. Its about 5am and the girls have just left...Good night Rouen!
So...Saturday night....the plan is to go out tonight...lizz and i leave mary writing her blog a la cyber cafe, and head to the shops! Theres actually not that many shops in Rouen...but we manage to find a few bargains! One thing that all us girls have noticed is that everyone in France looks sooooo smart! How the guys dress during the day is how English lads dress to go on a night out....the women, even the younger girls look so fashionable....putting my oversized baggy jumper to shame! So....a good enough excuse to go shopping! We go to Zara first...and find a little black dress...under 5 euro’s...its extra small...we spend about three days and four nights getting it on me...waallaaa! its on....it looks okay...you couldn’t smuggle peanuts though...theres only the one small problem...i cant actually breathe....hummmm...maybe not. We leave the dress and find some clothes which actually fit. (always good!)
Later....the girls come around for dinner, we have the left over’s from mary’s rice dish avec la salad and cheese. Yum! It actually tastes better cold! We decide to go out after all...so we get ready and trek to the an “irish pub” at about 11pm. Its not so busy...but apparently people normally go to Paris on a Saturday night! So...we find a table...i find my sparkling water costs the same as a glass of wine! –i stick with the water! A French guy asks if i can speak English, (err....yes!) and if i can speak to a couple at the bar...turns out they’re from essex..its sooo weird to be talking to English strangers...i find it really easy to talk to them..but difficult to form English words! – i think its cause when ive been talking to Mary and Lizz its a mixture of English and French! Its about 2.30am and we are just leaving the pub when two guys, (old enough to me our dads), stop me and ask if we can all meet them next Friday in the pub to exchange languages-we teach them English and we teach them French...hummmmmm....bon nuit!
Sunday...slept in till quite late today...we met at 12pm at mine and walked into town to watch le Simpsons, le filme! It was really good to see the film in French...i actually understood most of it! (oooh yeah!!!) we headed back though town...singing “spider cushion...spider cushion”...all the shops are closed here on a Sunday...so the streets are filled only with couples wondering hand in hand wearing long coats, scarves and big dark glasses. Tres chic! We go back to mine and have a late lunch/early dinner –rice and salad, again(!!)- and wait for Orida to call Lizz...turns out Orida wont be meeting till tomorrow...soo...we work out how to play/sing “Rock my wagon wheel”...then to bed!
Friday, 1 February 2008
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