Can you actually speak French?

Arrival date: Thursday 2nd September 2010


It's funny. I promised myself back home I'd document everything so that I could share it with friends, family and future ERASMUS students alike, or in case an impromptu presentation on "Your year abroad" is sprung on us back home. I did start writing in a small notebook some of the more amusing and memorable events of the last fortnight, but not in too much detail. So, after seeing a fellow students blog (Sorry, Zoe.) I decided to make this :)

Alors...

It's been a bit of a drama over the last two weeks. Big Mags (my mum), Mojo (Aunty Maureen) and I bantered off to Edinburgh airport to fly with the fantastic (not) Ryanair to Poitiers. It was Big Mags first time driving there and we got lost; Mojo took over the driving, we still got lost, but eventually we found our way there. The flight was pretty uneventful, apart from being crowded, and me being very aware that I had 4 suitcases full of junk, I mean, essentials with me.

The first bit of drama was the taxi taking me to the wrong place. By wrong place, I mean he took us to a hotel come student residence which was across the road from my place. So, in true Aitken style, panic ensued. But after a lot of shrugging, sighing, and speaking very slow English and very bad French, we discovered all I had to do was cross the road. Silly us.

After putting my stuff in my "room" (slight exaggeration) we went to find the nearest supermarché, which of courses resulted in miles of walking and me asking some nice French couple OU EST MONOPRIX?!?! in a very aggressive (but accidental) way. Still, after some arguing, tears, and some under-the-breath cursing, we found monoprix and bought lots of nice things to eat.

However.

The kitchen that accomodates 24 (!!!!) students had two stoves, which OF COURSE were gas, therefore resulting in my burning my hands repeatedly as you need a lighter to light them, and thing they call an oven (IT ISN'T AN OVEN!!) which is the size of a microwave and an actual microwave. Which is fine, if you plan on living on pasta (which we do).

Still, all in all the people were lovely and I was beginning to enjoy myself. We then discovered the uni, which is the UGLIEST thing I have ever seen. It reminded me of an old, graffiti-covered primary school, or a prison. It is often referred to as "the hell-hole", as there is nothing promising about such an ugly array of building. Their canteen though, OMG what a place! 3 euros for a good size and tasty main, a side and a deseert?! Maybe it's just because I love food and not wasting money, but I always get so excited when we go there. Highlight of the day, you could say. Still isn't the QMU, though :(

Big Mags and Mojo flew home on the Sunday, and they had a wee cry, and it finally made me realise I am actually here. On my own. Took me till now to realise that I LOVE the freedom and the responsibility (haha, really?) etc of living on my own, but I do miss someone making me nice teas :( And by teas, I do not mean the beverage kind; I mean dinners. SOMETHING OTHER THAN BLOODY PASTA!!

But then the fun really started. Not really. We were out enjoying a few Monaco's (Like a shandy, but with Grenadine?) and Panaché's, when Katrin called to say the kitchen was flooding and they thought it came from Mahi and I's rooms as we live above it. After running through the streets of Poitiers (how much do you want it to read Paris?) we arrived home to find our rooms were fine, but outside our room was flooded. The ceiling then collapsed during the night, much to our delight. Seemingly, the previous owners "forgot" to tell our landlord how bad the state of the building was. Hmm...

Still, in true French fashion, next to nothing has been done about it. As the French LOVE their bureaucracy, but would rather spend 100 years doing the most tidious and pointless paperwork, therefore slowing the rest of us down, the love it so much. The best part? We now have mice. As I said to my Swedish friend (Not that she understood any of it, mind) "There's a moose loose about this hoose!". I often forget that NOONE else I live with is Scottish, and that my accent is the most ridiculous thing they've ever heard. I am "the most foreign" in a group of ERASMUS and other international students. Bon.

And last, but not least, the university's "structure" (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA.)

I never been anywhere as unorganised as this place. If it was glasgow uni, you'd know what you were doing, when and where it'd be, have a student ID and be all ready to learn. But here? The most common response from the lovely receptionists is "That's not my responsibility/ I don't have to help you." What?!?!?!?! All I'm asking for is a timetable to sort my life out a bit, but all you get is No... No... SEE SOMEONE ELSE! But they don't tell you who!!!!!!!!!!! So my life is a little messy right now where studies are concerned. It'll be ok though. Eventually. Maybe...

Anyway, that's all the drama that's happened that I can think of! I will post in a later blog some of the more amusing events that have happened recently :D