the spice of life

I feel like a lot has happened that I haven't had time to keep you up to date with so I though I'll share some of the quirky and the mundane, the more and the less believable, the annoying and the fun things that have been going on here over the last week.

• I walked the two Jack Russels who belong to my 3rd couchsurfing hostess (Floriane) and ended up all tangled up like a person in a film, it was pretty spectacular, though I did get pretty bad rope burn on the backs of my knees from the lead
• I registered for uni, such a complicated process, one of those times where I came back on 3 consecutive days before they decided that they wanted to open the office, but to be honest I think I'm beginning to get used to it.
• I opened a French bank account :/
• I signed up for classes in beginners' latin, francophone literature, phonology and sociolinguistics and bought some of my books, seriously Sept '09 has probably been the most expensive month of my life.
• Attended the first week of classes for my initial (and still rather sketchy) timetable, its a kind of DIY gig, particularly for Erasmus students. Classes at 0815, I jest not. Still have to take on some more credits for my learning agreement so we'll see how it all pans out. The uni is a total admin nightmare, graffiti on the flagstones in front of the admin building reads "Dieu pardonne pas le proletariat" and "l'entree pour l'enfer", French students are so political, you've got to love it. Apparently we can expect up to 2 months of strikes in the new year, oh joys, it means time out of classes but unfortunately they still expect you to sit the exams even if the course hasn't happened. I have to have a medical check to do sports and live n halls, bizarre, and they're totally paranoid about swine flu.
• I've bought at least 12 baguettes, 10 pains au chocolat and more cheese than can possibly be good for a person.
• Watched 3 Englishmen smoke their pipes while they waited for the tram.
• I rode through town on the back of Floriane's scooter, with her dog on the front :)
• I've endlessly wandered the tiny streets of the old town, I'll post some photos when i get my camera cable.
• Moved into my room in halls, its pretty basic but clean and safe, the shower is a little interesting and i'll find it hard not to be able to bake (our "kitchen" between the 25 people on my floor consists of 4 electric hotplates and 2 sinks) but I have a nice view from my window and can tumble into classes in 15mins-ish. I've not met many people in my building yet, lots of folk seem to keep themselves to themselves, but I met some girls in the kitchen the other day who were very friendly, and a friendly chap helped me up the stairs with my bags.
• I bought a dustpan and brush, some cooking pots and some wool for knitting (even though its still average of 23 degrees here, but y'know, I brought my knitting needles...)
• I've learned some useful vocabulary, such as the words for "cork-screw" "brain injuries" "target" "contract" "hug" "nose bleed" "pillow" "kettle" "speech therapist" and "house warming"
• Got myself a tram pass :)
• Drank mint tea on a terrace in the sun and climbed the cathedral steeple for the most amazing view of the city on "heritage weekend".
• Got mosquito bitten on the pad of my middle finger...? this was while I was still couchsurfing and sleeping on the veranda, 25 was the total bite count (5 on my face!)
• Wandered through the 41st annual international beekeepers congress with the couchsurfing "free hug-ers" and tasted SO much honey. My favourite stall was the greenpeace gang, they were all about the free hugs.
• Watched "J'irai dormir a Hollywood", the guy is crazy, watch it if you get the chance.
• Swam in the Med with my cousin Florence who came down from Toulouse to visit me for the day, got quite sunburned. I think I'm browning up a bit, though its maybe just dust, the other day a random hobo noted that I'm 'not very tanned' as I passed by, he he!
• Debated the effects of the 2nd world war with a German, an Austrian, an Englishman, a Scot and 2 Catalans, and the ins and outs of Islam with an Algerian (with some helpful interjections from the couple sitting opposite us on the tram, mostly to correct my French). Good stuff.
• Signed up to play "Assassins" and successfully neutralised my first target (3 hours after the game started, 3am, oh yeah!)
• Found my way to LIDL.
• Found a birthday twin.
• Crashed 2 housewarmings and a leaving party, the second housewarming was amazing, everyone dancing like maniacs, incidentally the guys who's flat it was had worked in bar kohl in Edinburgh for a bit, genius.
• Listened to the foxes cry outside my window. Not as romantic as it sounds, like a child screaming, but not as sleep preventive as the car horns of a wedding procession, they blare all the way from the church to wherever they're going, who even gets married at 11.30am?
• Made spanish omelette in a saucepan.
• I've been at least 20mins late for everything, but apparently thats ok here - its the mediterranean don't you know?
• Met Cat off the train from Marseilles :) and went for a birthday dinner, the first time i've eaten out here, it was properly yum.
• Went clubbing -European style- hilarious and lots of fun.

I'm sure there's lots more that I've forgotten, and ask me if there's something that you want to know more about I'd better leave it there for now, got to go and wake up Cat and think about heading to the market :)

love love love.

over.