La campagne de la Champagne (ou la Champagne de campagne?)

Hello! I must apologise for my silence since the last post, but since I got here I didn't stop for a single second!! But now I've got a day off and time to myself, so I can write down what happened...

The last time I wrote on here I was still in Paris, wondering what to do with my life (especially transport-wise) and getting ready to go to the station. Well, I got to the station! (now that was the easy bit...). Nadine managed to arrive to Gare de Lyon too from Geneva (the only train not to have been cancelled apparently...), and got a snack before starting our journey. Can I just say that €8.50 for a tea and a slice of cheesecake from Starbucks is a bit extortionate?!?!?!? But never mind, that wasn't the most expensive bit of the trip...

We managed to make our way to Gare de l'Est, where someone was supposed to meet us and we would then have taken the train together. Well, that didn't happen... Once there, the amount of people that had already started camping on the floor did not give us any faith at all in the trains that day, and that was soon to be confirmed. After paying €16.50 for a 1-hour one-way train ticket (English people, stop complaining about train fares, you don't know what you're talking about!!!), we found out the train we booked didn't actually exist (yep, you guessed it, it was on strike). Quite panicky, me being used to the relative decency of British trains, Nadine just being Swiss, we started calling the people at the Summer camp for help who, in a very French way, just told us to stay there and wait for A train (hell knows which one...). We later found out that train was 1 hour 20 minutes later than the one we booked, so we just joined the "camp-site" of Parisian commuters... We finally found that person who would take us to Champagne, and immediately told us that we didn't have to buy a train ticket because of the strike. Well, thanks for telling us in advance!! Never mind, the train was there and we could get on!!! Yuppeeeee!!! Pity everybody else had the same idea... Since it was probably the only train out in that direction, half of Paris decided to get on and try to get out of the city. This was the result...

One hour 20 minutes later we could to the train's final stop, which was nowhere close to where we were supposed to be, therefore the director of the company had to drive all the way there to then get us out again. So after incredible amounts of steps (lifts don't exist in France apparently...), we were finally on a car heading towards our destination!!

So now I am here, a tiny village called Troissy, where there are more people buried in the local cemetery than actually alive (quote). However, it's beautiful. The first few days were dedicated to get to know the team and the camp and spend some time together (swimming pool, bring it on!!). Then the arrivals got here on Sunday, the first for the summer! From then on, the week has been dedicated to preparing French classes, evening entertainment and taking way too many photos for the official Facebook page. I had one day off (the kids were in Paris), where me and other colleagues just took a bike and went to the nearest town for lunch. Now it's just a matter of keeping this rhythm going and having clear ideas for the next bunch of arrivals (today, in a few hours, from Spain and Russia) and just get them into the loop of activities we organise!

I'm guessing not many things are going to happen from now on, so updates will be rare. Only if I do some kind of day trip I might do it. Until then, laters!!!

xx

P.S.: here are some photos from Troissy...

Oh, and this is where I'm actually working:

Paris j'arrive!

It should be "Paris je suis déjà arrivé mais tu n'as pas de WiFi", but I wrote the title early yesterday morning...

12 June, 10:30. Location: train Norwich-London.

Well well, it seems the time to leave has finally come! Being a long day I've decided to write bit by bit, I'm guessing many things are going to happen (since it's just 10.50 and they already have...).

So obviously this morning, the only moment in which I wanted my phone to work, it didn't: a 6.30 alarm clock soon became a 7.45 panic wake up moment! Since I still had all the bed and bathroom things to pack plus everything off my bed still had to go in a box, I found myself fairly stressed. Everything was packed LITERALLY at the same time the taxi arrived!!! Never, ever, again...

At last I thought "finally I can relax!". Yep, you wish... with two suitcases and a man bag (totally probably 30kg altogether) not only did I have to try and fit through the ticket barriers, but I also needed to walk the FULL LENGTH of the train, as you can see in this photo (Norwich station is at the very back, you can't even see it!):



But finally I am in the train!! I found a very cheap first class ticket, so at least (I thought) I could enjoy my trip to London! Nope, I forgot this is Greater Anglia... my seat is stuck in a semi-reclined position, meaning sitting down is proving an adventure of its own...

At least I can relax now. I'll probably catch up on the week's EastEnders (simple pleasures...), and I look forward to meet up with my friend Giovanna in London in a couple of hours!!!

13 June, 11:00. Location: Paris, 10ème Arr.
No more WiFi after the last bit, so here I start again a day later. Finally managed to get to London, where I met some of the rudest people on the planet: first they wouldn't let me off the train, then they tried pushing into the queue in front of me at the Tube barriers, then they wouldn't help me with my suitcases up the stairs. Oh and another thing: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD TFL INSTALL LIFTS AT LIVERPOOL STREET STATION!!!!!!

However I got to St. Pancras, where I had a nice lunch and a good catch up with my friend Giovanna:

Then off I went, through security and passport control, where I already had to speak French (and I was still in central London!!!). And then up, on the fullest train ever: you can't really see it in this photo, but it was packed...

Of course I was wishing I could sit down and relax, instead I had to rearrange the entire suitcase rack because people don't know how to travel. Proposition for the government: issue a passport only to people who have been on a practical traveller course, following everything from queuing to using a train!!! (right, I'm getting slightly fascist now...let's move on)

The train journey was amazing, incredible service and seriously comfortable. Only problem? It was going too fast!!! My ears weren't used to it and kept going pop...

Finally, I was in Paris! And within a short amount of time there I was at the hotel: BED, SHOWER, BRING IT ON!!!!

After relaxing a bit and a short Skype call, I decided to look for somewhere to eat. The guide recommended the Bastille area, so I headed off that way. I found a nice little bistrot in that area where they prepared a wonderful risotto. At the end I decided to work out where I was, so I looked for a sign on the square: imagine my surprise when I saw this... (Sacré Théâtre people, prepare!!!)

Honestly, I had no idea, and I was seriously shocked!!!

I then headed off to the city centre and enjoyed a nice stroll to Notre Dame, along the Seine to the Louvre, and then off to the Eiffel Tower (all the photos will be at the end of the post).

But being what I am, I couldn't complete the day without being an idiot: a city I've never been before, of course I had to miss the last metro train of the day!!! So there I was, roaming the streets of Paris looking for a bus... At last I managed to get to the hotel, and I good night's sleep was in order...

In the morning I had planned to go and visit Notre Dame cathedral, but destiny had another plan for me apparently: SNCF are on strike (again!), so I'm spending my time browsing for train connections to get to Champagne-Ardenne. I don't know if I'll ever get there, but we'll see...

See you soon!!!

xx

First post!

Hello and welcome to my first post!!

I thought I'd start today, since the Year Abroad can't really happen with every possible preparatory stage behind it, right?

I am leaving Norwich in 2 days (actually even less than that, in 2 days time I'll be in Paris!!!), so I thought it best to start packing (everything... no really, everything!!), which includes at the moment (still counting) 5 boxes, 1 random bag, 2 suitcases and a gym bag. But obviously they can't really remain in my room, the take up way too much valuable space, so what better place to put everything if not my housemate's toilet? Don't worry though, he's happy about it, I managed to win him over with a Thornton's chocolate... ;)

But yeah, everything is pretty much ready. I've just got the last few things to organise and put away and then we're off!! It's going to be a weird sensation. I moved to this city only recently, but in the past two years so many wonderful things have happened that I am feeling quite sad to leave to be honest! Norwich is beautiful, UEA is brilliant, the lecturers are amazing and my coursemates are, quite simply, the best group of friends I could ever have hoped for! Leaving all of this is going to be difficult (it already is, it'll get worse), so I'll just focus on all the good that's about to come and which will keep me seriously busy for the next 12 months!!

I'll conclude by saying a massive thanks to all the people I've met in Norwich. Moving here, so far away from home, had been a massive leap into the unknown. Yet, within a short amount of time, this became my home. This city and this university have completely changed my life into something unexpected, and I'm loving it! For the first time in my life I am truly happy about where I am heading, and looking back I know that moving here has been the best decision I have ever taken! I'm going to miss you loads, but I'm sure we'll have tons of opportunities to meet up in the near future!!

Until then, enjoy the break!!