Today was the day. The day that could make or break my experience.
We caught the TGV around 8 am from Paris to Bordeaux, managing the metro was a little better this time because I wasn't nearly as tired and Matt wasn't carrying as many things, so he could help me.
I sat next to a very pleasant little old French lady, and managed to snooze a bit on the train.
When we got to Bordeaux we managed to ride the correct trams and end up in Talence (which seems to be the college suburb of Bordeaux and is where BEM is located.)
When we got off the train we realized that we didn't actually know where we were going so Matt ran off to get directions while I stood awkwardly in the middle of the path with all of our things. We walked about a kilometer or two and finally saw BEM! I was so happy that we didn't even get lost once.
When we showed up we went to the exchange student room (run by Melting Potes) where they informed us we were the first to arrive! There were about 10 BEM students ready and willing to help us.
One drove us to where I needed to pay and fill out forms and get my keys for my apartment. This turned out to be the biggest challenge of the day. French offices don't really seem to have any organization. Which is strange because they require you to fill out tons of paper work, which I sense just gets lost later that day. There aren't really lines, just groups of people willing the secretaries not to ignore them. I despise French bureaucracy, it is excessive.
Finally I got my keys and was introduced to the woman (cleaning lady?) in charge of the building. She let me into my room where my adorable Korean roommate was shocked to see us.
My room is fairly small but I have a desk, bed shelves and decent closet space, along with my own bathroom and a shared dinning room/kitchen. The other two rooms are still empty, but there will be two Canadians coming (we think).
I got unpacked and then we went to the super market.
I still need to get bedding and towels and toilet paper. Wish me luck, because I feel like this adventure is just beginning!
Also, I'm excited you're keeping a blog. Because this way I shall always know what you're doing! Miss you!
ReplyDeleteQuestions:
ReplyDeleteBEM?
Is Matt's friend's name Matt too? How does Matt know him/her? Or is that a Western student?
Where did you stay in Paris?
Did you meet up with the other WWU students? Did you know them from French class?
Have you found me a cool present yet?
Yay for adorable Korean roommates! Shmaybe you'll learn Korean.
Oh goodness! I was right about the Frenchies not believing in lines afterall, I don't know if I could handle that. What do they do when they come to the land of Disneyland lines?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you didn't get lost and you seem to be having a bit more fun than the ever so tiring Paris.