A Student Abroad: Small world...

It's been a while since I've written on my blog. I didn't think I would be so busy! I've finally got the chance to sit down for half an hour now and update you on my adventures in the French Riviera.

A lot has happened in 4 days...

As I mentioned in my previous post, my housemates and I had to attend our orientation (kind of like an induction day) at the university on Monday, our first time travelling to the campus by bus. We had to be there by 9am so we woke up at 6am and left our apartment at 7.30am, just to be on the safe side. Getting the bus took a bit of guesswork. We had three buses to choose from. As a French speaker, my housemate asked the locals which bus was best to catch, a very wise thing to do when in a foreign country. All buses in this region only cost €1!

Proof that I made it.

After having morning coffee, orange juice and pastries, we were given a few speeches by the Dean of the University, wishing us a great stay in France. We then received our student cards and, to save printing costs, a USB key with all the necessary academic and practical information. Next was a basic French test to determine our competency level if we want to study a French language course. I attempted a few of the questions but it was advised that if you knew little French (or barely any, like me) to just write "BEGINNER" at the top of the page - so I did!

The tour of the main building was about to begin. I was speaking to one other student from England who told me that he had just spoken to someone from my hometown! I couldn't believe my ears... Of all places, my hometown?! I had to meet this person to verify and, yep, it was true. Our minds were blown for the rest of the day. I must admit that it felt great conversing in our colloquial language. If I tried that in Latvia, I think I would have been ostracised for sure.

As this guy and I are both from English universities and doing an Erasmus exchange, and most other students are from America, when it came to discussing our chosen modules and units with the relevant member of staff we were in the same situation. We have to take back a certain number of credits to our home universities and it seemed that we didn't have enough. We spent the next 30 minutes freaking out, thinking we would have to have two 3 hour lectures every day. We asked if the credit number for each module was European (the type we need). And guess what - they are American, meaning that they are doubled in order to convert into European credits. Very, very good news! Once my academic things were sorted out, it was time to choose my sports. I have quite a packed schedule, so I've decided to just do fitness every week to battle with my consumption of croissants.

On the same day as the orientation, a group of the exchange students went into town to find out about bus cards (we are on a student budget) and French SIM cards. The bus card that we each eventually bought covers all local buses, which must be renewed every month. I would strongly advise all international students to carry their passport with them for the first couple of weeks upon your arrival; it will definitely come in handy when organising the basics. Luckily, I bought my "beautiful" Nokia in Latvia so all I had to do was buy a SIM card, a much more complicated and expensive system than in England, but it's worth it.

You don't see these in England!

I've formed a great circle of friends, including my two housemates, the guy from my hometown and a girl studying the same subject as me. We are half American and half British and are always educating each other about our cultures, including funny slang words.

The gang.

We have begun shopping as a group (which helps!) and a routine of eating meals together, including:

Our first meal as a group (omelette au jambon fromage, frites et salade).

Our first home-cooked meal, prepared by my hometown buddy (Spanish-inspired pasta)

Our first brunch (scrambled eggs, beans and bread)

The wifi wasn't working in our apartment for the first 4 days. I tried to convince myself that it was somehow a blessing in disguise, but it is not easy when Facebook is the easiest way of communicating with family and friends back home and you can't access it! It's all fixed now!

With a couple of days to spare before lectures begin, it was time to hit the beach! Pictures tell a thousand words, right?