From Mussels to Brussels

Lille is an extraordinary city...I don't know how to capture it it words but it is very metropolitan and the architectural style of all the old buildings in la grand place (downtown) is just gorgeous! When I first arrived here I was really overwhelmed after having to lug my two massive suitcases on and off the chunnel coming from London. I dropped one of my suitcases on the escalator and it landed in front of a French man who just looked at it and kept smoking his cigarette. What a great first impression of the inhabitants here, huh!? I managed to hail down a cab and got to the university area pretty quickly. Le Catho is pretty similar to Santa Clara...only much bigger and a five minute walk away from a big city. I lugged my massive suitcases again up two flights of stairs, paid for my dorm, and then wandered off to find the actual place. Luckily two American girls saw me looking extremely perplexed and offered to help me settle into my dorm, get some groceries, and get French phone.

I've gone on so many runs here because there is just so much to see! Around each corner is a new surprise. I went running across this gorgeous river and stumbled upon a zoo. I saw these monkies swinging in the trees and I was sure I'd landed myself in Africa or some exotic place, not Lille, France. The language barrier has been pretty difficult to overcome mostly because I have not ever been completely thrust into France for a long period of time. I can speak it really well, but my comprehension needs some work, but I am sure that will come. I was trying to figure out how to put credit on my French phone and I had to call this number to enter the pin and some woman started rambling off in French and I had no idea what she was saying. I asked an older French guy if he could help me and immediately after he finished helping me he just sprinted off not responding when I said "merci!" Not sure what that was about...

Anyways, I'm about to go register for classes so maybe that will make this whole experience seem more real. Right now it's like I'm stuck in this limbo between reality and fantasy because every other time I've been to Europe it's been like some dream where I'm floating along dipping into an unknown world. All the administrative stuff I have to do here is so annoying because the French take SO long to do everything! They say to arrive at a certain time, say for orientation, and it'll either arrive 30 minutes before they said to come, or an hour after. Luckily I arrived way too early yesterday which happened to be right on time...don't get it? Well, the French do.

A bientot, j'ecrirai a un autre heure. xxx