Sunday, May 20, 2012
Holidaying at home
Monday, April 9, 2012
This blog does not promote violence towards women.... except at easter and with the use of whips
The end of March and the beginning of April have seen the end of the year abroad for the English assistants charged with trying to impart some degree of English-language based wisdom to generally unwilling students. Had I been aware that they finish 2 months earlier, have less hours than students and get paid in addition to student loan I probably would have been a little less keen on the Erasmus exchange option. Nevermind, its been sad to say goodbye to some friendly faces. In Paris many seem to be staying on and working, which is good, but some are leaving and so it has been a slow precession of goodbye dinners(any excuse to go and have a steak ;) ) 
so far and they will continue I am sure. Also many people around France from Southampton are beginning to head back, so it really does feel like the start of the end of the year abroad.
For instance, this past weekend has seen the last meeting of Mayhem in a French city for the Fam-a-lam, Reims this time the destination. Would like to take a sentence out to thank this newly formed little group, J-dog, Dad, Parch and Jarule, it has been a pleasure travelling the country with you all! The result was more or less the same as previous trips, bare fails. This lovely city granted us a very creepy hotel room, an intense game of laser tag (which I won) :D and some rather questionable cocktails in an Irish bar. Still rigorously sticking to my very minimal drinking I was given Coke in a cardboard cup (thanks, make it obvious yer) and was somewhat dismayed to find the planned champagne "tasting" at the Martell Champagne Cellars (which dad tried to transcend by applying international drinking rules) was instead a thinly veiled drinking session in which potential customers where given 3 full glasses to try and then finish in the space of about 10 minutes to tempt them into a drunken purchase.
As has been standard on all these trips met a top group of people all trying to survive and generally fit in in their respective cities!! Don't worry guys, almost there!
Another highlight of the past two weeks has been the re-emergence into my life of the film Taken, in which Liam Neeson goes around tearing up Paris with cheeky one-liners and the attitude of an immortal. Its both superb and lazy in equal doses, gone are the studios of normal hollywood productions, in are geographically accurate locations, and as such, it is possible to trace the film's story round Paris. Unfortunately, I had to bow out half way through because my body still occasionally gives me the run around after my illness but I very much hope to complete it soon(picture is from Porte de Clichy, where Liam Neeson tracks down a Pimp)
.
I think the phrase "you have too much time on your hands" could be appropriate here, but unfortunately I don't, as the deadline for the 6000 word YARP looms ever closer.
Another highlight recently has been a trip to Fleche D'or. Would love to say that I saw some crazy cool international artists, unfortunately, the headlining bands were British. Felt very patriotic!! The extremely poor French opening band left the stage to muted applause(they were a poor man's Ting Tings!), followed by a distinctly average Spanish band, then the Brit's came on and blew everyone away. Dog is Dead and Morning Parade. I fully reccommend you check them out!!!
I got back to Paris from Reims around lunchtime on Easter Sunday, to find my flatmates wining and dining in the kitchen. The easter egg hunt seems to be fairly standard international Easter day tom foolery, but I thought I would share with you a typical Czech easter time.
Below are sticks called Pomlázka which the boys must make from snapped twigs in order to whip all the girls on Easter Monday. Meanwhile, in a 4 day long preparation during which the whole country is on holiday the girls paint ornate easter eggs waiting to give them to the boys who whip them. After this ritual, the girls are cleansed, young, and beautiful. Now, I'm not one to criticise other cultures, if anything, this seems like quite a sweet deal for the blokes. Just wonder whether the guy that came up with this is the same guy who wrote the article about swallowing semen being beneficial for health. Whoever he is, Czech men must love him.
On Thursday I am going home for a touch over two weeks for my 'Easter' holiday, which in typical French style is not over easter. Looking forward to some good BRITISH live music, catching up with friends and fam and a few travels visiting Nottingham and Edinburgh!
Hope you all had a very Happy Easter wherever you spent it,
Easy,
Will.
so far and they will continue I am sure. Also many people around France from Southampton are beginning to head back, so it really does feel like the start of the end of the year abroad. For instance, this past weekend has seen the last meeting of Mayhem in a French city for the Fam-a-lam, Reims this time the destination. Would like to take a sentence out to thank this newly formed little group, J-dog, Dad, Parch and Jarule, it has been a pleasure travelling the country with you all! The result was more or less the same as previous trips, bare fails. This lovely city granted us a very creepy hotel room, an intense game of laser tag (which I won) :D and some rather questionable cocktails in an Irish bar. Still rigorously sticking to my very minimal drinking I was given Coke in a cardboard cup (thanks, make it obvious yer) and was somewhat dismayed to find the planned champagne "tasting" at the Martell Champagne Cellars (which dad tried to transcend by applying international drinking rules) was instead a thinly veiled drinking session in which potential customers where given 3 full glasses to try and then finish in the space of about 10 minutes to tempt them into a drunken purchase.
As has been standard on all these trips met a top group of people all trying to survive and generally fit in in their respective cities!! Don't worry guys, almost there!
Another highlight of the past two weeks has been the re-emergence into my life of the film Taken, in which Liam Neeson goes around tearing up Paris with cheeky one-liners and the attitude of an immortal. Its both superb and lazy in equal doses, gone are the studios of normal hollywood productions, in are geographically accurate locations, and as such, it is possible to trace the film's story round Paris. Unfortunately, I had to bow out half way through because my body still occasionally gives me the run around after my illness but I very much hope to complete it soon(picture is from Porte de Clichy, where Liam Neeson tracks down a Pimp)
. I think the phrase "you have too much time on your hands" could be appropriate here, but unfortunately I don't, as the deadline for the 6000 word YARP looms ever closer.
Another highlight recently has been a trip to Fleche D'or. Would love to say that I saw some crazy cool international artists, unfortunately, the headlining bands were British. Felt very patriotic!! The extremely poor French opening band left the stage to muted applause(they were a poor man's Ting Tings!), followed by a distinctly average Spanish band, then the Brit's came on and blew everyone away. Dog is Dead and Morning Parade. I fully reccommend you check them out!!!
I got back to Paris from Reims around lunchtime on Easter Sunday, to find my flatmates wining and dining in the kitchen. The easter egg hunt seems to be fairly standard international Easter day tom foolery, but I thought I would share with you a typical Czech easter time.
Below are sticks called Pomlázka which the boys must make from snapped twigs in order to whip all the girls on Easter Monday. Meanwhile, in a 4 day long preparation during which the whole country is on holiday the girls paint ornate easter eggs waiting to give them to the boys who whip them. After this ritual, the girls are cleansed, young, and beautiful. Now, I'm not one to criticise other cultures, if anything, this seems like quite a sweet deal for the blokes. Just wonder whether the guy that came up with this is the same guy who wrote the article about swallowing semen being beneficial for health. Whoever he is, Czech men must love him.
On Thursday I am going home for a touch over two weeks for my 'Easter' holiday, which in typical French style is not over easter. Looking forward to some good BRITISH live music, catching up with friends and fam and a few travels visiting Nottingham and Edinburgh!
Hope you all had a very Happy Easter wherever you spent it,
Easy,
Will.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Passport photos, some new revelations and a cheeky wrestle with a duvet
Eh, Mail? Whats this?
Yes, despite the Saint Denis post office consistently telling me that any mail that I expect from England is likely to have been lost on the other side of the channel as their system is so incredibly 'inefficace' I don't really quite buy it as none of my post from within the hexagone arrives either.
However, a few days ago I opened my postbox to find a letter! Excitement... until I find out its a letter from the accomodation service stating theres a missing part of my dossier. Upon further reading, it turns out they are not happy with my passport photo, as its slightly too small. I've paid my rent in advance, accepted and deep cleaned a room which was in a rather disgusting state, accepted that despite the fact my microwave is broken, only 2 of the hob rings work and my light shade is falling off this is France and no-one can be bothered to fix it, signed a contract longer than the treaty of Versailles and given them photocopies of my income from the last 3 years BUT I still cant have my deposit back as this photograph is 2mm too small.
I brought 8 with me, the last of which was used 2 weeks ago, so now I need to get more done!! Why they need to see my beautiful face is frankly beyond me, oh.. I think I just got it!
Revelation 1: French people LOVE passport photos.
Have also been more or less teased NONE STOP about my accent since I got back. Been hanging around with a lot of Americans/Canadians and Italians, who just seem to find it hilarious and think I sound like a 1930s Mary Poppins esque chimney sweep. Chim Chim Cheroo indeed. Everyone loved it last semester, now I feel like a bit of a running joke! C'est ma vie.
Revelation 2: My accent is funny
After a week of language visits from uni, which seems to be pretty much going out on the lash or out to posh cafe's with the lecturers on Uni expenses I found out the lecturers read these! So HI if you are reading. Bit gutted I chose Saint Denis for the meeting place when I found out Uni was paying... most expensive coffee here comes in a plastic cup and costs 65c.
Revelation 3: Lecturers have computers; French lecturers dislike mildly racist blogs(DAD!)
'Le depart du TGV, numero 8808, destination Angers Saint Laud, est imminent. Attention a la fermature du ports'
What would Scooby Doo?
You can't tame the J-Dog
25.3.12-National cleavage day
So hopped onto the TGV to head down to Angers for the second time this year to visit Jdog and Barch, this time accompanied by Rawlings and Dad. Le gang est arrive!! Was truly memorable, for both all the right and all the wrong reasons. Hired a tidy little apartment right in the centre as J-dogs landlord is a complete twat, and last time I stayed at Barch's I was practically thrown of the premises for having a dick.
Trip started by meeting the Jdog at silly oclock in the morning, as early trains are cheap and I am a cheap skate haha! Met Jen and went to a cafe, where the infamous words... 'I need to either faint or be sick' were uttered. Thats what every casual coffee drinker wants to here whilst sipping on their cafe au lait. Chilled around the lovely old town for a bit, then went out for dinner and onto a bar. Realised what cool people we were around 3 in the morning when Dad was munching on a kebab topless, Jen was angrily cursing stood around in a bra and I was wrestling with a duvet cover, only to give up and start exotic dancing. All. a bit. too. much!
Saturday we went and saw the chateau and onto this lakeside beach, where there was a twisted theatre of a group of kids attempting to hack the head off a large fish. Once its entrails were everywhere they gave up, then the cry came up "Un autre poisson, un autre poisson" and they pulled another dead fish from the water and proceeded to hack that to pieces too. Brutal. The parents seemed oddly proud.
Also experience a refreshing reminder of how similar we really all are at an aperitif at a French friend of Jade's; her boyfriend, with his limited english had nodded bemused for the whole evening before Dad and I cracked out the French and proceeded to talk about football. Suddenly, he looked a whole lot happier.
Perhaps we aren't that different after all... should have asked his opinion on passport photos.
A bientot
Will x
Yes, despite the Saint Denis post office consistently telling me that any mail that I expect from England is likely to have been lost on the other side of the channel as their system is so incredibly 'inefficace' I don't really quite buy it as none of my post from within the hexagone arrives either.
However, a few days ago I opened my postbox to find a letter! Excitement... until I find out its a letter from the accomodation service stating theres a missing part of my dossier. Upon further reading, it turns out they are not happy with my passport photo, as its slightly too small. I've paid my rent in advance, accepted and deep cleaned a room which was in a rather disgusting state, accepted that despite the fact my microwave is broken, only 2 of the hob rings work and my light shade is falling off this is France and no-one can be bothered to fix it, signed a contract longer than the treaty of Versailles and given them photocopies of my income from the last 3 years BUT I still cant have my deposit back as this photograph is 2mm too small.
I brought 8 with me, the last of which was used 2 weeks ago, so now I need to get more done!! Why they need to see my beautiful face is frankly beyond me, oh.. I think I just got it!
Revelation 1: French people LOVE passport photos.
Have also been more or less teased NONE STOP about my accent since I got back. Been hanging around with a lot of Americans/Canadians and Italians, who just seem to find it hilarious and think I sound like a 1930s Mary Poppins esque chimney sweep. Chim Chim Cheroo indeed. Everyone loved it last semester, now I feel like a bit of a running joke! C'est ma vie.
Revelation 2: My accent is funny
After a week of language visits from uni, which seems to be pretty much going out on the lash or out to posh cafe's with the lecturers on Uni expenses I found out the lecturers read these! So HI if you are reading. Bit gutted I chose Saint Denis for the meeting place when I found out Uni was paying... most expensive coffee here comes in a plastic cup and costs 65c.
Revelation 3: Lecturers have computers; French lecturers dislike mildly racist blogs(DAD!)
'Le depart du TGV, numero 8808, destination Angers Saint Laud, est imminent. Attention a la fermature du ports'
What would Scooby Doo?
You can't tame the J-Dog
25.3.12-National cleavage day
So hopped onto the TGV to head down to Angers for the second time this year to visit Jdog and Barch, this time accompanied by Rawlings and Dad. Le gang est arrive!! Was truly memorable, for both all the right and all the wrong reasons. Hired a tidy little apartment right in the centre as J-dogs landlord is a complete twat, and last time I stayed at Barch's I was practically thrown of the premises for having a dick.
Trip started by meeting the Jdog at silly oclock in the morning, as early trains are cheap and I am a cheap skate haha! Met Jen and went to a cafe, where the infamous words... 'I need to either faint or be sick' were uttered. Thats what every casual coffee drinker wants to here whilst sipping on their cafe au lait. Chilled around the lovely old town for a bit, then went out for dinner and onto a bar. Realised what cool people we were around 3 in the morning when Dad was munching on a kebab topless, Jen was angrily cursing stood around in a bra and I was wrestling with a duvet cover, only to give up and start exotic dancing. All. a bit. too. much!
Saturday we went and saw the chateau and onto this lakeside beach, where there was a twisted theatre of a group of kids attempting to hack the head off a large fish. Once its entrails were everywhere they gave up, then the cry came up "Un autre poisson, un autre poisson" and they pulled another dead fish from the water and proceeded to hack that to pieces too. Brutal. The parents seemed oddly proud.
Also experience a refreshing reminder of how similar we really all are at an aperitif at a French friend of Jade's; her boyfriend, with his limited english had nodded bemused for the whole evening before Dad and I cracked out the French and proceeded to talk about football. Suddenly, he looked a whole lot happier.
Perhaps we aren't that different after all... should have asked his opinion on passport photos.
A bientot
Will x
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
SO.. I'm back
Paris... did you miss me?
February 2012 will always be to me the month that my life took a little break. I was not really well enough to do much at all except plough through the BBCiplayer, Youtube, and watchseries archives. The great thing about being ill however, is that when you are better, you really appreciate your health.
Coming back into my old environment has been so bizarre, so heres the big secret about Erasmus, its REALLY SHORT. Doing a year abroad from university means that you leave the friends you have made and the life have built in your uni city early, leaving it to carry on behind you. But then you come here, build a new life, new friends, new habits, then after a semester, I would say a good 50% of people up and leave! This throws you a bit, then when you add into the mix all the new people are settled in, and think you are new, the whole thing becomes very confusing. However, having said that, I would really like to thank everyone who was so happy to see me back, i really felt valued by some people I had only known a few weeks which was great :)
My first day in Paris, I went up the Montparnasse tower, something I have wanted to do for a while. It contains the fastest lift in Europe, 16m/s!! Ridiculous! You could feel the G's, i stifled a slight 'oooerrr' expression as it accelerated. However, possibly the best 3 euros I have ever spent, was up there for sunset, and was an unbelievable welcome back from my adopted city. Absolutely stunning <3
I also lost against a Russian in a game of chess, but I do not feel there is any shame in that...
Other than that, I've been working pretty hard, went to the flix with English lot and saw the Cartier advert (there was some film on too, Project X but I swear the advert was longer). As I have kept saying, catching up on 5 weeks work and working on a dissertation takes a bit of time!! Also did one of the top tourist attractions in Paris.... going down the sewers. I thought it would be an old sewer or something. But no, full on, working sewer mixed with bizarre demonstrations of cleaning techniques. Interesting? I dunno. Smelly? Definitely.
This blog is mainly in jest, but as a young person one can feel invincible. However, being tested and scanned for potentially life threatening conditions was certainly a reminder about the nature of life. In a non-morbid, positive type way, I started a photo blog, hoping that I would find something good in every day to document, something worth living for every day that I spend on this earth. I'm going to try and do it for a year, please check it out I'm about 3 weeks in and really enjoying it :)
http://willmcstayonephotoaday.tumblr.com
Anyway, better get back to the old Year abroad research project, taking the weekend off it to see the ol' gang in Angers (Barch, J-dog, Dad and disaster) Shoud be sicko!
All the best
Happy to be back France, cant believe theres only 8 weeks left now!
February 2012 will always be to me the month that my life took a little break. I was not really well enough to do much at all except plough through the BBCiplayer, Youtube, and watchseries archives. The great thing about being ill however, is that when you are better, you really appreciate your health.
Coming back into my old environment has been so bizarre, so heres the big secret about Erasmus, its REALLY SHORT. Doing a year abroad from university means that you leave the friends you have made and the life have built in your uni city early, leaving it to carry on behind you. But then you come here, build a new life, new friends, new habits, then after a semester, I would say a good 50% of people up and leave! This throws you a bit, then when you add into the mix all the new people are settled in, and think you are new, the whole thing becomes very confusing. However, having said that, I would really like to thank everyone who was so happy to see me back, i really felt valued by some people I had only known a few weeks which was great :)
My first day in Paris, I went up the Montparnasse tower, something I have wanted to do for a while. It contains the fastest lift in Europe, 16m/s!! Ridiculous! You could feel the G's, i stifled a slight 'oooerrr' expression as it accelerated. However, possibly the best 3 euros I have ever spent, was up there for sunset, and was an unbelievable welcome back from my adopted city. Absolutely stunning <3
I also lost against a Russian in a game of chess, but I do not feel there is any shame in that...
Other than that, I've been working pretty hard, went to the flix with English lot and saw the Cartier advert (there was some film on too, Project X but I swear the advert was longer). As I have kept saying, catching up on 5 weeks work and working on a dissertation takes a bit of time!! Also did one of the top tourist attractions in Paris.... going down the sewers. I thought it would be an old sewer or something. But no, full on, working sewer mixed with bizarre demonstrations of cleaning techniques. Interesting? I dunno. Smelly? Definitely.
This blog is mainly in jest, but as a young person one can feel invincible. However, being tested and scanned for potentially life threatening conditions was certainly a reminder about the nature of life. In a non-morbid, positive type way, I started a photo blog, hoping that I would find something good in every day to document, something worth living for every day that I spend on this earth. I'm going to try and do it for a year, please check it out I'm about 3 weeks in and really enjoying it :)
http://willmcstayonephotoaday.tumblr.com
Anyway, better get back to the old Year abroad research project, taking the weekend off it to see the ol' gang in Angers (Barch, J-dog, Dad and disaster) Shoud be sicko!
All the best
Happy to be back France, cant believe theres only 8 weeks left now!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Its been a while...
I haven't done a blog post in a long time, not since a loose adaptation of 'You are old, Father William' caused one enthusiastic Facebook goer to ask me whether I was in fact losing my mind. Thanks for that.
Truth is, I've been pretty busy/pretty ill. After an over-zealous drinking session at New year I kicked up an old digestive system problem that I'm STILL not 100% over so I left it an extra few days to go back to Paris. Finances only allowed me to book onto the overnight coach, an experience which although not scarring as it could have been was certainly interesting as several of my fellow passengers decided I was to be privy to the innermost workings of their minds by talking to themselves the WHOLE FUCKING WAY. What I can now tell you is the full details of a office supplies company run by a man of Indian origin, the fact that he was trying to set up new business links in London and then there was the small issue of Pascal, who hadn't yet paid for his stationary and this 'wasn't good enough'. Also tested out my Spanish as the Portuguese driver spoke neither English nor French, only his native tongue and broken Spanish. Makes sense on a service from London-Paris... Cheers Eurolines.
I threw myself straight into work when I got back as I had a ridiculous amount to do, but after 11 days of pretty solid 15 hour days I was done and dusted! No exams, so had a quick fete at the residence and headed for Lille then home! My casual lethargy meant there was no big drinking and no staying out till the small hours, but its been good times all the same.
I think in my week at home I ventured out of the house somewhere in the region of 4 or 5 times, deciding instead to concentrate on the YARP project; where I basically have to explain in 6000 words what a shithole(spell correct wanted to correct this to shibboleth- what on earth is that!!)the place I live in is and what is being done to improve it(surprisingly little). The social highlight of the week was probably being sung at by a waiter at a curry house while out for curry with the delightful Miss Evans or talking to my old year 2 teacher in Waitrose.
Just spent a week in Southampton seeing some of the importants! Bare games of Fifa and flat 3 banter, some classic Fran quotes, a night of skanking junk styley, gettin rowdy in the mitre, watching shit tv with geo b and getting my spend on in Primark. I think France has obviously affected my ability to dress properly in the eyes of English checkout clerks as the lady at the till asked me completely seriously upon seeing my purchases; "oh, so what are you dressing up as?". This was followed by a slightly blank look and the reply of "nothing.. just myself..". I think I've just become too Parisien.... I did have several comments of 'You look French' dispersed throughout the week. I genuinely have no idea how to take that.
With valentines day coming up I also tried to up the anti in terms of looking for love. I learnt the song from the match.com advert on the ukulele and decided to head down St.Denys station and play it at pretty ladies. Unfortunately, it got really fucking cold. Maybe next time.
With the weather came the disappointing fact that driving to a gig I have looked forward to for AGES became unfeasible, and we were therefore unable to go. The band's last gig too, so massive miss. Living in France has made me appreciate English music that much more, its ridiculously good, especially our indie scene and grime scene. Then there is my own special soft spot; a good dub electro/dubstep tune, its just not the same abroad. There is a reason that they say British music is the best in ther world! LUCKILY, I have a gig in London before I head back to Paris next week, get some headphones and some bass on this tune. Gona go watch them smash the garage in Islington!
From music to accents! I have already written about how the British accent is far more loved than I thought it was, but I thought I would share with you all a line from a Turkish Erasmus exchange girl who said; "Your accent sounds like music". Apart from my Irish mate jabbing me and basically saying... 'get in there'(boys will be boys) this was a shock to me as everytime I go home I am told I don't speak properly by my family. They hate the very slight London twang I have picked up since going to university in, well, Southampton. Such a bizarre world we live in.
A bientot x
Truth is, I've been pretty busy/pretty ill. After an over-zealous drinking session at New year I kicked up an old digestive system problem that I'm STILL not 100% over so I left it an extra few days to go back to Paris. Finances only allowed me to book onto the overnight coach, an experience which although not scarring as it could have been was certainly interesting as several of my fellow passengers decided I was to be privy to the innermost workings of their minds by talking to themselves the WHOLE FUCKING WAY. What I can now tell you is the full details of a office supplies company run by a man of Indian origin, the fact that he was trying to set up new business links in London and then there was the small issue of Pascal, who hadn't yet paid for his stationary and this 'wasn't good enough'. Also tested out my Spanish as the Portuguese driver spoke neither English nor French, only his native tongue and broken Spanish. Makes sense on a service from London-Paris... Cheers Eurolines.
I threw myself straight into work when I got back as I had a ridiculous amount to do, but after 11 days of pretty solid 15 hour days I was done and dusted! No exams, so had a quick fete at the residence and headed for Lille then home! My casual lethargy meant there was no big drinking and no staying out till the small hours, but its been good times all the same.
I think in my week at home I ventured out of the house somewhere in the region of 4 or 5 times, deciding instead to concentrate on the YARP project; where I basically have to explain in 6000 words what a shithole(spell correct wanted to correct this to shibboleth- what on earth is that!!)the place I live in is and what is being done to improve it(surprisingly little). The social highlight of the week was probably being sung at by a waiter at a curry house while out for curry with the delightful Miss Evans or talking to my old year 2 teacher in Waitrose.
Just spent a week in Southampton seeing some of the importants! Bare games of Fifa and flat 3 banter, some classic Fran quotes, a night of skanking junk styley, gettin rowdy in the mitre, watching shit tv with geo b and getting my spend on in Primark. I think France has obviously affected my ability to dress properly in the eyes of English checkout clerks as the lady at the till asked me completely seriously upon seeing my purchases; "oh, so what are you dressing up as?". This was followed by a slightly blank look and the reply of "nothing.. just myself..". I think I've just become too Parisien.... I did have several comments of 'You look French' dispersed throughout the week. I genuinely have no idea how to take that.
With valentines day coming up I also tried to up the anti in terms of looking for love. I learnt the song from the match.com advert on the ukulele and decided to head down St.Denys station and play it at pretty ladies. Unfortunately, it got really fucking cold. Maybe next time.
With the weather came the disappointing fact that driving to a gig I have looked forward to for AGES became unfeasible, and we were therefore unable to go. The band's last gig too, so massive miss. Living in France has made me appreciate English music that much more, its ridiculously good, especially our indie scene and grime scene. Then there is my own special soft spot; a good dub electro/dubstep tune, its just not the same abroad. There is a reason that they say British music is the best in ther world! LUCKILY, I have a gig in London before I head back to Paris next week, get some headphones and some bass on this tune. Gona go watch them smash the garage in Islington!
From music to accents! I have already written about how the British accent is far more loved than I thought it was, but I thought I would share with you all a line from a Turkish Erasmus exchange girl who said; "Your accent sounds like music". Apart from my Irish mate jabbing me and basically saying... 'get in there'(boys will be boys) this was a shock to me as everytime I go home I am told I don't speak properly by my family. They hate the very slight London twang I have picked up since going to university in, well, Southampton. Such a bizarre world we live in.
A bientot x
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
My year abroad by Lewis Carroll
The year abroad does certain things to you. As described here by my good friend Lewey C.
You are old, master william, the young man said
and you hair has grown very long,
You look constantly tired, my exhausted man,
Wont you tell me is there something wrong?
Last year,Master William replied to the youth,
I always had enough sleep
I didnt have to always adjust my life
To within social normals keep.
You are weird, master William, the young man said,
Its impossible to understand,
When you mix up the languages in your head,
From here and your foreign land.
In my youth, said the sage of the year abroad,
My french stayed locked in my head
Only to be accessed when faced with grammar exams
Not to be spoken from awoken to bed.
You have changed, Master WIlliam, the young man said,
You're always banging on about this and that,
Cultures and traditions of your Erasmus friends,
frankly I don't give a crap.
In Uni, the old man said to his friend
We always did the same thing,
Tell me, aren't you a little curious to see,
What welcoming other cultures can bring?
You are poor, Master William, the young man said,
Is that what comes from living in France?
8 euros for a big mac and a portion of chips??
Sounds like you hadn't a chance!
I have answered your questions, now that is enough
Said William, i'll become more impaired
Im only half way through my year abroad,
Ask me at the end; if you dare
You are old, master william, the young man said
and you hair has grown very long,
You look constantly tired, my exhausted man,
Wont you tell me is there something wrong?
Last year,Master William replied to the youth,
I always had enough sleep
I didnt have to always adjust my life
To within social normals keep.
You are weird, master William, the young man said,
Its impossible to understand,
When you mix up the languages in your head,
From here and your foreign land.
In my youth, said the sage of the year abroad,
My french stayed locked in my head
Only to be accessed when faced with grammar exams
Not to be spoken from awoken to bed.
You have changed, Master WIlliam, the young man said,
You're always banging on about this and that,
Cultures and traditions of your Erasmus friends,
frankly I don't give a crap.
In Uni, the old man said to his friend
We always did the same thing,
Tell me, aren't you a little curious to see,
What welcoming other cultures can bring?
You are poor, Master William, the young man said,
Is that what comes from living in France?
8 euros for a big mac and a portion of chips??
Sounds like you hadn't a chance!
I have answered your questions, now that is enough
Said William, i'll become more impaired
Im only half way through my year abroad,
Ask me at the end; if you dare
Thursday, December 15, 2011
La fin de l'annee
First thing, Amsterdam mannn! Was pretty sicko, rolled some fat spliff and listened to some raggaaaaaa, was induced into a click... 2 English guys, an Irish guy and an italian guy beatboxing troop called the bad boiz, wasn't given the name it just sorta happened...
Went to this bar restaurant where they had unlimited spare ribs for 9 euro! This is something you would never find in Paris, but the sight of a bar that kept bringing you spare ribs, with choice of sauces, all afternoon, with 10 tellys each showing a different live english premier league game; it truly was a moment to shed a tear. Definitely life is cheaper in the DAM!
Some other pretty amazing stuff happened, nothing beats a good beatbox version of Antony sucks with a thick Italian accent; I drank Magners for the first time in god knows how long...oh and I got a burger king for 2 euros... I thought that was pretty amazing...seeing how broke I've been the last couple of weeks!
Also managed to isolate and name the part of Amsterdam where the prostitutes are the most horrific, the circle of doom, as it was aptly nicknamed is home to only the most fat, hideous, unattractive prossys who I'm surprised aren't handing money over for people to go in there. Oh and the circle is around a church, of course, cheers amsterdam.
Tried to have the ethical debate conversation in French of whether you would sleep with a prostitute or not; money no object; and the Amsterdam safeguards in place. Pretty much failed to establish any kind of moral conclusion, and more or less wound up with: "If you do, don't tell your girlfriend". How very European... .. P.s for anyone reading i'm very much against the idea.. they should be paying me!
In general though, all jokes aside, Amsterdam is a very beautiful city. The people are really friendly, and despite the fact the first time I went I hated it everytime I go back I love it more and more. Strolling along one of the many canals, beautiful town houses around, the pungent smell of hash hanging in the air and the constant danger of being struck down by a bike make it an amazing weekend; fully recommended.
Found it quite amusing how the city has a 52% immigrant population, is bankrupt, has legalised prostitution and legalised cannabis and yet still it is a lot less seedy than huge swathes of Paris... tant pis!
Straight back into the work on Monday and I was part of a filmed round table discussion on vision with 3 of the leading scientists in the field! Very exciting, and very interesting!! The random things people do on the YA ey!! One guy was a bell end who just kept going "buy my book", to which i just wanted to respond look at my bank account,(£-248 english, 8 euros french and 1,70euro on a travel card). But it will be interesting to see that go on the net!
The next day I had a Stravinskian acting class in which we were forced to tell personal stories then the teacher linked them into a story and several skits; at the end of which several girls were crying and everyone felt a little worse for wear emotionally. Its very odd to think that with certain techniques out of a textbook you can draw on peoples darkest emotions and take them on an exhausting journey. C'est la vie!
So, this leads me to last night, a Christmas party at my new university home. Basically, made a deal with a German and an Irishman that I was gonna get fucking trashed, both these countries drink a lot better than the English.. and so apparently after multiple vodka and wine 'cocktails'(vodka and wine in a cup) I went to sleep in a cake, getting cake all over one of my favourite shirts in the process. Tant pis, it was good times !
Definitely starting to realise that this atmosphere is something i need to embrace, say just these guys i'm in a photo with... a French Canadian, a Czech republican and a Pole.Its really amazing just to talk to people about what, for example, they do for christmas, or just in general learning about different cultures from the people themselves! I'm definitely getting to like.. know the world and be cultured and shit. Yay for me!
Finally, I want to thank Ruth 'en rut' Walker for mentioning me in her blog, and put out an appeal to Jen Rawlings to write your one better. We all know you are a mess mongerer, but your blogs lack the cutting edge because you water them down into lame tales about broccoli and taking christmas trees on the metro. What about that time you fell in the bath and told jade to fuck off? What about that time you stood on a chair to 'talk' to the dj in the club and fell off? People need to know these things Rawlings, the internet calls you.
Anyway, i'm hopping on a Eurostar on Saturday, strike permitting. Theres an SNCF(rail company) and air traffic controller strike over the weekend in France; it sounds serious but it happens most weekends so all will probably be fine! Its going to be amazing to go home.. see the family,some old friends and chill out for a little while. This has been a pretty mental semester!! So wherever you are in the world, have a very merry christmas, and a happy new year!! Joyeux noel :)
xxx
Went to this bar restaurant where they had unlimited spare ribs for 9 euro! This is something you would never find in Paris, but the sight of a bar that kept bringing you spare ribs, with choice of sauces, all afternoon, with 10 tellys each showing a different live english premier league game; it truly was a moment to shed a tear. Definitely life is cheaper in the DAM!
Some other pretty amazing stuff happened, nothing beats a good beatbox version of Antony sucks with a thick Italian accent; I drank Magners for the first time in god knows how long...oh and I got a burger king for 2 euros... I thought that was pretty amazing...seeing how broke I've been the last couple of weeks!
Also managed to isolate and name the part of Amsterdam where the prostitutes are the most horrific, the circle of doom, as it was aptly nicknamed is home to only the most fat, hideous, unattractive prossys who I'm surprised aren't handing money over for people to go in there. Oh and the circle is around a church, of course, cheers amsterdam.
Tried to have the ethical debate conversation in French of whether you would sleep with a prostitute or not; money no object; and the Amsterdam safeguards in place. Pretty much failed to establish any kind of moral conclusion, and more or less wound up with: "If you do, don't tell your girlfriend". How very European... .. P.s for anyone reading i'm very much against the idea.. they should be paying me!
In general though, all jokes aside, Amsterdam is a very beautiful city. The people are really friendly, and despite the fact the first time I went I hated it everytime I go back I love it more and more. Strolling along one of the many canals, beautiful town houses around, the pungent smell of hash hanging in the air and the constant danger of being struck down by a bike make it an amazing weekend; fully recommended.
Found it quite amusing how the city has a 52% immigrant population, is bankrupt, has legalised prostitution and legalised cannabis and yet still it is a lot less seedy than huge swathes of Paris... tant pis!
Straight back into the work on Monday and I was part of a filmed round table discussion on vision with 3 of the leading scientists in the field! Very exciting, and very interesting!! The random things people do on the YA ey!! One guy was a bell end who just kept going "buy my book", to which i just wanted to respond look at my bank account,(£-248 english, 8 euros french and 1,70euro on a travel card). But it will be interesting to see that go on the net!
The next day I had a Stravinskian acting class in which we were forced to tell personal stories then the teacher linked them into a story and several skits; at the end of which several girls were crying and everyone felt a little worse for wear emotionally. Its very odd to think that with certain techniques out of a textbook you can draw on peoples darkest emotions and take them on an exhausting journey. C'est la vie!
So, this leads me to last night, a Christmas party at my new university home. Basically, made a deal with a German and an Irishman that I was gonna get fucking trashed, both these countries drink a lot better than the English.. and so apparently after multiple vodka and wine 'cocktails'(vodka and wine in a cup) I went to sleep in a cake, getting cake all over one of my favourite shirts in the process. Tant pis, it was good times !
Definitely starting to realise that this atmosphere is something i need to embrace, say just these guys i'm in a photo with... a French Canadian, a Czech republican and a Pole.Its really amazing just to talk to people about what, for example, they do for christmas, or just in general learning about different cultures from the people themselves! I'm definitely getting to like.. know the world and be cultured and shit. Yay for me!
Finally, I want to thank Ruth 'en rut' Walker for mentioning me in her blog, and put out an appeal to Jen Rawlings to write your one better. We all know you are a mess mongerer, but your blogs lack the cutting edge because you water them down into lame tales about broccoli and taking christmas trees on the metro. What about that time you fell in the bath and told jade to fuck off? What about that time you stood on a chair to 'talk' to the dj in the club and fell off? People need to know these things Rawlings, the internet calls you.
Anyway, i'm hopping on a Eurostar on Saturday, strike permitting. Theres an SNCF(rail company) and air traffic controller strike over the weekend in France; it sounds serious but it happens most weekends so all will probably be fine! Its going to be amazing to go home.. see the family,some old friends and chill out for a little while. This has been a pretty mental semester!! So wherever you are in the world, have a very merry christmas, and a happy new year!! Joyeux noel :)
xxx
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