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

Ive been Angers & Angouleme but ive never been ta wigan

Puuuutain, so much has happened. First of all, I live in the above red building now, right on the university campus. Goodbye 70 minute commute and hello rolling out of bed at 10 to 9 for a 9am lecture :) Still not the greatest area to be in, but, n'importe quoi, point is I wont be walking round it 11 o clock every night after lectures. Also theres a microwave, a luxury I did not have in my previous residence, so I will be getting on down to M&S Champs Elysee at the earliest available opportunity to get me a microwave balti.

Since my last post all this has happened:
-A weekend in Angers with Beth and J-dog. It was a catholic town, and as such, they don't like it when boys come to stay in either of the girls' dorms, which I found out to my dislike when at midnight a young ethnic man who called himself the receptionist chased me down the hallway waving his arms and shouting 'les garcons sont interdits'. As if to make some kind of point, he showed us that in the visit book my visit was recorded as an 'amie de bethany'. Oh that little e causing so much trouble. I mean in all seriousness, piss off France.
Anyway, he was nice enough to let me stay so thus begun the weekend. They have made a nice group of assistantship friends and we all had some general fun eating crepes, drinking wine, going to the fair and to a couple of bars. Then went to this guys house for a roast(hes some ambassador for the twinning of Angers to Wigan.. even though hes never been.. obviously)... it was amazing!! So good to have a good roast beef with all the trimmings, and the frenchies there loved it too!
The thing that really stuck with me from this weekend though, was the sheer number of times I was offered a cup of tea. Must have been at least every 43 seconds, good work girls <3

-My Birthday
Went to see the Paris christmas lights get turned on by Amelie(Audrey Tatou). I saw her, id give her a 6/10. She would get it, but don't get the fuss I'm not gona lie.
Ruth Walker said my blog was shit, I'm still recovering.
Went on a wee bar crawl on Wednesday and Friday for my birthday, late back both times because last metro was missed!! haha, only one thing to do when that happens!! carry on drinking!!

-Work
French University seems to follow the following pattern; drop in and out of lectures for 6 weeks whilst deciding what to do, have normal lessons for 2 weeks and then go MAD. All of a sudden over the last two weeks I have had an absolutely crazy amount to do, working so much! Tant pis, c'est la vie!

-Angouleme


Went to see Macarena in Angouleme, quelle belle ville!!(et fille evidement!) It was so so pretty, it was a proper year abroad place, a boulangerie on every corner and a fountain on every square. It rained all weekend unfortunately, but it was still superb fun. Met some interesting characters too... I say no more.
Walked into the Jamrag's house and she explains that the atmosphere would have to be romantic and candlelit... due to having no lights. Upon inquiry, the bulbs had blown and she didnt know how to replace them. Drunkenly got a knife out when we got back from the bar and undid the light fittings, on reflection, a bad idea, but it got the job done. This in a weekend I also fixed a hairdryer, hashtag manly win.
Asked for a guided tour come Saturday, Hayley leads me out the door, round the corner, and my FIRST landmark was where her friend Miss Heston had pissed a few weeks earlier. I'm planning a similar tour of Paris, but of everywhere a tramp has pissed. It may take a while....
Ate another roast (nom nom nom) and came home to my new room :)

Its been a mad time, must get back to work, and I will be off to Amsterdam on Friday morning for an end of term celebration with lots of Erasmus friends.
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