Oh Hey, My Room is Finally "Clean"

I have finally gotten my room in order (not that it will stay that way for long). The only way I managed was by keeping myself occupied so I didn't feel bad about procrastinating :P

 My desk (usually buried under clothes)

I do all my blogging here and a bit of actual homework heheh

 My single bed with no support (haven't slept decently in a looooong time)

Look a cute bear!

Yes, that is a sleeping bag ;)

My hallway/entrance/dresser

 Ignore the bottles... I didn't drink any of that

Ok, I had a glass of champagne ;)

No, the phone does not work; it's only for letting guests in.

 My shelves

Probably originally purposed for books, but really used to store ALL OF MY FOOD

nom nom nom

And all my dishes

Oh and my calendar

If you can see, I have a mini-fridge. No freezer. So used to having a freezer. *Sob*

 My tiny toilet

In my tiny bathroom...

 Half of which is my tiny shower

And that's the grand tour! 

Come visit me sometime :D

Bâle

January 18th 2015

FIRST DAY TRIP WOOT!

So six of us went to Basel last Sunday for a day trip. Why only one day, you ask. Well, small cities in Europe do not have much to offer in terms of tourism for more than a day's worth (for students with attention deficiency like us). Basel is a small city in Switzerland near the border of France,

It was my first time on the European trains. I like that we got to choose our seats and we were lucky to find adjacent benches that seated 4 face to face. The train ride was something like 1 1/2 long, so we played "Who Am I?" I had the hardest time guessing "Le Petit Prince" which seems to really be an international hit. I feel like I need to read it again, now that I can understand abstract ideas and metaphors.

 Say hello to my friends! (left to right) Chris, Michelle ;), Lisa

Kathy, Michi, Ralph

These people are hilarious and English isn't even their first language ;P

We were lucky, in Basel, the skies were clear and the sun was warm, but we were still pretty cold. I think it was 4 degrees Celsius. We started by walking to the marketplace. The city was pretty dead on a Sunday (rest day). All the shops were closed except the restaurants the train station's businesses. It was nice and calm. We observed the inside of the marketplace. I found the sculptures and art had a very Roman style and it confused me, but then I realized that Switzerland borders Italy and Italian is one of their national languages, so naturally their might have been Roman influences. Anybody, feel free to enlighten me on this subject! I feel like I could appreciate European architecture and churches if I had a stronger background in history, art, and religion.

The Marketplace

Looking up, haha 

 "Is this a dungeon?"... nope just a closed door that leads to another messier room

Michi was our designated guide for the day! Thank god for her research, or else we really would have been just roaming the streets. She found a tour that a tourist suggested.

Frolicking with my girlfriend (jokes jokes)

The tour continued to the river. Basel is separated by the Rhine River. The view on the bridge was very scenic, very pretty!

 Oh hey, aren't these some good looking people ;)

The tour also included a little boat ride to cross back through the river. We were nice and warm in the sunlight and comfortable on our little cushions. The boat driver was nice enough to take our picture :)

Such tourists -.-'

Boats Boats Boats!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htNI6BKjLlc

On the other side, where we originally came from, we visited the cathedral. Lesson in German of the day: when the plaza is called Münsterplatz, it is not Monster Place/Plaza... but indeed Cathedral Place/Plaza (because that makes soooo much more sense) -__-

Ralph teaching us something about the cathedral (in gibberish) haha

The not so monster Münsterplatz

Afterwards, we walked down the streets skirted by old traditional buildings (at least I think). It felt like we went back in time. 

Oh yes! Canada represent! (you become way more nationalist the moment you step out of your country)

After the long walk started the hunt for food.

The issue is that the recent change in exchange rates between the Swiss Franc and the Euro equates the two. Even when the exchange rate favoured the Euro before, I heard, the food was pretty expensive but, now, it was exorbitantly expensive to eat a meal. After a long search (making our walk longer haha) we found an" Asian Cooking" restaurant (whatever that means) which was affordable. The restaurant really tried to encompass all Asian cultures by putting up pictures and symbols that ranged from Indian to Laotian to Singaporean to Chinese to everything basically, but really the cuisine was Americanized Chinese Food. The workers were Asian (Vietnamese, I think). I chose a stir-fry (hefty portion, but very salty) which made me a little home sick for Mom's cooking, which is waaaaay better. We decided to stay in the restaurant for as long as possible because we were cold. 

Here we are making "origami" (yay Boats Boats Boats!)

I also took advantage of the free chopsticks for when I make ramen and stir fry in my dorm. For some reason, I haven't been able to find chopsticks in any stores :S

Once we finally decided to get off our bottoms to finish touring, I was in full dessert-seeking mode. My nose sniffed out this beauty: A crepe-like dessert from a store named Chocolate Kebab (because they shave the hazelnut chocolate from a turning support like one would meat in a Lebanese restaurant) http://www.shortlist.com/cool-stuff/the-chocolate-kebab

 I look almost too happy 

om nom nom nom!

We had Swiss Francs left before our departure back home and what better way to spend them then on SWISS CHOCOLATE!? This was "surprisingly" the cheapest food item in Switzerland. The prices were all around 2 Swiss Francs per bar which means we got FIVE chocolate bars (droooool)! Clearly sweets are all I really get excited about.

Our train had many delays, so the chocolate helped hold us over.

Oh chocolate.. you give me such joy

ALL PHOTO CREDITS TO KATHY! Thanks for taking pictures :)

Cafète

Cafétéria = Cafète = K-fet hahahahahaha
J'ai trouvé ça drôle... Je ne sais pas si je suis la seule 0.0

So I actually moved to Montréal Est

I walk past this building every day.
I guess I didn't move as far East as I claimed ;)

**It's actually a church

Culture Shock Moment (I think)

So I forgot to bring my dental floss. OK, you might not think that it's a big deal. Wooo free from dental hygiene! No no... I can't stand falling asleep without flossing in my dental routine. The first time I went to the grocery/household item store, E. Leclerc, not far from home, I couldn't find any floss near the tooth brushes and the toothpaste. Veeeeeery disappointing! Yesterday, I happen to pass by a pharmacy and think "huh, maybe pharmacies here also sell bathroom items." I didn't find any on the shelves so I asked the store clerk for "de la soie dentaire" (dental silk translated literally) and she had to reiterate "du fil dentaire" (dental string). That's not a big deal; different ways of saying it in different parts of the world. Then, she goes behind the counter to the room with all the medication and I'm thinking "she's got something in her hands she has to put away, she'll come back out and show me where it is on the shelves." But, she ends up coming out from that room with a hexagonal container marked with GUM. Why are they hiding the floss!? The worse part, though, is that I paid 6 EUROS for the ONE container. I was preparing my change on the counter thinking "it's probably just over a Euro, don't need to take out the bills"... 6 EUROS!!!

Michelle is not impressed :(
PS I am aware that it was actually 5,90 Euros, but that has less dramatic effect than a round number.

I wonder if dentists in France do not tell their patients to floss regularly. Even if they did, no one in their right mind would pay 6 EUROS for a package regularly. I probably got unlucky, and only found the expensive stuff.

All I can say is that I do my best to enjoy that floss and cherish it as if it were made of diamonds. I would show you a picture of how short I cut my floss now, not to waste it, but that would be a waste... let's just say that at home I would use this much:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

and now it's more like this much :

________________________________________________

*sigh*

SIDE NOTE JAN 15, 2015

I found a package of floss in a foods store!

JUST ONE!!

really must not be a thing here

Finally a moment to sit down and write

January 8th 

Arrived at the airport in Strasbourg safely in a small plane with only 10 other passengers. The taxi driver to my residence was super nice and gave me a few pointers about the city. My room has a green door (how appropriate!), a bathroom in which the shower takes half the space, a single bed, a long desk and a small refrigerator (the room is a mess now, so I will take pictures later). Our shared kitchen is the hot spot to meet all the other students on the floor so I linger there in my free time. I have met all my friends there!

Problème de prononciation française #1 (PPF #1): je trouve que les restaurants dans mon coin coûtent chers alors je me suis exprimée là-dessus à mon ami qui parle comme les Français et il n'a pas compris le mot "cher." Les Québécois disent "cher" avec le ton plus bas sur le son "er (ai)." Après trois trois reprises, il a enfin compris "cher" avec le ton plus haut.

Problème de vocabulaire français #1 (PVF #1): Utiliser les mots "copin(e)," "ami(e)," c'est ambigü, en voulant dire amoureux(se). Par contre, j'ai essayé de dire "chum" et "blonde" et ça ne veut rien dire pour eux. Ceux sont des expressions purement québécoise (ce qui ne me surprend pas, mais ce qui fascine les Français),

I was scared that it would be difficult to get to know people because I heard that the French are not as warm and welcoming as Canadians, but almost everyone I met was open and easy to talk to. Of course, most of them are not from France... and everyone is looking for friends because they come from elsewhere. 

My building is one on the left. Bâtiment D!

This is the view from my room on the first floor.

January 9th 

Administrative day!

I paid for my residence, I met the international relations supervisor from Strasbourg University, I met the supervisor for my program, I met the secretary for my program but she said she would not register me because it was still exam period and they are too busy... uuuuugh. Monday I have to register so that I have classes to go to and a student card and a gym membership. That's stressing me out a bit. 

After all the school stuff, I went to make myself a bank account because living here without a debit card is impossible. Even just buying tram/bus tickets is impossible without one. They say it will come in the mail, which means I am very limited for my weekend; I can't set up pre-authorised payments, I can't set up a cell phone account... all I can do is have fun! 

I noticed that "Je suis Charlie" is posted all over town. I read about the tragedy and the two other hostage situations in LaPresse. I am not too worried for Strasbourg. However, it is a symbolic target because UNESCO is based in the city... but we are hopeful attacks are done, at least for the near future.

I finally understood how to get internet in my dorm!! 

I spent the evening shopping for pots, cutlery, salt and pepper, plates, basic foods, sponges, and soap... because the kitchen is completely rudimentary: two sinks, two stove tops with two rings each (only only of the stove tops is working at the moment). Every day, I think of something else I need. I miss having a fully equipped kitchen!

Later at night, I met two girls in the kitchen, one German (from the 3rd floor) and another Austrian (from the 1st floor/my floor) and a Bulgarian guy that were drinking there because the bar they wanted to go to was full. These girls enjoy their white wine and they can sure drink a lot of it without seeming tipsy. My tolerance was something to make fun of, but, oh well, it's cheaper for me! The white wine that they buy costs 5€, but is very good. We spoke English to each other, because they are doing they management studies in English here. More often than not, I am speaking English to my floor mates. So much for developing my French!

The best impression that I get from the city is that it is accessible by foot, tram, bus, bicycle and car. It is nicely dense. However, when crossing the street, you must look both ways, for not only cars, like in Montreal, but for people, bikes and trams which are actually difficult to keep track of all at once.

January 10th 

Saturday was my slow day. I didn't sleep well because of my stomach and I haven't found the right temperature for my room yet. I bought more necessities and then basically napped until I Skyped Mom, Papa, and then Alex in the evening. I made my first supper in the kitchen... it is hell. The space is so limited and my tools are not appropriate for all dishes. I need to shop for more, but I do not want to spend too much. #dormlyfe.

I was not planning to go out that night, but the Austrian and the German girls had planned to and had invited me the night before. Management/business students have already had orientation for the second semester newcomers and so, in our kitchen, 5 students joined from the management faculty to have a drink before they all went their ways to different bars and clubs. There was a Danish girl, two Spanish girls, another Austrian girl, and a German guy. What I found interesting was that the German guy would comment and make fun of how the Austrians spoke German; it was quite hilarious. I enjoy listening to them speak and try to understand with the little German I have learnt. A few of us went to a quaint bar not to far from our dorm. We got soaked in rain on the way there, but it was worth it, The atmosphere was nice, the alcohol is never expensive and everyone was so open and easy to talk to. Apparently, everyone watches the same tv shows: American tv shows! Pretty much everywhere, the same American music is playing too. 

The weather in the past couple days has always been gloomy and rainy. I guess it beats cold and icy. People have a hard time believing I was leaving Montreal at -26 degrees Celsius.

January 11th

Today, I went to a dorm brunch. The Cité Universitaire Paul Appell consists of buildings A through F and all were invited to have brunch. Of course, only a tiny fraction of them showed up. We were maybe 20 in a common room with a ping pong table (the guys got very competitive on the ping pong table), foosball table and board games. A Spanish girl sat down next to me and started talking to me right away. It was great! Apparently, Spaniards are known to be the most chatty and social. And boy could she eat. Non-stop. But it has clearly not affected her waistline. Later, a Bosnian girl and Slovakian girl joined into our conversation. They were more shy but very friendly. Together, we spoke French. It was only the second time since my stay that I maintained a conversation in French with my peers. 

What I have found surprising here, is that people often will not recognize that I have Chinese roots unless I mention that my mother is Chinese. In Canada, when I give my name they are surprised to hear it is not Chinese and many others will ask "what are you, exactly." Here, I simply say I am Canadian and no one asks further about my ethnic heritage.

That's all for now!
Missing Montreal, but excited for the adventures to come

Brussels

Arrived in Brussels. It's late morning here. Caught a couple snoozes on my flight over. Have 5 hours til my flight to my new home!

Jaaane

So I bumped into someone getting off my plane! Jaaaane! We were joking that we were going to be at the airport at the same time so we could probably meet up and there she comes walking out on our level because of all the delays!

Jane is my mentor and very close friend! Sustainability student association president 2013-14! I can't believe I got to see her again. As our lives take divergent paths, I feel we will cross again as world savers of the environment!!!

Lots of love
Good luck in your future endeavors :)

Airport lyfe

Lalalala wasting time. 1h 15mins to go. Must take selfie without other people noticing. Aaaawks

Oh wait let me correct, now leaving at 9 instead of 8 aaaagh

PET

Mom and Brobro got me to the airport safely. Check-in, luggage, and security check went seamlessly. Now I wait 2 and 1/2 hours until the flight takes off. So this was supposed to be an adventure?

Day Before Departure

All my bags are packed.
I am nervous and excited at the same time.
Many administrative things are left unsure but we'll figure it out!!
Last supper with the family tonight.
Saying goodbye to my dad because I will not see him tomorrow.
Hoping desperately that my boyfriend will make it on time to see me off at the airport.
If not my mom and brobro will be there!! :)