Bordeaux update 1!

So I guess an update is long overdue, people have been hounding me for info. Sorry for the delay guys, but I just really haven’t had the time so far, but now……..

The flight was quite fine. Long, but fine. I slept for most of it and also watched a movie called Limitless. It stars Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro. If you haven’t watched it yet, I suggest you do so. It was easily one of the best movies that I’ve watched for the year so far. Didn’t have any problems in London, except to find something to do with myself for 6 hours. The first thing that came to mind was let me send an email home to let them know I’m alright. So out comes the laptop and wireless connections are available. Yay. Except NOT ONE of the wireless networks had free access. Yes big big London Gatwick airport and no free Wi-Fi. I mean even Norman Manley airport has that. Jeez.

It’s been a pretty big adjustment for me. Not only am I living on my own for the first time, but I’m doing so in a foreign country, all the way across the Atlantic. It takes some getting used to. Things like supermarket shopping for myself and doing everything for myself essentially is new territory. Oh and importantly no car to drive where I want to go, when I want to go; BIG change lol!

Speaking of that, so far I’ve been getting around by tram. I actually like it! The trams run regularly and luckily there is a tram stop very near to where I live. They make the adjustment to public transport very bearable.

I live in a student’s residence on the university campus. It’s not in the city centre, but neither is school and it’s just a few tram stops away in any case. This is a big-ass university campus. You have to take the tram/a bicycle/ car or some other non-pedestrian form of transport to get from one end to another. Parts of the university even have different ZIP codes. Luckily where I’m living is very close to my department. I can’t believe my luck where that is concerned; I can almost see the building from my window. Very importantly, I have my own bathroom! Which is really super because I don’t know if I could quite deal with sharing a bathroom with like 20 other people like in some of the other residences. I shudder at the thought.

For the last week and a half I’ve been going to French classes at the Alliance Francaise here in Bordeaux. The first day was pretty strange. I had to do a placement test to see which level they would put me in. So I did the test and about an hour later I was in class……it was horrible. I didn’t understand a thing that was going on. Apparently they had grossly over-estimated my French abilities and put me in a class way beyond my capacity. Mind you, in these classes, the teachers do NOT speak ANY English, so trust me, mi did lost bad bad. Anyhoo, the teacher realized my distress and helped me get transferred to another class. Much better. Still French all the time, but at least at a pace and level that I could understand…..well at least better than before.

That first evening after French class, we had a walking tour of part of Bordeaux. I was very happy at first because the guide seemed to be doing the tour in English. However, this was short-lived as he promptly proceeded to switch to French when the English words escaped him. Since most people seemed to understand him, he continued in that fashion until he felt like speaking English again. Smh. Needless to say during the French segments, my mind wandered and I decided to use the time in a more useful fashion by taking pictures when he switched.  I was good though, because I got to get a bit of a feel of the city centre, and I got to take pictures :). The city centre is very picturesque and statlely. I really love how the architecture and ambiance have been so well preserved.

 In the ‘group’ I’ve been hanging out with there are Germans (vast majority) , Italians, Ukrainians, and a British guy. Over here people drink wine like juice. Seriously. Every evening at least with dinner, there is(are) a bottle(s) of wine ready and waiting. As a matter of fact, I’ve been out several evenings since I got here and not once have I been offered a glass of juice of any sort. Beer very often, soda maybe, juice no, wine yes! Lol. The people who have befriended me so far are very social and meet up as a big group or various sub-groups very often. Bear in mind that I’m saying this and I’ve been here only 2 weeks.

 On that first Saturday we went on an excursion to a Chateau/ vineyard as well as to the beach. Yes, the beach. At the chateau, in a wine region called Medoc, we got a tour of part of the vineyard and an explanation of what exactly they did to grow the grapes, the wine- making process etc. etc. Then wine-tasting! Ok I like wine, but this expert wine-tasting, sniffing, swirling whatever is not going to be my thing. Just drink the wine dammit!  After we left there, we drove up and down a bit and saw other very beautiful chateaus (giving a very C17^th/C18^th kind of vibe).

Now my dear friends, about the beach. As SOON as I stepped off the bus, I had to draw for my sweater. Yeah yeah, it was bright and sunny, pretty blue sky looking like something out of a vacation brochure; but it was cold. The waves, as Rakay noted on a pic I have up, looked like they were out to kill somebody and I knew immediately that that sea water was not coming into contact with me at any point for the day. Admittedly, once we were sitting down in the sun for a bit, it got pretty warm, hot even, but then the breeze every now and again. The European people were quite happy of course; yeah man bikinis and all that, while I was well covered up. Not to mention that there were no trees. The friends found it very funny that I live on a tropical island, yet still I didn’t want to just sit baking in the sun all day. Go figure.

I now realize why everybody from this side of the world wants to carry home alcohol when they visit. Spirits over here are WEAK. I was playing a small drinking game the other night where everybody had to take a sip of whatever it was we were drinking and not swallow until the very last person (of about 20 people) took their sip. So many people were dying by the time the bottle was half way around and I was like… that’s all? Lol. Then I had to explain that over here our rum is like 65% and we drink that on a regular basis. What were having that night was about 40%- did absolutely nothing for me. Lol. Gerard can you imagine if I gave them puncheon? ( Trinidadian rum-80% or so).

Well that’s all for now folks

A bientot!

P.S- Oh yes, you know that thing you see in movies where French people kiss each other on both cheeks when greeting each other? Well they really do it! All the time….to any and everybody….everytime they see you. So we’ve kinda had to pick up the habit and trust me it can get quite tiresome after a while when there is a roomful of people to say hello to. It takes some getting used to, but I guess its not so bad after a while :)