Week 28: Puy de Dome, relaxing at the Spa and a special visit

Day 201+202 +203: Exams exams exams. So the start of this week isn’t particularly interesting as it’s just full of exams. Yet exams in France are unlike no other exams that I’ve experienced at home. Here are a list of all the things I’ve witnessed since taking exams in France:

1. Told the date and time of the exam a week before but not told the place or room numbers for some exams until the day of
2. Name not on any of the lists, therefore meaning I have to add my name on the bottom after explaining that I’m an Erasmus student every time
3. Allowed bags in the room down by the side of you during the exam
4. Teachers/invigilators turned up late
5. Question paper is given out whilst people are still talking meaning Lucille and I had time to quickly ask each other a few questions before they finally gained control over everyone
6. Don’t know the weighting or point system for questions on some exam papers
7. No clocks in the rooms so can’t monitor your time
8. Didn’t look in my dictionary meaning I could have hidden notes in there
9. Exams on the same day at the same time and when asked what I should do about this I received no help or a solution
10. People talking during the exam, especially when people are allowed to leave after an hour as everyone rushes to the front causing more noise
11. Teachers/invigilators having rather loud conversations during the exam
12. Someone shouted during the exam to ask a question instead of putting their hand up
13. For one exam there was a powerpoint slide with a variety of questions projected on the wall serving as our exam paper and it went off halfway through
14. People casually turning up 30 minutes late to an exam and are still allowed in
15. Phones went off during the exam and no action was taken

Day 204: Lunch with two ASM rugby players. Caught up with one of our friends Lucille and I met at the airport the very first time we came to Clermont last September. It’s amazing how time flies. Can’t believe that was over 8 months ago. We went to this coffee place called LAG coffee which is actually owned by one of the ASM rugby players and low and behold two ASM rugby players were there having lunch with their wives and child. I felt a little rude asking for a photo and didn’t want to look like a freak trying to take one without them noticing, but you’ll have to trust me on this one they were there. You can always spot rugby players from a mile off because they’re so tall and stocky.

Day 205: DAN’S HERE!! So it’s nearly been a month since I’ve seen my boyfriend and to say the least I was very excited. Long distance relationships are very hard but somehow we’ve managed it so far and haven’t got that far to go either. What a better way to spend the night than getting a Chinese takeout and watching movies. Chilled to perfection.

Day 206: Puy de Dome. Up early and straight up the volcano to a magnificent view. The sun was shining bright, the birds were singing… total serenity. These sort of views really make me want to live in the countryside. I’ve realised this year that I’m definitely not cut out for the city life as its too busy and waking up to concrete blocks is not my idea of living. After a peaceful morning we went back into the city and went out for dinner at this lovely little Italian place. It was so nice to actually sit down and spend some quality time together… it was what we both needed.

Day 207: Spa and relaxation. On today’s agenda was the spa in Royat. There’s just something so relaxing about being in water and surrounded by flowing water. At the spa they have a variety of pools, one of which is very very cold and Dan was brave enough to go in there several times and sit there for a good few minutes too. I only went in and walked to the other side and that was enough for me. Though I felt rather refreshed and rejuvenated after.

So this is the end of the penultimate week in France. I’ve only got one more week to go and then I’m back home for good! No more goodbyes and lots to look forward to. Stay tuned for my last year abroad blog entry next week.

You and Me Roam Free.

Week 26: Lyon take 2

Yes it’s that time again… Lyon take 2 here we come.

Day 187: Spa day. Today was a very chilled day in Royat at the thermal spas. For a whole day it was only 34€ which was an absolute bargain. They had a variety of baths and temperatures, including one called the frigidarium… any guesses what temperature this water was? Absolutely blooming freezing!! As soon as I got in there I did this sort of ooo ahhh noise as it was breathtakingly cold. I ran from one side to the other then hopped straight into the 40 degrees Celsius bath. This crazy man was just sat in the frigidarium for ages, I mean what an absolute loon!

Day 188: Jour férié. The 1st of May marks a bank holiday for France so practically everything was closed all day, university, shops, supermarkets and no buses or trams were running, so Lucille and I decided to go to Parc Montjuzet and do a little exercise session. It’s safe to say we got a fair few looks from people as we were doing our squats and using our dumbbells, but oh well or in French you’d say Tant Pis.

Day 189+190: Translation exam. Not too interesting today but I conquered my translation exam today which was not the easiest. Mainly because one of the articles included vocab such as mortgage and recession, which I have never ever learnt in French. I found my way round it though by describing the word instead, but it did take a little bit of brain power. Well that’s 2 exams down 6 down to go.

Day 191: Lyon Day 1. Been waiting all week to say I’m off to Lyon again! Once we arrived we found ourselves back at the Basilique and discovering the old roman amphitheatres. So much history, great views and gorgeous weather, it really was one of those moments where you think wow I am so lucky to be able to do this. Later on Lucille and I had dinner at a British pub in Lyon called Wallace. Yes I know what you’re thinking, really a British pub in France why don’t you want French food. To be honest we just really wanted onion rings and there was some live music providing some dinnertime entertainment which was a bonus. They were English too but the woman needed to tone down the volume a bit as her voice cut straight through you. We then moved on to our favourite cocktail place called Big Whites. The French don’t go soft with their alchohol as the cocktails were very strong and 2 was plenty enough.

Day 192: Allez Le Lou! Up and out straight to get breakfast at our favourite place Diploid. Now I love avocado but this avocado toast was seriously something else. Not only did it have literally a whole avocado on top, there was also avocado paste on the bread as well. It was pure avocado overload. We managed to waddle out of there after feeling very full and set off to the museum of fine art. I don’t know alot about art but my goodness was the modern art section strange. How is a pure black page art, anyone could do that. I will never understand how that can go for thousands of pounds. People with more money than sense I think would fall for that. Museum finished and it was time to meet up with our friend Lydia back from UEA who is currently studying in Lyon. It was so lovely to catch up with her and see how well she’s doing here. By the late afternoon we were very tired from walking around all day in the sun but there was no time to rest as we had a rugby match to go to. Lyon vs Montpellier. I have always loved watching rugby as the atmosphere is just so electric and chilling, especially since Lyon won! The whole crowd roared and all the Lyon rugby players and managers spilled out onto the pitch with pure happiness and joy. It was a perfect night.

Day 193: Chilling in the Park with friends. It’s our last day in Lyon and we needed a more relaxed day, especially since it was 27 degrees Celsius! We went to Parc de la Tete D’or which has a range of things inside from botanical gardens to mini golf and a zoo with giraffes, lions and a red panda. After wandering round the zoo we headed straight for the shade and caught up with our friends for a little picnic. It’s safe to say I got a little bit burnt after today despite trying to stay underneath the trees, but the problem is the sun moves obviously and by that point my skin was glowing like a tomato. The park was buzzing with people, children and happiness, it was a real picture and I wished my family was here to experience it with me as well. To finish off the weekend Lucille and I went back to YAAFA (the falafel place) and got two falafel pittas and sat by a fountain watching the world go by. Lyon will always have a special place in my heart.

You and Me Roam Free.

Week 24: Celebration is the theme of the week

Starting the week off in Clermont with a mountain full of cheese and wine to finishing the week off with a nandos and cheap drinks at spoons in England.

Day 173: Happy Easter. Today I experienced Easter French style for the first time and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Lucille invited me to her grandparents for a proper feast and I don’t think I’ve ever had so many different wines and champagnes in one sitting before. From champagne to white wine to red wine, I had it all. The champagne was particularly special because it runs in lucilles grandparents family, sharing their last name Joselyn on the bottle. It was very good champagne I have to admit. Although I absolutely loved this white wine from Alsace, it honestly tasted like elderflower. Then we moved onto food and nothing beats a good lamb roast with an enormous amount of cheese and a huge cake to finish. Safe to say I was full after that. To help shift my food baby a little we headed to Parc Montjuzet where we bumped into some of our friends. We basically had an hour long conversation about how difficult it is to speak French in France at times. The view never seizes to amaze me though. Crazy to think that 4th September 2017 I was here and seeing this view for the very first time, but now this will be one of the very last times as my year is coming to a close soon.

Day 174: Cooking with friends. Still trying to get this essay done. Writing in French is just not my idea of fun but I’ll get there eventually, je vais le compléter je suis vraiment déterminée! I think the hardest thing is reading journal articles in French, I mean they’re bad enough in English let alone French. Tant pis! Later on Lucia and I made the best veggie sweet chilli noodles all from scratch and it was honestly so amazing. There’s just something about cooking with friends that makes it taste so much better than on your own.

Day 175: Cooking with friends take 2. So I thought yesterday’s meal was good but today’s was also a top contender for the best meal of the week. On the menu today was lemon and herb crusted cod with buttery mash, a side of fresh broccoli and a white berganise sauce. You can’t be a true Brit if you don’t love a good bit of mash. It was a taste of home for sure. Also how cute is my cat! My sister sent me this pic and it made me miss her so much.

Day 176: Grafiti or art? So on the way to my French classes every week I go past this wall covered in grafiti or I like to call it art because you can’t really call this grafiti. There’s some writing on there of course but this drawing of a man with what seems to be a big cigarette and massive glasses catches my attention every time I see it. Plus the fact that he has a half blue half peach face. I wonder what the concept was behind this.

Day 177: Home time again. Oh it’s good to be back at Clermont airport again flying home. No more 3 hour bus journeys to Lyon airport anymore thank goodness! Although the only annoying thing about Clermont airport is because it’s so small they’re not really in a rush to do anything and there’s hardly any staff. All the English people in the queue were huffing and puffing, I’m just used to it now so there’s no point getting irritated anymore. Although it was a little stressful when I landed at Stansted as I had 20 minutes to get through security, get my bag and catch the train. I had to run let’s just say that, but I did manage to make it and off to Norwich I went.

Day 178: Waterfront vibes. Oh it’s good to be back. It was my boyfriends 21st birthday in the week (but I wasn’t there for it unfortunately) so I decided to put together a nice big breakfast for him to make up for it. Donuts for breakfast, yes that’s right, but it is a special occasion! Now I’m back in the UK a nandos was inevitable. Some people don’t get the hype but I’m not one of those. Yes I admit I’m one of those cheeky nandos people. To continue the celebrations we met up with some of our friends for some drinks at spoons and then headed off to the waterfront. I’ve missed the waterfront so much, it always offers a cheap and fun filled night no matter when you go. Just so mad I missed the Philip Schofield appreciation party! Next year next year.

Day 179: London bound. It was very late start to the day, waking up at midday due to getting in at 4.30am. But there was no time to waste as Dan and I are off to London for a few days to continue celebrating his 21st birthday. First class train here we come.

Week 21: Girls weekend in Lyon, aka the best city in France

Lyon you have truly stolen my heart.

Day 151: What I eat. So as you can imagine it gets quite difficult when it comes to food with sharing a kitchen with 40 plus people and only having two hobs and a microwave. It definitely requires a lot of meal prep and bulk cooking, for instance today I cooked my meals for the next 5 days because lets face it I don’t want to be in that kitchen anymore than I have to be. I’m basically a vegetarian in France because I only have a little mini fridge in my room, which doesn’t keep things very cool so storing meat is an absolute no no. It’s safe to say that I’ve conjured up some rather unusual concoctions to keep meals interesting. This weeks menu consisted of refried beans, spinach and avocado on bread (because I don’t have a toaster unfortunately) for lunch and veggie meatballs with butternut squash, mushrooms, spinach and pasta for dinner. Padding out meals with veg is honestly the healthiest and cheapest solution.

Day 152: Lectures never change. Engaging, dynamic, instresting… pshhht you wish. Today I spent the majority of my time staring into space, day dreaming and looking at the graffiti on the tables. It’s interesting how much of the graffiti is in English, probably the Erasmus students. The comments are quite entertaining to say the least and rather philosophical as well. This weeks philosophical comment is “what does a man say?”

Day 153: French presentation take 2. Today is round two of my French presentation but this time I’m presenting something I actually know about and my teacher is a lot nicer. I did my presentation on Bonfire night which not many French people know even exist, meaning that they couldn’t criticise what I was saying. All in all it went a lot better than last semester and I didn’t endure a 10 minute totally embarrassing grilling this time. Phew!

Day 154: Happy International Womens Day! Today is a true celebration of women all around the world, whether old or young, no matter what size or shape, we are all in this together! #Girlpower.

Day 155: Bernard knew how to work it. It is so hot in France at the moment. Spring is finally here, the blossom is emerging and the whole city is starting to become a lot more vibrant. The sunshine was too tempting to just dismiss so Lucille and I decided to go grab some lunch and chill in the park, along with a lot of swans which I was rather wary of to be honest. I tried to keep my distance from them but this swan (which we named Bernard) was persistent on putting on what seemed like a catwalk show for us. No word of a lie he literally walked up and down this patch of grass in front of us and stopped at the end for a few seconds then headed back on up. He definitely wasn’t camera shy either as when people stopped to take a photo of him, he stayed very still and even moved position to offer a different angle. This swan knows what he’s doing.

Day 156: Girls weekend! It was definitely time for a break and where better to go than exploring a new city, we chose Lyon. As soon as we arrived we were already in love. First we headed to this amazing bagel place called Cheres Cousines, which is just jaw dropping that they even have a bagel place in France in the first place. My oh my was this bagel good! Definitely needed the energy for our full day of sightseeing. Of course we went to a cathedral as every city in France has at least 1 cathedral, but the best place was the Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere by far. Majestic is the perfect word to describe this place. I have never witnessed a view as amazing as that before in my life. You could even see the mountains in the distance it was so high up. This is a moment that I will never forget; probably one of the best moments I’ve had in France to date. After all that excitement food was definitely on the cards again and we managed to find this cute little Italian place in Old Lyon which served the cheesiest pizzas known to man. I mean you needed more pizza for the amount of cheese served. Also the knife they gave us to cut the pizzas was something else. Later on we went for a cheeky cocktail at Big Whites which had some interesting cocktail names that aren’t very PG to share and then met up with our friends from back home. It was so lovely to see them and made me feel a little at home again. Also got such a cute polaroid of all of us as who doesn’t love a polaroid.

Day 157: Lyon WE LOVE YOU! I think I’m in love with Lyon! It’s such a cool city! There’s so much to do here and everywhere you turn you’re struck by another jaw dropping building. This city is absolutely stunning. Walking the streets here never gets old and you always discover something new. I think my camera roll is very much proof of that. We headed to this amazing falafel bar for lunch called YAAFA which means You Are A Falafel Addict, which is right up my street. Falafel demolished, it was time to check out the Musee des Confluences, which was such a cool museum. With so many things to look at and touch, it was actually able to keep me engaged considering my usually very short attention span. Also it was free for students and you seriously can’t argue with that. Whilst we were in the museum we caught side of the famous Only Lyon sign and of course we had to go down and take a photo with it. No shame at all. Once again the views across the river took my breath away, this really is such a gorgeous city. Time for another pit stop and where better to go than his quaint little café that our friend Lydia recommended, called Slake Coffee House. It certainly lived up to its expectations and was so quirky inside, I mean they had a bath tub as a freaking seat. How cool is that! The main reason for stopping there is because we had to make sure Lucia got her carrot cake and I’m pleased to say we succeeded in that! I must admit though will all this walking around my feet were a little sore and I had to bandage my little pinkies up due to wearing rather unsupportive shoes (my parents will be saying right now I told you so, that good ole phrase!) But it was totally worth it because honestly this is probably the best city I’ve ever visited in France… maybe even close to Paris. Yes it really is that good!

This has been the best weekend I’ve spent in France since being here. I have made so many good and happy memories in Lyon that I will treasure forever. Lyon thank you for being such an amazing city and thank you to Lucille and Lucia for making it an even more special weekend, you guys are the best friends I could ever ask for. Les trois meilleurs amis pour toujours et à jamais. And Lyon I’ll be seeing you soon again.

You and Me Roam Free.

Week 20: Discovering weird food in French supermarkets, someone stole my sponge and Chinese New Year

I find myself back in Clermont again, ready to battle out another couple of weeks of French living.

Day 144: Last day in England. Today is my last fun filled day in England before I return to France and it certainly didn’t disappoint. After a rather lazy morning in bed with Chester (my dog) laying on me, it was time to get out of my PJ’s and start the day or should I say start the afternoon. My boyfriend and I decided to take a little trip to Rushden Lakes retail park where we obviously had to stop for a bit of lunch at one of my favourite places… Bills! Bills never seizes to amaze me with their incredibly yummy food and infamous pink lemonade. Would you believe it though despite there being a Primark, New Look and H&M there I didn’t buy a single thing. I was very self-controlled which doesn’t happen often. Later on we went to play a little bit of pool and oh my was I particularly bad today. My objective was to just hit the ball, meanwhile all aim went out of the window. If you can’t tell already, I lost. But I did manage to win ice hockey which I was very proud of… photographic evidence of my success is below.

Day 145: Longest day travelling yet. So today was a bad day. I can tell you now that I don’t think I’m cut out for this travelling life. My journey began on the train at 3pm and I didn’t get back to my room in Clermont till 2.30am the next day. Exhaustion doesn’t even cut it.

Day 146: Getting back into the French groove. Whenever I go back to England it takes me a day or two to adjust to speaking and hearing French again. It’s so strange how my brain needs a little time to get used to it again. As you can imagine my French speaking abilities were very poor today, so by the end of the day I literally crashed in my room and binge watched some good ole British TV with a bag of propercorn, hashtag goals.

Day 147: Kitchen nightmares. So if you don’t know already, my kitchen situation isn’t the best as I share two hobs and a microwave with 40 plus people. As you can imagine cleanliness goes out the window. Today I’d had enough of stains and leftover food on the sides, enough is enough. My brilliant idea was to clean the surfaces myself and then leave a sponge in the kitchen that people could use to at least wipe the surfaces after they’ve used them. But ohhhh noooo you can’t trust anyone in this building. Only 3 hours had passed and someone had already stolen my sponge. Why just why? I was going to write a note to say can you please use this sponge to wipe the surfaces but someone would have probably stolen that as well. I give up. I’ll just clean and disinfect the kitchen whenever I use it and if other people want to cook in a mess then that’s their choice.

Day 148: Discovering weird food. One of the things that has taken a while to get used to is the sheer difference in food offered in French supermarkets compared to supermarkets at home. I honestly don’t get the obsession with canned food here. The fact that you can get a whole meal in a can is just a very weird phenomenon. One jar that I stumbled across gave me the right heebie-jeebies, it’s called Tripoux d’agneau and it didn’t look very appetising to say the least. I’ll let you make your own judgements about what it looks like from the photo below… How can people look at that and go mmmmm yummy. On the bright side they did have a really cool display of oranges spilling out of a hornet type thing and perhaps the most French thing that I’ve ever seen, a bag specifically designed for a baguette. Supermarket tale over.

Day 149: Chinese New Year. Today Lucia and I headed into the city centre as there was a parade in celebration of Chinese New Year (which was the other week I know.) It was such a sunny start to the day with bright blue skies and a tropical temperature of 12 degrees. Not like at home where everyone is currently snowed in with temperatures of -5. I think I’ll stay here in the warm thanks. The parade was pretty cool to watch as a dragon swooped the streets accompanied by a marching band, a very loud one in fact. It was quite interesting though as most of the people in the parade I recognised from my French classes. We didn’t stick around for too long as low and behold it started raining, but it amused us for a few hours and got us out and about.

Day 150: Run day. After suffering with a cold all week, exercise is a distant memory but no more as today Lucia and I went for a run. It was such a lovely sunny morning that I had to take my jacket off and run with just a T-shirt on. Summer is a coming! It wasn’t necessarily the best run today because I’m still recovering from a cold and I haven’t been running in a while so I found it quite hard, but at least I did it. It can be quite frustrating when you perform slightly under par when it comes to exercise but that’s okay because everyone has their good days and bad days; the most important thing is you keep going and preserving.

So that’s week 20 over and out. Nothing too special this week but next week is going to be a right cracker. I’ll be hitting the slopes again and going on a girly weekend away to Lyon, so you better watch this space as You and Me Roam Free.

Week 19: I admit I’m a true Brit

So I find myself back at the airport again going home. A break is definitely needed to reboot my French energy levels.

Day 127: Grease in French. You would’ve thought that by now French lecturers would get the hint that students can’t concentrate for 2 hours straight, especially when all they’re doing is reading off a piece of paper. But no, they continue to ramble on whilst getting annoyed at the constant talking. I appreciate that it is rude to talk during a lecture, but then they shouldn’t be 2 hours long or at least give us a little break in between. This is an ongoing battle that unfortunately I will never conquer. Later on in the evening Lucia and I watched Grease on Netflix which is such a classic film. I know all the words to every song which some might say is a bit sad but I just can’t help it. Although, it was rather interesting when various characters broke out into song because the French subtitles came up too. Wow were these translations appalling. They weren’t incorrect per say, the general meaning was still transmitted, but the original effect of the lyrics had been totally tarnished. It was quite painful to read as it just wasn’t the same and we couldn’t get rid of them either!

Day 128: French teacher shouting. An 8am start with history of modern art in French is not the most ideal start to the day. I literally had no idea what the teacher was banging on about and truth be told I was still half asleep. I will never complain about 9am starts at home ever again! The next lecture I had to endure was phonetics and my oh my was the teacher in a telling off mood today. He was clearly sick of the people constantly talking ‘au fond’ (at the back) and he decided to let them know what he thinks about it. I’ll just say that he didn’t like it one bit. It was the first time I’ve heard a French teacher raise their voice and believe you me you don’t want to be on the receiving end of it. In the evening I was supposed to have a sort of Skype call with my teacher from home to see how I’m getting on, but of course me and a few other girls logged in and waited for about half an hour until we eventually gave up. The connection was beyond poor anyway but us girls managed to have a mini catch up despite the delayed video and audio.

Day 129: Home time!!! Words can’t even describe how excited I am to come home! I think I’ve figured out that I can survive about 3 weeks abroad until I get rather homesick and really miss toad in the hole. I’ve already made a list of food and places that I want to go to for food because I’m a true Brit who loves her bangers and mash and Yorkshire puddings. I’m pretty used to travelling alone now but I still do get a bit nervous. Airports are very stressful environments, especially with the increased security and army men patrolling around. It puts you on edge automatically even though you haven’t done anything wrong. I just can’t wait to land and see my family and all my pets.

Day 130: It’s good to be home. Nothing beats waking up in my double bed with my cat sitting on top of me. This time I could start my day off right like a true Brit with some buttery toast. Ohhh how I’ve missed toast. I’ve also missed having proper rooms and actual space to move around in, instead of cooking, sleeping, eating, washing and working in one tiny room. I would say I miss having a living room and a fully functioning kitchen with an oven the most. Not being able to cook a pizza really hurts my soul. Me, mum and my little sister all went into town to have lunch at our fav place… kino lounge. I had the most amazing vegan chilli with butternut squash, black beans, spinach and crispy onions. When I’m in France I don’t really eat a lot of meat, if any, mainly because I can’t store it very well in my mini fridge and my kitchen facilities aren’t the best so I tend to go for veggie options. I wouldn’t say I’m a total vegetarian but I do appreciate a lot more food combos and I don’t necessarily need meat all the time now. I mean I had some veggie nuggets the other day and you wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference between them and some normal chicken nuggets, it was kind of creepy.

Day 131: Getting a little lost. I decided to go to this fairly new retail park today called Rushden Lakes but of course my sat Nav didn’t recognise it so I got a little lost on the way and ended up in Wymington. I did eventually find it… thank goodness I had enough fuel. Of course I had to pop into Primark as it really wouldn’t be a shopping trip without having a little nosy around there. They had all their summer stuff out and it got me all excited for my holiday. Can’t wait to finally say goodbye to big puffy coats and boots and swap them for bikinis and flip flops. Winter be gone already.

Day 132: Toad in the hole. After a pretty lazy morning me and my little car Maggie headed off to Norfolk to see my boyfriend who I haven’t seen in just over a month. I think that’s probably the longest time we’ve ever spent apart since being together for over 3 years. Now you might be wondering how this whole long distance relationship thing is working out and let me tell you this, it’s rather difficult. Going from living together and seeing each other every day to living in two different countries and seeing each other maybe once a month if we’re lucky is kinda strange. We’ve managed to survive so far which is a pretty good sign. To top the day off though we made my favourite dish in the world… Toad in the hole. Nothing beats that giant Yorkshire smothered in gravy.

Day 133: Garden centre lunching. Oh how it feels good to wake up on a Sunday and there to be actual shops open. This is going to sound a bit crazy but I loved going to Tesco today and doing a food shop with my boyfriends family. Shopping in British supermarkets is probably one of the weirder things that I miss on my year abroad. There’s just so much more variety here compared to French supermarkets. Plus, I can’t stand paying two euros for a tin of Heinz baked beans when you can get a four pack for the same price at home. Absolutely criminal! We then went to a garden centre for a spot of lunch and I had the most amazing sundried tomato and pesto quiche with salad and chips. Then to top it all off I ended the day with a traditional Sunday roast. I am a true Brit.

Be True Be You.

Week 18: Dementors on wheels, DJ No Breakfast and more snow

Dementors on wheels, DJ No Breakfast and more snow… this week is full of surprises and baffling moments.

Day 120: More snow! From 18 degrees celsuis to -3 and a lot of snow, you literally can’t keep up with this weather. It was definitely time to get my snow boots out today. It’s so funny that as soon as it snows you suddenly lose all walking abilities. The paths become your enemy as you try to avoid slipping and falling on your bum, but secretly snigger when others face the embarrassment of mighty fall. Don’t get me wrong I love the snow in all its magical wonders but Christmas is well and truly over now and it’s time to move on. Where’s the sunshine and the warm weather at! I’m sick and tired of having to wrap up warm and go through packet upon packet of tissues due to my leaky tap of a nose. Roll on summer is all I can say.

Day 121 and 122: Go vegan is back. Started my morning off right with a Nutella crepe accompanied by strawberries and raspberries. Honestly not having a toaster has really taken its toll on me and my breakfast regime so crepes are the next best thing. I can’t wait to have avocado on toast when I go back home. I needed to start the morning off with some chocolate to get me through these long long and even longer lectures. Side note I was in a different lecture theatre today and you remember the ‘go vegan’ person, well they’ve made an appearance again, shock horror. Same font, same colour and exactly the same words with the powerful exclamation mark at the end. At least this person is consistent, or should I say persistent.

Day 123: Translation = the bane of my life. Who would’ve thought that translating would be so trivial. My translation class is one that I must psyche myself up for every time. You can bet that at least once in the lesson someone will disagree with the provided translation meaning that the already snail pace we go at becomes even slower. Translation isn’t really translation it should be called transferring the gist. Direct translation is not the objective, instead you just have to project the general context whilst respecting the grammar of the written language. It’s just very annoying that’s all I’m going to say.

Day 124: British Pub in France take 2. Unfortunately because it’s a new semester and I’m taking new modules this means that more administration is to follow. This morning consisted of me trying to get all this admin sorted, but instead I ended up having a little argument with Yang (you know the lady I could never find last semester when I was trying to get my student card.) Though this time I wasn’t going to back down and I stood up for myself, because frankly if they’re going to talk to me like that then I’ll do the same. Obviously it wasn’t a screaming or shouting kind of argument but I made my intentions clear. In the end I got my way and admin is all done. Last time I’ll have to see her again, thank goodness. So after that whole palaver me and my friends went to another British pub in Clermont. That’s 2 so far that we’ve discovered. Now, I was very impressed with this British pub, mainly because they advertised a SUNDAY ROAST! The fact that they are open on Sundays and offering a Sunday roast is just beyond baffling. But of course for tonight’s main meal I opted for good ole fish and chips with a side of garlic bread to share, because who doesn’t love garlic bread and it’s not like I can pop one in my imaginary oven that I don’t have.

Day 125: Dementors on wheels? Today was the day of the ‘Grand Station de Ski’ festival which was basically celebrating the recent cold weather and it marked the end of the Clermont film festival. Now I don’t know what they think a festival is, but it certainly isn’t that. I couldn’t quite believe my eyes, I mean there were people on wheels playing various instruments wearing fire hats and cloaks that made them look like dementors and a very out of tune band who were clearly very drunk and needed their instruments tuning ASAP. I just didn’t really get what was going on and the concept behind all of this. I’ve found that a lot here, they put on all these shows and events but they don’t really make sense. I guess there’s some charm in left feeling rather baffled. I can also say that DJ No Breakfast needs to A rethink his stage name and B work on his mixing abilities.

Day 126: Everything’s closed. I think my little yellow boat room is starting to give me cabin fever. Sunday’s aren’t really the best day to be in Clermont because literally nothing is open, not even the supermarkets. In an attempt to stay sane I decided to go on a walk to a park where I could just relax and escape the city. But low and behold the park was closed due to the snow which fell last Monday. Why just why! At least it got me out of the house for a little bit and I was able to discover a new part of Clermont.

You and Me Roam Free.

Week 17: Milkshakes with cats and skiing on ice

From drinking milkshakes with cats to falling on my bum A LOT. My year abroad never fails to amaze me.

Day 113 and 144: Didn’t know I was taking biology. Unfortunately my Monday’s and Tuesday’s are pretty uneventful due to sitting in lectures for most of the day. Although I didn’t realise that I would be taking a biology lesson in my Phonologie lecture. Who knew that there were so many muscles and organs that contribute to creating sounds and effectively enable us to talk. Our bodies are very intricate things.

Day 115: Milkshakes with cats. To help get us through the week and lift our spirits up me and my friends decided to check out the ‘Chat’ Lounge’, France’s version of a cat café. It didn’t disappoint either. There were about 6 cats, one of which was the infamous hairless cat. You know I really don’t see the appeal in them, I mean it looks like a naked mole rat. One cat called Garfield really took a shine to us and spent the majority of the time lounging on our table, secretly eyeing up the cream from our milkshakes. Then once he thought the coast was clear he sprung into action and made a beeline for the remnants of the cream left on our glasses. Now Garfield there’s two things I want to say to you here, 1 we’re not as stupid as you think we are and 2 I thought we had a mutual respect and understanding, you sleep and look all cute whilst we pet you and drink milkshakes. This cute sleepiness was probably just an act all along that he uses on every customer/victim who enters this place. You’ve got the give the cat some credit for his persistency though.

Day 116: Am I at a school party again? After a rather stressful morning trying to get this specific class sorted which I was told I could do but now I’m being told I can’t do (don’t even get me started on this one), I decided to go to this Erasmus welcome party. I’ve got to hand it to them on the choice of venue this time as it was situated in a Spanish cocktail bar which homed a rather relaxed and chill vibe… until the ‘party games’ started. Now I know for some this might seem like fun but I thought we were over running around, screaming and shouting like 2 year olds. I probably sound really serious right now but one girl even asked me to take my shoe off because they wanted it for their scavenger hunt… just why! In this circumstance you could really see the different nationalities very clearly as the English were all huddled in a corner chatting away whilst others were running around like lunatics. Fair play to them for getting stuck in and really embracing the spirit of competition though. At least there was free food and drink for us boring Brits.

Day 117: Did someone say skiing again? Yes that’s right I’ve found myself back on the slopes. I just can’t get enough of them, especially for 23€! Although this week was a lot more difficult than the previous one, mainly down to the terrain. Due to the fact that it was -6 degrees Celsius, the snow was more like ice and ice is not very nice to ski on. However, my instructor was not going to let the difficult conditions slow my progress as he was determined to get me on the higher slopes. He did manage to convince me to tackle the bigger slopes but this came with a fair few falls and I can at least say I’m a pro at getting back up again. The most difficult thing about falling on the slope is to prevent yourself from falling back down again, got to get those skis at a ’90 degree’ angle . The reason I put 90 degrees in quotation marks is because there are honestly so many words that still haunt me, because my instructor Michel shouts them all the time. For instance ‘glisse (glide), virage (turn) and probably the worst one of them all parallèle… ‘parallèle Molly parallèle’, I can just hear his voice saying those exact words right now. Though I did manage to accomplish the chair lifts and practice my slalom techniques. My instructor Michel is a very good skier and teacher but his driving is not on the same level. As there were only 8 of us this time we took a minibus and Michel was the driver (unfortunately.) He did some very dodgy overtaking and his rather fast nature around some very windy bends made me feel a little queasy. My advice, stick to the skiing mate.

Day 118: Wandering the back streets. My Saturday’s usually consist of visiting the city centre just to get me out and about. Me and my friends met up and went to this quaint Australian coffee house and I opted for a carrot and orange juice in the hopes of reenergising myself from yesterdays battle against the icy slopes. This time I can definitely say I have some nasty bruises forming on my legs, which I like to call progression marks. Like my instructor says if you don’t fall you’re not making progress. We then took to the backstreets of Clermont where you can find all matter of things, one of which being art. There are some very talented people out there. Clermont is a very artsy place and its only through wandering the tiny backstreets that you stumble across these gems. We also found a really nice pizza place that we are already planning to go to, mainly because it had about 6 veggie options which is very very rare in France and of course its pizza, you can’t complain about that. Honestly for those who are vegetarian in France, it is so difficult to eat out anywhere as they are proper meateaters here. And veganism, well you couldn’t eat anything at all because it either includes meat or cheese and you couldn’t tell a French person that you don’t eat cheese.

Day 119: Suffering. My body is not cooperating today. I think skiing and the cold weather has definitely taken its toll on me. So today consists of a lot of water, ibuprofen and Netflix. I’ve really got into watching this TV series called Grace and Frankie. If you want something light-hearted then this is the show for you. Let the marathon watching begin!

I can’t believe it’s February already. January is always a hard month but I think this whole doing as much as I can thing is going pretty well so far. Don’t get me wrong I still have those moments where I’m feeling a little run down but by doing more I’m able to distract myself and focus on the good times instead. Here’s to a successful January and to an even more successful February as You and Me Roam Free.

Week 16: Hitting the slopes for the first time

As everyone knows with the beginning of a new year comes new years resolutions. Promising to get fit and healthy, go to the gym, surrender to dry January… these are all typical resolutions that we’ve all probably made at least once in our lives. But this year I’m determined to set myself a more realistic resolution and one which is specific to this year only. My new years resolution is to enjoy my year abroad, do as much as I can and take every opportunity. So far I can assure you that I’m sticking to this newfound goal as I go way out of my comfort zone and try something completely new for the very first time.

Day 107: Travel day. Despite the rather boring start to the week, trust me it does get a lot more exciting. Today was just a full travelling day as I embarked on my 13 hour journey back to Clermont. From train to plane to bus to my room. It’s crazy that the longest part of my journey in mileage is actually the shortest journey in time as the flight is only 1 hour and a half.

Day 108 and 109: Plunged in at the deep end. There was definitely no time to waste as I had various lectures lined up already, Phonologie et Acoustique, Histoire de la langue, Aménagement, Histoire du Tourisme and Traduction. I’d forgotten how mind-numbing the lecturers were but hey at least we managed to turn up to the introductory lectures this time. This semester is already starting out a whole lot better than last time as I pretty much know what to do, where to go and who to talk to, so far so good. It was also 18 degrees on Wednesday, 18 degrees in January how does that even happen!!

Day 110: Skiing on a volcano. So this is by far the best day I’ve had since being in France. I’ve never actually skied before so thought this would be the perfect opportunity to have a go, especially because it was 23€ for all the ski equipment, a coach there and back, a ski pass and 1 to 1 tutoring for the whole day. I don’t think you can get a deal like that anywhere else. I’m not going to lie at the start of the day I found it quite difficult as I was having to do things and be in positions that felt so unnatural to my body. Suddenly you’ve got these massive ski boots and long planks stuck to your feet and you’re supposed to be able to walk in them! There was a lot of shuffling on my part throughout the day I  must admit. But towards the end of the afternoon I was starting to get the hang of it and my tutor bumped me up to the blue slopes which were a lot steeper than the nursery slopes I started out on. You know what, the ski lifts and the actual skiing were fine, but trying to ski on flat land and climb up tiny mounds of snow were the most difficult parts. It wouldn’t even look like an incline but my skis sure knew it was. So many times I would nearly master the pesky mound and then woomph I would slide straight back down to the bottom again, disheartened and deflated. That being said the side step manoeuvre I am still yet to master. I also didn’t realise how much the boots hurt your shins. My teacher said if your shins don’t feel like they’re bruised and battered by the end of the day then you’ve been doing it wrong. I definitely wasn’t doing it wrong as my shins were on fire. The pain was so worth it though and I’ve definitely caught the skiing addiction and I’m already planning to go back next Friday and take on the dreaded chair lifts to the more advanced slopes!

Day 111: Deserved chill time. After hitting the slopes yesterday my body was not cooperating today. I didn’t realise how much of a workout skiing was, there were parts of my body that ached which I didn’t know could ache. Luckily I had no injuries apart from a few cuts on my fingers, but getting out of bed was a struggle. Once I got moving it was okay but if I sat down for a long period of time, oooo my body stiffened up. Is this what its going to be like on a daily basis when I’m older because that’s not fun.

Day 112: Hiking with friends. Still sore from the other day I decided to start my day off with a little yoga session in my room. I can really see why people do yoga as it’s so relaxing and relieves so much tension in your muscles. A little bit of me time is what everyone needs. Then as it was such a nice day my friends and I decided to hike up to Parc Montjuzet which is where Lucille and I went on our very first day in Clermont back in September. The view still takes my breath away as you can see the whole of Clermont. A real reflection moment as I looked out onto the city and thought I can’t believe I’ve made it this far.

First week back in 2018 completed and what a week it’s been. Like I said at the beginning my goal is to enjoy my year abroad and do as much as I can. So far I’ve put in some good ground work and it can only go up from here. Stay tuned to see where my newfound motivation will take me as You and Me Roam Free.

Week 15: Last week in France 2017

My last week in France 2017, can’t believe I’m saying that. From Beaumont Les Randan to Bourges to Harry Potter style bus rides and cocktails, it’s all happening this week.

Day 100: 100 Days in France. Can you believe its been 100 days! It’s gone so quickly but also feels like I’ve been here for a lifetime. Monday was a pretty uneventful day purely because exams and assignments are soon approaching (this time next week should I say.) But of course, I found time to go to the gym with Lucia for my Monday butt kicking. Then it was vlogmas time and chill. Honestly all the YouTube vlogmas videos are keeping me going at the moment because I have very limited tv choices as I’m in France. Netflix is great but we all know that you end up spending ages trying to find something to watch on Netflix and just go round and round in circles until you eventually give up.

Day 101: Delving into deep France. Today I swapped the busy city lifestyle for a slower, more peaceful pace by visiting two small villages, one called Beaumont Les Randan and the other I can’t remember the name of. I went with my EU star class which is a class that is supposed to enrich our knowledge about the Auvergne region. It was definitely a change in pace I’ll tell you that. This place was truly out in the sticks with no supermarket or even a little corner shop. The houses were so spread apart that you’re neighbour could be 100 metres away but they’re the closest thing to a neighbour. At least you won’t have any noise complaints I guess. Great for house parties! So, when we arrived at the first small village (the one I can’t remember the name of), first of all we met these 3 guys who were telling us about their quiet village living life. It was a bit awkward at some points, you know those awkward silences where you sort of look at the ground and hope someone says something. But we were saved with the prospect of food and drink as there was an array of biscuits, squash, brioche, cakes and wine offered to us. I felt like I was back in primary school on a day trip out (perhaps excluding the wine though.) I think for the locals, a group of foreign students visiting their little village was quite spectacular as even a correspondent from the local newspaper La Montagne came to take our photo and write a short piece about our trip. Then we moved onto Beaumont Les Randan which is where our teacher lives and my goodness did he have a nice house. Here we met with some more locals who were telling us about their village lifestyle and all the events and festivals they organise every year. One guy was called Dieu (meaning God in French) and well he was a character. When we were in the local church our teacher asked him to pose next to this figure of Saint Pierre and Dieu was putting his two fingers up (the right way around I must add, like you used to do as a teenager) and he was even dabbing. The humour behind this was that ‘Dieu’ was in his own habitat. Although one thing you can’t knock about village life in France, particularly the Auvergne region, is the spectacular views. Watching the sunset behind the volcanos was absolutely breath-taking (and so was the cold weather.)

Day 102: Take it away Ernie, It’s gonna be a bumpy ride. Today was another trip out, but with my friends this time. We decided to take a spontaneous trip to another French city called Bourges. It was only about 2 hours away on the bus and cost 10€ to get there and back, bargain! Although we didn’t quite anticipate the drop off location which was outside of the city centre, basically on a main road. Despite this unexpected surprise we managed to find a bus to the city centre, but oh my was this bus ride an experience and a half. I don’t know if this bus driver has ever heard of driving at the speed limit and slowly breaking to a hault. He was pelting it down the road and every time he had to stop he performed an emergency break. My friends and I were stood up holding onto the rails for dear life as we were swung backwards and forwards. I was honestly in stitches though when Kate said ‘it’s gonna be a bumpy ride’ like in the film Harry Potter where Harry goes on that really fast bus, weaving in and out of traffic and then suddenly it goes really really narrow in-between two real buses. I literally couldn’t contain my laughter after that. Bourges is a lovely city though and kind of reminds me of the French version of York and Stamford in certain parts (which is ironic as this city is actually twinned with Peterborough in the UK.) The cathedral was absolutely huge and as typical tourists we took A LOT of photos, Lizzie even got her selfie stick out #noshame. It was lovely to get out of Clermont and explore somewhere new, even if there were a few surprises along the way.

Day 103: Last French lessons of 2017. This was the last time in 2017 that I had to endure 3 and a half hours of Français Générale and 2 hours of my other French class. I can’t say I’m going to miss it, especially my teacher who made me cry in my Français Générale class. She laid into another girl today about her presentation and we were all sitting there thinking just shut up. We get it you like to share your very French opinion, but I’m sorry to break it to you sweetheart, we are all different. She did give me my mark today though for my oral presentation, my writing and reading exam which came to 14.5 out of 20. Not bad considering I seemed to have offended my teacher’s Frenchiness with my presentation on food the other week. But this was also the last day that Lucia and I will go to the gym in 2017. I’m going to miss her whooping my ass into shape. Sad times.

Day 104: This is what friends are for. After a rather unsociable day due to studying, Lucia and I had a dinner date again. This time we made this amazing creamy broccoli pasta and watched the film How to Lose a Guy in 10 days. It’s so funny watching films with Lucia because she can just predict what’s going to happen. I guess I’ve never noticed it before, but a lot of American films are very predictable. Oh well it’s still a classic film that every girl can relate to.

Day 105: Cocktail madness. As its Saturday Lucia, Lucille and I decided to do a little bit of Christmas shopping as I haven’t got anyone’s Christmas presents yet. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful because I find everything here is a lot more expensive than at home. There’s no French B&M, Poundland or Primark (which saddens me every day.) So, I think the shopping is going to have to be an online jobby and a manic day next week when I go home, let’s hope I can still find stuff. Later, we met up with Lizzie to go to Au Bureau (the French version of an English pub which is way more upmarket.) This was our last meal altogether, our last supper if you will because Lizzie is going to Spain for her second semester, leaving only Lucia, Lucille and I here. Of course, I opted for the fish and chips again because they were so damn good last time and we also had a cheesy platter to start and my goodness was it cheesy. The waiter seemed quite interested in our French/English capabilities, which was quite the compliment I must say. After a very filling meal we rolled out of the upmarket British Pub and headed to a cocktail bar for a few drinks. An evening filled with girly chats, fruity cocktails and good food, what more could you want to round of our first semester in France.

Day 106: Pancakes with bae. My last morning with Lucia until we come back to France in 2018 and what better way to spend it than making pancakes for breakfast. Nutella pancakes with strawberries and raspberries. That’s what I’m talking about. The reason for cooking round hers is because my cooker and microwave don’t work at the moment, so I can’t cook anything. I went downstairs to tell the someone and the response from the lady in reception was comical. She said oh maintenance people don’t work weekends, so it won’t be fixed yet. I asked her when will it be fixed and she said ummm I don’t know. Okay great, well just as good as I only have two more days left here then isn’t it. A visit to Lucille’s grandparents is definitely on the cards today.

So that’s the end of my first semester in France and my last week here in 2017. There’s been lots of highs and equally lots of lows, but I’ve learnt a hell of a lot. They say your year abroad is the best and worst thing to happen to you and I can definitely agree with that statement. I thought I knew who I was before coming here and I thought I had life figured out but oh I was so wrong. Life is challenging and tests you sometimes, but these are all the experiences which make you who you are today. Even though I moan about how disorganised France is and how difficult it is sometimes, I wouldn’t change anything that has happened because it has allowed me to learn and grow into the person I am now. It’s one of those things that you don’t particularly like doing at the time but look back and think wow that was amazing. This will be my last blog entry of 2017 as I go home next Tuesday, but I will be back in January 2018 with lots more trips planned, from skiing to going to the beach (weather permitted) as I start my second semester again in Clermont Ferrand. I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas and see you all in the New Year. Don’t forget You and Me Roam Free.