UNI.

I actually have something substantial to write about today! YAY!

Today was the first time we visited the uni campus (pretty old, but hey, it’s what I expected). The three of us going straight into uni classes had a meeting with a woman who would advise us on which subject to take this first semester to get us going. I think we’re all going to take mainly the same subjects for the first semester and then, once we’re all comfortable with how it all works, branch out into more creative subjects next semester. So far, I think I’m doing translation (literally just translating passages from French to English and vice versa), which is 4 hours a week, French modern literature (post 1940’s) at 2 hours, and maybs philosophy (not any of our first choices lol but the professor who teaches it worked on exchange at Macquarie uni for a year and apparently is really fond of international students, particularly Australians, and is really lax on us because he wants to encourage us to take his subjects) also 2 hours a week. All us, that’s 8 hours, which is a part time load.

Enrolling is the strangest thing ever. At UTS, you have to enrol to get good class times like 3 months before you start classes blah blah blah. Here, to enrol, you just go to class for the first week (any class you want to that is) and if you like it, you have a piece of paper and you get the professor to sign it to say you’re in his class and that’s how you enrol. No electronic stuff or anything. You have 2 weeks to finalise what you want to do. I have to email some different faculties now to get class times so we know where we’re going and when. So easy, but so confusing in its simplicity at the same time. Classes are never full over here, because according to Suzanne (the woman we had our meeting with), French students never go to class. You cannot enforce students to go to class here, so you cannot take a roll. BUT, for international students, profs are usually more lenient, so usually to pass, you only have to go to class and hand things in and they will pass you. So, I’ll be at every class haha.

On my way home from uni, I had my most embarrassing encounter yet. I stopped into the local Carrefour to get some groceries and meat and I grabbed some oranges at the last minute. When I get to the front of the counter, the check-out woman started babbling something at me about what the weight of my oranges were. I had no idea what was going on so said I would go weigh them? So I did. 900 grams. She then asked for my sticker. SO CONFUSED. The woman behind me in the line (who spoke English) ended up doing it for me haha I think when you buy individual pieces of fruit, you must weigh them yourself and print out a sticker from the scales and stick it on the bag so the cash lady doesn’t have to work anything out… Not sure, but next time, I’ll be sure to purchase pre-packaged fruit lol.

I’m feeling like such a grandma! Haha I go to bed at about 8pm and wake up always at 5am. I start to get reallllllyyyy tired at about 7:30. So, I’ve taken to cooking dinner at 5:30pm. Always 5:30pm on the dot. That way I’m eating by 6-6:15pm and can go to bed pretty much straight after.

I’ve discovered French people eat very differently to me. Léa explained it a bit to me. Lunch time in France is between 12 and 1, and always cooked. No earlier, no later. Last week, when we went to Meriadeck, we didn’t get home until about 2:30-3pm and it was like she didn’t know what to do with herself, it put he right out. Dinner time is between 7-8pm. Because there’s 3 of us all cooking in the one small kitchen, I try to steer clear of French eating times. Hence why I choose to cook at 5:30pm and I lunch about 1:30-2pm.

Warm bed

I’ve felt pretty lethargic today, so I made sure I ate red meat. Red meat for lunch and red meat for dinner. Lunch was just takeaway thai with the group after our meeting at uni, but for dinner I cooked Spaghetti Bolognese with HEAPS of vegies. It was pretty yummy! Last night, in true Aussie style, I cooked my first meal of sausages and salad!

Dinner