Salut! I don't know how a whole week has already slipped by since my last post...I hope the rest of my time here doesn't go by this quickly! I mostly did some more exploring and met several people, but I've also been working through some business-y things and getting in the swing of things with class.
One of my favorite ways to get to know a new city is to go jogging, since you can generally see a lot more in a short period of time than if you walk or take the metro. I think I mentioned it before, but Lyon has a fantastic running/cycling path on the bank of the Rhône literally two minutes from my building. Last week I decided to run north along the river to the Parc de la Tête D'Or because I had heard it was really beautiful. Whoever told me that wasn't kidding - it was gorgeous! There is a huge lake in the middle, lots of trails crisscrossing the park, and botanical gardens. There is also a zoo, a merry-go-round, the "African Plains (??) area, and more. I went back this morning and managed to take a few pictures this time to show you all!
When I first got here, I went to the supermarket near my place and a Target-like store up in Croix-Rousse to stock up on food and a couple of supplies. Now that I'm a little more settled in, I'm determined to shop more like the French, stopping at the boulangerie for bread and picking up produce at the market every few days. My landlord (that sounds too formal for how our relationship works...maybe I'll just call her my roommate) took me around to show me her favorite shops (the best butcher in the neighborhood! the store that sells only frozen foods!), and she pointed out her favorite vendors at the large market she goes to on Saturdays. There are markets in different locations every day of the week, but this one is less expensive and has a better variety than some of the others. We bought flowers, bread, vegetables, and fruit, and a few other things. My favorite vendor, though, sold all different types of spreads, tapenades, and olives. He let me sample several flavors, and I ended up buying a sun-dried tomato spread that is out of this world. Seriously, I've been putting it on everything I can think of!
I've also met several cool people. For the past twenty years, my landlord has hosted potluck dinners almost every Monday for international students to have a chance to meet, make friends, practice French, and share a meal together. We've had two since I've been here, and they are a blast! About 12 people came last week and again yesterday (about half this week were the same, the other half were new), and I've met students from Venezuela, Argentina, China, Hungary, Germany, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Spain, and the US! How cool is that? We've all exchanged contact information so we can make plans to go to the movies or dinner or whatever comes up!
I met a couple of anglophone girls during orientation last week, and we've hung out a bit since then. I have mixed feelings about hanging out with other people who speak English as their first language since we usually default to that instead of speaking in French, but it's just really nice sometimes to have other people effortlessly understand you and you them, so I'm going with it for now. One of the girls is already really plugged into the Lyon social life, and she told us about a concert last Friday at a bar that's on a boat anchored on the bank of the Rhône. There are actually several of these boat bars lined up in a row, and they are really popular on weekends. A few of us braved a crazy rainstorm to check out the concert, and I was so glad we did because the music was fantastic! (Check out "Thump the Table" and "Hummingbird"if you want a quick listen!)
Aside from the music, I'm glad I went to the concert because we ended up talking to a group of French people around my age who grew up and now work in Lyon. One of them invited us to a get-together she was planning at her apartment the next night and then out to a club afterwards. I'm not much of a clubbing kind of person (shocking, I know), but it was a lot of fun hanging out beforehand and then dancing for a couple of hours! And one of them sent me an email the next day promising that she would "me tiens au courant," which basically means she'll keep me up to date on what fun things are going in Lyon.
I've also spent a good chunk of time over the last several days trying to sort out several remaining business items that are critical to making this year go smoothly: completing my immigration paperwork, opening a bank account, setting up a cell phone plan, and arranging for medical insurance for the duration of my stay here. Thanks to my time in Italy and warnings and stories from expat friends, I kind of expected that it would be a big hassle taking care of all of these. I didn't, however, expect to have made so little progress after almost two weeks!
The first big issue was finishing my immigration paperwork. Basically, I have to submit some documentation to the immigration office to validate my visa now that I've arrived. After receiving my documentation, they will send me a notice instructing me when and where to appear for a medical exam. After I complete that exam, I'll be able to legally stay for the duration of my program. The process is pretty straightforward, especially because my program helps students pull together the forms they need and sends the folder off to the immigration office for us. It took me several days to take care of this though because I needed attestations from my landlord establishing that I will be living with her while I'm here. She left for Paris for a week a day or two after I got here and then needed a few days to gather the required paperwork, so I just got the forms today. I sprinted over to the program office to turn in the paperwork before they closed for lunch at noon and made it with just four minutes to spare! So that's one thing off my list -- for now. I'll really be set after the medical exam!
The bank account is important because so much seems to revolve around it. In particular, I need to open a French account so that I can get a bank card with a chip and pin. The US has just started to roll these out, but they are not widespread yet. It's really tough to get by long-term in France (and most of Europe, I think) without a chip and pin card because you need it to buy pretty much anything online, pay at kiosks for metros and train tickets, set up a cell phone plan, and just generally pay in a lot of stores. A few places will accept a foreign credit card, but it usually takes plenty of quizzical looks, a few awkward moments of explanation, and irritation for customers in line behind me. It's like wearing an "I'm a Foreigner!" sign around my neck when I'd rather just blend in!
I also need to open an account so that I can pay my landlord rent while she is away in India and Singapore for three months - starting next week! The timing has made this tricky because each step of the process (waiting to get documentation from my landlord, applying to open an account, arranging for a funds transfer, waiting for each bank to accept the transfer, and getting my debit card) has taken/will take several days. I turned in the last forms this morning, so with any luck, I'll have money in my account, a chip and pin card, and an automatic rent payment ready to go by the middle of next week!
The cellphone is the least important item of the four but it's definitely up there in terms of convenience. I'm so thankful to have wifi in my apartment because I can email and chat whenever I'm home. It will be really nice, though, to have calling/texting capabilities and access to Google maps and a French-English dictionary wherever I am! Unfortunately, I have to wait until my bank account is fully functional and I receive my bank card before I can set up a cell phone plan. Alas.
My last major big ticket item is to set up my medical insurance while I'm here. I'm covered by my health insurance from ED until mid-November and I have traveler's insurance for emergencies, so I have a little bit of breathing room here. It's the main task on my list for the rest of this week while I wait for the bank stuff to work it's way through the system.
Baby steps and it's been a little stressful, but I'll consider it a coup if I have everything in place by the end of the month!
In other news, I finally started classes yesterday. So far so good. After covering a lot of administrative details (like, you know, our class schedule) during the first session, we dove right into studying "le subjonctif" today. Oh grammar, how I love thee. *Nerd Alert*
On that note, I hope you all had a great start to the week! A plus tard!
One of my favorite ways to get to know a new city is to go jogging, since you can generally see a lot more in a short period of time than if you walk or take the metro. I think I mentioned it before, but Lyon has a fantastic running/cycling path on the bank of the Rhône literally two minutes from my building. Last week I decided to run north along the river to the Parc de la Tête D'Or because I had heard it was really beautiful. Whoever told me that wasn't kidding - it was gorgeous! There is a huge lake in the middle, lots of trails crisscrossing the park, and botanical gardens. There is also a zoo, a merry-go-round, the "African Plains (??) area, and more. I went back this morning and managed to take a few pictures this time to show you all!
The main entrance to the park
Trail along the lake
The "African Plains"
When I first got here, I went to the supermarket near my place and a Target-like store up in Croix-Rousse to stock up on food and a couple of supplies. Now that I'm a little more settled in, I'm determined to shop more like the French, stopping at the boulangerie for bread and picking up produce at the market every few days. My landlord (that sounds too formal for how our relationship works...maybe I'll just call her my roommate) took me around to show me her favorite shops (the best butcher in the neighborhood! the store that sells only frozen foods!), and she pointed out her favorite vendors at the large market she goes to on Saturdays. There are markets in different locations every day of the week, but this one is less expensive and has a better variety than some of the others. We bought flowers, bread, vegetables, and fruit, and a few other things. My favorite vendor, though, sold all different types of spreads, tapenades, and olives. He let me sample several flavors, and I ended up buying a sun-dried tomato spread that is out of this world. Seriously, I've been putting it on everything I can think of!
Freshly cut dahlias!
The view on my walk home from the market!
I've also met several cool people. For the past twenty years, my landlord has hosted potluck dinners almost every Monday for international students to have a chance to meet, make friends, practice French, and share a meal together. We've had two since I've been here, and they are a blast! About 12 people came last week and again yesterday (about half this week were the same, the other half were new), and I've met students from Venezuela, Argentina, China, Hungary, Germany, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Spain, and the US! How cool is that? We've all exchanged contact information so we can make plans to go to the movies or dinner or whatever comes up!
I met a couple of anglophone girls during orientation last week, and we've hung out a bit since then. I have mixed feelings about hanging out with other people who speak English as their first language since we usually default to that instead of speaking in French, but it's just really nice sometimes to have other people effortlessly understand you and you them, so I'm going with it for now. One of the girls is already really plugged into the Lyon social life, and she told us about a concert last Friday at a bar that's on a boat anchored on the bank of the Rhône. There are actually several of these boat bars lined up in a row, and they are really popular on weekends. A few of us braved a crazy rainstorm to check out the concert, and I was so glad we did because the music was fantastic! (Check out "Thump the Table" and "Hummingbird"if you want a quick listen!)
La Marquise - the boat bar with the concert!
Aside from the music, I'm glad I went to the concert because we ended up talking to a group of French people around my age who grew up and now work in Lyon. One of them invited us to a get-together she was planning at her apartment the next night and then out to a club afterwards. I'm not much of a clubbing kind of person (shocking, I know), but it was a lot of fun hanging out beforehand and then dancing for a couple of hours! And one of them sent me an email the next day promising that she would "me tiens au courant," which basically means she'll keep me up to date on what fun things are going in Lyon.
I've also spent a good chunk of time over the last several days trying to sort out several remaining business items that are critical to making this year go smoothly: completing my immigration paperwork, opening a bank account, setting up a cell phone plan, and arranging for medical insurance for the duration of my stay here. Thanks to my time in Italy and warnings and stories from expat friends, I kind of expected that it would be a big hassle taking care of all of these. I didn't, however, expect to have made so little progress after almost two weeks!
The first big issue was finishing my immigration paperwork. Basically, I have to submit some documentation to the immigration office to validate my visa now that I've arrived. After receiving my documentation, they will send me a notice instructing me when and where to appear for a medical exam. After I complete that exam, I'll be able to legally stay for the duration of my program. The process is pretty straightforward, especially because my program helps students pull together the forms they need and sends the folder off to the immigration office for us. It took me several days to take care of this though because I needed attestations from my landlord establishing that I will be living with her while I'm here. She left for Paris for a week a day or two after I got here and then needed a few days to gather the required paperwork, so I just got the forms today. I sprinted over to the program office to turn in the paperwork before they closed for lunch at noon and made it with just four minutes to spare! So that's one thing off my list -- for now. I'll really be set after the medical exam!
The bank account is important because so much seems to revolve around it. In particular, I need to open a French account so that I can get a bank card with a chip and pin. The US has just started to roll these out, but they are not widespread yet. It's really tough to get by long-term in France (and most of Europe, I think) without a chip and pin card because you need it to buy pretty much anything online, pay at kiosks for metros and train tickets, set up a cell phone plan, and just generally pay in a lot of stores. A few places will accept a foreign credit card, but it usually takes plenty of quizzical looks, a few awkward moments of explanation, and irritation for customers in line behind me. It's like wearing an "I'm a Foreigner!" sign around my neck when I'd rather just blend in!
I also need to open an account so that I can pay my landlord rent while she is away in India and Singapore for three months - starting next week! The timing has made this tricky because each step of the process (waiting to get documentation from my landlord, applying to open an account, arranging for a funds transfer, waiting for each bank to accept the transfer, and getting my debit card) has taken/will take several days. I turned in the last forms this morning, so with any luck, I'll have money in my account, a chip and pin card, and an automatic rent payment ready to go by the middle of next week!
The cellphone is the least important item of the four but it's definitely up there in terms of convenience. I'm so thankful to have wifi in my apartment because I can email and chat whenever I'm home. It will be really nice, though, to have calling/texting capabilities and access to Google maps and a French-English dictionary wherever I am! Unfortunately, I have to wait until my bank account is fully functional and I receive my bank card before I can set up a cell phone plan. Alas.
My last major big ticket item is to set up my medical insurance while I'm here. I'm covered by my health insurance from ED until mid-November and I have traveler's insurance for emergencies, so I have a little bit of breathing room here. It's the main task on my list for the rest of this week while I wait for the bank stuff to work it's way through the system.
Baby steps and it's been a little stressful, but I'll consider it a coup if I have everything in place by the end of the month!
In other news, I finally started classes yesterday. So far so good. After covering a lot of administrative details (like, you know, our class schedule) during the first session, we dove right into studying "le subjonctif" today. Oh grammar, how I love thee. *Nerd Alert*
On that note, I hope you all had a great start to the week! A plus tard!
