So I've been in France four days now. I flew into Belgium, somewhere I've never been before. Immigration took an excrutiatingly long time, just for a few questions and a stamp. The woman told me that the French really need English teachers, lol. Then I got to spend over five hours hanging around the Brussels-midi train station, only to have my train be late! Yes, it was late, therefore I missed my second train once I got to Lille. But apparently (it's been a while since I took a French train, and I've never taken one where I had an actual, specific ticket for one) you can just jump on the next one to wherever you're going. I did not composter my ticket - there wasn't time and they didn't check anyway - but that is something I need to learn how to do...
I've gotten so used to Chinese trains and the fact that you never have to change trains to get where you're going... So it's a little strange right now. Although, thank god, European trains are so much nicer than Chinese ones!
I'm in Arras right now, about 40 mins outside of Lille. It's a small, quaint-ish little town with cobblestone streets and red brick houses. It reminds me a little of UofA, but only slightly. I met my referente at the train station, despite being about half an hour late due to the train change, and we went straight to the house she'd found for me.
It's a three-story house about 2 minutes walking from the train station, owned by an older French couple. My room, and my roommate's room, is on the third floor, or 2nd if you're going by French measuring standards. Basically, everything is included in the rent - electricity, internet, water, whatever. The internet is wi-fi (wee-fee en francais) and there was some trouble but I finally got it figured out yesterday. I've also got a French phone and food and basically I pretty much set on basic necessities. Except trash bags. I keep forgetting them when I go to the store.
Now I need to find a copier so I can send in my OFII form and get that out of the way.
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