1 month in France...

It has officially been one month in france. Up till now, I am quite comfortable with the surroundings and have already gotten used to the entire system ie. Mode of transport, where to get cheap groceries, where to find the best deals for shirt, how to travel, how to book the trains, tgv, tram, planes, how to open a bank, how to cook dishes, how to listen to french people talking, how to speak in such a way they will understand(yes.. this is really a skill), the food, the lessons(still struggling)etc.

Before you book the tgv(bullet train), I got the carte 12-25 which gives special discount to people between the age 12-25. Trust me, it is worth it. The discounts go from 25% to 50% at certain periods.

As for the airlines, I am still in the midst of discovering. Have been using www.skyscanner.net as it compiles all the prices of the airlines. I also learnt that prices for RYANAIR via the skyscanner is not accurate. Hence it is necessarily to check it out on the site itself. Sometimes, prices which are more expensive on the skyscanner may in fact become cheaper than RYANAIR.

For my money, I have asked my parents to telegraphic transfer it to me. As for opening the bank account, it is quite simple but you need to fix a bank appointment first. For grenoble students, the Societe Generale got special plans and they give us money to open bank accounts. If possible, open more bank accounts and you will be given more money!! =P By right, after we gotten our carte bleu, we will be able to register for a telephone line but well, I am just going for the prepaid card =)

At the present moment, winter is ending and spring is coming. The temperature is steadily increasing~. However, at some times of the day(especially without the sun), it may become very cold.

I am living in a residence called Residence de la Houille Blanche(RHB). It cost 204Euros a month and our room consists of a cooking stove, fridge, beds, free internet(which sometimes will disconnect for certain time period). The toilets and bathroom are outside. There are great facilities like ping pong, gym and swimming pool. I could say that this residence is very good. Comfortable and nice~ =) Made quite a few friends here too!

Some disadvantages about this residence are that the timings of the bus ends very early(around 9pm). However, it is just around 30min walk from school (15min bus ride). The receptionist doesnt speak english.

The mode of transport is by tram and by bus. If possible, try to grab the tag pass for students with your attestation or carte d'etudiant. After which, for one month, you just need to tag your card on the bus or tram and you are able to travel around Grenoble.

There is a pizza shop nearby which allows you to get a big pizza (for 2 person for 4.90Euros) Trust me the Medium size is of the best deal. We have calculated that using (pi)(r^2) =X


Indeed, this SEP has allowed me to open my eyes even bigger to things around me. Today, I went to the Alliance Francais de Grenoble at Ave Gambetta to check out some courses. There is this speaking lessons (not exactly lessons) and as long as we pay the 20Euros subscription fee which will last for one year, we can go for the speaking classes as many times as we want. Good deal right! Well thats exactly what I want. If best, I want to grab a french guy and keep talking to him, and he can continually correct my french. It is really now or never. If I dont muster my french here, I will have missed the boat and there will not be a second better opportunity to do so.

For the past 3 weeks or could I say, more recently, I have been approaching people in the supermarket, on the streets, in school or whatever place and start to chit chat with them. Maybe I have become very fanatical but I feel that through normal conversations, I can get to know more about the culture, other people's views which I have always been interested and most importantly, have the opportunity to speak in french.

At the supermarket, I will be talking to someone either queuing at my back or front. Just by starting off with a simple question, I will start to ask about what is the best deals there etc. My aim: The day I fully understood what he or she tells me, I will be 60-70% there for my listening. The day when I can talk to him/her without any hesistation and spontaneously means the language is internalised just like my english and chinese. The day will come =)

In school, the lecturer still speaks super fast. I still have problems understanding what he says. Even when the lectures are in english, I will need some time to understand to think and understand. Whats more that is is french! =) But things are getting much better now. Out of the 4 modules, 1 have not begun, 1 is partially in english and I kind of learnt some of them, 1 is in french and I am pretty lost and the final one is in French but with no exams and lots of programming(which I have been busy with for the past few days). So far so good but I will need lots and lots of practise for the module in french which I am pretty lost. Hopefully will be able to understand them soon =) Must buck up!

The countries which I want to visit are still there. So far, I have been visiting the places within france only. So far so good. =)

Cooking is a must. If you want to eat good and cheap food, bring along a cook book. I must really thanks my roomie John for bringing one! =) Dont worry, you can get most of the ingredients from Carrefour Asiatic. Some of them can be gotten from normal groceries shops(Ed, Carrefour, Casino). Each is cheap in some areas of product and the house brands need not always be the cheapest.. Still in the midst of compiling =)

So far, I have tried some bouldering, ice-skating, skiing, running, gyming, table tennis and mountain walking(like army.. Shag). Fun! =) Have been keeping up with my fitness through gym as the weather is pretty cold. Hope to start swimming next week..

One last thing, just like any place in the world, people will start responding to you once you make an effort to know them. I am doing that and hopefully I will make lots of friends here =)

Le Stade Des Alpes

Voila! Here is the secret mission with Hogz! We went for a soccer match in France! The league is between Grenoble and PSG(Paris Saint Germaine) and its a France League 1 match!

The stadium is 1 year old so it is very new. Not only is the pitch awesome, the atmosphere was great~ It was in fact crazier than in Singapore which only chant Butok or Bodoh cheers!


The ticket! (actually mine is the back facing.. but its just the difference in seat number)



Me in front of the stadium!



Inside the stadium~



Holding the PSG banner~ (although i am studying in grenoble! lolz)



PSG Supporters~

Chambery Part 2

I love the scenary there...



See how clear the water is~ Cant find it in Singapore~


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My own desert! Pear + Blueberry =)



All of our 5 deserts!



My lunch (Main Course)

The entree which is the appetizer is free flow.. Was very filling after the whole meal.. After the meal, we went out and caught the "Chingay" festival. Think it is called Mardi Gras if i am not wrong. Not very sure though~ Will upload the videos later.

After Chambery, Hokito and I went of on a secret mission.. Guess what it is? ;) Photos will be up very soon!

Chambery Part 1

On Saturday morning, a gang of us went down to Chambery~ The tickets were very cheap! 4.60Euros for a ticket to chambery and the same price back to grenoble gare universite. The train ride is around 55min. Initially, I thought that at Chambery, it will just be a small town~ It is not even in any guide books! But how wrong I am~ =)

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It so happens that there is a "Chingay" like festival in the city~ Will upload the video later =)



A statue in the middle of the city



The background is very nice right ;)



Attendance taken!

Will upload more photos later =)

French Intensive Week

Finally my internet is back!! it has really been a horrible 3 days wait~

Had my french intensive week during this vacation week. For your information, it is the vacation week of spring thus there is no school!!

The french intensive week is a 4 hour lesson per day for 5 days. We started our class at 9am and ends at 1pm. During the week also, the office of the international students organised activities after classes.

In my french class, there are people from many walks of life -- From Germany, Finland, Brazil(yes the chicks are really hot), Spain, Italy, Czech. Had a lot of fun chatting with them and also exchanging some emails. We spoke a lot of french in class. As for me, I have been trying and trying to speak as much as I can to improve the tongue. =)

The activities organised by the international students office were very fun~. There is a dinner buffet on the first night after which a bar (with one free drink). Next, a billard outing, in house partying, ice skating(free) and a weekend ice-skiing. As for me, I did not go for all, except the house partying and dinner buffet. Not that I am antisocial but my train and bus to my house ends very early and thus, i cant go very far away. As for the weekend iceski, I have already other plans! (muahaha!)

Quite a fun week! Enjoyed lots of fun with the international students =) I guessed that many of them are here to enjoy themselves also instead of mugging!

Cookings in SEP

What we have been eating =)


Omelette with onions and mushroom


I cooked this cabbage soup!!


Bah Chor Mee (French version)


John cooked this =) (Tomato+Pork+Potato) with rice


Pasta with ham and cheese (looks like some cover picture rite!)

Cooking has really been an art.. =) I have enjoyed cooking my own food and ya.. so far all have tasted really great!!

Video of my home

Photos from Houille Blanche

I am staying in an appartment called Houille Blanche. Was taking some photos the other day of the scenary outside my window~

and here they are...





Here is the view outside my window today!! Its really nice to see this when I just woke up. Grabbed my camera and started clicking!!

Interesting things about France Grenoble

1. The lift has no close button. I was searching for the CLOSE button when I entered the lift for the first time

2. The city is very orderly with systems even for road cleaning. BUT they do not have a system for parking. The cars can just part anywhere and everywhere even at the middle of the road. zzz

3. The timing in Grenoble is 7hrs behind Singapore timing.

4. The entire city is a student's town. There are many students from all over the world here including Tunisia(Arab countries), Africa, Northern France, China (yes there are a lot)and Koreans. However, I have not seen any Indian here. Why?

5. It is a law in France that a module which is taught in english must be stated in advance to the students. Else, if one student in the class opposes to it being taught in English, it will be taught in French.

6. There is a large number of PRC and Koreans here. I have to admit that the Korean girls have great fashion sense even in this cold winter.

7. Most of the Chinese food stalls are in fact Vietnamese food stalls. One reason I heard is that French people can only get used to Vietnamese food! Still yet to find out if this is true.

8. There is a 5Euro Barber in Victor Hugo but no one has dared to tried it. So far the market rate still hovers at 10 to 20Euros.

9. When I thought French people spoke very fast, the lecturers speak even faster

10. It is finally snowing properly..

School Woes..

Was in school and barely caught 30% of what the lecturer is talking about. Have to figure the rest out from the notes that he gave. =P Well, thats life~ Just have to try to understand it from the internet.

Surprisingly, when I come over to france, I find that I can map a lot of modules. This is because many modules on the websites are not updated (ie. Sem 1 modules can be taken as well) and there are some new modules (which are in english) which have not been shown on the website.

Today is my first practical lesson~ 3pm to 6pm.. Shag..

Marseille

My first trip out of Grenoble.. 2 nights in Marseille~ =)

Bought the 12-25 which is actually for young people. It gives us 25%/50% discount for train rides at certain hours. If you are travelling a lot across the provinces in France, this is a must buy.

Took the bus (coach) to Valence before we took the TGV (bullet train) to Marseille.
Marseille is a port and has a large number of Muslims. From what my other friends told me, it is because the port is near other Muslim countries. That also explains the large number of kerbab, sandwich and pizza shops around.

When Charlene, John and I reached there, it was already dark. The rest who are there since morning came to the train station (la gare) to pick us up. It was moderately cold but still bearable. We walked towards Vieux Port and met up with the rest at the hotel St Louis.

Took a long walk (which include lots of photos) to our hotel. Our hotel is very nice for 20Euros per night. It is a 2 star hotel but the decorations and bed were of high quality. It even has a BATH TUBE! =P Pardon me, it is quite difficult to find a bath tube here =P ..

Had my first sandwich for dinner. I must say that the fries are awesome and the price is alright (2.50 Euros for 1).. We even had another sandwich for lunch the next day (but from diff shop). It is kind of difficult to find something around 2Euro price, full and nice. In chinese is Want it cheap, Want it fresh and Want it nice. But well, this is the best that we can find!

The next day was a full excursion day. We head to one of the Chateau to watch sun rise and the city. It was magnificent. =)

We are not able to make it for Chateau d'if as the wind is too strong for the boat to sail so we just go to Palais Longchamp. This palace was also magnificently built. The structure, architecture were wonderful.

After which we took bus 21 and headed towards a nature reserve (Luminy station). Walked up to a mini peak and took some good photos. The wind was very strong and we had to be very careful with our belongings. After which we went all the way down to the beach.. The seawater was magnificiently clear and blue. Took lots of photos (not in my camera sadly). Will have to wait for the others to upload them!

Headed back to the main town and had a fine, awesome seafood dinner. It cost 20.50Euros for one person but it is a definite must try. I had it before on the Island of Fouille (also in marseille.. it is an offshore island). The meal consists of 1/2 large crab, many mussels, prawns, clams, etc. The prawns were very juicy! It just "melts" in the mouth =P

The rest of them headed to Avignon the next day but I took the train back to Grenoble as I have been there before. It was snowing for the first time (that I have seen) in Grenoble (city). =)

The bank

Before our 2 Night trip to Marseille..

Had our bank appointment before our Marseille trip. Luckily the lady speaks slow enough for us to understand her french. It is really interesting to note that as a student of INP Grenoble, there are so many benefits, including opening accounts.. For 1Euros per month, I will be able to have an account, credit card and a cheque book. Also, I will receive a sum of money from the bank to open my account.

It also goes to say that if we have the time, we should open more bank accounts since the bank gives you money to open the account! =P

It took us 2hours to finish everything which includes signing of the documents.. Will be able to collect our card, cheque book and internet banking this coming week only.. =)

Skiing...

It is my first time seeing and touching snow and snow skiing..

We got up pretty early to prepare some bugette with ham, salad, tomatoes for lunch, so that we can eat them on our way to ski. The bus was schedule at 12.45pm in school.
As we headed towards the skiing rental shop, the tram broke down and we had to get off and wait for another one. It was 12pm. When we finally reached our skiing rental shop and got all our stuff, it was 12.30pm and we had a mad rush to the bus station with all the equipments..

Oh.. Skiing boots were really VERY heavy, plus the beton (sticks) and the skis, it was really heavy.. We boarded the bus which took 30min (or longer) to reach the top of a mountain.. It is snowing and the entire place was snow and it is very cold.. I was wearing 4 layers -- Long Johns, Shirt, Jacket and a Pull over plus a snow cap..

Skiing was really super fun.. But rather, the clumsy me just fell down countless times before I finally got it.. =P It is really shag and to learn how to ski is really not easy.. Well.. I learnt how to walk.. (after falling down many times.. just like a baby.. zZz..*dont laugh!!* ) and ski + direction change..

It is really great to see snow also.. First time in my life.. But frankly.. nothing very special.. =P The snow I saw were all rather coarse.. :P
Kind of gotten used to the cold + so many layers.. Hence hardly fell a thing..
The one week of climatisation is showing its effects but well, I am still suffering some jet lag.. (still wake up at 7 and sleep at 10pm(french time))

Spent around half a day up there before making our 30min trip down.. Well the turning and twining slope really made us feel dizzy so just sleep!!..

Had a pizza meals before John and I had our daily activity!!! Guess what?? ;) Its a very fun game, indoors and requires a ball.. lOL! Must still play some sports rite? Else I will grow fat with all the dairy food products.. =)

Time Table

Though I have mapped 8modules over, I have decided to take only 4 modules and that makes my study week 2-4 days a week.. Why 2-4 and not a fixed number? It is because 2 of my courses are not fixed days in a week and there are also project days which have not been included into the days..

Why just 4 mods? Well, long story.. Catch me online and I will tell u why~ =)

But not be jealous k.. My primary 2 days are Mondays and Fridays and that really sux!

First week

First week passed..

The first week is an awesome spending week.. Got all the kitchenwares, bedsheets from IKEA and got lots of food so that I can cook at home..

The baguette shop near our house is the best baguette I have ever eaten (trust me).. Even for a serious rice-lover, I am now totally in love with that =P Slowly becoming my staple food alr! LOL~ ..

Travelling in Grenoble has been fairly easy.. The first thing that we needed to know is which is the tram and which is the bus and the direction it is heading.. Once you are clear with that, check out the timings at the bus stop.. It is very accurate.. Really an eye opener that their transport system is so high tech..

I felt that although the technology in Singapore is high, every system is by itself and a new technology is used to solve one problem .. In the future, when the system is not needed, the technology is discarded..
On the contrary, in grenoble, the transport system is v united.. Maybe this is because the entire system is by one single company and hence, there is one standardised system.. In fact, I realised that even the card in the universities can be used uniformly throughout the entire uni.

Do note that Grenoble is made up of many universities (Joseph Fourier, INPG, etc)and yet they have one standardised system which uses just a simple card scanning.. This is something I feel Singapore is lacking.. One standardised system which can be uniformly used.. =)

Blur me...

Was quite blur this few days.. Thanks John my dear buddy for helping me out.. Just too many things came to me so suddenly and all at once.. =)

Was at INP to pay my money.. It is a long train ride.. However, when I reached there, I realised that I forgot to bring the paper.. When I took the long ride back, I realised that my paper is in the file just that it is white in color (John's form is orange) so i took a near 45min tram + bus back ... zzz

School....

Finally attended my first lessons today~~ Its in french and its very fast.. Luckily I have learnt some of them hence I am able to understand around 50% of what the lecturer is talking about =P ..

Tell you all more about the place I lived in. It is called Houille Blanche.. It has internet, fridge, mini kitchen, a good bed and a good price of 204 euros per person per month.. The room is nice and cosy.. For those people who are studying in INPG, I will definitely recommend this place ;)Cheap and good..

The weather has been ok .. Starting to wear lesser and lesser.. LOL.. So i wont look so fat now on photos!! =P

Dinner has been great so far.. Been cooking at home.. John's omelette and spagetti were awesome and the ladies -- Charlene and Aliah were also great.. So well, I guess I wont need to show my skills =X Give them chance ya =P

Pictures of dinner will be up in facebooK!! =D