illegal blogging -- 12/10-06

I am finding myself swearing a lot… and shopping a lot. And eating a lot. I waited half an hour for a bus this morning that didn’t arrive at all. Why does everything feel like a metaphor for something else? My head hurts. After waiting for non-existent bus, I walked to Perrache in a seriously grouchy I-don’t-feel-like-walking-mood, only to find about a thousand people (obviously an exaggeration) waiting for the tram… I seriously considered not going to uni today. Stay in the city. I mean, what if I get stranded in Bron tonight? But then I realised that I didn’t know what else I would do if I didn’t go to Bron. So I came to Bron. I spent forty-five minutes sharing way too much of my personal space with a tram door and many of my fellow uni students. The door keep beeping and beeping and beeping to tell us to squeeze in some more. Clearly impossible. And also fucking with my already very painful, grumpiness-inducing headache…

I don’t hate it here.

There is a bus, line number 73, that goes to a place called Craponne. Now, does anyone else find that funny or is it just my immaturity? I think the latter because I don’t see anyone else giggling at the bus stop every time number 73 goes by. This is what I do on my blog and I find it unbelievable that so many of you are actually reading it… but since you all seem to enjoy it, I am going to Craponne.

I need to find out how to say ‘crap’ in French. It’s not in my dictionary. Oh and French equivalent to ‘quack’ is ‘coin-coin’, which is kinda hard to reproduce in type as there are nasal vowels and such and such involved…

A few of you have told me that you like reading my blog because it’s so ‘honest’ and yet still amusing…. I have been thinking about honesty recently… I kind of believe, perhaps naively, that most people are honest, especially when you first meet them. See, here, whenever I meet someone new, I believe everything they tell me. I mean, why would they lie about what country they’re from, or what course they’re doing? And that made me think that maybe people only start to become dishonest when you get to know them better, because, what is there to hide from someone who knows nothing about you, and will have little impact on your life? Then that made me think that maybe honesty isn’t just about telling the truth, it’s also about what you don’t say. But surely, you cannot say EVERY thing? Then, what does it mean to be honest? How am I being honest in my blog? Or are you all being dishonest and just saying that to make me feel better? And in reality, there is a blatant lack of honesty in my blog that I just cannot see because I obviously do not understand the concept.

I am feeling very tired.

But I want to end this entry on a lighter note. Another list, because lists make me feel in control, like I have, if anything, achieved the very minimal of my goals:

• Lyon II is known as the cheap uni. I didn’t know what that meant until I tried to go to the toilets at Bron. There are no toilets. There are holes in the ground. Seriously. I know I seem to be mentioning toilets quite a lot, but hey, it features a hell of a lot in life, especially if you are like me and drink a lot of water! Actually, there ARE toilets here, but only in certain newer buildings… I don’t even bother venturing anywhere near the ‘Sanitaires’…

• Also, the lack of funds means a lack of new furniture. I am finding it incredibly difficult to: 1. Concentrate for more than 45 minutes and classes here go for 90 minutues! 2. Keep my butt still on the super rock hard wooden lecture theatre seats for the above-mentioned 90 minutes. I am probably the most squirmy person in class, everyone else must think I have worms or something :P

• As I said earlier, I am shopping a lot. I have bought myself a whole bunch of new clothes. I even bought a skirt! That’s a big deal. And I want more! I am learning very important things like, I wear size 36 for pants and 32 for shoes, and I still haven’t worked out tops yet cos they’re weird sizes. I have things in a size 1, 2 AND 3…. Well, for those who have checked out my photos, you see how little I brought with me, and I feel like I am wearing the same things everyday. Shopping makes me happy :) Retail therapy. I am missing home so much because several of you are writing me such heart-wrenchingly touching emails or sms’ or calling le out of the blue or sending me presents, so this is all YOUR fault :P

• Orange flavoured tic tacs are ORANGE!!!

• I love my swiss army knife! Thanks Chris! I am using it to do very important things, like open letters, pierce the lids of microwave dinners, open parcels, open the super tough packaging the water comes in etc etc

• I am loving indoor rock-climbing! Every time that I think I cannot possibly reach the top of a wall, or the next grippy thing, and I try and I DO reach it, it feels awesome. I underestimate myself too much. I also over-estimate myself. So…

• Food: Asians grocery stores are like heaven. I bought a whole stack of sauces and noodles and such and such and made myself vegetarian rice-paper rolls the other day. Yum!! Also had soba noodles with soy sauce and wasabi. YUM! I really miss Japanese food!!! Also learning things like, mushrooms don’t keep so well without a fridge. Neither does mint. Cherry tomatoes keep fine. For a little while.

• I realised the other day why my room is always for frekkin hot. My heater has been ON all this time!! No, I didn’t turn it on, I just thought it was the late afternoon sun coming through warming up my room.. the last person in there must’ve left it one… must’ve been costing the residence a packet! Lucky I don’t have to pay bills :P

• Catdog’s ‘wish-me-well’ came true and I had a very nice French boy smile at me, hold open a door for me, and help me with my shopping :)

• Book are super cheap here!! And still there is more food than books in a room. Gotta be a first. Hopefully a last.

Ok, gotta head off to class soon. More for next time. I’ll you about the café international party and the free tour of Lyon. And hopefully exciting things that will happen this weekend. Like the release of the Petit Paumé :))

À bientôt! xx