Merci Chambé!

I am very heavy hearted writing this final blog entry, because it really means closing the chapter of the past 4 months. Amazing people, fascinating surroundings and simply a great time.

The last two weeks were seriously insanely busy. Besides 8 exams and a presentation in a little more than a week, we went skiing for the first time in this season under semi-awesome conditions. The snow was wonderful, about 50 cm of powder. Just my own physical condition was not that great, I kinda overdid it the night before. Our last exams was Friday morning and that was enough reason to celebrate at night. Unfortunately I did not know when to stop unlike everybody else and that is why I only had 4 hours of sleep just not in my bed...

Well well... on Sunday, our last day together we went out to a last nice dinner with Emmy's and Linda's parents and Demi's dad and boyfriend. All day and all night (... --> Demi ;)) was accompanied by fun and laughter. Saying goodbye seemed unreal and I still have not completely realized the end of my exchange.

The upshot of my exchange period can be summed up in FUN, gradual improvements concering the French language combined with the feeling of not really studying. It felt different compared to the Netherlands. I learned Dutch much quicker and never had one word of it in my previous education. Maybe the similarity to Geman might have contributed to fast progress. However, I know French is much more complicated and complex. Nevertheless I can say that was truely frustrated during the first 5 weeks, because I simply did not make progress like I wanted. With regards to the subjetcs I studied at Université de Savoie I must admit that many courses formed a reptition of NHTV courses, which was not too bad, since the language made it still difficult enough to understand. The intercultural understanding proceeded to another degree of comprehending several situations, where I would have usually backed out off. French people are more extravert and tend to exaggerate their emotions or other incidents; not necessarily in a bad way, but in a way one has to get used to.

Eventually I would like to thank a few people who made my time in Chambéry unforgettable:

Demi (for being the best friend and companion during good and bad times, thank you my little croissant), Linda (for being my nice roommate, even though it was not always easy ;)), Emmy (for always making me laugh), Blandine and Cécile&Max, Keke (for being great friends, offering a lot of help and throwing amazing parties), Jihane and Hatim (for being the best project members), M1 and L3 (for understanding that the ERASMUS are never notified by any teachers and helping us instead) and of course all other ERASMUS people who created this experience with me (Daniëlle and Lore, Simon, Kyle, Illy, Jackson, Riccardo, Matthew, Rob M. and Rob C. ;), Lina, José et Manuel, all other English, American, Spanish and Italian people I forgot). THANK YOU!!!!!

Au revoir Chambé(ry), I wil NEVER forget you

BISOUS

La fête des lumières...

... is spectacular event in Lyon on the 8th of December. Hence, we went there yesterday by bus (great offer through school for all Erasmus students only 15 euros). We left Chambé at almost five o'clock and took almost two hours (usually it is one) because it was so busy.

I don't even know where to start... maybe that it was insanely crowded I am guessing at least 3 Mil people (reminded me of my New Years in New York with 5 Mil people, I hated it back then). Nonetheless it was different, maybe my companions were the reason for that.

To give you guys an idea what this event was about, you have to imagine the following: several houses which are equipped with projectors that project videos on house facades. Suppose a house's normal outline, but because a picture is projected against it, it all the sudden seems to fall apart.

Many illusions, thanks to incredible light technolgy, were created and let your mouth stand open. Moreover, every street in the center has different lights hanging between the two housefronts from butterflies to chandaliers or abstract lights there was everything. In the center square of Lyon there were huge and very colorful balloons high up in the air and combined with a ferries wheel right next to it drew a great amount of people to it.
The Bastille (a big cathedral on top of the hill) was lit up in blue and offered a great sound and light spectacle to stage thunder and a scene of mozart's symphony. Onto another building they projected a flipper game. Believe me all of this was so impressive that all words and pictures in the world could not describe it. 

Even UNICEF had thousands of tealights forming there logo and name. One could buy them for 2 euros for a good cause, it felt just normal to buy one. I might sign up for UNICEF next year, there are really people who need money to survive and to us this is just something so small and minor that everybody should actually consider donating. Most impressive though was that many people put (colored) tealights in their window frames or balconys due to the occassion of the event. Somehow they had such a great meaning!!

Right after we arrived we tried to find something to eat, Demi and I really wanted pizza, but at some point we had to split up because Emmy and Linda didn't care and Demy and I still wanted pizza, no way to find something like that when you really "need" it ;) By coincidence we found probably the best Christmas market I have ever been to. It was so nicely decorated and all the stands had extravagant jewelery, crafts, tea, wooden figuers and food. Deems and I ended up first eating a Brezel and afterwards German "Spätzel" (for those of you who don't know them, they are a type of pasta). I think Deems didn't really like them (at least not without any sauce) ;) After we met Linda and Emmy again we went back there and spent at least another two hours there. From trying Glühwein and munching cutton candy, crepes and marcrons (French speciality) we pretty much did it all.


Many times I found myself being caught in the moment of creating one of the last memories of my Erasmus semester in France. I felt weird and yeah frankly sad. Not just the lights made that night perfect but actually spending it with the people I cared for most in the last 3 and a half months. I am really grateful for these hours!

The night ended with a hot chocolate at Starbucks and Maroni (big hot nuts) and our bus returning to Chambé at almost 2 am. What a fabulous and memorable night! :)

Sinterklaas

Since I usually study in the Netherlands and have 4 Dutch girls and one Belgian girl with me here we celebrated Sinterklaas on the 4th of December (which is normally on the 5th, but because we had school we moved it to a Sunday). For all other nationalities: Sinterklaas is similar to the German "Nikolaus" and to all others well similar to Santa but then not quite ;) In Holland people believe that Sinterklaas comes by ship from Spain. The Dutch/Belgian have the tradition to write a poem to the person they give their present to. Now, as everyone knows I speak Dutch like the queen - NOT - my poem was 8 lines long, but after all it rimed, others on the other hand wrote up to two pages... oh well I tried my best =)

We celebrated at Daniëlle's house, who lives near the campus and has a quite spacious apartment. From pizza to "Pepernoten" (a Dutch speciality that tastes like "Spekulatius" a very typical Christmas taste) everything was there. We laughed a lot about the different dialects people have within Holland and in general spent joyful hours together. Thanks to the hosts again (Lore and Daniëlle) and to my Sinterklaas (Linda) for the nice present and of course to Demi and Emmy who always make me chuckle :)


De Zwarte Piet (in Holland that is a small black skinned figure that accompanies Sinterklaas on his journey) :)