Tag Archives: exchange

30 Days of Happiness – Day 1

Salut!

It has certainly been a while since I have last posted anything on here. The reason for that is surely not because the workload is too much, but because I have been overly occupied with my perpetual state of sickness. Homesickness, food sicknesss, sick sickness. I am sick of being sick.

My state of being has been so close to rock bottom that I believe I can only move up from here. Hence, the commencement of my thirty days of happiness where I will share something happy. Because we all know that the world could use a little bit of happiness right now. Especially considering the turn of events with the American elections recently. The first thing I could say I am happy about right now is that I am a Canadian citizen. However, here is my first entry,

Today, I am happy with having the most supportive friends. Despite the nine hour time difference, we are able to communicate with each other and they continue to listen to all my shit. So bless them for having to hear about my problems while I am on what is supposedly an ‘envy-worthy exchange’. I am also happy to have received a book from my brother today. It was my birthday present from him and it seems to be such an interesting book. I have forgotten the title however the book concerns race and identity in America. Once I finish the book I shall talk about it on here! Hopefully by then I will remember the title.

It is 11:37 PM and I am tired.

À la prochaine!

Mar-sail away

September 17-September 18, 2016.

My first weekend trip outside of Lyon and I went to Marseilles avec quelques amies. The adventure began as soon as we stepped outside of our houses as we all struggled to reach the bus station. D’abord, we took the wrong bus to the tram station which lead us to the metro. Ensuite, we took the wrong metro vers l’autre direction. Then, we found our way back to the tram station we originally meant to go to. At that point we were very close to missing our bus to Marseilles. Luckily, our bus arrived 45 minutes late! The laissez-faire attitude on time here in France finally worked in our favour for once.

Soon we arrived in Marseille and found our way to our Airbnb. We stayed on a boat. This required us to take the most insane ferry ride to L’Ile du Frioul. The waves were like hungry arms of blue, trying to wave for attention.

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Then when we arrived to the port on the island, our Airbnb hosts greeted us. That couple was the most french couple I’ve ever seen. They were so beautiful and kind. They also helped us practice our french which was an added bonus. Bref, il faut que vous restez là.

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En fait, we began exploring the island and found our way to the beach.

This first photo was from this clearing we found. We were absolutely stunned. The area was fairly desolate and no one was really around except for the kind lady who took our photo. She unfortunately had to go through trying to take a photo with a DSLR. We ended up just using my camera, a classic point-and-shoot.

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This next photo, self-explanatory. It was a nice lookout point on our way to the beach. We were maybe 20-30 meters away? We stopped so much that all we really had time for was the beach. I am not regretting our time there though as that view is one that I will never forget.

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This next photo truly reminded me of home. Coming from Richmond, B.C., I am fairly used to being surrounded by water and seeing blue everywhere. As I was walking through the docks in Frioul, it reminded me a lot of the Steveston area in Richmond with the boats everywhere and the overall scent of saltwater.

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As for cultural excursions, we briefly had time to visit a few museums while we were in Marseille. The weekend we visited happened to be the Les Journées du Patrimoines. Basically, all museums were gratuit. I found this amazing mural by the entrance of Vieille Charité, which is this huge cultural centre with plenty of exhibits.

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Au fond, the trip to Marseille was a great first trip outside of Lyon. It was interesting seeing the differences between the two cities of Lyon and Marseille. Where Lyon is a fairly large and bumping city, Marseille is more relaxed. I would love to revisit Marseille in another season. Maybe when I return to Europe? It’s already Automne and the weather is rapidly changing.

Final note,

I clearly am not posting as much as I would like to. That being said, I will make sure to post every Wednesday from now on because at least now I have a fake deadline to work with and motivate me! However, if you do want a more frequent update, you can follow me on snapchat: patbatcat or Instagram: patriciaabatalla . I post daily photos for my weekly themes on Instagram so I definitely have a greater presence on there. I promise to post more on here though!

How to Get Over Being Homesick

Salut!

I have been in Lyon for almost a week now and I have been feeling less and less homesick everyday. As I try to navigate the city and the school system, I realize that it is okay to struggle in adapting to the culture. Here are ways that have helped me adapt to the city,

Get Lost
- As scary as this may seem, getting lost is a solid way of practicing your French skills when asking strangers for directions and practicing how to read a map. Here in Lyon, the direction North is certainly not towards the mountains like in Vancouver.
Call Home
- I have been so lucky to have such an amazing support system at home. Despite the 9 hour time difference, I know that I will always be able to call someone at home in case anything happens to me. It’s understandable to feel unsafe and anxious in an area where everything is just so frustrating.
Get Frustrated, then Accept the Differences in Culture
- Today I went to my orientation for the school and so much information was given. Mind you, all of the information was given orally in French and these people speak really fast. Conclusively, I still am unsure of where to really go and what to do about my classes. The entire experience so far is extremely frustrating and a lot of these feelings derive from the lack of communication and the language barrier. As much as I am able to understand their lectures, I think that with any new institution, it will take time to settle in and have everything together. My advice to myself or to anyone like myself, is to be patient and continue to float on through the system, wherever it may take me – as long as it is not home.
Go Outside
- I found that I am the least anxious when I go on an adventure and just get some air. Luckily for me, everywhere around me is an adventure. The weather has been fairly humid for the past week but it is now starting to remind me of the fall time in Vancouver, cloudy, wet, and chilly. Finally it is the perfect weather to go for a run and clear my head! Also, having some wine by the river or on the top of the hill is an amazing way to relax.
Cry
- Sometimes you just need to get it out of your system and that is okay.

My shameless plug:

Snapchat: patbatcat

^ I considered making videos here but I am way too insecure to be taking videos of my life here. The walls in residence seem pretty thin and I do not want to look like a tourist even though I most definitely look and sound like one. Thus, snaps of my day seem much rather fitting.

Instagram: @patriciaabatalla