I'M COMING HOME!!!!!!!!

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!! I've been waiting for this for ages lol.

Han went back last night so I went and dropped her off at Perrache, where she got the bus to the airport, so she's already home now. I'm getting the airport bus from Perrache with Bethan at around 6.40pm, and will have to check in etc, and the plane takes off (it's Easyjet, so hopefully on time if not earlier lol, although I'm not holding my breath, stupid half term!!) from Lyon Saint Exupéry airport at 21:25 French-time, and I'll arrive at Gatwick at 22:00 England-time. My bag is SO heavy; I'm sure it's going to weigh over 20kg, eekkk! Lol I don't mind if I have to pay extra though, only my own fault if I do :-P

Today I listened in to my friend Suzie's radio show for Reading University, and texted her and she did a shout out for me which was lush (",) can't wait to see her and my other 3 ex-housemates!!!

Since the last blog I've met the family from back home and done a babysitting-stint for them which was good! They seemed really nice, plus funnily enough they're travelling back to Edenbridge today as well lol, but they're driving up to Calais and getting the ferry, taking slightly longer than my hour and a half long flight :-P

I get back from England next Thursday, and J Lo's coming to visit the day after that until Tuesday, so that should be good. I didn't end up getting football tickets for the Liverpool/Lyon match in Lyon on the 4th Nov because prices were extortionate; however I know it'll be just as good to see it in a Lyon bar; I went to see the first leg of the match played the other day in a Scottish bar and the atmosphere was amazing!! I said before the match that I'd support Lyon because I'm here for the year, but when the game started I automatically started cheering for Liverpool lol, Dad supports Liverpool (as does Hannah) so I guess at least he'll be pleased :-P

Really looking forward to seeing everyone back home over the next few days (",) I'm going to be pretty busy rushing around trying to see everyone, but it'll def be worth it, I miss everyone loads! Can't wait to see you all in the very VERY near future (",)

Bisous! Jess xx

"Anyone can see bread?!"

Bonjour à tous!


Life in Lyon is going so quickly! 1 week today I'll be back in the UK now (",) so excited! Still making plans all over the place which is très exciting aussi!

The other day Bethan, Hannah and I went out for a meal (our first proper French meal together!!) in a little bouchon (a typically Lyonnais restaurant) which was sooo nice (",) I had the Lyonnais salad, then a steak with dauphinoise potatoes, and crème brûlée, and it only cost 15€ which I thought was really good seeing as portions were MASSIVE lol, very VERY good times, will definately be going there again (",). And another day we went to Fourvière (the basilica at the top of one of the collines in Lyon) for a walk around, and managed to find Jesus :-P before going back to Bethan's for fahitas which was nice!

Last Saturday all the English lot went out for Suzie and Roisin's birthdays, we had a toga party in halls which was IMMENSE before a quick costume change :-P we ended up going to our favourite Irish bar before going to a club on a boat called Sirius which I'd never been to before, but it was reeeally good, defo one to visit again! And when we were out I met a guy that had my name which I found hilarious... it was pretty funny lol :-P he's the one in the middle on the last photo below.

I'm STILL waiting for a parcel that Mum sent at LEAST two weeks ago to come through, so annoying! I hate this stupid long-distance mailing thing, it takes FOREVER, I bet I won't have it by the time I come home :-(! I went to the Halls Reception a couple of days ago to ask if they had it (in case they couldn't fit it in my postbox) and I was very rudely told that "on ne guard pas la poste" MEGA-A-GRR, so will have to keep waiting on that front :-(

Hannah FINALLY made it back to Lyon (I missed her :-P) after she went home for her sister's wedding; the pictures on Facebook are gorgeous (",). She's turning into a French person lol, the other day she said "Anyone can see bread?" (in English) as a QUESTION HAHAHAHA (that's the french word order for saying "Can anyone see bread?"), it was sooo funny lol, we've been saying it all the time recently :-P as well as creating new variations, favourites include "Anyone can see vodka?!" and "Anyone can see Jess?!" Good times.

Went to go and visit a new friend called Mary at her flat the other day at Croix-Rousse, which is one of the other hills in Lyon. There was a funfair-type thing which seemed to last for miles :-P but it was really good, below is Hannah and her epic fail on a machine she (embarrassingly) INSISTED on playing lol:

Heating is currently not working in halls which is horrible because it's around the 0 degree mark over here atm!! I wake up and look at my radiator and it makes me SO angry because the bloody thing doesn't even work! So I have taken the measurements necessary to heat up my room my OWN way.. :-P...which consists of opening my shower door and closing the shower curtain, and putting the shower on full blast and full heat for a few minutes; it warms up my room and seems to do the job, even if the room does end up full of steam :-P it's nice!! Lol.

Upcoming plans include meeting Jo and her family on Saturday (tomorrow) morning before going round theirs to babysit on Monday, booking football tickets for the Liverpool vs Lyon match, shopping, going to lectures, and booking weekend breaks for when I come back after half term, busy busy!

Will blog again before I go home (",) lots of love!

Bisous! Jess xx

17 jours jusqu'à la rentrée chez moi! ♥

Only 17 more days and I'll be home! I can't wait! So many people to see and so much to do; I've already written a plan of everything I want to do otherwise I'm not quite sure how I'm going to fit everything in! So excited though, and really looking forward to seeing everyone I've already made plans with, as well as those that I'm still hoping to see too (",)

Went to the market outside halls on Sunday, a couple of pictures below:

Hannah's coming back to Lyon this evening which I'm really excited about, it feels like she's been gone forever!!

I'm planning to spend this week getting excited about going home :-D and planning that. As well as that, I really want to go and see "Le Petit Nicolas" at the cinema, and I think the plan is to try and go to Karaoke :-S, and I want to go to a bouchon (a specifically Lyonnais restaurant.) At the weekend I'm planning on going to the aquarium, and probably do some more sightseeing...because I can! Am hoping to get out of Lyon soon, in the sense of visiting other places :-) I really want to visit Jess in Montpellier, Gavin in Nantes, J Lo in Orleans, people in Paris etc etc, and I REALLY want to get some skiing done while I'm out here, seeing as I've brought all my stuff with me it'd be a waste not to really :-P, the mountains are really close too, so I'd be stupid not to go! Plus a few of the girls have been throwing around the idea of going to Spain, Geneva, and Germany, as well as short weekend things like the beach, so hopefully some of those'll come together and I'll be able to make the most of this year! :-)

I phoned a family friend of a family friend back home who now lives in Lyon, and am hoping to meet up with her and her family in the near future, it's really nice to know there's someone on hand to help out if something goes wrong, as well as to get another perspective on Lyon!! Either way, am really looking forward to that (",)

Again, hope all reading this are well and taking care of themselves, will write again soon!

Bisous! Jess xx

Stop La Grève.com

...seems to have done its job lol, as of Monday Lyon shall be returning its normal public transport timetables, about bloody time too!! I'm sick of listening to myself moan about it lol. Earlier Cryssy and I went to Bellecour to see a protest against the grève which was pretty cool lol, see left. They started chanting and waving their banners around at one point which was mildly exciting :-P.

I didn't get to pay my rent at Reception the other day because the women that work their decided to SHUT the office the minute they saw Crys and I rock up at QUARTER TO FOUR (they're meant to shut it at four,) I was (and am still) SO angry, I left with Crys eventually, whilst swearing about them all (in English, bien sûr) so I have to go back on Monday. So annoying. There's one lady that looks like Professor Quirrel (from Harry Potter,) I think she might have Voldemort hidden on the back of her head. A-grr.

On the right is a picture of me outside the Metro stop Montplaisir-Lumière, where the Lumière brothers's (the creators of cinema) house was. Crys and I went there today after seeing the grève protest so I could have a look around the museum about their work for my dissertation, it was really interesting but I got a headache looking at all of the exhibits because they were mainly all films, either way it was really good, and I'm pleased that I've made a start on my dissertation, even if it is still in the research department side of things (",).

This is a picture that I really wanted to upload on here from Bellecour, a couple of Saturday's ago:

It is, basically, what you can see. A pile of shoes. I think it was some charity thing, basically aimed at people that had old shoes they didn't wear anymore and stuff, the idea was to come along and make a massive pile of shoes that would be given to the homeless, or in this case, shoeless. It was SO funny watching all these French people THROW shoes onto a pile, hahaha. Only in France.

I've spoken to Guy and Mum on the phone today which was nice on both occasions :-) I love phone calls!! Although I managed to talk to Mum mainly about the public transport strike...as I am with most people at the moment, France is turning me into an old biddy :-P talking about buses all the time lol, thank god the grève ends on Monday is all I can say!

I bought a really cute necklace today :-) from a shop in Vieux Lyon (a place which I am beginning to fall a bit in love with lol,) it's got a silver chain and is a blue circle of turquoise, so pretty! And when I was in Vieux Lyon there was a group doing dancing and performing and stuff, I've got a video of one of the guys doing Michael Jackson but they were doing other really cool stuff too, like street dancing and stuff, anyway, yeh they were immense!

Am going to the food market tomorrow, so will be sure to blog again sooooooon (",)

Bisous! Jess xx

I grève therefore I am..

Day 10 in the grève kingdom that is Lyon and good news; yesterday I managed to get back from Bron (the other campus) IN AN HOUR :-D!! While I can appreciate this sounds far too long for any commutable distance to most people reading this, the one-hour journey actually made my day lol! I did however have to wait around 30 minutes for the bus outside halls in the morning morning... not good... but I made it in the end :-)!


In other news... I suffered my first proper homesickness last weekend, and am thankful that it only seemed to last a couple of days but hoping it won't strike again! Hannah went back to England on Wednesday night for her sister's wedding on Saturday so I'm going to have to try and live without her for a few days until Tuesday :-( :-P but it was horrible saying goodbye to her, thankfully she gave me her room key so if worst comes to worst I can go into her room and rock backwards and forwards cuddling her teddy...that was a JOKE hahaha!! Oo and J Lo's hopefully coming to Lyon on Friday (a week today) for a visit so am looking forward to that :-)!

I went out on Monday night with Hannah; we went to a couple of irish bars and met some randoms which is always interesting lol, was a good night although I don't think I'll drink that much again for a while.....................

Today I have to go and pay mine and Hannah's rent :-( sad times, it's only €224 a month though, and it'll be even less with that when I get CAF; (basically money I get from the government to go towards my accomodation,) plus Crys and I reeeeally need to go food shopping so we're gonna go to Leaderprice in a bit, now that we can finally get places on public transport here (",)

This weekend is, unfortunately, going to be devoted to dissertation work :-( although it might turn out to be fun; I'm planning on going to loads of cinema museums and have a look around, so hopefully it'll actually end up being quite interesting!! Plus, tomorrow at 2 at Bellecour there's going to be a protest against the grève, so I really want to see what happens there, and Crys and I really want to go and see what happens so that should be cool!

Again, hope all reading this are well, feel free to post back to my blogs because it gives me something to do other than read french newspapers and practise my French :-P, will upload some pictures of Lyon and things next time I blog!

Bisous! Jess xx