Bring on the sights!

Bonjour! Today was a full day of sightseeing in the center of Lille! It is a holiday devoted to the ending of World Ward II. I mistakenly thought it was Ascension Day, but that’s in two weeks. Anyhow, many sights were closed, but enough were open to fill the day. Kami and I ventured around together and ran into several unfamiliar sights! The first, being a modern art statue of some brightly colored flowers. I forgot to mention in yesterday’s entry that on our way out of the cinema, a young woman followed us past a church shouting “Girls! Are you happy? Do you love life?” then continued on to preach a little sermon about God’s love. We should’ve told her we loved life and were already Christian, but she was obviously drunk so we nervously scuttled away. There is an exposition lasting three months here in Lille called Europe XXL. Thus, each day there are activities going on and booths set up. Today they were celebrating organic foods and tents were set up selling soy products. Kami and I tried some of them and the apricot soy yogurt wasn’t half bad. We walked through the Galleries Lafayette and stared at the sparkling luxurious shops. Then we headed down through H&M and the shops more in our price range to uncover the secrets of French fashion. I bought a fabulous mustard colored scarf for six Euro and before leaving, the saleswoman said if I wore it the way I’d tied it, I would give off the impression that I was uptight. (Little does she know I sort of am an uptight person :)) Anyway, she came around the counter and proceeded to knot both ends of the scarf and wrap it twice around me. It looked neat afterward, I’ll have to learn to replicate it.
Architecturally, Lille is very different from Paris; due to the Flemish-Dutch & German influence the buildings have much more color and are built with a sense of movement. No two sectors of a compound look the same and their steeples and windows aren’t meant to match. I tried to capture that in the picture in the town square. Finally, the last picture is of the Grand Palace, also known as the Palais des Beaux Arts. It is the Louvre of Lille as I may have already mentioned in previous entries; I am going to visit it tomorrow and cannot wait to see the works of Monet, Seurat, and especially Camille Claudel-whose exposition was in Paris while I was there but was not able to visit. Oh how I love the art of Europe.
For one of my internship classes, I have to write a ten page paper on Lille itself so I’m anxious to see more of it and pinpoint exactly what I’ll write about. But for tonight, I brought several books with me so I’d better get to reading them. It’s amazing to think that I have now been here in Lille one week!

What a day full-to-the-brim with excitement! The EGL power company went on strike today for nearly three hours! They hold the monopoly on electricity so there really isn’t much that can be done about it and they have systematically each week for the past few months been shutting off power in various parts of Lille. Today it was our sector and oh boy did it ever throw a wrench in things. No power point for staff meeting, no computer system to answer students’ questions, no accessible records, nothing. Everyone was furious and at the same time, student demonstrations started taking place right outside the university library. Gunshots, screaming, colorful outfits…To my surprise (and luckily) they weren’t protesting the power outage, they were rallying for a new student body leader!
Dean Van Peteghem spoke with Kami and me today after the staff meeting and told us that he and his family would be pleased if we’d join them for a weekend to their beach home in a few weeks. We were thrilled to hear that and we’re glad to have each other seeing as we’re the only Americans and Mormons around. She will only be here another month, but at least I’ll have a friend for awhile.
Tonight, Kami and I went to the train station and went through the ringer to get a monthly metro pass. First they denied us because we didn’t have a passport size ID photo to give them, then, after we’d gone to a booth and brought back a picture like they said, they told us they’d already shut down their computers so to come back on Saturday. What a pain :) – Oh well, all part of the adventure. This evening Kami and I explored a busy part of Lille we hadn’t yet seen and then decided to see the movie Coco Avant Chanel that seems to be all the rage here. It was fabulous! Audrey Tautou does an excellent job playing the feisty Coco and the storyline closely following her life was moving and beautiful. I’ve seen an English version with mom and this was fairly similar and just as good.
Lastly, there is a two month-long exposition going on in Lille this summer called Europe-XXL and as part of it, some of the eastern European countries have brought in several modern statues and placed them downtown. Most of them feature babies in the forms of dragons and strange things like that. I tried to take a picture so hopefully it’s clear enough to see. --I love the feeling at the end of the day of aching feet and tired eyes, which means I’ve explored to the max and had a full day. Until the next time…xo

A full full day, but no photos to prove it :)

Oh la la, I feel like I don’t have any time to journal since it’s so busy here. I like the pace and complexity of the business world though. This evening, I hopped on the metro for the first time to see what was further into Lille. I found a bigger store called a carrfour, thank heavens. Tomorrow I’m going to take my passport and buy a monthly metro pass. Friday is a holiday devoted to the end of WWII so the university shuts down, which means I sightsee! I’m anxious to see “Old Lille” and the Palais des Beaux Arts, which is considered the Louvre of the North. Also, a new movie called Coco avant Chanel (Coco before Chanel) is all the rage in Lille and it stars Audrey Tautou, one of my favorite French actresses, so I’m dying to see it. Today was a hectic day in the office, however, I’ve made progress, I sent my first two documents by email in French out to the staff this afternoon. The French keyboard is drastically different than the American one so getting them typed and grammatically correct and clear was quite the chore. :) Tomorrow I’ve been asked to cover the front desk of the department for an hour during a staff meeting and am quite nervous to do it. Sunday will be my first day at church in the Lille ward and I can’t wait to see a Mormon in this town! I thought I’d run into missionaries perhaps but haven’t yet. Cedric, the vice-dean repeated a quote that I had heard in a French comedy on the plane here called Bienvenue chez les Chti’s. It goes, “when a person comes to Lille they cry twice: once when they arrive, and once when they leave.” The North has a bad reputation for being cold and gloomy, but the people are so kind, I am sure I too will become attached and sad to leave when my time comes. Well, I’m off to do my pilates before I crash. Bonne soirée xo

My lovely little abode in Lille

I’m starting to feel so much more at ease now that I’ve moved in, organized my cute little yellow abode, and found my way around town better. Life in Lille is Lovely!

Second day on the job!

Bonjour ! Today went considerably well! I’m starting to grasp more of what goes on here in the FLSEG -Faculté libre de sciences economiques et de gestion- (The department of economic sciences and management) It’s quite complicated how the different programs are woven together but I’m learning a lot. Today I went through several of the applications and got them ready to send onto the dean. There are 40 or so applications received each day and only 30 students are accepted per semester! I saw these flowers as I was leaving my apartment, pretty huh? Well, during my layover in London on Sunday I had 4 hours free so I checked my luggage in and ran to the British Museum. I had been anxious to see the Rosetta Stone in real life, and it was just as neat as I’d imagined. My picture has a glare, but I suppose I should still put it up.
I also saw some of Michelangelo’s sketches that he did before painting his major works; absolutely incredible. Lastly, the British Museum holds a big piece of the beard of the Great Sphinx in Egypt-quite cool! While walking out of the catho today, I looked out the window of the stairwell and what do I see? Gargoyles. These are the simple European things that just tickle me. I’m really starting to get in the Lilloise spirit! Well, I’m getting hungry so I’m off to discover more of the city before everything shuts down. The adventures and work will continue, so until tomorrow…A bientot..

First Day..

First day on the job! It was excellent and I’d say overall a success. The amount of information was slightly overwhelming, but I think with time I will catch on. Everyone has been very kind to me, though I think many of them find me peculiar. Cedric Lepoutre, the dean’s assistant, took me around to all the professors and administrators to introduce me, and then showed me around. He is a nice man, and luckily will bring me some bedding, dishes, and utensils from his home. One added benefit is that I have my own office. It has a nice view of the medical school and even better, has the internet, which my apartment doesn’t. However, I am very pleased with the room I’ve been given. It is situated 10 minutes from the university and is a cute yellow room with a bed, desk, small table, fridge, and sink. It’s nice to have a place of my own to feel somewhat at home. Getting around has been rocky and there have been some small problems, but I’m trying to stay positive and work hard. Absolutely no one can pronounce my name; it’s comical. So I answer to many versions of “ay-leee”. While walking in today, I took this picture. I work on the second floor on the right side. It’s an absolutely beautiful building! I am anxious to learn and explore more. Until tomorrow…a la prochaine xo

Lille, France : Operation Internship

A year has flown by since I begrudgingly got on the return flight from Paris to Salt Lake. I decided right then and there that no matter what, I would get back to France if it was the last thing I did. Then, as if by fate, in December I was offered a fabulous internship at the Université Catholique de Lille, the largest private university in France. Monsieur Yvon Lebras and Cédric Lepoutre have been coordinating the logistics with me but here is the gist of what I will be doing: In the department of economic sciences and business management at the university there are several students who wish to work in international business, however their English skills are lacking and when it comes to interviews, they’ll need some practice. So, I’m going to spend half of my time working with them, and the other half as the administrative assistant for the dean, Monsieur Didier Van Peteghem. They will be paying for my housing and I will live ten minutes away in an international residence. Lille, being the fifth largest city in France and the cultural capital of Europe, has much to offer. I am very anxious to visit as much as I can and soak in the enchanting French life once again. In response to several inquiries, yes, I will miss Gavin very much. I can only hope that absence makes the heart grow fonder. But even though being far from him will be an adjustment, we both know what an amazing opportunity this is. Twelve days until takeoff! Bon voyage!