So, one thing that I am really enjoying here in Nice is the efficiency and just general awesomeness of the public transit! So in this post I'm going to talk about the transit system that I've come to depend on -- and enjoy using!

After starting to settle into the jour typique à Nice, I've started to use public transit to get around. When I first arrived, I was walking everywhere. As wonderful as it is for me to walk in the city streets, after moving into my apartment getting around with nothing but my two feet wasn't as logical of an option for me. I live just north of the "centre-ville" of Nice, right where the hills start to climb up. The French Riviera cities are all on a narrow strip of level land where the Mediterranean Sea meets the beaches. Small mountains encircle the cities, giving it a very picturesque look that is classic of the area. Anyways, I ramble! Long story short, I'm a far distance from my university, so I needed to start using the "Lignes d'azur", the public transit here in Nice.

The public transit here is nothing short of wonderful. As a user and strong believer in public transportation, I am happy to finally be living in a place that believes in it too! There are numerous bus routes which provide excellent coverage to the city (I believe there are around 60 routes in the entire route, I'll confirm that in my next post), and the service frequency is usually every 5-10 minutes within central Nice! There is also the LRT tram which quickly and smoothly gets you to many destinations across the city. And the best part: a "solo" ticket only costs 1€!! A far cry from the $3 fare paid to use Toronto's public transit (which has comparable transit services to those of Nice's) !! Europe as a whole is like this; a German friend of mine was shocked when I told her how the service frequency during peak hours in Guelph is only 20 minutes. The EU is very knowledgeable about the need for good public transit, and investing money into it pays off. Cheap fare and excellent service -- it's a rare occasion to be riding in an empty bus or tram here in Nice!

image from: http://www.nicematin.com/media_nicematin/imagecache/article-taille-normale-nm/Tram_0.jpg

To conclude, I'll make one last point as to just how awesome it is using the transit. All of the vehicles... are made by Mercedes! That's what I'm talking about!! If you don't believe me, régardez :

image from: http://89.img.v4.skyrock.net/89d/nissabus/pics/2497712039_small_1.jpg

(Okay, so apparently it's gonna cut the picture short when I post it, so I guess you'll just have to take my word for it people!!)

My "blog moments" always happen so late at night, and right now, it's approaching 2am. And of course, I have school tomorrow! So, until my next post...

À bientôt à tous

Two Weeks In

Bonjour everyone!

Well, I am aware that there are at least a COUPLE of you who have voiced concerns over my long absence from MeLiFaTh! I apologize for my lack of blogger-commitment! The past couple months were very busy, with work and getting the final details taken care of for my exchange. But, long story short....I'm here! And I just know that everyone wants to hear about la France. So, I'll just cut to the chase and get down to business.

Well, the flight...it was like any transatlantic flight could be. Yes, it was exhausting. Those "I'm so excited" fumes only power the body and mind for so long, let me tell you -- especially once you get off the airplane only to discover it's a brand new day here! Luckily, I had a 6 hour layover in London, so I found a nice padded bench, and crashed for a few hours. Then it was off to Nice. A short little flight across the country, and I was standing on French soil for the first time in over two years. At this point, I was in robot mode (thanks to our good friend sleep deprivation), so I didn't really think much about it all. For me it was "bag-bus-hostel-bed".

I spent the next few days trying (in near desperation) to find an apartment. Being without accomodations was very stressful. I just felt like I was in too much of "vacation mode", and I didn't like it. But, lots of searching and trying to contact landlords eventually payed off, and I was able to secure my flat. I settled in, started going to my classes at school, and just meeting people.

We are now two weeks in. And I must say, things are starting to smooth out. Little by little I'm crossing things off of my mental "to live here" list. In France, red tape is very sequential, and things need to be done in a precise way, and in a precise order. At first, it can seem overwhelming, all of the requirements and documents to gather, but I have found that there is a certain strategy to getting it all done: follow the guidelines and rules carefully, but also listen to what your fellow international classmates are saying too. In France, a business or service's posted hours don't mean anything -- some places really seem to rely on the old "word of mouth" method!! Ironically, for a place who has enough paperwork to make a forest of trees quiver in fear, handing it in and processing times really doesn't seem as big of a deal as it is in Canada. I just "show up" to the classes I am taking, as in France the true enrollment (l'inscription pédagogique) doesn't happen until October, when you sign up for your exams.

After thinking about all of the things I've needed to get done here, I like to just stop and think about how fascinating it is. Sure, they do things differently than in North America. But the thing to remember is, it works for them! This is the way of life in this country, and outsiders just need to accept it, or get out. I am really enjoying the way daily life is here in France, and look forward to each new day and what it will teach me. Every minute of my life over here is spent observing, learning, and adapting: it is truly a very fulfilling experience. Being surrounded by the language every day is working wonders for my goal of bilingualism; just walking down the street is helpful, as it's exposing me to the sounds and "flow" of the language. And, although it takes more time to achieve than meeting other international students, I am starting to become more confident in my French speaking abilities, thus allowing me to meet and become friends with French people. Of course, this is the key to my ultimate reasons for being here in the first place; as good as any foreign student may be to speaking French, un vrai français will have the best knowledge of the current, up-to-date French spoken.

So, I will try to be more regular with my blog postings from now on. A fellow blogger and dear friend of mine (who's blog you can find here) suggested it would be a good outlet for me to share all of my new discoveries of the culture and food of France. I'm going to try to share all of this on here, even if it's just a few pictures or some cool music from France! With that, I leave you with a picture, one of my favourites that I have taken thus far:

This was taken two nights ago, as me and some friends were walking back from dinner along la Proménade des anglais. I love how the lights just gently curve off into the distance, with the headlights of the cars gently moving along. Anyways, that's all for now! Any comments or questions are, of course, always more than welcome!

À bientôt !