Finally, the last day in Lille.  2 weeks before today, I would have given almost anything to fly home early because many of my friends had left for home already and I really missed my family and friends.  Now, I almost want an extra day because I realized how invested I’ve become in this city, country, and experience.  Just being able to spend a term in France has been amazing, but it was the people around me for the last 5 months that made it truly extraordinary, and I will remember this forever. 
Ask any post-exchange student, and almost all of them will agree that this has been a major part in their life, one of the most terrifying things that they have done, but also one of the most rewarding.  I remember the panic attacks I had before I flew here, worrying about where I was going to live, and how I would get enough cash every month for rent and food.  I mean, it isn’t until you arrive that you realize that this new city could be (and is usually) very different from what you’re used to.  Everything from how you greet a friend, open doors (and trust me, I have way too many embarrassing stories about that), to writing your final exams is different from what we’re used to.  Amazingly, we all took it to stride, and within a month or two, we knew how everything worked and finally felt at home.  Lille became our new home base, a friendly face to return to after a trip, because you know that there was a quiet room and a comfy bed waiting for you after a 5 hour bus ride. 

    I’ve learned so much in what I feel like was a short amount of time.  Hopefully I retain most of this knowledge before I chuck it out the window of the plane as I’m flying home.  Studying and taking classes was just a part of it, but what you gain from planning trips and all the mistakes that we’ve made has been significant as well.  How many times have we gotten lost in a new city and had to ask a local?  How many times have we heard the wrong thing in french and replied incorrectly, making us look like idiots?  Numerous times.  But you know what?  That’s exactly what an exchange is like.  I felt like we had all these lower points so that all our positive memories are even more wonderful than they already are.
    I’m not going to lie: I’m going to cry like a baby tomorrow at the train station and the airport.  Hell, I’ve already cried today!  As happy and excited I am to return to my beloved Edmonton, I will always have a special place in my heart for Lille, Le Catho, my exchange friends, and my host family.  Together, they have done so much from me that I can’t even put into words how grateful I am.  All the international students are really another family for me, since we went through this together, and however sad it is that I’m going to see these awesome people for a very long time, I have no doubts we will meet up again and have a blast like we did in Lille. 

    And don’t even get me started on my host family!  It was seriously good luck and a whole boatload of karma that I stumbled on this opportunity to live with a french family and really see this side of french culture.  They have been my family away from home, and are some of the best people I know.  If I was home and lounging around on the main floor, they always invited me to eat with them, and really made me feel like I was a part of their family.  They are even taking me to the train station tomorrow so that I don’t have to lug my suitcases around!  Trust me, I’m going to have some pretty serious ugly cries. 
    My best friend HoneyB told me that in the movie Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis (northern France is referred to as Ch’tis), there is a line “A stranger in the north cries twice; once when he arrives and once when he leaves”.  This proverb has failed me!  I have cried more than once since I’ve been here.  Seriously though.  I will definitely be returning to Lille so that I can see my beautiful host family again, and remember all the wonderful time here. 
    To everyone that I’ve met this year and has been a part of my time here, thank you.  Thanks for all the laughs, the bis, and take care.  Lille, it’s been fun. 

So long, farewell, and thanks for all the Leffe Rubies,
S.

    Finally, all my exams are over!! Not to offend anyone back at home, but when you have more than 6 classes, the feeling of pure joy is much more enjoyable.  Continuing on.  With all the exams and orals out of the way, there were 3 weeks left in Europe for me.  What to do?  Travel with what little money I have left!  I’ve talked about going to Amsterdam and Netherlands since I arrived here since it really isn’t too far from where we lived in France.  It just made sense to go there for our celebratory “no more classes” party.
    Ahh buses, we meet again.  Curse you for being so much cheaper than taking trains!  I shake my fist at my laptop screen.  The biggest problem with busing (besides being locked up on a nauseating moving box for hours) is the unpredictability of traffic.  We got stuck in a traffic jam for an hour and a half before we finally pulled into Amstelstaation.  Thank. Goodness. Buses are not my forte.
    Now, Amsterdam is most well known for two things - their Red Light District, and the amount of weed you can buy and smoke in the open.  Some will be dissappointed that I didn’t participate in either, but I have two good reasons:  a) For 15 minutes alone with one of the ahem, workers at the Red Light District starts at 50€ and I obviously don’t have that type of money, and b) smoking’s not for me thanks (mum should be proud).  Despite that, we still had a wicked time!

    We took a free tour of Amsterdam, with our tour guide, Lee!  Instead of paying a flat rate, the guides make money by tips that their groups give them, if they think that they did a good job at the end of the tour.  Our guide was born in Amsterdam, grew up in Canada, and came back because her hometown was too awesome, and I don’t blame her!  It was super informative without being boring, and made us appreciate the city even more.
    The next day, we rented bikes so we could be just like the locals and ride around the city.  It’s probably more common to get run over by a bike than any other type of vehicle in Amsterdam.  Cruising around the city centre on bikes was so refreshing and allowed us to go see more sites with less effort.  We stopped by a microbrewery, the famous I Amsterdam sign, and then I took a solo trip to the Van Gogh museum!  It was hella expensive (14€…) but so worth it.

Other highlights of our trip included:
me getting caught in a storm while riding back to the hostel
finding Chinatown in Amsterdam and getting delicious dinner
going to H&M so that we can say we went to one in every city
getting frites everyday
getting beer everyday
…not a glutton. I promise.

It was just really good beer.
Still don’t understand a word of Dutch,
S.

    Ahh, another reason why I’m in love with Europe - the possibility of a day trip.  Day trips are possible in North America as well, but travel time increases, and options as well.  Being able to study in Northern France was a huge advantage, because our city is literally 20km from Belgium, and if I had any more money, I could easily hop on a train and go to Paris in an hour.  Sure everybody loves a capital city, but experience some hidden gems!  Calais was the perfect choice. 
Calais is a city in the region Pas-de-Calais, on the northwestern coast of France.  It is closest part of France to England, and if you look hard enough, you can actually see the famous white cliffs of Dover.  Calais was under English power for awhile, but was eventually returned to French hands.  Although Southern is arguably more well known for fabulous beaches (because face it, when you can easily drop the name Mediterranean, you’re probably going to win), that’s not to say that Northern France can’t put up a good fight.  We decided to take a day trip to check it out.  Let’s go!

    Calais was pretty quiet when we first arrived, but immediately we had smiles on our faces when we saw clear blue skies and a beautiful city hall building surrounded by flowers.  Seriously, I wish Lille had more flowers like this in our main squares!  They also have a sculpture by Auguste Rodin in front of the building.  But enough about flowers, because we wanted a beach.

    I have to say that after being lucky enough to lounge around at the beaches in Cannes, Calais’ beach is equally fantastic.  It was quiet windy and not “lay outside with no clothing” time yet, but the super soft sand and general magnitude was awesome.  We enjoyed so much that we stuck around for a few hours while picnicking near the ocean.  I felt like I stuck my head through a postcard.  Oh wait, I would just get a face of paper like that.  Nevermind.

    We didn’t do much more that day, besides grab some ice cream, but it was so relaxing and refreshing that we could not have had a better day there.  We did hear a lot of English being spoken though.  One possibility is that the ferry that crosses the strait brings many English tourists.  I didn’t mind, of course, but that accent does get a bit thick sometimes.
Now I feel like getting some more ice cream,
S.

When someone tells you that Northern Europe can be extremely cloudy and rainy, do not question it because it’s true.  For the past few weeks, Lille had not been nothing but clouds and storms.  Not just Lille, but Paris as well.  We were in dire need of some sunshine, so our trip to the south of France came at the perfect time.  A week with 5 other girls on the beaches of the Côte d’Azur was exactly what we needed.  Before I start my (generally extremely long) blog, I just want to say that we beat the odds, did not have any cat fights, and were a fantastic group despite being six females.  Woot!
    We had a little trouble with our trains and locating our apartment, but it was worth it when we saw gorgeous everything was.  The beaches, the city, the apartment, everything was beautiful.  I guess you luck out when your city is graced with celebrities every year for the Cannes film festival. 

    We alternated our days between lounging around the beach and doing more exciting and stimulating activities - renting vespas, taking day trips to other cities and countries, and catching ferries to islands and crystal waters.  I feel like this is one of those trips where words can’t capture anything, so I’ll just leave photos.  It also means that people might actually look at my blog because there are more pictures than words.

Our favourite beach

Nice, the Florence of France

San Remo, Italy, and Monte Carlo, Monaco

Île St-Margherite.  Look, Kirst touched a jellyfish!

I think half of us got heat stroke or burnt because we’re trying to compensate for the Vitamin D that we’ve been lacking.  Alas, the fairytale has ended, and here I am, typing up an endless number of blog entries on the train back home.  SNCF has also been having lots of issues recently.  What’s going on? 
This train better take me back home and not to Siberia,
S.

Update:  Our first train got delayed, and since SNCF knew that we wouldn’t be able to make the connection, we were told to stay on and get off at Paris, then take the metro over to our trusted Gare du Nord and take the latest train home.  Good heaven help me, I never want to run around metros at night with heavy luggage again.  I’m just glad that the trip ended well and I’m safe at home.  Now, time to pass out.