Hansford in Grenoble - Video Diary Part 4

A little video to say welcome back to you all!
Mike :)

Christmas, New Year and Getting back to Grenoble!!

Hello everyone!

Firstly, I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year.  It's been an epic time for me...

Christmas and New Year

Christmas was very much a family affair for me.  I got to see several members of my family at different times throughout the short time I had.  I only got back to the UK around the 21st December so I wasn't exactly loaded with time.  Christmas Day saw my Grandparents come round for a traditional British roast dinner of turkey and beef (yes, we fulfill the stereotype well) which was a great occasion for all.
Shortly after I got myself up to Lincoln for a rare return to my university town.  I was lucky enough to spend a fantastic week with my girlfriend Bethany and some other mutual friends.  Highlight of the week was a great New Year's Eve party with some friends who piled Erasmus-style round the house for some banter.  All in all, a great time and it was a real shame to have to leave.  Ultimately, it was always going to happen, I guess.  Good things have to come to an end but I am very excited to be getting back.  In any case, Bethany will be coming to visit soon in Grenoble so that more than makes up for it.





Can't go wrong!




So what happens next?  Well, tomorrow I return to France to continue my Erasmus adventure - very exciting!


To get back to all my friends and coursemates will be a breath of fresh air again and will be a long time coming. 
Next Saturday evening I will be at LondonPub at around 8pm for a birthday 'night out', as my 21st birthday is on the Sunday.  Any of my Erasmus friends out there are more than welcome to join us and celebrate!

For those of you who are new to Grenoble - I certainly hope to see people around.  Many of us lot are old hands around the town so anything you need, just ask!  Besides, it would be great to meet more people from all over the world. (and if there are any English folk out there, do show yourselves!!)

Tomorrow the madness begins again!  I will be in town around 7pm local time - I'll be on the train from Gare de Lyon that pulls in around 1840 :)

Part 2 awaits.

Best wishes to you all!

Mike :) 

End of October holidays!

Hello everyone!

Well, the end of October is here. And no, I take no interest in your Halloween costumes! 

The end of October can only mean a nice week-long holiday and break from the stresses of college life.

Life in IUT2 is good, really getting into lessons now and understanding the content better. My group work for economics got handed in too, which is all sorted. 

Small word of caution for you out there: the CROUS restaurants appear to be closed this week - definitely caught me by surprise. Suddenly having to make alternative plans was certainly not on the cards!

Most of my classmates and friends appear to have gone to all four corners of the continent this week, making me startlingly alone in this big old city. Got a couple of friends dotted about though.

The Centaurs sit 1-1 after a tough loss the other week to the Falcons. Hopefully this weekend will bring about a victory!

There is also a chance to get some refereeing done this weekend with some of the junior matches in the area. Should be great fun!

I must keep remembering to post these. If you see me in town, prod me to write another one!

Ill let you all know how I'm doing soon!

Best wishes

Mike :)

Hello everyone!

Hello everyone!

Goodness me its been too long since I last posted. Many apologies for that!

Well, over the last week or so I have had the chance to meet so many great people from all walks of life across the world. It's been a fantastic time...

I've started training with the Centaurs and I have signed up to play for the year! Aching rather a lot from it, the intense training has been epic.

I'm in lessons at the moment, though it seems like I'm not in every day.

There have been many great people to meet and I already have some great friends. The centaurs in particular have been great to be around.

I shall be sure to update you more soon!

Best wishes!

Mike :)

The first few days...

Hello everyone!

Well I've had a cracking few days in the home of the Alps and now it's nearly time to get down to business....

Last night I got the chance to meet some Erasmus students - went to a local bar for a beer and a chat about everything.  They are really nice people, look forward to seeing them again.
Today I have the odd thing to sort out and get on with and then of course tonight is my first session with the Grenoble Centaurs - that should be a fantastic experience.

I hopefully will get to run a mailbag or something over the next few days.  In the mean time, I shall keep busy and on the lookout for anything useful!

Best wishes to you all,


Mike :)

The Final Weekend at Home...

Good afternoon :)

Well, today is my final Sunday in the UK for several months.  It was a chance to see some members of my family before I go - cannot fault a lovely British Sunday lunch with some relatives!

Tomorrow is the bank holiday Monday, so it'll be prudent to use the time to get packing bits and pieces and get my documents together. The big red folder sat on my desk might be helpful for that.

Well, I had to make a start at some point you know...

 

Think the nerves are beginning to creep in a little bit at the same time, though I think the overriding emotion is 'let's just go now!'  I've got one more day at work on Tuesday and then two days of packing before leaving early on Friday morning - that basically covers the next week.  From there, I will be staying for a night in Riems before moving on to the Isere area.

In other news for you all: I have been invited to write a piece for the Grenoble Life blog.  The site is one of the premier places for information for English-speakers in the Grenoble area.  I submitted my first piece and hopefully I will be able to continue writing for them in the future!

I shall do another mailbag before I make my way across to France - get your questions in!  I'll probably do an update on packing and other pieces before one last post the night before.

All the best to you all :)

Mike

Plenty to think about

Hey everyone :)


It's now only 12 days to go and things are getting more and more exciting as we go.  Yesterday my American Football transfer request was approved by the European Federation of American Football, allowing me to obtain my license to play in France.  Hugely exciting and I am really looking forward to getting on the pitch - I am told the first session is around the 4th September.

With lots of lists of things to do, it can be difficult to stop and look ahead properly at times.  I haven't, for instance, really spoken much about what's going on in my head.

There's plenty to think about and prepare for.

• I'm going to miss people, that's a big thing.  Obviously I'm leaving my family for a long period of time.  OK, so I've been there and done that with going off to Lincoln.  It's a bit different though - if I miss home or fancy popping back for the weekend Lincoln is only four hours coach ride away from Bristol.  With Grenoble we are talking nearly 4 times the distance, in an unfamiliar country.
  A holiday doesn't really count.  You get to see the sanitised side of life while you're away, especially if you're in a resort or something.  With living there for ten months... it becomes a whole different ball game.  Suddenly it's you out there in the real world.
  I suppose you could add friends to this list too.  I've met many good people while I'm away and many of them will be entering their final years of study while I'm out there.  That's going to be tough.
   
• I'm going to miss Bethany a lot.  My girlfriend has been one of the reasons I got through second year in remarkably good shape.  Genuinely don't know where I would be or what I would be doing without her.  It's remarkable. 
  Consider then, going to university whilst in a relationship and not being able to see someone you care for very much.  OK, so we can talk on Skype or Facebook message each other or briefly talk on the phone.  Heck, I appear to have an invite to travel to Liverpool to stay over Christmas.  Somehow though I get the impression that will be exceptionally tough.  We've made a pact to be honest with each other and stay in contact.  The main thing is that we are going to work to get this relationship right.  Hopefully she'll be able to visit me and I'll be able to travel to see her - naturally differing timetables mean we'll have to pick our time carefully. 
  At the end of it all, I've promised to take her on holiday somewhere to try and make up for my long absence...
  
• It's a new place.  I remember when I first got to Lincoln - it was an extraordinary experience of trying to find out was where and how things worked in a different city.  I suspect the same will be of Grenoble.  My mate Jack once described it as 'like Bristol' so I would think that'll suit my lifestyle.  That said, anywhere new takes a lot of getting used to.
  
• It's a foreign language!  Did I forget to mention that?  Oh yeah, French is not my first language and it's something that, whilst I've been learning since I was 11, the only way to truly get hold of the language is to go there and stay there.  The education system in the UK badly undervalues foreign languages and teaches them in such a bad manner it's amazing anyone tries to learn French.  There's no practical learning to it - I can talk about my favourite school subjects and recycling and saving the planet... but useful things like checking into a hotel or asking for cashback at the supermarket is a complete mystery for me.

All of this leaves me wondering about the future.  Don't get me wrong - I most certainly am looking forward to going.  There's just a lot to think about and a lot to prepare for in my head that isn't quite there yet.

Any questions/comments?  Feel free to post them up.

Mike :)