Just a few more days left...

Hello everyone!

Well yesterday was my last day working at Jiva Technology in Bristol - I have been a marketing intern there for the last three months.  I've had such a great experience there and hopefully I'll be able to take some of that experience forward!

As today was my first full weekday at home, I've been able to get some documentation together and start packing all my clothes.  Looks like it's all going to fit in the car, along with American Football kit and the like!

This evening I am due at the pub to say goodbye to some of my good mates here.  Sounds like there'll be a fair few people there to see me off - very exciting!  
Tomorrow I will be tidying up the loose ends and other bits and pieces and thinking about how it will all fit in the car.  I'll also be sure to have a good chat with Bethany about everything.  She's been very supportive of all of this and I can't thank her enough for that, really.

So Friday it is then.  I think one last post to wrap everything up before I go to bed on Thursday night.  Then the journey begins for real early in the morning.

Talk then...

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 :) 

Things all coming together...

Hey everyone :)

Think it's safe to say that things are getting on pretty good at the moment - this blog is taking off nicely... There have been some very kind words of encouragement from around the Erasmus Grenoble community, so thank you to you all.


"Hey, Just wanted to say that your blog is really useful and thank you for being so organised!  I am heading out to UJF Grenoble from University of Bath to do Maths, and have received little/no information from either institution, so anything extra is brilliant." -Jemima Tabeart, Bath

"Your blog is slowly (but not slowly at all) becoming our bible!" - Alessandro Gasparotti, Venice

There have been numerous other people who have kindly thanked me for my various musings and posts.  Your support is much appreciated.

Anyway, things are beginning to come together.  I, for example, have great pleasure showing off some timetables for you all.  I've so far got IUT2, Stendhal and IEP, with more to come soon hopefully.

They can be found here! 

Hopefully this'll help.  I'll add more to that area once I find them.

In the mean time, I need to open a bottle of wine and think philosophically.  I promised I would write about the mental side of going away and I promise to do this at the weekend!

All the best!

Mike :)