Elisabeth in France

Having already spent some weeks here in Rouen I can definitely not understand why all these tourism shops are selling postcard stating: "I survived Normandie". This and similar statements are hinting at the presumable bad weather conditions. However, although there were, of course, some rainy days most of the time the sun is shining and it is even not that cold. However, what I do understand is that France is very well-known for its willingness to strike. Fortunately, here in my small village, in Mont Saint Aignan, you just become aware of the strikes because busses do not run regularly. I have not yet been involved in any criminal acts like the burning of cars. The strikes, of course, limit excursions in the weekend. Last Saturday, we tried to get into town by bus, but the bus stopped after only 5 minutes and everybody had to leave the bus. Well, after a 30 minutes walk we eventually reached our destination: Rouen downtown. As holidays are coming up for the Bachelor and Master Grande programme everybody hopes that the strikes will soon come to an end to be able to travel around.

Although apparently the French government does not have enough money to pay for retirement, the government still has the money to reimburse around 20% of the monthly rent to foreign students. All the exchange students have registered for this reimbursement. While everybody still has to wait whether he or she is really eligible for the payment, it was stated that you usually receive this payment and I do not mind that, of course.
At university I still have do some group work which takes a lot of time. In addition, there are also other courses to prepare. What I really dislike is the fact that nobody knows about the final exam dates. Administration is still working on them. That is why nobody knows when exactly university will finish. So no flight or train tickets can be booked yet.
University is quite ok here, however the lectures are far too long. One lecture lasts 3 hours with one break in between. On Mondays, I do have 3 courses, so I stay the whole day at university. In the end of a 3 hour lecture, it becomes really difficult to stay focused and to continue to concentrate.
The university also organises some events, like the running dinner that took place on Wednesday. This involved having dinner at French students`accomodations. Each course was taken in another accomodation. The purpose of this event was to get to know French students better. If one takes mainly English courses at university like me, it is unlikely to get to know any French students. So the dinner presented the ideal opportunity to get into contact with French students. The evening was really, really nice. Another one is planned for November and I will definitely join in again.