no comments!!!!!!!! thats my new friends! I’m never leaving this place!
27
Sep
2008
Putain!
It’s 1h past midnight, and I have to get up at 8:30 to search for an apartment (again) (don’t ask), so I’ll make it short!
This week was QUITE something. Everyday I have to deal with like 10 different things, from opening bank accounts, to getting assurances, traveling and forth with the damn bus, moving to an apartment – and moving out of it the same day -, being in class from 09:00 to 16:00, going to the supermarket, carrying 20kg of stuff from Aix to my temporary (who is close to being permanent) residency in Puyricard etc etc etc. Pfff. Expected.
The two apartments I had found and was planning to move in, canceled. Yep. For the first one the owner (a stupid 65 yr old GAG), told me my “guarant” didn’t have enough income to cover me, (there is a law who sais that the person who guarantees for you should have a salary which is 3 times the amount of the rent) and as for the second apartment, well, that was a small adventure. To cut a long story short, the real-estate agent, a 45yr old separated mother, proved to be a psycho, and I thought that it wouldn’t be a good idea for such a person to have keys for my apartment. I moved in and out of the apartmnet within 8 hours.
Puyricard
Anyway, thank god yesterday we have an oportunity for a night out in Aix with a mostly-french-but-also-international-company, was fun, although the whole not having an apartmenet thing kills my mood. Anyway, It was like holidays being out for “a” drink. Afterwards we went to an irish pub and the french proved to be really loud when drunk. Singing and all. Really fun! They are still friendly polite and sociable even when drunk. Dammit I should cut down on the beer. Afterall we’re in France, I should change to champagne and sparkling wine. I tasted KIR. Nice, a bit sweet. Oh! I discovered that there is one greek in the university! The only one! Maybe the only one in Aix En Provence! We’re two! Oh and the guy with the greek restaurant.Hehe. So strange. You see a person you don’t even know and it’s like you see a good good friend! I was told thats how it feels when you find greeks abroad, but now I have the experience.
Oh, I also got some pics for ya. They’re also in a public gallery in Facebook, but whatever.
Puyricard
Bechard
fuck. It’s like 01:40 and I should getting going. really tired an sleepy and tomorrow will be a full day. Shopping and apartment day. At last some shopping. Wish me luck people… byebye
ps: “putain” is like “fuck”/”damn for english and “gamoto” in greek. They say it really A LOT (alongside with ‘merde’ = shit )
21
Sep
2008
Merci Beaucoup monsieur, Au Revoir!
Πως πάμε; Μαθαίνω ότι υπάρχουν φασαρίες πίσω στην πατρίδα με τα πολιτικά κλπ. Κλασσικά, όποτε ο κόσμος μπουχτίζει με την καθημερινότητα του, ξεσπάει στην πολιτική. Ειδικά μετά τις καλοκαιρινές διακοπές. Ασχέτως εάν όλοι πλέον έχουν καταλάβει πως είτε με το ένα είτε με το άλλο κόμμα, εάν δεν αλλάξει η νοοτροπία μας ως λάος, προκοπή δε θα δούμε.
How we doing? I’m learning that there’s trouble back home with the politics etc. That’s classic, everytime people is fed up with their daily life, they start talking about politics. Specially after the summer holidays. Even if everyone has understood that whether there’s one party or another, if our mentality doesn’t change, we won’t do better.
Η εβδομάδα της προσαρμογής μου στην Aix φτάνει στο τέλος της. Βδομάδα που ήταν κι αυτή! Κάθε μέρα, από τις 8 το πρωί έως και αργά το απόγευμα, συνήθως με μικρά διαλείμματα για φαγητό, είτε ήμουν στο πανεπιστήμιο, (ακούγοντας διαλέξεις στα Γαλλικά για 6 ώρες…), είτε έψαχνα σπίτι. Το οποίο δεν είναι μία απλή διαδικασία τύπου παίρνεις μία Χρυσή Ευκαιρία, κάνεις 10-20-30 τηλέφωνα, κλείνεις rendez-vous, και αν σου αρέσει το διαμέρισμα το νοικιάζεις. Οοοοοοχι φίλοι μου. Read Full Story » »
15
Sep
2008
First Impressions!
I found some time to write some review of the place for all you asking me info on the MSN or Facebook. Sorry for not replying that much but honestly I run all day trying to fix dates to visit apartments. The situation is a bit difficult on that sector, but I’ll write you more about that as you read on.
So! First thing, were am I?
Aix En Provence is like 30′ from Marseille. Its southern France, pretty close to Italy, and you can also travel to Spain with the train (which is really fast). You can be in Barcelona within 4h and 30minutes. It’s really close to Cannes too. Read Full Story » »
14
Sep
2008
I’m here
Everything was going really nice, (well, almost, cause the connecting flight Paris – Marseille was a bit bouncy cause of the windy conditions in Marseille). I found everything easily, and the bus to Aix-En-Provence was fast and good, BUT: ITS COOOOOLD. At least yesterday (today the situation seems better) it was REALLY windy and the temperature was like 16-17 degrees (WTF). The french guys at the flight told me that this is not usual for the city and it’s maybe cause of the north winds and it will get hotter in the daytime.
And then the hotel problem… Oh gosh. That was SOMETHING LET ME TELL YOU. Me, my SUMMER OUTFIT, walking around with baggage through the city and searching for a damn hotel. There was NONE. Everything FULL. Well, except that one from where I’m posting this. It was more expensive but what can you do? I didn’t want to spend the night on the main square. It has free internet too! But i think the people here are really friendly and polite. I asked lots of them for hotel and stuff and everyone had the kindness to answer and help etc etc. Oh , the city is only inhabited by students! Strange shit. I didn’t see any people over 25yrs old here.
Anyway. I’ll have to get myself up and running. Today is a lazy day here, (thank god), and I ll have time to see the city and get myself familiar. Maybe I’ll meet some of the friends I already know and live nearby so they can hook me up with some basic NFO.
talk later
ps: my greek mobile number does not work, I’ll mail to you my french one as soon as i get it.
13
Sep
2008
The one where I leave.
Aww… now that’s how you appreciate a Laptop. When you unplug it and take it with you to bed. (although I suppose that’s noone’s ideal bed company)
I have been picturing this moment for quite a long time, but it seems that now that it’s here, I am experiencing a small writer’s block. Anyway here it goes.
Today, late afternoon, I’m flying to Paris and then Marseille. And then taxi or bus to Aix En Provence. (some people tend to call it just ‘Aix’, pronounced ‘X’ or ‘EX’) Aix is like 15’ from the Marseille Airport and 20’ or 25’ from the city center itself.
Friday was maybe the most stressful day so far, it seems my last(?) visit to TEI (my university) was going to be the most ‘adventurous’ one. I nearly spent the whole day there (and it’s been years since I’ve done that) in order to do all the required arrangements and save myself from making an obligatory trip back to Athens in February 2009.
The last couple of days or weeks I wondered if I am at least a bit sad for leaving or not. And every time I felt something close to that, next minute something happened and I was like “thank god I’m leaving”. Something stupid like the constant BARKING of my neighbor’s THREE DOGS or a prolonged horning within the traffic-chaos, or a bunch of citizens waiting at the bus stop in THIVON str. complaining that the bus is 10 or 20 or 30 minutes late. Damn. Has ANYTHING changed in this city? Read Full Story » »
11
Sep
2008
C’est fini!
mail just came in,positive.
The whole preparation for the exams and everything could be a marathon, but i preferred to do it my way – a 100m sprint. I didn’t feel like doing much until late August, so i had to RUN. But i managed afterall. I still need to take care of things for the Bachelor degree like the thesis presentation tomorrow but that’s like ABCDE compared to what’s already done… The small amount of time within I managed to arrange the Masters and all it’s prerequisites has suprised quite a lot of people, not me though. Most of the time people around me were more anxious than I was when they heard/realised my timeline. I don’t know why, but even today, a couple of days before my flight, I don’t feel any kind of uncertainty or stress at all. Just a bit tired. Maybe my uncertainty has been depleted.
I got a new laptop although I used to hate laptops since my first one started falling apart, but well..a new laptop, is a always a NEW LAPTOP. Feels good. I migrated all my office data, address books, programs, and at the same time removed lots of Vista crap taking up memory.
Right now I have to take care of my plane ticket and packing stuff (damn tickets! they get more and more expensive as time go by, I bet they got +50E from the time I began to write this post), so I ‘ll get back to you with more details in my last “at greece” post, probably some time tomorrow or Saturday morning. I think there are lots of things I want to share with all of you concerning last thoughts, my decision to go abroad, my future dreams and maybe a small review for my life over here the last years.
10
Sep
2008
Time goes by.. So slowly.
Here we are. It seems that the next year(s) will be judged by..well.. ONE EMAIL. So, hopefully, within the day, I ‘ll have the result i need in order to do what’s necessary with my voyage. Fingers crossed, and i’ll post as soon as I have something new. Send some positive thoughts over here.
4
Sep
2008
babai summer, hello winter
Kalimera, goodmorning, bonjour, buenos Dias!
Chilly days lately in Athens. This year we were lucky enough for not having a single heatwave. Just some hotter days on late June/early July, some others at late August and that was all about it. And it’s getting really cooler. The rainfall the other day and the storm were pretty relieving. Everyone enjoyed those. But unfortunately, some went a bit over the top, didn’t pay so much attention to the nighttime chilly breeze, and now 5 out 10 people are sick. With everything from fever to sneazing puffy noses and all. Get well soon. Oh, and needless to mention that after some hours of a moody day, all my friends started 1) to be melancholic, and 2) to complain about their “love&affection” needs. Read Full Story » »
