It's been three days since I arrived at Montpellier. Three full days of adapting and exploring. First the TGV, luckily everything went well. No problems like delay or whatsoever. I got some sleep, played some games on the nintendo, looked at the beautiful landscape of France... And after all that, I finally arrived: WELCOME TO MONTPELLIER!!
We took the bus to 'Place de France' where we had to switch to the tram. At first, I thought I had ended up in some sort of mini-Disneyland. Lots of colours, music everywhere and activities everywhere. There was also a big mal behind this (yey!).
Then after another switch and 30 minutes on the tram, we finally arrived at my residence. My first impression was good: not too much noise, friendly roommates (it's an appartment we share with four persons), nice room (photos will follow, it's a bit messy right now ;) ). So good so far!
I started my internship at 9:30 am with a lot of stress. There were some beautiful plants and buildings at the enterance, a nice welcoming view. The road to the lab was a bit different, but it also seemed nice, especially modern.
I was warmly welcomed into the researchgroup, so I immediatly felt at ease. Everyone is friendly and tries to speak english with me so I really appreciate that (since my French isn't that good). I noticed that they have a strange sense of humor, but I don't mind. It's better than no humor at all!! :)
This weekend is reserved for exploring the city. So more stories and photos will follow!
The first full weekend at Montpellier went very well. The people are nice, just like the weather. I usually use the tram to go to places. I've noticed that the people on the tram and on foot are really friendly (most of the time). But that nice mentality changes when they drive a car... No patience, driving fast and they really toot a lot!
This weekend was great. I started my Satureday with a breakfast at 'Place de la Comédie': a nice square with a great ambiance (thanks to some street musicians). It was a nice weather with lots of sun, I did some groceries, bought a few small plants to decorate my room a bit and wandered around the city. It's really beautiful here, especially when the sun is shining. But around 1:00 pm, I've noticed some people my roommates warned me about: les gillets jaunes (the yellow coats). I knew it was in Paris once a month, but here they demonstrate every Satureday. Because of their violence towards window shops, ATMs and cops, most of the stores and restaurants close in the afternoon. So I knew it was time to go home.
Sunday (today) was a bit more lazy. I got op a bit late, watched some Netflix and went to the city by noon. Most of the shops are closed on Sunday so it was calmer than Satureday. I made a small stroll and then went back home. I cleaned up my room a bit (photos below like I promised :p ) and read some articles for my internship again.
I really like my room! I have my own shower and even a small balcony. It's not that spacious but I have everything I need and it's clean. I can even fold up my bed so I can have more space!
Next time I'lle try to tell more aboat my internship (I can't really say much at this time, I only had to read a lot of articles about the subject) and maybe some places to eat, so stay tuned. Au revoir!