Chapter 4: Rennes-ting a Room

The Chronicles of Narnia and Aslan and his friends, post#4.

DP is requesting a blog background change. I'll accept, but only because I owe him a beer, but fled the country before repaying. AND he'll have to wait until tomorrow. Red is my fave colour. Feckenham.

Okay. So yesterday I traveled from Birmingham to Rennes. I don't want to talk about it too much, but I will. Obv. It was okay.. Birmingham to London and then a 10 minute walk to a different train station, then almost an hour going through customs. If you're EU, it's super fast, but for me, much longer. Then a Eurostar Train, which was the nicest train I've ever been on. Really nice. In Paris, I stepped off the train and felt awesome. Though not in Rennes, I felt as though I'd done something. And the station was like nothing I'd seen - the highest ceilings of glass, people bustling.. It was kind of breathtaking. But I didn't have much time to take the metro to the other end of the city and find another train station, so I pushed on. The metro was cool. A diverse array of people, efficient, clean, but old. I liked it. I'm excited to explore Paris when Doctor gets here. From there, took a train to Rennes and then a taxi to my place. 13 hours later, I was here.

I'm living in a "foyer des jeunes travailleurs." It feels like a slum motel. My room reeks of cigarettes and the walls are yellowed. Holes in the blankets, shared bathroom and kitchen (which isn't on my floor). I'm not fancy. This place is not nice. To boot, it's like a half way house. Many recovering addicts and gangstas. I was a bit nervous last night. There was a party on my floor and I didn't sleep that well. Someone knocked on my door close to midnight but I ignored. This morning I felt better and I think it'll be okay for the month. I also don't have internet or a phone in my room, and can't get one! I'll stick it out for September and move in October. Doctor gets to see it! Oopsies.. I promise we'll have a good time regardless. I'm not too worried about it anymore..

This morning I headed to the university. It's a big school - 60,000 students - with one of the largest English departments in the country. They were excited to meet me and were really nice. I signed my contract and will go back tomorrow to collect more paperwork. I may be eligible for government housing money because I work for the ministry of education. That would be 300Euros. My rent is only 340, which would make a new place affordable. I'll also open a bank account tomorrow.

So I ask someone how far to walk to the university, and they tell me it's not walking distance. So I walk anyway. 20 mins max. Then I ask someone how long to walk from there to downtown. They say it's not walking distance. 25 mins. French peeps don't like to walk. They DO like to carry baguettes around and eat delicious cheese. How, then, do they stay so slim? 70 points if you riddle me THAT. From my place, I can walk downtown in 5 mins. I thought of getting a bike, but I prefer walking, and can walk everywhere. No bus pass plz.

The readers have been begging me for the following, so here you go:

FAQs about Rennes:
Q: Is the toilet paper pink?
A: Yes.
Q: Do the men wear trendy scarves and capris pants?
A: Also yes.
Q: How big is Rennes?
A: Ooohh, about 350,000 peeps.
Q: Are the streets mostly cobblestone and for pedestrians only?
A: Yes.
Q: What else did you do today?
A: Well, after the university, I went downtown and bought a towel so I could shower and then my flip flops broke so I went to buy shoes. I got some Kappa's because they were the cheapest. I asked Bronwyn if they're trendy, and she said yes, if you're a gino. I didn't know because my friend count is still pretty much at 0. But I think they're fine and they fit well. Then I went to the opera house and looked at it. Then I grocery shopped. I'm too scared of the ex-cons to use the kitchen, so I just got cereal and bread and stuff to eat in my room. I also got some shampoo. It's pretty cheap for everything here.

Oh. And I saw a post at the university for English tutoring. I called. A Spanish guy who wants to pay 20Euro an hour for English lessons. I offered to do it for a Spanish swap. An hour for an hour. We start next week. I'm pumped.

Everyone I've met here is really nice, and wants to chat. No one has really asked to hang out yet, but I've had a chance to talk to many people. The city is absolutely beautiful - buildings dating back to the middle ages, and cafes and restaurants everywhere. It's Tuesday, but the downtown was busy all day. Everyone out and about. I like that.

I've been in touch with a girl who has the same job as me and she arives Friday. She may live in the ghetto with me until October. I hope so. Then we'd get a place together.

I'm in a cafe right now. The owner's name is Pierre and he's 100 years old. Super nice. It's about to close, though, so I should wrap up.

I already know that I've forgotten some things.. I'll write again soon. Hardly any shout outs tonight. Sorry, folks. I was rushing.

Peace,
Hincks.