Despite the weather not being as good as normal, this weekend has been awesome. The weather was still great on Friday, so after work me and Fabien went to the lake and went kayaking. It was so much fun! A great way to spend time on the lake; a great way to spend the evening and it was good to see more of the other side of the lake rather than the Aix-les-Bains side where we normally go. I was so so close to not falling in the lake for once - we often take inflatable mattresses and I don't think I have ever managed not to fall off at least once... - but then when it came to getting out of the kayak, obviously I fell in. Brilliant. Fabien thought it was hilarious and even later in the evening he kept laughing about it.

Afterwards, we got back in the car and headed up into the mountains as he wanted to show me what is most possibly one of the most beautiful views I've seen. It was magnificent. The view over the lake was insane (see picture above and pictures below). I honestly could've happily sat there for a few hours just looking at the view.

The weather forecast for the weekend was really rubbish - all rain and storms. But when we got up on Saturday morning we found that the weather was still pretty good, so we had a bit of breakfast and then headed straight to the lake for a quick swim. For the first time I jumped in first time without any hesitating. So proud of myself haha! Not really too sure why I hesitate normally. Possibly because I don't swim often and so I'm not as strong a swimmer as I was when I was younger. Anyway, so we did a bit of swimming and then headed to a spa afterwards; pourquoi pas. Spent about an hour or so there and it was so nice to just relax and spend a bit of time in the sauna and in the jacuzzi. Also it was good to be inside as it soon started tipping it down outside. Afterwards, I was so relaxed that I'm sure I could've fallen asleep standing up.

The rain and storms continued for the rest of the day so I didn't do too much in the afternoon, but the morning had basically tired me out anyway. I'm currently making my way through all of Breaking Bad, so that was a good way to spend the afternoon.

Again today the weather's not been as bad as expected but it's still not great. So earlier I went to the cinema to see Jeune et Jolie (see trailer below) which I was planning on seeing at some point. It was really good and I'd recommend going to see it! Also despite it all being in French without any subtitles, I didn't find it difficult to follow which I'm hoping means my time spent in France so far has been well worth it already. If you're in France or if you get the chance, go watch it!

So yeah, I'm going to finish this post off here as I'm heading out soon to make the most of the rest of the day.
Hope everyone's had a good weekend!

A bientôt!

One of my favourite things about being in France definitely has to be how cheap a nice bottle of wine is, as well as how often they have a "petit apéro". I love a petit apéro with friends, although it's true that sometimes it ends up being not so petit...

Anyway staying on the subject of wine, I went out with a friend on Tuesday night to a small bar in the city centre. This bar was pretty small and had an intimate atmosphere: a place you go to meet, chat and have a drink with friends and possibly to dance a little. But the best thing about it was that it's basically a wine bar, where they have a wide range of different flavours of wine - from blueberry, to salted caramel, to spiced mango, and many others. I only tried the spiced mango flavour, which was pretty good, so I definitely plan on going back to try some of the others.

But for me, the weirdest thing about it was walking into the bar. The atmosphere was pretty intense as soon as you walked in and it was filled with young people. There's a lot of young people in Grenoble, but everywhere you go you always seem to come across a variety of ages, and normally older people. Even when I went to Nox (a nightclub here in Grenoble), there were quite a few older people or just generally weirdos. Yet in this bar there were only normal, young people. It was great and it was what really made the atmosphere. Got to meet some of Antoine's friends too and it was so good to be out with such a good group of people. And despite it being a Tuesday night, I managed to get up for work without too much trouble the next morning. I don't think some of the others managed so easily though, especially the few who apparently ran around Grenoble, at like 3 in the morning, totally naked. Hmm, great idea... or not.

A bientôt,
Robyn

Rocking the sunglasses in the club look haa

Olivier decided to take a quick dip in the fountain

A good way to describe Tuesday night - Antoine and Olivier after having jumped on/into a bush

After having 4 weeks off after my 2 week debut with the company, I was ever so glad to head back to work this week! 4 weeks is the longest holiday I've had in over a year, so by the end I didn't know what to do with myself. But a nice easy first week back, thanks to a bank holiday today and a jour de pont tomorrow, meaning 5 day weekend! Woohoo!

But work was strange this week. On any given day, there was, at most, 7 of us in the office rather than the normal 30-40 people. It's funny how they all take their holidays at the same time. I don't think the UK could ever just shut down like that. I'm sure it would cause chaos. But despite it being really quiet possibly being a negative thing, it fortunately gave me time to get everything sorted such as my account on the computer network and moving everything into the new office.

I'm sure you don't really want to hear about work though, so instead I'll give you a round-up of everything else I've done so far...

When I first arrived, I gave myself a bit of time before I started work to get things sorted, such as a bank account, insurance for my room and a phone. I found all this easier than I thought I would and it didn't take very long either. However, they do like their paperwork so be ready to sign your life away if you're heading out here!

Within the first few weeks, I spent a lot of time getting used to the city, especially the centre where there are little streets going off in every direction. At first, I often found myself going in circles, but surprisingly it didn't take that long to get used to it in the end. Although admittedly I do sometimes still find that I've gone the wrong way to get to something/somewhere.

Every weekend so far has consisted of getting out of Grenoble and seeing a friend (and colleague) and going to a lake. I've never really been one for swimming, but the lake is possibly my favourite place here. With the gorgeous weather, it's so nice to go to the lake and go for a swim or relax on an inflatable on the water for an hour or two. And with the back drop of the mountains (see picture above), it's so beautiful and peaceful. We've also had a bbq a few times before spending the afternoon at the lake, which makes it feel like a proper summer's day.

Bbq chez Fabien before the first ever visit to the lake

But whether it's a group of us or just the two of us, it's always a good way to spend the day. Even if it's just for an hour in the evening, the whole afternoon, or the first thing to do after getting up in the morning, I will always jump at the chance to go. The only thing I could ask for is that I lived a bit closer!

I also spent a day in Annecy with Fabien, his sister and some others for the Fête du lac which was pretty cool. Spent the afternoon by/in the lake at Annecy, had a little apéro (since Fabien can't seem to go a weekend without one) and something to eat, before heading out to see the fireworks. And these fireworks were awesome! Definitely the best display I've ever seen! They went on for about an hour & 15 minutes, and rather than just setting off as many big fireworks in the time as possible, it was all planned so well and was so good to watch. The theme was l'arc du ciel (rainbow) and it was just awesome. Afterwards we stayed and had a few drinks in the town since there were so many people there for the event that getting out would have been impossible straight after the fireworks. Then I had to drive Fabien and his car back to his at like 1am, as he had had a few too many - which is not the first time this has happened (I thought I was quite a lightweight, but apparently not haha) - while he slept in the passenger's seat and I didn't really know where I was going! Fortunately I managed to take the right exit from the motorway and we got there successfully. Then the next morning, we got up and went straight to the lake! What a great way to start the day!

Within the weekdays of my holidays I did a mix of things:

• I obviously went to the lake a few times in the late afternoons/evenings as I just can't stay away
• I went up into the mountains a few times with another friend to see the beautiful views and also once for a picnic
• I explored Grenoble some more and of course did some shopping 
• Spent a lot of time in the park relaxing/sunbathing/reading magazines
• Helped another colleague move apartment 
• Went out to see one of the summer spectacles in town which turned into a spontaneous evening of drinking, going to The London Pub and then lying on the grass in the park at like 2am 
• Did a bit of ice skating to cool off a bit from the heat
• Baked lemon meringue pies, cheesecakes and more (YUM!)
• Went out for drinks and a meal, as well as had people over for drinks as a leaving do for Nick
• And also went out to a club called Nox, which wasn't all that great but it was a pretty funny evening. Also if someone could explain to me why there's a need for a shower in the middle of a club, I'd be very grateful haha!

Well done if you've made it to this point! I definitely need to work on making short and snappy posts!
I'm sure I've forgotten to mention other things that have happened in my first month here but I've definitely mentioned the most important. Now to see what this long weekend has in store for me... no doubt I'll end up by the lake at some point.

Bisous,
Robyn

So after having been here over a month already, I realised it was about time I started a blog already! My original plan was just to take a lot of photos to illustrate my year abroad, but I've found that I've been making the most of every moment rather than thinking too much about taking photos.

On the morning of the 27th June, I grabbed my bags and hopped on a plane over to Grenoble, in south-west France. This was it: the start of my year abroad. I remember when starting university, and even before that when choosing my university, thinking about how excited I was for the year abroad aspect of my course even though it was so far in the future. But now here I am and I can't believe how quickly it's come around! And I know this year will fly by just like the others have, so I am going to make the most of every second pour ne pas louper une miette de la vie en France. 

I have never really wanted to live with the stress of a big city like London or Paris, so Grenoble was the perfect choice for me. It's big enough that there are plenty of things to do, but it's also easy enough to escape to enjoy the mountains, countryside, lakes and smaller towns. I'm living in a colocation, thus sharing an appartment with 3 others. It's pretty simple but I have a good sized room and everything I could possibly need, as well as living in such a convenient place. I basically live next to the Parc Paul Mistral (the main park in Grenoble), which is great to visit to enjoy the sun and to relax. And also all throughout the summer, there have been many activities and events taking place there, meaning it's always lively and there's always something to do. As well as this, it only takes me about 20 minutes to walk into town, or 20 minutes in the other direction to walk to work. It couldn't be much easier than that! Or if I'm feeling particularly lazy, it's so easy just to hop on the tram to get around.

Unlike most people, I'm lucky enough to get to spend a whole year over here rather than just 9 months. I'm working as an English teacher in a company (Schneider Electric), which involves working on a 1-1 basis with adults from within a particular department in order to help them improve their English skills which are becoming more and more important in business, especially due to working on an international scale. Despite speaking English in lessons, the language of the office is French therefore during lunch breaks, coffee breaks, and generally anytime outside of lessons I get to use and improve my French skills. And hey, you'd be surprised with the amount of things you learn about French, as well as about English, just from within the English lessons themselves! The only possible downside is that I am working with people who are mostly aged 30+, but everyone is so friendly that I couldn't be happier. And fortunately there are a couple of younger people closer to my age who I get on really well with.

Anyways, I think I've rambled on enough for an introduction! I will be sure to post again soon to talk about some of the things I've done so far and possibly to post some photos!

A bientôt!
Robyn