La Bienvenue à Lyon

Bonjour tout le monde!

Hi everyone! Maggie here with an update on her life in Lyon, France. I arrived two days ago in a flurry of Air Canada plane flights, a TGV train trip, and too-much-luggage to be met at the Lyon Part Dieu train station by the lovely Geraldine, the Spanish language teacher at the lycée, or high school, where I'll be teaching. For the moment, I'm staying with her in her tiny appartement close to Part Dieu.

Am I experiencing culture shock? YES. Is it better than the first time I decided to live in France? YES. If you're wondering why this blog is entitled "Franglish Deux," or "Franglish Two," you can check out the original "Franglish," about my study abroad experience in Paris in 2007, at maggieinparis.blogspot.com.

So, by day two of my 7-month adventure, I've purchased my first baguette, sampled a few cheeses, and already crossed a huge length of the city on foot. But now is not the time to enjoy the charm of Lyon, unfortunately. I'm desperately searching for a place to live (which is why I traversed the entire city today--on foot, because all the buses are on strike, of course--so French!). I found a few today, one which is charming on the inside, and the other which is charming on the outside. Go figure.

I also have to open a French bank account, get a French cell phone, and (soon) get a French health check-up (just to make sure I'm not bringing chicken pox into the country, I suppose). These times are stressful, but I'm getting used to everything being different and my French is already improving.

I visited my high schools, Louis Aragon and Pablo Picasso (which are on the same campus--one's a technical school), yesterday, where I filled out some paperwork on the o-so-French 8.5 x 12 in. paper and ate some fried fish on a heap of peas and ultra sweet grapes for lunch at the "cantine"--the first meal I could officially swallow since being here.

On my walk home today (for which I stupidly wore my un-broken-in new tennies), I encountered a merry-go-round, a French-reggae band, ridiculously talented trick-rollerbladers (jealous), and a man on a motorcycle with a baby pink Hello Kitty helmet. Despite the stress, I have to admit, it's been a good day. :)

Over and out.

(Caption: A big pile of shoes.)