Subject: Maybe I’m Cursed
So, the internet did start working again, evidently, and it made it through another week although I’m beginning to wonder how I am… I have been reading, (well that’s a fib, I found and flicked through) the year abroad guide book and discovered that there was meant to be a ‘Honeymoon period’… right. It made me laugh because so far there is just problem after problem:
Last Saturday was great, had a really productive day and went out to Lille in the morning- all of places for the citadel had gone which was frustrating but I decided to go shopping instead. In Lille is the largest bookshop in Europe, created specifically to trap me. I spent two hours wishing I could buy things and then bought nothing, it was nice to just look at all of the books though- five floors of every type of book, there was even an English section…
In the evening I headed back into Lille with some (loads of) Erasmus students, we just had a drink and caught the last metro home. Ended up meeting two other people who’re doing a chemistry placement and chatted to them until two AM when I came home- and what do I discover? A ‘fuite’ (leak) from the pipe above my window! This could only happen to me, so off I march to the night security person who dutifully came up and had a look, confused me by saying ‘truc’ (thing) when he meant a glass and told me it wasn’t going to explode… Sleeping with a dripping noise is very annoying and I was awake nice and early because he said someone would come and check… by late afternoon I was back at reception filling in maintenance forms… Sick of all of that I was in bed curled up with a book nice and early.
Then of course, the week starts again: a whole week of labs and no lectures, I was dreading it, wondering how I would survive, I’m useless in labs!
It wasn’t that bad as it happens, in fact I quite enjoyed it, it’s nothing like practical work at home where you are constantly monitored and worry about doing it wrong, in one week I’ve learnt that there is not a huge amount to worry about (except lifts) as long as you bear in mind some chemical knowledge. I’m left to my own devices, which so far means doing a lot of thin layer chromatography to find out the best way to do column chromatography so as to separate a product and starting material.
Okay I’ll explain the lifts, one of the girls and I were sent to get some new solvents which are downstairs in another building and we had to take the trolley (chariot in French), unlocking it first, which meant getting it in the lift. It was a ridiculous affair, something we managed to make much harder than it should have been, it made us laugh and was probably the most difficult thing this week.
I have a lot of write ups to do now though.
Anyways, the other thing I had to do was decide whether or not to take the studio since it was still going, after the power cut on Monday night there was no question about it, I was moving, bad things keep happening here and I keep laughing about it which seems a little odd so I think maybe the place is cursed… I found out that my room will be two doors up from some other people on chemistry placements from Glasgow so they’re going to help me move and it’ll be nice having more people around to talk to, I’ve been a bit antisocial this week, just concentrating on getting to labs and getting through the day without breaking anything but today I finally relaxed a little bit, it didn’t kill me either although I’m still paranoid about when I’m allowed to leave… I think it’s up to me but I’m not used to the freedom.
Anyway I have the crazyness of moving rooms to look forward to and all of the ups and downs that come with it… It’s like starting all over again, joy. But this time I have my own bathroom. Oh the joy that brings, although I like my little room… but not the uncomfortable bed!
So, until next time…
