Je suis arrivée!

Hurrah! I said I would start my blog as soon as I arrived in Lyon. However, it is now 3 days into my 9 months here in France and I have only just managed to start scribbling. This is mainly due to the fact that the Internet has not been working but after many conversations with Madame at the reception desk and a scary phone call in French to the internet service provider, I was told to switch it off and back on again...quelle surprise it worked.

You may be questioning the name of this blog. Well, as my best friend and fellow blogger Rose said, it's quite difficult to find a name that is both 'hilarious and thought-provoking'. "Est-ce que je peux quitter la table?" was a phrase I used to use regularly at the dinner table, being the pretentious, smart-arse kid I was. While I may start to indulge myself in more convoluted conversations in French, I will of course always remember to ask "Est-ce que je peux quitter la table?".

It is probably just as well I didn't start this blog yesterday as I feel today has been the true début of my stay here in Lyon. The first couple of days were difficult as to be expected. The only people I had any sort of substantial conversation with were the lady in the mobile phone shop and the man in the Tabac. You have to start worrying when the only people you can call your 'friends' are shopkeepers and university administrators. There were aspects of my first couple of days which I really enjoyed, in particular discovering that Camembert is cheaper to buy than Edam/Emmental (see glorious results below in last night's dinner) and that Bonne Maman jam (the good stuff) is a mere €1.50! I also ventured into central Lyon in search of a kettle for a good brew and had to plough into the abyss of Carrefour. It was a little bit like Primark... on Oxford St... on a Saturday...at Christmas. Having lost a few limbs, and my dignity everytime a different item fell out of my broken shopping basket, I bought a lovely new bin and toilet brush.

So I woke up this morning feeling fresh and ready to roll for my 'réunion d'accueil' where, incidentally I met some lovely people. I decided to walk to the university instead of taking the tram. It turned out only to be a 20 minute walk and an enjoyable one at that. I had the dulcet tones of this playing in my ears as I strolled in the 27 degree heat with the feeling that I was a step closer to being settled in Lyon and a stride away from "Est-ce que je peux quitter la table?"...

The view down Avenue Berthelot.

yum