Bienvenue à Lyon

After my first week, which has been filled with things to do, you can finally read my feelings about Lyon. I arrived here last Sunday, and almost the whole week has passed while I have been putting things in order. You see, it takes a surprisingly long time to get through the network of French bureaucracy. I have not yet had time to properly explore the sights of the city, let alone take photos, because the time has passed while running around the city. Today, however, I had a little time to look around. However, I wasn't looking around in Lyon, but in Annecy, which is located near the border of Switzerland and Italy. But more on that later. Today I will write about the feelings I have had during the first week. Tomorrow I will try to tell about the events of the rest of the week and to tell about the people I have met here.

An Avalanche of Red Tape

It was a beautiful and sunny day. I arrived in Lyon between eleven and twelve am. I found my residence Maison Saint-Laurent easily with the help of a map that I had with be. The problem was simply that I could not get in, because nobody came to open when I rang the doorbell. Eventually, the door was opened by an Asian girl who lived in the house and I got inside. After a while a receptionist came also to the lobby, but she didn't have any information that I was to come to the residence that day. Because of an error that had been made at the office, I wasn't expected to arrive before the next day. However, in the end everything was arranged and I got a flat already on a Sunday. Except the keys, which I only got the next day.

Monday morning began with a tour at the residence. Pleasant surprise was that bedsheets were on the house, as well as a kettle and a saucepan, though I had to pay a deposit for the last two. During the tour it was also checked that everything worked in my flat. One of the light bulbs had died, so the receptionist promised that it would be replaced. So far, that has not happened. Knowing the speed of the French culture, I'll wait for a week and if it has not been changed by that time, I'm going to ask again.

In addition to that I had already paid for a security deposit and a guaranty, sent to the residence the inscription papers of my new university, a copy of my passport, a confirmation that I accepted the house rules, and a couple of other housing-related papers, I was told that I had to get an insurance for my flat, and bring a paper that would prove that I had chosen courses of the university. I also needed to sign the house rules again. Course selection paper was fortunately easy to obtain from the university, but home insurance caused more headaches. Since I did not want to open a bank account in France, I was sent to the office of Swiss Life branch. So I marched to office on Tuesday. There I was told that they did not do this type of insurance contracts. However, I got a new address and I went there on Wednesday at 12:30 pm. Tip: if you go to France, do not even try to go to any office at between 12.30 to 13.30 pm. They are not open. "Siesta and Fiesta," as the Spanish put it, is also known here.

Because I didn't get in immediately, I made a little tour around. I saw universities Lyon 1 and Lyon 2 and some other buildings. In that area there wasn't that much other things to see. I returned to the insurance office after an hour, and luckily I obtained the insurance.

At School

On Monday afternoon I had an info session, that our coordinators had organised for the international law students at my new university, Université Catholique de Lyon. Apart from myself, there were new students  from Australia, Austria, and Canada. They had also come to Lyon only for the second semester. In addition, there were also Spanish students, but they had arrived at Lyon already in the autumn.

Everybody seemed to know someone else at the reunion. In other words somebody from their own country. Only me and a Canadian boy had come alone. At the session I also got my timetable. I got rid of a couple of courses immediately, because they overlapped with other courses. I think I will have enough to do already with the remaining courses.

At the university I also had to take care of several things. Fortunately the coordinators are really friendly. However, the things are not always that organized. They are handled at their own pace, if ever. Compared to the exchange in Britain, you get the feeling that you are patronised a lot more, but in the end you have to do everything by yourself anyways. In Britain things were really well organized, but it didn't feel like paternalism. People here are really sympathetic (if you speak French) guide you to the right place (if you speak French) and tell you what to do (again, if you speak French).

Through small difficulties and by speaking poor French I managed to obtain my student card and got to know local student restaurants. In addition, I began my law studies in French. Courses on human rights went fairly well, although the class was mostly populated by local students, because the professors used a relatively understandable language and spoke rather slowly. I went to introduce myself to them, as the coordinator had emphasised that it was absolutely necessary. Because I'm here only for a short exchange, I agreed with the other professor that I will go next week to agree on the special arrangements for my evaluation.

Even though the human rights courses seem to be going well, the same can not be said of my commercial law course. Although the professor spoke slowly, she used such a vocabulary that I can not say that I would have understood even half of what she was saying. Fortunately, the Canadian exchange student, which I have already mentioned, was on the same course. Because he speaks French as his mother tongue, he had no difficulty in understanding the professor. He promised to lend me his notes. So I think that I'm able to gradually start my studies.