Arbizu in the World: September 2006

Thursday, September 28, 2006

1st Strike-Demonstration

Not much to say these days, everything is paper-work, searching for the places I gotta go to do the class Inscription, trying to figure out the time-table, searching for other places where they sell the house-products, waiting for my Student ID to have the discounts...
Oh but just now, outside the window, in the Boulevard St. Michel, the one that comes directly from Notre Dame, which is exactly parallel to my street, I can see my first French Demonstration. They already told me it is very common in France, Id say this one counts with around 10.000 people moreoreless, I can read it is the National Unique Labor Union, and they are protesting for something about the primary education...
Anyway, today I guess Ill party out, at an Erasmus Party, they are Great Parties jeje!\
Oh and tomorrow my friends Alex from France and Sebastian from Germany are coming "chez moi", for the weekend so, I hope to take pics and post them soon... and Im surely gonna party hard with them hehehe!
Gros Bisous!
PS: Ohhhh I forgot, yesterday I finally bought my french cell phone: (+33) 0632137085 Im not sure but if u call from inside France u obviously dont need the country code, but if it phone from outside, u gotta put the country code and avoid the first zero, so it'll be: +33632137085 That is if any of u guys are bored and have enough cash to phone Paris, :-)

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Saturday 23rd Sept.

Yesterday all the Erasmus Exchange Students, had a scheduled visit to The "Assamblee Nationale" at the end only around 8 of us appeared, but it was a really Nice Visit. To understand it is exactly the same as the "Congreso de los Diputados" in Spain, or the "Congress" in the States, we sat at the top in the guest stand, and they where debating amongst the Privatization or De-Nationalization (as the Communist representative called it) of the Public Gas and Electricity Company in France. The topic was very interesting, as the same debate is happening in Spain nowadays with the Takeover Bid of one of our Electric companies by a German one. At the end, the right party had majority therefore the Law permitting the privatization was passed.
On the evening, we went to a Firework with music show... it was AMAZING!!! all the fires where synchronized with the music and there where a lot of people as the football-pitch where it took place was completely packed, afterwards we went and had a pair of beers and back home.
All Ive done today is laundry, vacuum cleaning and made spanish omelet for lunch (it tasted better than Id expected!) tonight there's a dinner at the house of a girl from Barcelona, so Ive already bought French Wine and spanish Jamon at the supermarket.
Hope to be able to post pictures asap as just typing/reading is booooring!

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

1st Week of Class in Paris

Hi all!!!
Here I am at an Internet Cafe updating my blog at last... it is difficult to keep on updating as I dont have Internet at home yet, therefore I do need to continuously come here and there searching for the cheapest Internet Cafe, as all my neighbours have a Secured Wi-Fi access, thats why I cant use their connection for free. Too bad. And it isn't funny to type with the Azerty keyboard.
In addition, I wont have Internet at home at least in the near future, as first I need a bank account, yesterday I did open an account at BNP but they ask me for my student card, which I wont have until the 2nd of October, and I do need a bank account opened so that my rent can be payed before the 10th of October...therefore it is all particular steps I gotta undergo to have everything I need. Hopefully next month everything will be solved and fixed. Right now classes are good, I just have french classes and civilization of france. In 2 weeks Ill have classes concerning my Master.
Today I met a funny old man. I entered a "pepeterie" stationery in english (papeleria en espanyol), to buy a pair of scissors, sellotape. The owner was at least 70 years old of age, and there was only a chinese girl shopping. He was all the time asking the chinese girl to write certain words in chinese and how to pronounce them, to be able to say them when chinese tourists entered his shop. Anyway after a 10min conversation, once she had left, he told me: "woww those chinese girls are Sexy ehh"! and I smiled, and then he said: "but people know that arabic girls do it differently hohoho" I didn't know what to say, I just laughed with him and said nothing, paid him and was about to leave, when he gave me as a gift, a magazine: "Sports and Style" with Anna Kournikova at the front page, wearing her underwear. At first I said I couldnt accept the gift, but he insisted, therefore I took it, you can imagine whats inside the magazine. What a dirty old man someone might think, but I thought he was worth appearing on my blog.
This evening after class we have agreed to go to Ile de France to have a picnic, I hope it is as funny as the previous picnic we had last saturday in front of the Eiffel Tower...
A bientot!
Oh btw: My new address in case somebody is bored and wants to mail me is:
Angel David ARBIZU 54 Rue Henri Barbusse. 6em Gauche. 75005 Paris

Friday, September 15, 2006

Finally in Paris!

ça va?
Yes I made it through my first night in my appartment in Paris!!
What I did yesterday was just: CLEANING! I know it is difficult to understand nit even I believe it... the thing is the appartment was so terribly dirty that I decided to use the Vacuum cleaner and then I decided to clean all the plates and glasses, and all the furniture too; I bought sheets for my bed and some food to have at home: pasta; milk, orange juice, water, frosties (the cereals cost me 4.50€!!!). I also searched for a place with dishwashers, and found one near to my place, and finally found an Internet Cafe (I HATE their keyboards!! it is not QWERTY as American or Spanish ones but AZERTY... all the keys are mixed up and u gotta press shift to type a full stop etc...) I already visited a shop to ask how to put Internet in my Appartment... but I need firstly a French Bank Account... and if all of that wasnt frustrating enough: yesterday night it started raining and today temperature has changed completely, u need long sleeves outside :-( Guess summer is finally over.
Anyway I am gonna go in 20 mins to a meeting with the International Student Programme so hope to meet some people there.
A Plus.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

5 Years After 911

This will be just a short post, it is very sad to remember a date, for something horrible, but this date 911 (11S in Spanish) will always be on our minds... God Bless.
(Those 2 pictures is what we saw on Ground Zero, in November '04)

Friday, September 08, 2006

CAMPEONES CAMPEONES!!! OE OE OE!!!

Im very sorry for the extremely late-update (hey that rhymes, ok forget it ...) The reason for not uploading my blog (and having this silly humour today) is that I just flew back 1 hour ago from a 5 day "search" for a new appartment in Paris, (VERY difficult task) as I had problems with the previous one, oh and today I had to wake up at 4:30am to get the flight, and I just dont know why, but I woke up at 2:30am and couldnt go back to sleep!!! It is 01:09pm and I havent slept yet... Im kinda tired. But anyway I just wanted to say that: SPAIN IS WORLD BASKETBALL CHAMPION!!! Yes we beat Greece last sunday, in the final for more than 20 points!!! And our star from Memphis Grizzles Pau Gasol (who didnt play due to an injury) was awarded MVP of the World Cup of Basketball held in Saitama, Japan. So everybody here seems very happy.
Hopefully one day our football (soccer) players will learn from them...
I've got my last exam on tuesday before I leave to Paris, next wednesday, I forgot the address, but Ill send emails to all of u guys with my address and the invitation to my 25m2 flat!
A bientòt!

Arbizu in the World