First post from LA FRANCE!! Days 1 and 2

Just a disclaimer: this is very much a blow-by-blow detailed account of my first couple of days in Rennes...more general posts will follow later!

Oh. My. Gosh. What a crazy few days it's been!! So much has happened that I'm not quite sure how it will fit in one readable post; I will inevitably miss some things out, so if you are a future Year Abroader/concerned family member or friend, please drop me a message so I can fill you in on more details!

So the journey was...interesting. I knew I would be pretty terrified, but I don't think I have ever felt more unsettled, ill (anxiety tends to go straight to my stomach and make me sick!) and gut-wrenchingly worried in my life. I knew I would have to deal with this year one day at a time, but at that moment I was literally having to take it half an hour at a time. I was basically a complete mess; up until departure day I had really tried to stay strong and calm and be really grown-up and controlled about the whole thing, but my resolve just completely crumbled that morning, and my Mum had to literally coax me onto the plane. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but the way I got through it was just by never thinking further ahead than I could handle, by praying, and through the unfailing strength and encouragement of my insane parents. I have rarely been so grateful for them!! This is me being terrified and trying to sleep at the airport, and pretend like it wasn't happening:

Photo 1 of my YA: general terror

Anyway, I thought that was important to say that in the interests of honesty! We got a taxi to my flat to drop off my luggage and then went to check in at my parents' hotel room, mostly because I was absolutely shattered (I got about 2 hours sleep the night before) and feeling really ill still, and just needed some recuperation time! We then returned to unpack my stuff, and I am really pleased with my room now...it's really cosy, and has lots of things to remind me of home. Basically loads of photos and fairy lights: if only I had Instagram...

Unpacking

Mood lighting on, and starting to relax

Mum then carried on unpacking (thanks Mum!) and I read some YA blogs, as I was still feeling a bit wobbly, and reading other people's experiences is one of my go-to pick me ups. Works pretty much every time! Not sure what I will do when I run out, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it (that phrase incidentally is steadily becoming my YA mantra). We had dinner at the hotel, but I didn't have much, and then I had ANOTHER panic moment as I started to think about how I was going to settle in to routine, and how different life was here, so Mum and Dad walked me back to my apartment. I then had a lovely conversation with my French flatmate until the early hours, about France, the UK, university, tea and missing home, which really encouraged me and made me feel much more at home in my flat! Of course then I started panicking that my French wasn't good enough, despite having had an intelligible conversation for coming up to 2 hours all in French, but there we go. Day 1 was done.

So that brings us on to DAY 2. I woke up feeling really thirsty due to all my vomiting the day before, and feeling a bit 'oh my goodness where am I? Wait, am I in France? Oh my goodness this is crazy!!'. But going to see Mum and Dad at their hotel chilled me out a bit, and after we had been to my local Carrefour for some basics we had a cup of tea and something to eat with my flatmate, in a weird concoction of French and English!

Mum and I making tea in my kitchen

I then went to campus to meet a friend from back home in Exeter who is also at Rennes 2 this year, and we went to get signed up for events this week. The queue took a while to get through, but we met some other Erasmus students from the UK and the US whilst waiting and chatted to them about how confusing it all was to pass the time! I felt a lot better once we had a basic timetable for the week, and having chatted to Ellie and shared our experiences, and then I went out for dinner with my parents to our favourite crêperie (still haven't eaten anywhere else in Rennes...should probably get on that!).

Mum and Dad at the crêperie

A slightly less terrified-looking me

The evening however did not end brilliantly, as I got stressed about the prospect of having to open a bank account in French and realising I didn't really have a clue how the French banking system works, so Mum and Dad came back with me again to keep me company. When I got back, I prayed and then read a Bible passage my friend from home had messaged me with earlier, telling me to read it. It was Psalm 91, and it was completely perfect for me: it really reassured me that God was looking out for me and that I could face the next couple of days without my parents, who were going home the following morning.

So there we go! My first two days in Rennes. I have spent so long wondering what these days might look like, and worrying about them, that to be finally started and getting through it all is definitely a relief, even if it's hard sometimes! It's been a complete roller coaster so far, but it's good to be ticking off the days now! Sorry that this has literally just been a list of what I've done and how I've felt, but I wish more posts like this had existed when I was getting ready to go so I could see how the first few days might be, so I thought it might be helpful! If it hasn't been, sorry. You've just wasted 5 minutes of your life. I can only apologise.

A bientôt!