London through my eyes

<<--- Ecrire en francais, ca detend

Salut chers famille/amis

Comme vous l'aurez pu voir, j'ai pondu un roman de conclusion juste en-dessous de celui-ci. Vu sa taille, je ne vais pas m'efforcer de le traduire, ce qui me prendrait beaucoup trop de temps. Pour ceux qui desireraient s'y attaquer, j'ai resume brievement mon sejour en Angleterre en le divisant en trois categories: ce que je pense d'un si long sejour, les consequences qui en sont impliquees et ce que cela m'a apporte. Ensuite, je donne mon opinion sur Londres et les UK en general. Les impressions que je donne ont pour la plupart ete exprimees dans les precedents articles que j'ai publie tout au long de ces six mois.
Merci pour votre support et votre "fidelite"; le nombre de visiteurs a ce jour culmine les 1030 en ces 4032 heures de vie londonienne.

C'est ainsi que je ferme mon blog, comme promis initiallement. Petite exception: je publierai quelques images evocatrices des vacances que je vais passer dans le Lake District ces deux prochaines semaines, ainsi que les dernieres images de Londres.
J'espere que vous avez eu autant de plaisir a lire mon blog que j'ai eu de plaisir a le mettre a jour au long de cette demi-annee. Je vous souhaite bon vent et rendez-vous en Suisse!

Melvin

<<--- English defenitely has an impact on me (L'anglais vous transforme apres six mois)

It has been six months now that I left Chernex. Today, my stay in London has officially come to an end. I will, however, enjoy two more weeks in the Lake District, North of England, with my family before finally coming back home; an idea which already refrains me from sleeping. This will therefore be my last report from London and for this reason, I would like to share with you m personale views on a 6-month stay abroad, London and England in General.

Staying abroad for six months

Well, that is undoubtably long. Just do the maths yourself: 4032 hours or, if you like large numbers, 241920 minutes in total.
First of all, let's come back to this year's dull January, which was particularly intense since it represented the outset of my experience. Packing, thinking (not my best quality) of all the (un)necessary things to take with me (albums, nail-cliper, some paper); my departure was rather painful. When I look back into my last hours in Geneva, I can hardly imagine that I am now half a year older, in a period where the shy summer is still being prevented from outbreaking completely, a period in which trees are green, grass turned into an incadescent dark green and the girls wear even less clothes than in winter. The seasons have changed, so have I. Don't expect me to be taller, shorter or fatter. No, what has actually changed is my character, personality, my views on other people, my prejudices which have been kicked off by a brutal reality, and of course my knowledge of english which has considerably increased since my A' Level (maturitE).
Going abroad for such a long but short time is, and nobody will contradict me, very rewarding. Getting to know an alien culture, being involved in a new family life, getting used to new food, a new climate and certainly a new environment are all in a way factors which make you feel and see differently at the end of your stay. The first couple of weeks may be terrific, horrendous or even suicidial; everybody has the time he needs to get his/her bearings. Some situations might make you feel uncomfortable, sometimes you'll just have to grin and bear what's happening. But once these minor drawbacks have been overcome, you'll undoublty realise that the oppurtinity you are given should be considered as very positive and rewarding. Making one's utmost in these moments isn't too much asked; it is a phenomenon which should turn into a habit, a sort of orutine and more important, a 6-month stay deserves definitely a general acknowledgment of its positive aspects and should therefore be highly encouraged by everybody. (I know that sounds long, so if you're drunk while reading this, here's a hint: a stay abroad is cool, yeah man!).

London: no time to rest

A world famous city, hundreds of different nationalities, green areas, wonderful monuments, dense pollution: many words would be needed to describe and sum up London. I vaguely knew the name in January, a city I begin to discover 6 months later; immense.
My first idea of London was a rich city, with lots of areas in Notting Hill style. I barely knews how sprawling and various London actually was. I was surprised by its suburbs, from East Finchley to Wanstead, and would have hardly imagined that London was in fact nothing else than a patchwork of boroughs and communities.
I was also positively surprised by the cleanness of the city, Tube included (except late night). Although travelling with the Underground might be very tiering and shocking, I must admit that the system works almost perfectly and is necessary for such a big place.
In the beginning, Buckingham and the other monuments are on your top-list. After a while, you unwittingly become fascinated by other numerous details, turn up in other areas in London and visit world famous museums (free for the majority of them). All I am certain about is that a lifetime would probably not be enough to discover everything.

To be honest, coming to London just proved that city-life wasn't for me at all and that there is nothing better than living in a village or a smaller town. The experience was, however, very interesting and unforgettabl. Coming to a city for a long term stay is the perfect choice you can make, since various activities are boasted the whole year long. And feeling among people isn't that bad if you feel homesick or need somebody to talk to.

The Country

Well, that's the whole point. England, Englishmen, Englishwomen, part of the UK, but don't you dare mistaking them with a Welsh or Scott, or even worse, an Irish.
A stereotypical image of England is a constant bad weather, with hardly ever an sunny spells. The truth is: I would bet that we had a much more friendly weather a few months ago than you guys in Heidiland. Although a strong wind, which is generally persistant, destroys your freshly made hair and blows you specks of dust in your eyes, there is nothing to complain about (reguarding the weather).
And who said that english girls were dull and ugly? That's a second wrong assumption about England, istinctively separated by the Channel, which is actually this country's pride (after the Queen). I was surprised to discover that many patriotics feel unique on their Island. Being different is a national hobby and adapting themselves to new situations appears once in a blue moon. However, once you behave like a Brit, they would welcome you warmly (you'd have to speak in Shakespear's language of course...). But that's not all. The English patrominy would be half that interesting without their holly pints. People here go to pubs for the sole reason of bcoming drunk (according to a Metro survey, always accurate enough to make you sink in doubtful thoughts). They have however a long way to go to beat champion Germany.
English food? Not that bad, as I discovered. Fish'n'chips is perfect, burgers and porc pies also. Don't expect a rafinated cooking method, but people here have the necessary skills to conjure up something nice (if they want). And if that's not fine for you, just head for a Burger King or other Mac Donald's, which are unfortunately invading rapidly the counrty.

Conclusion

So, there would be a lot more to add but I think I made my point clearly, and gave you the privilege to discover my time in London during these 6 months. Feelings are always mixed, so it is for everybody: time can feel slow, quick, amazing, dull, exciting, depressing, surpsing... but whatever I felt, I always tried to look forward and do the most which was feasable.
Thank you for visiting m webblog and for your numerous contributions. So far, you have logged on my pages 1030 times in 6 months. Thanks and see you in Switzerland!

Melvin

Well, strange things are bound to happen in London. This is probably the reason why nobody was surprised to see us having dinner on a roof in the middle of Islington (aera in London). A buffet evening has been organised by the Italian groupe of our school, and who thinks Italian thinks also nice food: Lasagna, salad, fruit salad and a big tiramisu were on the menu. It was delightful and we then all headed to the weekly pub crawl, which was actually the last one for me and many others who are going home next week!

Soirée buffet sur un toit dans le quartier de Islington (Angel). Pour les détails: les italiens de notre collège logent tous sous le meme toit et ont eu la fabuleuse idée d'organiser un souper chez eux en invitant certains de leurs profs et de leurs amis. Au menu: lasagnes, salades, salade de fruits ainsi qu'un Tiramisu. Petit plus: tout s'est déroulé sur le toit de l'immeuble. Bon appétit