Sushi evening

 Hello lovers!

This has been a really nice week. On Monday we had someone cutting the power from our building ALL THE TIME. Because of this I lost 1,5 hours revising time for my exams on Tuesday.. I'm sure it was someone who had his exams last week so he could just do whatever he wanted this week. It was really hard to read when the lights went out every 2 minutes for longer period of time.

On Tuesday we had a sushi evening with other exchange students! It was so much fun! In reality I hate cooking (I'd rather starve than cook). Cooking in a group made it really nice and I actually helped with rolling the sushi. I think I'm going to do this in Finland with my friends :) This time all the pictures are from the sushi evening.

After the exams in L3 of chemistry we had 5 days of vacation. I used two of these days to go to work.. On Wednesday I went to work around four and I slept there to start working around 7 in the morning. On Thursday I was alone with the younger child the whole day for the first time. It actually really enjoyed it! Of course changing diapers isn't my favorite thing but still. I tried to talk as much English with him as I could but I still have to wait a bit before he starts answering me.

On Thursday evening we played draw and guess with the parents of the family and their friends.  The cards were in French so they had to translate the cards for me but I think it was OK. I had fun and I guess that's the most important thing.

Friday was a free day here in France so one of my friends asked me to go see The Adventures of Tintin with her. She wanted to see the original version with French subtitles. We went to Le Forum des Halles too see the film. There are two movie theaters so of course in the beginning we were in the wrong one..

After the movie we went eating and then shopping. Actually we didn't have too much time for shopping in other stores after finding fnac. fnac in Le Forum is HUGE. It's in three floors and every floor is so big that I was completely lost in there. I was really happy about the books that I found: I bought three comics and grammar book of German and a conjugation book of French. Now I just have to get around to reading them...






Today I went shopping to Paris all on my own. In the beginning it was my meaning to see one of my friend there but in the end we ended up being in different places in different times and we didn't see each other. I was quite happy all the same! Now I really have confidence that I can find my way around Paris.

In the beginning I spent a couple of hours in Le Forum des Halles when I was trying to find shoes. In the end I bought only one waffle from there (which was really good). After that I decided to go to Rue de Rivoli - which is a really big shopping street - to find my favorite store here: Jennyfer. I ended up buying a lot of stuff and I'm really happy for finally finding clothes for winter. I also found shoes. We don't have Jennyfer in Finland so I guess I have to go there as much as possible.

Ready to eat!

This reminds me that I have to whine about the French sizing. In Finland I'm size S and in here I'm L!! If I'm lucky I can find something with M that fits me. Today I tried one skirt and the biggest size they had didn't fit me.

I think these were the most burning subjects at the moment. My mom, aunt and cousin are coming to visit me in three weeks! And I'm going to Finland in one month and 5 days. Time just flies past here.

I think today I finally fell in love with Paris :) At the moment I so don't want to go back to Finland.

The best exam ever

I had the exam of quantum chemistry just now. It didn't go that well, but I loved taking the exam.

Let us start the explanation with saying that when I told the professor of quantum chemistry that I'm an Erasmus student, I was immediately on his list of "students that need special attention". He is generally a really nice person, he is really passionate about his work and he is helping everyone equally. Always when I don't understand something during lessons he comes to me and explains the thing to me with patience and really easy French. He has also helped me with my homework that we have had every week.

During the exam he came to me 3 times telling me that I can do the exam in English if I want. Earlier I've asked him if I can use English if I don't remember some word in French (and of course he gave this his blessing). I had only little idea of how the easier exercises were done, but I managed with the hardest one that we have had recently in class. The professor specially came to tell me that the last question was hard. Never the less I started with it and after he came to check on me again he said that it was going well :) The prof also helped me a little with small stuff in the exercises. I think that might have made the others a bit jealous..

I'm really sure if I were French I wouldn't have passed the exam with what I managed, but I'm actually really happy. The fact that I could do the exercise that we have done recently shows that my French has really gotten better! This is what I told the professor too: in the beginning it was impossible for me to follow the lessons and  to take good notes. It was really motivating to take the exam to see my own progress :)

I still have one exam to do: inorganic chemistry. I better continue reading to that!

Blackouts

Sigh.. I'm really irritated at the moment. We have someone in our building who is switching on and off the electricity. It's really hard to try to concentrate on studying.

Tomorrow I have 2 exams.. And I'm so stressed! Especially when I think about the exam today.. it was a bit of a fiasco :)

Off to reading for however many minutes we have light left! Thank you person who had his partials last week for ruining everybody else's last minute studies!

Pictures and a quick report

Quick report: I have my first exam tomorrow and I'm so nervous! I don't know what to expect, I hope it'll go well. The day after tomorrow I have 2 exams (because they aren't enough hard if you have only 1/day..)

I got really nice pictures for my friends S so I decided to share them :)

 My first weekend in Pairs! You can see the Eiffel-tower in the background.

From Disneyland! I got to pose with Tweedledum or Tweedledee from Alice in Wonderland.

Halloween

 Salut poussins!

It has been a while :P At the moment I should be reading to an exam but well.. I have to keep you posted!

So what has happened this week. My first laboratory courses started! They actually started last week but I forgot to mention it. It's really nice actually. With my partner K we are always messing things up and I'm causing accidents but it's OK. The professor knows that I'm an exchange students so I get a little bit of special attention. There are some totally new equipment for me so it's really hard for me to work with them (which is exactly why the prof has to look after me). The prof also told me that during the laboratory exam I have to ask for his help with the equipment so that I don't ruin my work.. At the moment we have laboratory of organic chemistry and quantum chemistry, then we'll have TP* of inorganic chemistry and molecular orbital theory.
* (the French abbreviation for Travaux Pratiques = practical work or studies)


I also had a talk with the head of the Licence 3 of chemistry and he told me that if I take 4 exams next week and I manage with my courses I'd get 22,5 credits (1credit = 1ECTS) from this semester. It's OK because I have to study 45 credits during my time here. At the same time I'm a bit disappointed because I would have loved to get 30 credits from this semester so that I didn't have to worry about my credits during the next one. BUT the professor also told me that we are going to have polymer chemistry next semester. I just love polymer chemistry! :)

This is a list of my courses at the moment:
[name of the course; ECTS]


Quantum chemistry 1: 5
Organic chemistry 1: 5
Inorganic chemistry 1: 5
Symmetry: 2
Molecule orbitals: 2
French: 2.5
German for beginners: 2.5


Hmm I don't really know how the professor got 22,5 from this but that's what he has written to my papers :D I wasn't taking the course of symmetry at first so I'm not sure if I can pass the exams next week. I doubt it.

And then changing the subject: Halloween! I really enjoyed Halloween his time! Normally in Finland it's no a big thing but in here it was. Many of my friends and me dressed up as zombies. I was the zombie version of  Minnie Mouse :P I just took the ears I bought from Disneyland Paris. What's the point of them if I don't use them every once and a while? I think we had really great time. I went to Paris into a party with all the others but I didn't stay there for long.

And then the story behind the first picture. The family whose children I take care of gave me truffles! Oh my they were SO good! I really like this family :) My mom is coming here with my aunt and cousin in 3 weeks and the family invited us to go to a dinner at their place.

But now I could read a bit of organic chemistry as a bedtime story! Enjoy the pictures of me with my friends :P