#sillyfacebook

I present to you my weekend! (The mountain is just awesome, it was not part of my weekend!)

It was very busy and very exhausting but I had a great time, so here it is.

Friday morning at 5:30am my alarm went off, and i set off on a journey to another neutron source, just outside of Paris to do another measurement. It took me 3 trains and 2 buses, and i eventually arrived at the lab just gone midday. The wired looking metal thing is a furnace (which i didn't use) and there is a small strip of metal in there, that is my sample. The results we got were helpful but the scientist was the most helpful part of the day!! It was all very very nerve wrecking, going on a business trip. Not knowing who you're meeting or even what you're doing. And why the hell your supervisor is trusting you with this! It consisted of expenses forms, 200 EUR train tickets i didn't pay for and one very long day of listening to fall out boy and the music from wicked on trains. The journey home was even more hell. The first train was late and i would have not gotten back to Grenoble, but thankfully they held the next train for us! Then Grenoble is in the middle of a massive thunder storm at 11pm and i'm in a broken down tram wondering how the hell i'm going to get home without getting wet. The answer, you don't. My shoes were still drying on monday.

That brings me nicely to Saturday. I started as a leader at a Guide group in Grenoble. They are part of Scout et Guide de France and welcomed me with open arms. The leaders speak english, and 2 of the girls! However, my French was put to the test when we did the "find out lots of things about your partner and tell them to the group" game. So there i was, talking like an infant in french to an 11 year old. I made it. Just. They think it's funny and it's a good job really! Then came the success of teaching them "Brown owl may we cross the river" or Sharks as i renamed it for ease. This involves all the girls standing on one side of the field, and the "shark" saying something like "only if you have brown hair may you pass". So, those with brown hair walk across and everyone else must run from the shark to safety. This was a great game for everyone but me who had NO idea what was going on! But ah well, they enjoyed themselves. I'm going on a leaders weekend thing.. next weekend and I have to dress like a minion. I'm sure the pictures will be funny but for now i am just panicing that yet again i am throwing myself into a situation with no communcation possible and a whole lot of risk of overwhelming myself, which i seem to do a lot lately.

Today i had more post, this time from the lovely Nicky! I would post a picture but it wouldn't do it justice. Lets just say it's called "Silly facebook" and it's a collection of some very bizzare faces pulled by some good friends. Although i have no idea who it is dressed as a lion!!

This weekend i was also lucky enough to meet up with 2 friends from Bath who are studying here. It was great to see them, and good to know i'm not alone. They agree that the support from the Uni has been less than minimal. I'm seeing them again Friday along with some other stranded Bath-onians.

You may be wondering about the homesickness. Well, it's still here. Of course it is. Sometimes i have a good day, and other times a really bad one. But I just have to take it a day at a time, and sometimes some very lovely people have to remind me of that when i forget. So, for today i am going to clean my room, put away my washing and hopefully feel better than i did yesterday.