Now and Then

5 days ago...

What I would miss about France (or Nice specifically):
1) The language...all the polite phrases of "Bonjour", "Merci, au revoir" and "S'il vous plait" even after a heated argument.
2) The warmth both of the weather and the people.
3) The mountains which never fail to take my breath away.
4) The bakery...the traditional frangipane and the melt-in-your-mouth pastry.

What I would expect from England (Newcastle specifically):
1) Cute accent...imagine Hugh Grant, yummy!
2) The warmth of the people.
3) A good structure of organization in all aspects.
4) Immigrants.

4th day in the North-East England...

What I actually miss about France (or Nice specifically):
1) The language...I actually struggled not to say "Bonjour", "Merci, au revoir" and "S'il vous plait" when I first got here.
2) The sun! Sometimes I wonder if the morning I left Nice was the last time I saw a ray of sunshine for a very loooong time.
3) The mountains.
4) The F1 speed of wireless home broadband. I can't even upload photos on my Blogspot now! And by that, I also mean to download study materials and other professional matters. Okay the point is, super-fast Internet connection is essential.
5) The inexpensive public transports. So it's just a matter of time before my lower body looks like Jennifer Garner's out of walking here a lot.

What I actually get from England (Newcastle specifically):
1) Hugh Grant accent, only thicker, faster and needs 110% of focus to pick up the keywords.
2) Freezing cold in every step you take except within a 1-meter radius of the heater but it's compensated by the warmth of the people. They actually would leave whatever they're doing to walk you to the place you're looking for just in case you've got their in-depth instructions lost in translation. I honestly find that very refreshing.
3) A good structure of organization in all aspects. Now I get stressed out months in advance since we're well-informed about the assignments, the evaluation system, the grading mark and the dates where I could re-sit for a paper should I fail any. Good to know.
4) Immigrants and lots of them including those from my home country. I don't feel special nor privileged anymore. *ungrateful Homo sapiens mode*
5) The public transports are surprisingly pricey! Otherwise, the washrooms are free (haven't found one of those in France except in McDonald's), there are dirt-cheap halal stores every kilometre and sales are abundant. I could actually get four cans of Pepsi for 1 quid!

So each country has its own charm. Even the housing here is comparatively like chalk and cheese from that in France but they're both authentic. I love how they have a small glass room having a view over their groomed backyard. I can imagine myself in one having a cup of Earl Grey and reading a Charles Dickens book.

The thing about being in this program is that you sort of inevitably embrace a different culture every six months and just when you start to blend in, it's time to say goodbye. But with the itch to see more, comes the realization of how lucky I am to have grown up in Malaysia. Nothing like home eh.

Just an add-on, I really enjoy walking to the university with these guys. We would stop by and knock on a friends' house and continue walking to another friend's and end up walking in a quite interesting group of mixed nationalities across the huge Leazes Park. This is going to be a great semester! Of course, this is simply an expectation. We'll see how this one goes.