Look for Raine: octobre 2022

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We went back to Hyères after staying for only 3 days in Lyon. It was necessary for Max to stay with his parents. And those days were filled with sports and just chilling at home.

The PACA region has really so much to offer. We visited another commune located 25 minutes from Hyères by car called Belgentier. We wandered around the small village. There's really something about old buildings and houses that makes it feel rustic and artsy. Here are some photos I took:

We also did a small hike/walk of around 8km. The weather was very cooperative that day, perfect for a day out.

Out of the 6 days I spent in Hyères, we went to L'Appart Fitness (gym) three times. What an achievement for my lazy butt! We tried a session of Circuit Training which I liked a lot, and then the usual Body Pump session. I think I've already given up on the idea of exercising to lose weight. Losing weight requires a diet, and I certainly don't have the discipline for that. So I guess I'm reframing my mindset into — "I'm exercising so that I can eat whatever I want." Not exactly whatever I want, really. I still watch what I eat thought, just not as strictly as someone in a diet.

With Max's mom, we visited "Le Gapeau" — a small coastal river with man-made waterfalls. I thought at first that we will do another hike, but we only walked less than 1km to reach the waterfall. It was a pleasure walk instead, along the vineyard with the autumn sun.

I then went back to Lyon after almost 6 days. And I went back alone, 'cause my 2nd second semester of classes was starting. It was the first time I took the train all by myself, and I should say it was quite fulfilling.

So yeah, I spent a week in Lyon without Max. Again, quite fulfilling.

Now let me talk about my 1st week of classes. I received my schedule 2 days before the classes start, and to my disappointment, it starts at 8:00am in the morning. And I should mention, I was late on the first day. Hehehe

So the next day after, I set four alarms on my phone— first is for waking up at 6:40am, second at 6:55am to remind me to finish breakfast, third at 7:10am reminding me to finish my make up, and lastly is at 7:20am telling me that I should go soon. In addition, there's Alexa telling me at 7:22am "Depeche toi Lorraine! Tu vas être en retard!" Needless to say, I always arrive on time. Lol

Réunion de rentrée à l'amphithéâtre

Impression of being back? Honestly, I'm quite delighted to be doing something again, to be back on learning. It's quite pleasing to see familiar faces too, and to meet new ones of course. It feels like the administration was more welcoming comparing my last semester. We even had a "Réunion de rentrée" where all the ILCF students were gathered in the amphitheater.

I was assigned in an intermediate class. Since I already had a B1+ university diploma, the goal of the group is B2. We discussed about Lyon's history, culture and a painting of Monet. Surprisingly, we have a "cours magistral" where we'll discuss culture, politics, economics with the goal of being able to talk about it in french. It's a refreshing shift from the prior semester, probably because I'm already in an advanced group.

Anyway, this week's highlight for me was the discussion about different adjectives and their antonyms. It really piqued my interest because I do enjoy writing, and my favorite resource is the thesaurus. Lol I hope someday I would be able to write in French fluently, without the help of a Google translate.

By Thursday, my professor asked me, to my surprise, if I wanted to change into an advance group. Because apparently, I already have a good level of French. Frankly, I wasn't considering it. But I do have the cognisance that the class was "not easy, but not difficult enough", it was just...average. She advised me to give it real thought. According to her, since I live with a French man I have the advantage of progressing faster not like the other students.

Jardin Place Carnot, 13 oct 2022, 07:50

And so I questioned myself, should I stay in a group where I know I'll be at the top or should I go to another group where I will most likely be at the bottom? Should I step out of my comfort zone? Frankly, the answer was simple. Choose improvement, accept the challenge. Hence, I requested to be transferred.

I choose to keep on adding to my toolbox. I choose to make more mistakes, and learn from them. And yes, truthfully, admittedly, I am terrified.

So yeah, that's the tea for the past two weeks. Ciao!

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The trees overlooking our balcony started turning into the colors of autumn, and it was really beautiful to look at.

Years ago, I wrote a bucket list in an old journal, and one of them was "Experience all four seasons." And now, here I am, living across autumn sunshine, winds and rain with a mixture of warmth and cold.
I may be only appreciating it now (because I was too preoccupied with hating the cold), but there is certainly a joy in the changing of seasons.

There is a sheer delight in folding your summer clothes and placing them back into the cupboard, then re-putting your warm clothes in the closet, taking out your boots from the boxes and stashing away your open shoes which all fits into one drawer. It is like getting a new set of wardrobe! There is a joy in feeling warm despite the bitter cold, in noticing the changing of colors around— the leaves are turning orange, the sky with traces of blue on some days or full-on gray during rainy days. On having shorter days. It's a way of life.

Our final few days in Hyères before returning to Lyon were not quite eventful. The weather was not so friendly, and it was really starting to get cold. We went for a run with his mum at a vineyard. I managed to do 4.15km in 33 minutes. Not too shabby for me.

33 minute run at Domaine La Castille.

On our last weekend, we went to another flea market, which didn't really quite hit the mark. It was a mix of a regular market, a street market and a flea market. But hey, I found a long sleeved dress for only 1 euro, what a steal!

The day before our train to Lyon, we went to the Asian store to buy "chayote". I've been searching for it since I arrived in Lyon last January, and the only place where I found it, quite surprisingly, was in Hyères, in the south, in the country side, à la campagne. When I was volunteering at Restos du Cœur for food distribution, there was chayote to be given away. The other volunteers (most of whom were French) had no idea what kind of vegetable it is. It was initially sorted as a fruit, alongside apples and bananas. So I had to explain to them that it is a vegetable, and not a fruit. No one from the beneficiaries wanted to take it. Surprisingly, one French lady took a curiosity out of it and even requested me to write down "chayote" on her phone so she wouldn't forget. Anyway, that's my chayote story. Lol

This is what chayote looks like. We add this to Tinola, Max's favorite Filipino dish.

Besides that, I'm pretty shocked that there are more Philippine products in the Asian stores in Hyères than in Lyon. I purchased packs of powder sauce to make menudo, kare-kare and afritada. And also a jar of ube yam!

Returning to Lyon after one month felt befitting. I was relieved to be back in the city, in our apartment with our well-cared plants. All thanks to our only Filipino friends in Lyon. More so, I felt delighted to be back in a familiar territory. After two weeks of travelling in Greece and three weeks in Hyères, it felt good being in our own place.

Our indoor plants last August before we left Lyon. When we came back, they were all still green and super healthy!

However, due to some family circumstances, we decided to go back to Hyères after only three days of staying in Lyon. Also, since we still have a week or two left before classes and work start. But our three days in Lyon were quite eventful albeit brief.

On a rainy Friday afteronon, we ate ramen at a Japanese restaurant. It was advertised as Izakaya, when obviously, people go there to eat ramen. (Izakaya is a Japanese pub where you can grab small dishes like tapas and have drinks). My Asian self always craves for ramen whenever it is cold. Quand il y a du vent, ramen. S'il fait froid, ramen. S'il fait frais, ramen. Lol

Days before this photo, I'm still on my shorts and shirts, but now I'm back to layering.

But it is with this kind of cold that it feels good to run outside. So we dragged our lazy butts outside and went for an interval run along the river — 1 minute run, 20 seconds rest, repeat 13 times. It's nice to inhale the green scenery and the river while sweating from the run, makes the running less of a suffering.

On a Saturday night, Max went out to meet his friends while I stayed indoor — played FFVII then watched two romance movies. That's what I would call a relaxing weekend.

For the first time again in a few months, I forced myself to go bouldering. Yay! I can't even remember the last time I did this, yet we used to boulder once a week in Singapore. I didn't realized how much I missed it until I was on the wall, solving boulder puzzles, and going up and down the routes. It felt pretty good. (My forearms still hurt as I am typing this.)

One of the bouldering zone at Climb Up.

After the bouldering session, we went to a friends' house for dinner, the only Filipinos I know in Lyon. And there, I met the third one. Lol We brought a home made apple crumble pie for dessert. It's been a long time since I last baked.

Before and After photos of the Apple Crumble Pie.

The best part of the evening? We ate lechon kawali! Gahhhhd, my full blooded Asian self is dancing with joy hearing the crunchiness of the pork skin while I was devouring it. It was a feast just like any Filipino gatherings. I ate too much that I felt super bloated at the end of the night.

Ginataang kalabasa, lechon kawali, and kare-kare! There was leche flan for dessert, but we forgot to take photo.

*****

Autumn is said to be the season of change and preparation, a season of growth and renewal. As the days become shorter and cooler, I can't help but feel a little sad that summer has come to an end. But this autumn will be the first in my lifetime and I'm excited to experience all things it has to offer. My next semester in the university will start in less than a week. Definitely, looking forward to meeting my new classmates and professors (and dressing up everyday again)! Meanwhile, I will enjoy the heat in the south whilst I still can. Ciao!

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