Livin’ in Lille

(Apologies on the late posting. The internet has been utterly inaccessible up until now).
Well, here I am, established at a foyer in Lille. After a couple of weeks of apartment and house hunting, I opted to go down the easiest and most economical route: a foyer des jeunes travailleurs. These dormitory-like buildings exclusively house young adults, who are attending classes at the university, working, or looking for work. Much like a dormitory, the foyer is equipped with a communal lounge and kitchen, and additionally a small computer lab. My foyer is conveniently located next to a metro stop, and is only a few blocks away from Gambetta, one of the more popular neighborhoods in Lille, frequented mostly by college-aged students.
Every Sunday morning off of Rue de Gambetta, there’s a large, sprawling fresh food market, which I was finally able to scope out this morning. There, vendors sell everything from bouquets of roses, baguettes, cheese from local farms, fresh baked bread, homemade honey, vegetables, fruit, to household items, clothes, and various gadgets. Clusters of families, college students, older couples, and children meander from stall to stall, most with a marché-inspired smile on their faces. The enticing odors of spices, fresh herbs, candles, roast chicken, and fried pitas waft into the aisles. I walked away feeling quite the Lilloise, in the possession of a few apples, tomatoes, bread, and honey.
Tomorrow: I’m beginning the observation period at my school. I’m not really sure what it will entail, aside from my becoming better acquainted with the teachers, students, and class curriculums, but I’m ridiculously excited, nonetheless. Now is when it all really begins. And while I’ve enjoyed these last couple of weeks of wandering and adventuring around this drizzly region, I’m ready to get down to business.