First days at university

University has finally started this week and it all seems rather surreal. They make classes for international students slightly easier, so I'm glad about that. We've got a two-week trial period where we can swap modules/ classes; there's one that I will have to double-check whether I made the right choice or not. I found signing up for classes was a very traditional affair: there was a board with a list of the modules and times, and then behind us there were corresponding booklets to which you added your name (and then turned up to the relevant lecture). None of this online business.

   I'm meeting more international students, which is always nice because you've got people to talk to about all the strange French cultural things you've come across- or even learn about their cultural tendencies, but a shame because we often speak English amongst ourselves. I was hoping to find some Muslims to mingle with but there aren't that many on campus... and they're not all that open to new faces. I might get a salaam out of them at the most. I guess we're like that in the UK too. We just get on with our own thing and don't really acknowledge the others around us much. Maybe I need to make more effort? Probably... I obviously want to meet Muslims because then I might be able to get involved in some "ISoc"-related stuff- and that way won't feel like a loser rejecting all the trips to the local bars. I managed to go to a German girl's flat last weekend for dinner. It was really nice because there were a few of us girls and we cooked, ate and chatted away... The only shame was that I had to leave at about 8.30pm (ish) because it was a Sunday and my tram ends at about 9pm. It's strange getting used to the early transport hours and lack of taxis (there are taxis here but they're too expensive to use casually). Students being students have learnt to use the tram/ bus timings to their advantage. Instead, they choose to be out the house for 12am and they party all night until the trams start again in the morning (apparently at around 5am). Rather ingenious I thought...

   Ok, so it's Rabi-al-Awwal and in Grenoble the 12th is tomorrow (Thursday) insha' Allah. In celebration for the lovely occasion, I'm going to venture into the kitchen to make Gulab Jamun to share with my flatmates. I'll only offer them if they turn out ok though (because it's the first time I'm making them alone). On my shopping trip around my local area, I found that it's rather difficult to find self-raising flour here. They don't have flour with the raising agent already added, except for some bread flours, but that's not what I was looking for. Anyway I purchased my flour and raising agent separately and then had to hunt down some milk powder, or lait en poudre. I need to open the one I bought and check if it'll do the job. However, it is rather easy to find couscous here...

   And a little incident that happened yesterday... My first lecture was at 9.30am in Amphi 5 (lecture theatre 5) and the following one at 10.30am in Amphi 3. I waited outside the second lecture theatre amongst all the other students, trying to see if I recognise anyone from previous sessions but couldn't really find a familiar face. Once the lecturer arrived and we trooped in and got my stuff out. The lecturer then said something in French to do with theatre... and I was supposed to be in a translation class. Two girls walked out and I thought I'd wait it out a little before I did the same. He started handing out leaflets about performance arts and I'd seen a few others (including one 'international' face I'd recognised) walking in and out of the lecture theatre so it was time to grab all my luggage and get the people on my row to get up so I could leave while the lecturer continued his French mumbling. The rooms had been changed and the students weren't informed (lack of communication in admin) so all of us turned up a little late and lost. Slightly embarrassing! The real lecture was a lot more fun than what those theatre kids were going through.

Note to British students: Be glad to have a 9am start. Here, uni can start as early as 8.30am (my Wednesday timetable) and there's a possibility for lectures to last until 7.30pm. I would much prefer a 'full day' in Britain than in Grenoble! Thankfully my timetable is relatively empty.

Snow

 I woke up on Tuesday to this view. I poked my head out of the window to get a similar view to one of my earlier pictures. As you can tell, the mountains have disappeared behind the snow clouds. It was in fact still snowing when the picture was taken.

While waiting at the tram stop, I saw a yellow man. He was shovelling away the snow from selected pedestrian routes. A few moments later I saw another man with a bucket and a hand shovel spreading salt where necessary/ where the snow had been removed. Manual labour but the job was getting done. The snow wasn't even that deep. I think Britain needs to learn a little from these guys!

This picture was taken the day after the snow. It was on my way home from uni and obviously the two men couldn't clear ALL pedestrian routes so I had to tentatively walk down this and beyond to get back home. Alhamdulillah I managed safely. It was all rather slippery though. 

What Makes a Curry a Curry?

I didn't expect to write another post so soon because nothing spectacular has really happened; but then I was inspired- in the kitchen of all places. I have a big question, hence why it made it as my 'Post Title'. The question comes from my latest adventures in la cuisine, where of course- as many of you will already know- I'm not the happiest.

So I want some serious input (comments) on this one because I need to know whether I can still call my cooking a curry. I may be an outcast to the 'Indian Curry Purists' (if they exist) and I may be attacked vehemently by the Sabzi Bid'a (innovation) Police because I've been cooking up some not-so-conventional curries.

This is my second go in the kitchen (yes, my last dish lasted me 7 days thanks to eating out on Saturday) and both of my "curries" have been somewhat different. The last one, I started with the best of intentions. Onions, ginger, garlic, spices- all went in as did my vegetables. That's where the first innovation came in... I used potatoes, carrots and... a pepper (capsicum). After that, I got a little carried away with the tomato puree/ sauce and so it was a rather rich orangey-red colour. Orange of course because there was the haldi (turmeric) at play. It tasted alright, I didn't fall ill and I now think spices get stronger the longer you leave the food...

Today I nearly went shopping for groceries but then laziness got the better of me. So, because I have no food left over, I had to cook again. I opted for couscous so I thought I would make a simple vegetable curry sauce to go with it. Looking in my fridge I only had 1 pepper (but only half was useable) and some small carrots. I started with the oil, added some cumin and other random whole spices to 'season' the oil... and then the haldi, red chilli powder, water, and the carrots. As that was all simmering away, I realised I missed the onions. I was ready to find that I wouldn't have the best 'gravy' for my vegetables. Anyway, everything went in and was cooking away- added tomato puree/ sauce again to give my curry some depth and it smelt curry-like but probably wouldn't pass as a meal anywhere. I have ended up with a really watery, orangey substance with random carrots and peppers floating about. It tastes alright though. Insha' Allah this too will last a few days and I won't fall ill from it.

I don't think I can host any guests with curries of that standard though, nor can I be the exotic Indian in the kitchen for my flatmates- because to be fair, I'm probably not setting the best example. Perhaps I should stick to old school classics like potatoes and chick peas, or shall I carry on innovating and let my pantry tell me how to cook??

On the Road to University

The past few days haven't been all that exciting. I have just had to discuss things with my two universities concerning modules and other formalities. The people at the university seem to be really helpful and friendly which is always nice and I will be starting my 'Semaine d'Accueil' this week (it's a Welcome Week). I get to feel like a first year as an international student! It's going to be interesting. Insha' Allah I'll get to meet loads more people from all over the world (because we have some timetabled tours together).

Also, I think I have found my favourite road sign in France. I never thought I would have a favourite one of those but I just love it! It's not just this one of course, I smile at each one I see on my not-very-far travels.

The mountain and clouds were accidental features in the picture, which I noticed after I took the photo, but I think they add a nice touch. 

Also, yesterday I went to a Muslim couple's house (invited by a friend) and as they were discussing the treatment of Muslims in France I was shocked to learn how difficult and intolerant/ ignorant people can be with simple matters that really don't affect them, like someone fasting. It made Britain seem like a safe haven and I started to love home a little bit more for it. Prayer rooms are very difficult to procure and any mention of things of that sort can have serious after-effects on your working life i.e. rapport between colleagues etc. I will have to see how things fare out in this regard because so far I feel like I've been given a pretty good welcome from Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Refreshed!

I haven't really been in touch with family and friends much over the last few days because my Internet has been down. It just stopped working and then started to work again just as quickly as if left me! Only God knows what happened to it but it was a good thing- as all things are in their own little way. I managed to have some 'bonding time' with one of my flatmates who happens to be studying Computer Science. He couldn't fix it but I learnt that he too dislikes Macs- like many of the other computer scientists.

After getting my French railcard equivalent I felt quite refreshed and since, I think I'm just going to take this whole language thing as a little game- do your best but enjoy it. People will figure things out eventually and I can always copy other people without points getting deducted!

Got lots of paperwork and other formalities to do with getting ready for uni- and I've already been told about a test I've got to take. It's always scary to hear about assignments/ tests- especially when you've been out of education for a little while! Insha' Allah it'll be ok though.

When I was internet-less I started thinking about some of the things I used to do at home and took out a pen and paper; felt like I should revive a few of my mehndi (henna) vibes so hope you like my not-so-creative attempt to be creative again...

Bastille

Today I visited the Bastille, one of the forts in France. It's supposed to be a big tourist attraction. I took the cable cart up there, though I didn't take any pictures when I was inside it (sorry!). It was rather quiet (apparently) maybe because it's a cloudy day. Took some random pictures. Grenoble isn't very pretty as a city- just lots of buildings. What makes it special are the mountains. Got some pics of the sun shining on the city. 

The beautiful snowy mountains! 

The non-snowy mountains:

Having to practise my French more and more (obviously); I seriously need to revise the future/ conditional/ imperfect tenses because the 'exceptions' are confusing me when I'm trying to explain something. As are all the reflexive verbs! 

This one's for Mum

Ok, so I haven't been doing very much these days so I thought it was about time I fully delve into domestic life. I told my Mum I would be thinking of her when a big moment in my life comes: when I do the laundry alone. I know I should know these things already, and I kind of already do but every washing machine is slightly different. Look at the one I've been given:

So just to make my mum proud and to prove that I did it (successfully) these are the pics: 

While I waited, I decided to have a cup of coffee and toast. Except the toaster doesn't work and I think it'd be too much effort to switch the oven's grill on for just two pieces of bread. So instead I substituted the toast for a croissant.

This one is for my little sister; she'll know why...

Don't worry, I won't make it a habit to put up pictures of my laundry. And something a little prettier, hope you like the view from my window- though I have to peek my head outside and look left for this-at Maghrib.  

It's a bit more purple in real life, I guess the camera couldn't pick up all of the colours.

A step back in time... with the Internet

In Britain I'd come to terms with the fact that I probably couldn't have functioned very well if I were to be transported back a couple of decades, or even if I had to resort to 'old school' methods to get a job done. I'm not designed for all that. We are pretty snug in our current lifestyle and I simply assumed that France had made all the same steps forward into the modern world as we have. It's not to say that France is a third world nation or anything, but I've noticed small differences that make France seem a little more traditional and conservative than the whole laïcité parade had let us come to believe.

I feel like in France there are small reminders of what things used to be like with added modern refinements. Of course we all have access to the Internet and electricity etc. but the windows aren't all double-glazed so all the noise outside sounds almost as if it's inside. Lots of buildings have toilets that are separated, with the sink and the shower in a different room. The shops close at 7.30pm at the latest here and you're lucky if you find many open on Sundays. The church bells ring almost every hour and a little extra for Christmas/ Sunday mass. Although they can be slightly inconvenient, the shop opening times, for example, tell you to just go home and relax, maybe go make a cup of tea or have a meal with your family and friends but stay indoors. In that way, it's a sort of family-orientated weekly routine and something that Britain must've had before I can remember. It also keeps you a bit more organised because you can't pop into the shop as and when you please, and even shopping keeps you on your toes because many supermarkets charge for carrier bags so you've got to go prepared with your own every time you venture out!

Just a little reminder of the perks of living in Britain and maybe of all the things we lost along the way.

New Beginnings

The apparent holiday is over. I am in a new apartment, in a new country just in time for the New Year.  Lots of special moments have built up to this rather mundane 1st January: mainly they've all been in the last 10 days. 
While I am realising how much more I need to practice my spoken French, I seem to be reassured that my comprehension and literacy level so far have allowed me to:
1) E-mail and text native French people in order to inquire about/ move in to accommodation
2) Figure out the tram system (even though a non-French speaker could do that)
3) Get a French SIM card with a tariff that suits me
4) Shop halal (I can read ingredients)
5) Purchase and set up a French printer- including the wireless connection
6) Correct a bus ticket error, since I was sold bus tickets to the wrong airport

Of course my French has failed me as well. When the tram decided to stop and we were instructed to get off at the next stop, I wasn't quite sure what we were expected to do. So, like any foreigner, we copied what everyone else was doing and ended up jumping on the bus that was replacing the tram. When the bus stopped on its journey and gave new instructions I had to go to the find out whether we would have to get off too or could stay on. In all the rush I went to the front of the bus where others were gathered and just asked, 'What's happening?!'. Of course everyone looked at me with a blank face so I tried to translate it, and the girl who chose to respond to me may as well have been talking in Chinese at the speed she was going. Thankfully a guy asked me in English 'where are you going?' and I told him the name of the stop so he confirmed we could stay on the bus. Chaos! 

Although it is a new start in some ways, some things will never change. I (accidentally) overslept until the afternoon, and started a domestic day in the flat. Domestic = cooked food that will hopefully last me a week. I will slowly learn how to cook once and eat it for maybe 1.5 weeks if possible. Wish me luck! :) 
All this time alone in my flat- my flatmates are away for the holidays- has given me time to settle into my own little routine and to think. Wordsworth's short poem 'We are Seven' came to mind. 

A SIMPLE Child, That lightly draws its breath, And feels its life in every limb, What should it know of death? I met a little cottage Girl: She was eight years old, she said; Her hair was thick with many a curl That clustered round her head. She had a rustic, woodland air, And she was wildly clad: 10 Her eyes were fair, and very fair; --Her beauty made me glad. "Sisters and brothers, little Maid, How many may you be?" "How many? Seven in all," she said And wondering looked at me. "And where are they? I pray you tell." She answered, "Seven are we; And two of us at Conway dwell, And two are gone to sea. 20 "Two of us in the church-yard lie, My sister and my brother; And, in the church-yard cottage, I Dwell near them with my mother." "You say that two at Conway dwell, And two are gone to sea, Yet ye are seven!--I pray you tell, Sweet Maid, how this may be." Then did the little Maid reply, "Seven boys and girls are we; 30 Two of us in the church-yard lie, Beneath the church-yard tree." "You run about, my little Maid, Your limbs they are alive; If two are in the church-yard laid, Then ye are only five." "Their graves are green, they may be seen," The little Maid replied, "Twelve steps or more from my mother's door, And they are side by side. 40 "My stockings there I often knit, My kerchief there I hem; And there upon the ground I sit, And sing a song to them. "And often after sunset, Sir, When it is light and fair, I take my little porringer, And eat my supper there. "The first that died was sister Jane; In bed she moaning lay, 50 Till God released her of her pain; And then she went away. "So in the church-yard she was laid; And, when the grass was dry, Together round her grave we played, My brother John and I. "And when the ground was white with snow, And I could run and slide, My brother John was forced to go, And he lies by her side." 60 "How many are you, then," said I, "If they two are in heaven?" Quick was the little Maid's reply, "O Master! we are seven." "But they are dead; those two are dead! Their spirits are in heaven!" 'Twas throwing words away; for still The little Maid would have her will, And said, "Nay, we are seven!" 1798.

When I first read this poem, it made me cry and yet I don't know why. The beauty and the lessons the young girl can teach the adult in this poem are endless, one of which is that there are no boundaries between you and those you hold dear to you. Ultimately, they will be dear regardless of the distance, state or time. Love binds us closer that any rope could for the Prophet (pbuh) reminded us that, "Everyone will be with those whom he loves.". May we all learn to love Him and His Beloved.