22 Sep to 30 Sep 07 - Almost a month

Had my first two lab sessions which was a bad dream and a complete nightmare respectively. Thankfully, we had lab partners or it'd have been even worse. At the briefing before the lab session, the TA spoke at a rapid-fire speed without articulating well. So Lynn and I were totally lost even before the session began. Had to learn the french names for all the apparatus (eg beaker = bécher, separatory funnel = ampoule à décanter, round bottom flask = ballon) Wah headache man! Haha...

Then I had to be very clumsy and break a thermometer, which just pissed off the TA who from the beginning, already treated us like we were dirt under his nose. I admit that it's a task cleaning up the mercury and I was super apologetic but he kept murmuring stuff under his breath. Arg. Then our pump wasn't working so we had to bother the TA again. After the experiment started proper, we thought all was well again. Some of the french students were really nice and told us to ask them if we weren't sure about anything.

But of course, something else had to crop up. Nearing the end of our 4 hour experiment, we turned off the vacuum in the way we knew. Apparently we hadn't done it properly and the products we were supposed to separate became mixed up again! This vacuum was the only one in the lab that didn't turn off like the rest. What luck!! Argh then when the TA learnt of it, we obviously got the 'What, YOU again?!' look of condescension. It was immensely stressful on our part and when the lab session finally ended, we were reduced to walking zombies.

Part 2 of lab = lab report. At least in Singapore we could submit type-written ones. Here, the lab reports have to be handwritten and each is about 10 pages long! Had to spend my weekend at Jem's place to use the Internet to search for info. The questions that have to be discussed in the report are I think more difficult than those required back in NUS. What's more, no seniors' reports (haha) and in French!

But other than the academic stuff, my life's good! Time for photos again!


Jem shagged from studying (after only 5 minutes haha)


Paella again! Hoho it's become our staple food


Paella + Cider (very low percentage of alcohol) is sedappp!


The equivalent of the NUS sign


The LT (the French call it amphi) with the dreaded blackboard!


Lynn and Guillaume (he's our first french friend in our course)

It's pretty hard to make friends with the French due in part to our disappointing command of the language. Not many have the patience to wait for us to form our sentences and we hardly understand them cos of the slang and their speed of speaking! So most of the French we meet are merely acquaintances. Hope this changes man!