One Semester-Travelling in the Schengen

If you are staying for less than a full year, you might have gotten the message dispense de carte séjour this just means that you are ineligible for the residence permit.

I want to travel a bit after my semester, can I?

I have a Canadian friend who is living in Belgium for three months after which she is legally required to leave the Schengen zone for at least three months before she can return.

Schengen ≠ EU

While there are political, social and economic reasons for this treaty, the important thing for the traveller to know is that it essentially means free travel between all fifteen countries (with new countries joining) without worrying about border checks and special visa applications, you just need one "Schengen visa." That being said, sometimes they do check for ID. Canada is among the countries that do not require a special Schengen Visa in order to enjoy free travel throughout the zone but...

Here are the few restrictions for Canadians that do exist:

With your passport, you are permitted 90 days travel per every 3 months and 180 days per 12 months. What this means is that you can stay in any one country or travel between all fifteen countries continuously up to 90 days, after which you must leave the region for at least another 90 days (note, the UK and Ireland are not Schengen countries) before you can return. However, from what I've read, the most important portion of the time restriction is the 90 days, and not necessarily the per 180 days. I think this stuff is meant to confuse people.

For example, you arrive in Germany and stay for 10 days and then move on to Belgium for 5 days and then move on to France for another 15 days, thus, 10+5+15 = 30 days total in the Schengen zone. You decide that rather than go to Switzerland as planned, you choose Scotland for a month and a half - not Schengen. When you leave France, you get your passport stamped showing that you've left. After a week, you realise that it's wet and boring and decide to make your way back across the channel to walk your troubles away along the canals of Amsterdam. Enter Schengen again, stamp on your passport and the countdown re-starts.

What happens if I travel throughout Schengen if it's past 3 months?

I'm not sure what exactly happens to you. The official penalty is that you get deported, and barred from coming back for a certain amount of time, but I'm not sure how strictly that's enforced.

In conclusion...

The reps from the consulates and embassies of the countries you want to visit can not be relied upon to give you correct information. They are usually specialists in affairs affecting their own citizens, and not necessarily of foreigners in their countries. From my friend's experience, everyone is a bit wishy washy, and honestly, it's much easier to rely on the advice of friends and the good ol' internet. Read more...

Toilets - Not for the squeamish

One day, Marcelle let me know that a common bug that makes its rounds in the winter months in France, is some sort of gastro thing that you can be sure to catch if you make frequent use of public toilets.

Toilets are never free in train stations and airports and cost about 0,50€, which you pay to an attendant.

In Lyon, most of the street toilets are free. Some of them have specific times when they are free and at other times, they may cost you anywhere from 0,15-0,50€. And, honestly, it's hardly ever worth it. Some of these toilets were downright nightmarish and makes me question my euro-centric education even more, chiefly the idea of Europe being the "centre of civilization" or whatever.

(Source: stylebytes.net)

The regular occurence of co-ed toilets in this country reminds me habitually of my prudishness. A few of the toilets at the Lyon 3 campus are co-ed. I must admit that even after three months, I still have trouble killing the instinct to turn around and find the "right" ones when I walk into the toilets each morning and find four male behinds lined up against a wall.

The toilets in Lyon are also frequently found without toilet seats and I'm not mixing toilets up with urinals. I suppose it's fine when you only need to squat, but there are certain times when squatting can't comfortably take the place of a paper toilet seat cover, if you know what I mean.


Proceed with caution. Read more...

Beaujolais Nouveau

The French expression for partying is faire la fête (direct translation: to make party).

By French law, the new crop of Beaujolais nouveau cannot be released earlier than the third Thursday of November of each year. However, due to the wild popularity of the wine with the Japanese market (and the yen that can be made by this special exception), technically, it is released eight hours ahead of French time in Japan.
As the date approaches, you will see posters and flyers in the windows of bars and cafés signalling the approach of the date and planned on-site tastings.

Beaujolais: The region
The Beaujolais region is located north of Lyon and is widely known as a wine producing region. Every year, the International Relations department at Lyon 3 organises a Beaujolais nouveau-tasting trip out to the region for exchange students.


(Source: www.exquisine.de)

Beaujolais Nouveau: The wine
I know little about wine and my palette is not the most refined but I have learned a few things in passing about this wine. Beaujolais nouveau is one wine produced in the Beaujolais region and one of its most popular. The most occasional wine enthusiast will tell you that Beaujolais nouveau is not the best wine, being more "commercial" and cheaper. Unlike many other red wines that taste better as it ages, Beaujolais nouveau is meant to be drank quickly (i.e. it does not keep well and not that it needs to be chugged). Read more...

The Library

The understatement of the century would be for me to say that the one library at the Lyon 3 - Manufacture de tabacs campus pales in comparison to UBC's library resources. Can you also believe that there's, like, no elevator in this library? I have now experienced going back in time.

One of the bigger libraries in Lyon is le Part-Dieu but it is also by no means something to write a postcard home about. I got a library card on Saturday: borrowing books is not free.
Paper alert: To get a library card, you need to bring: a piece of ID, a justificatif de domicile, your student card (to take advantage of better rates) and money.

I remember a French professor telling us once how spoiled university students were in Canada, and made a reference to our library privileges and access to resources. Granted, the average UBC student pays about two-hundred times what the average French student pays for tuition. Nevertheless, sucks sucks. Although, our higher tuition price doesn't explain why we get to borrow almost any book we want from the public library and bring them home to read while on the toilet, all for free! Read more...