Carnaval Étudiant de Caen

Not the best start weather-wise for a day of the Carnival...my heart sank when I looked out the window to see flurries of snow falling onto the ground. Now when everyone is going to be wearing fancy dress for the majority of the day...I can imagine some people attempting to rethink their costume choices. The weather did get a lot better though, as well as everyone having the inevitable beer jacket, the weather seemed quite mild by the end!

However, my day did not start with a Carnival...unlike the students, who had an official day off from the university for the Carnival; I had to go into work. And more than usual too! Instead of my usual one hour in the morning, I was asked to work two hours in the afternoon too (after the Carnival had started!) and being English could not think of a good excuse to say no! Luckily it was only with the lovely quatrième INTER, who were so enthusiastic and nice that I couldn't begrudge them the classes. We did one hour on 'Brave' and with the two other hours we watched 'The Time Machine', as they are halfway through reading H.G Wells' novel from which the film is inspired. It was really interesting to talk with them afterwards about the differences between the book and the film and which they preferred.

In my time between the two lessons I went up to the university to help the ERASMUS lot with their stall and although it was rather cold, everyone's spirits were really high. This is Astrid, I'm sure you can guess what her costume is! In the background you can just start to see the other people arriving...with one of my favourite costumes being SuperNorman vs SuperBreton. There is always a rivalry between the two regions, and seemed to be illustrated perfectly by these two revellers, one dressed with the Norman flag, the other the Breton!

Serendipitously when I had finished work, the parade around the streets of Caen had just started so I was able to find and meet up with Thomas, Thibaud, Nora and Simon really easily and join the party. Glad that I didn't take my lovely expensive camera, as in my excitement I managed to lose my phone twice. Yes, you read that right. Twice. Somehow my friend Mathieu managed to pick it up on the street, so I was treated to the sight of a half-naked man painted blue (Costume: Smurf/Stroumph) running at me shouting 'ton portable!!!'. Now to lose a phone once, and then to find it again...lucky. To then lose it again, unlucky. Giving my phone up for gone, I will be going and buying a new one tomorrow...thank god it really isn't that expensive!


So, in short, Carnaval Étudiant de Caen I salute you...a day of dancing, fancy dress, spending time with friends, making new friends and just having an amazing time. Same again next year?


Thirty-two points of wisdom for you today (as I probably could have been a little wiser today!) :-
1. Keep a change of clothes at work
2. Never hit anyone unless they are an immediate threat
3. Every hat should serve a purpose
4. Always look a person in the eye when you talk to them
5. Buy a plunger before you need a plunger
6. Exercise will make you happy
7. Never take a woman to see a film on the first date
8. Brush your teeth before you put on your day clothes
9. A small amount of your salary should go directly into your savings account each month
10. Call your parents at least once a week
11. Compliment a woman's shoes
12. Never leave a pint unfinished
13. If you aren't confident, fake it, it will come around
14. Be conscious of your body language
15. The only reason to ever point a gun at someone is if you intend to shoot them
16. Always stand to shake someone's hand
17. Never lend someone something that you can't afford to lose
18. Ask more than you answer, everybody likes to talk about themselves
19. Manliness is not just taking care of yourself, but others
20. Go for someone out of your league, you may be surprised
21. Go with the decision that makes the best story
22. Nice guys don't finish last, boring ones do
23. When you walk, look straight ahead not at your feet
24. Find your passion and figure out how to get paid for it
25. Everyone deserves your respect
26. The most important thing you can learn is personal responsibility. Bad things happen, it's your job to overcome them
27. The first one to get angry loses
28. Never stop learning
29. Always go out in public dressed like you're about to meet the love of your life
30. Don't change yourself just to make someone else happy
31. Do whatever you want to do, but be the best at it
32. No one is on their deathbed wishing they spent more time at work