The end.

(Reading time: 7 mins.)


(Thanks to this nifty new nugget of a feature, suggested by my friend and part avid, part apathetic reader Pawel, you now know just how much reading you're in for before you dive in. I know - seven minutes. Quite the marathon. Now you can put the kettle on, call your family and tell them you won't be home for a while, put your feet up and start reading. Hell, you can even do it in two minute chunks if it's too much in one go! The options are endless!)

The title. Six letters. Well five, and two uses of 'e'. Who would have thought that those six letters would be so poignant? They're just two small words, but perhaps it is the impact of their small size that abruptly brings everything to a close. Whatever the case, this is it. This evening I leave Rennes for good. This is the end. 

Now I have really enjoyed writing this blog and sharing my adventures, experiences and friendships with whoever can be bothered to read it. To those of you who have, thank you very much - it has been a great confidence boost to see so many read what is basically the autobiography of a nobody. I'm not famous (yet) so it's great to see such a following, and the kind words have actually made me more confident in my writing and maybe even get epic delusions of grandeur and see it as a possible career move in the future, but I'd need to write a lot more first!

Anyway, this update isn't really about the blog, because the blog is by no means finished. Its main subject up to now, however, has. I am leaving Rennes. The best time of my life is over. 

Words cannot describe how it feels to be doing this. To be leaving the city that had become my home. To be saying goodbye to the many people from all over the world who contributed to making me feel so loved, so special, so alive. We all say the usual 'You have to come to UK/Mexico/Ecuador/Senegal/Korea/Antarctica/Degobah' and reply with 'For sure!' Of course, we all know it is not for sure. Those bastard taxes on air fares are going to make it very difficult to see each other again, but we must hope.

WAS THE YEAR A SUCCESS?

I look back to the post I wrote the day before I left for Rennes (http://welcometoolliewood.blogspot.fr/2011/09/tomorrows-big-day.html) and to what my hopes and expectations were for the year abroad. I was afraid that it would be like my A level results day, living in Leamington Spa and the birth of my first son - overhyped. It really wasn't. It was worth every chunk of hype that was thrown at me. In fact, I'd dare say it was underhyped, because it is really difficult to translate the experiences and emotions into words. A good example was when my dad came last week to move me out of Appart City (I'm writing this in an apartment above La Rue de la Soif, but that's another story), and I surprised him with a prearranged drinks session with some international friends. He was amazed by the truly international lifestyle I was living.

So what else did I say? Hmmm........ Oh! "So I shall have this attitude. As long as I do well in my classes, improve my French, and get some sort of work experience next summer I will consider the year a success. I don't have to become a changed man brimming with confidence, although that would probably come from success in this year abroad anyway". 

Okay, did I manage this? Yes, YEs, YES, and YEEEEES! Past Ollie, I can tell you that we did it! I passed all my classes this year with a decent number of As among them, including Marketing Research, the class with the indecipherable teacher. That means - I must be fluent in Chinese!!! 

Did I improve my French? Je pense. My understanding of native French speakers still sucks, and so does my accent (mais les femmes le trouvent mignon, donc je m'en fous!) and my grammar isn't perfect BUT I can say basically anything I want to in French. Any words I don't know I can work around. AAAAND my dad told me I can call myself fluent BOOM! He's a French teacher, so he knows his shit. IT'S OFFICIAL THEN! I AM BILINGUAL! My dream has come true! No, not that one where I had a carrot for a penis, the one about being fluent in a foreign language despite the obstacles of being British. 

Work experience........ well the Admissibles job that I enjoyed so much kinda counts I guess. I could bullshit something about an internship and PR to the big companies I'm applying to this summer (I was promoted last week to being part of the show that the Animation team put on for the candidates - improvisation like a boss!). The cold calling job could have been easier to bullshit, but of course due to leaving after four days, I don't think it merits a place on my CV. 

I failed to get a ‘proper’ internship though, and never said why. Oh wait, you don't care?...... I'll just continue. PwC went to pot after I failed the logical reasoning test by one grade, despite passing everything else in the assessment centre (fucking patterns prevented me from that perfect internship!), I refused BT after they offered me an interview with a 15 minute presentation about information systems. I didn't think they'd appreciate a 15 minute rant about how I couldn't give less of a shit. Cuntrica refused me after the first round for some reason, and then the other companies kept me waiting for ages (especially Unilever, who did nothing for three months to process my application) before telling me the vacancy was full.

I was only rejected by 3 companies! Deloitte, however, have kindly offered me a fast track to the interview stage for the graduate application, my only reward for all my work, which I shall take advantage of. 

My lesson, however, is to get those applications in early, and to have some confidence, because I got very far in most of those applications! Anyway, if I had succeeded, I wouldn't have stayed for the amazing Admissibles job and I wouldn't have been with Daniela, so I guess everything happens for a reason.

But the most important thing from this year is: I actually do feel like a changed person brimming with confidence. I can make friends easily, no matter where they are from, and great friends at that.  I can survive in a foreign country. Hell, I not only survived – I made it my home! For the first time I felt like I belonged, instead of feeling like an outsider. That has given me hope for the future. I’m not Welsh – I’m a man of the world! I don’t think I will be in Sheepland much longer at all…

A TRIBUTE, PART II

Now I look to the post I wrote in December called ‘A Tribute’ (http://welcometoolliewood.blogspot.com.es/2011/12/tribute.html), where I thanked all my friends like some hyperbolic Golden Globe acceptance speech. That was only the halfway point! So this time we’re talking fucking Oscars!

Just kidding. I can’t be bothered. I’ll top up the thanks to those who stayed here for the full year. Matt, you were still horrendously English. Thanks for making me slightly knowledgeable about football and increasing my street cred at home. See you soon! Simon (or should I say Diego) you’re still weird, and I’ll miss you loads! Itzel mi hermanita mayor: te quiero para siempre.

The Irish were still awesome, especially Maybe for staying the whole time and kicking ass at the Admissibles. Seung Taek, we became very good friends this semester through our pursuits of French and world domination. Bon courage mec! All my awesome classmates from the first semester were still there, including the Finnish and the Germans, as well as some pretty cool new French students who had been on exchange in the first semester, especially Clémence, who's one of those French girls who pretends to be American and has a joint love of sports and nerdery - you know the type! I was also very fortunate to get to know people I didn’t know during the first semester, like Marina from Rio, Shams from Egypt, Polish Pawel and Nadia and Gonzalo from Madrid.

The second semester also saw an influx of Russians from St Petersburg, who were a really cool bunch and brought a kind of freshness to the semester, so thanks Anastasia, Maria, Tanya, Asya, Sacha, Erwin and Alis. There was also a healthy new supply of awesome Mexicans, one of whom I ended up dating and another of whom ended up being a very good friend of mine. Daniela and Abraham, it has been a pleasure doing the Admissibles with you and our excursion to Madrid will be an awesome end to the year.

I know I’ve missed people out. I don’t know if that’s a bad thing or a good thing because you’ve avoided epic embarrassment. But I’m feeling rather nostalgic and grateful, so thanks to everyone who’s contributed to this year.




GOODBYE.

I will miss Erasmus. Dearly. I will miss Rennes. The old buildings, the new buildings, the gallettes, the cider the lack of horrible English accents, the ability to walk everywhere, the ESC, le Parc du Thabor, le Parc de Gauyelles,the market on Saturdays, la Rue de la Soif, the Funky Munky, the metro, walking on the riverside, Brittany. Hell before long I may even miss the Soif hobos, the annoying singing, having to dodge the dog turds (I assume. You never know with these hobos) strewn across the pavements, the rather appalling no. 30 bus service... they were all pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that displayed my Erasmus.

It was never going to be forever, but it had become a lifestyle that I was used to, that I had loved. Post Erasmus Depression will probably strike me, and strike me hard. However, there’s loads to look forward to, especially back at university this October. My future plans can be put into action once I’m back home, so I’m hoping that can distract me from PED. Hopefully the others can distract themselves from it as well.

So on that very happy high note, I think I should finish living my last day in Rennes. Sorry for the long and slightly miserable update, BUT what did you expect?! Ollie….leaving…..Rennes…..the…..end. The hints were there!

Anyway it’s the end of my year abroad, but not of my blog. It’s called ‘The Life and Musings of Oliver R Lloyd III’. I am still alive. I still have musings. So the blog will continue, at least until I have something better to do. Keep reading if you want (by the way, the ‘if you want’ bit is just me being polite. KEEP READING MY BLOG OR ELSE! I don’t care how bad it is......)

Oh yeah I’m supposed to be going. I leave for Madrid in a couple of hours…Au revoir la France!

Rant over

Ollie