By Maëlle Cotonea
Dear Scrub,
I became an ice hockey fan !
And yes, I am writing to you in English now. It just feels more natural, as I am writing about memories I have in English and I just finished my assignments in this language. So feel free to choose: challenge yourself in French and keep it chill in English !
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Now that it is set up, let’s get back to hockey. In the UK, at least in England, a bit like in the USA, uni sport is important. During 2 weeks, at the end of the sports season, there is Varsity. Which is a series of matches in various sports opposing Hallam-short for Sheffield Hallam University- to Uni of- short for University of Sheffield-, the two main universities in Sheffield. Many sports are represented: boxing, rowing, football, Lacrosse, lifting… and there is Hockey.
For the Varsity, the Uni Students’ Union is selling special merch; I got a scarf and a hoodie. Sheffierld Hallam is proudly wearing dark pink when Uni of is wearing black and yellow, looking like bees. The Varsity is closing with the Hockey match, and almost everybody is going to Sheffield Utility Arena. I was really sick but decided to go anyway: NO REGRETS. There, I discovered Hockey. Incredible !
Unis are facing each other from each side of the arena, supporting their team but singing together on every musical break. The atmosphere was amazing !
Unfortunately, we lost. But only because all the good players that made Hallam win Hockey for years are now studying for the masters in Uni of. They are still SHU inside 😉 .
To go further in this brand new passion, I went to a professional hockey game, same arena, supporting the Sheffield Steelers. They won and later ended up second of their league !
More than just sportive experiences, I got to live it together with other Erasmus friends, and my amazing roomies. Up to now, the scenery of this incredible memory is still my wallpaper.
Hockey is amazing, and that’s how I am gonna finish my letter !
See you around,
Maëlle
Dear Scrub,
It took me a month to write my last chronicle.
This exchange was amazing. I met amazing friends, party mates, classmates, pub buddies, pyjama parties girls. I had an amazing time, being around genuine people.
But I have to say: coming back kind of hit hard.
You leave somewhere that has been your home for five months, to go back to somewhere that used to be your home five months ago.
And you want to keep that foreign home with you.
I got my nails done back in England. Since I came back, I couldn’t bring myself to go into a shop to get rid of it, and really began to think I am just gonna keep it on my growing nails.
Before I left for England, I had decided to let my hair grow, to then cut it and get a short hair cut while being able to give my England hair to make a wig for someone touched by cancer. I came back, and yet, I didn’t even go near a hairdresser shop. Like for the nails, I wanna keep it a bit more. Cities I visited, classes I took, moments I lived are now in the past, but there are still these few little things I can keep on me in the present.
The most difficult part is to leave people. You lived with them, being roomies with some of them, for months. You lived close to them, like your family. Known people in an unknown country. Yet, if you are being realistic, you are not going to see most of them ever again, and you are likely never going to live near them in your life.
Actually, the same goes for high school friends but it is easier to be delusional and think that someday, maybe, you are gonna see each other everyday again.
The sentence « Don’t be sad because it is over, be happy because it happened » has never been so true. Easier to say than to apply.
However, I do not want to conclude this letter on a bad note. So let me finish with one last anecdote:
The next thing I did after finishing writing this chronicle was to keep in touch with my Erasmus friends and call my ex-roomates to plan a reunion. We talked about going to Prague, where two of my roomies are studying or Finland where one of my roommates lives. And they are welcome in France of course, because we are two roommates here ! Same goes for friends in Spain, England, Singapore…Therefore, I will finish with the hope that we’ll see each other again soon.
See you later in Bordeaux,
Maëlle
PS on August, the 8th: After reading this letter again, I think it is reaaaaaaally nostalgic and a bit sad. I won’t deny I’ve been for a while. But now, I really am happy that it happened, and really happy to keep contact with British and International friends. I have to say, Scrubs, you don’t know much about them personally. I keep them, and a lot of other things from my experience for me. In this chronicle, I tried to be a bit universal, with a few personal touches, in order to speak to everyone. I hope I did well. But Scrub, if you decide one day to go on an exchange, know that it is likely to be a wonderful journey, with a lot of personal amazing experiences !
On my part, the last thing I want to write is a big THANK YOU. Thank you my friends, thank you Sheffield Hallam, thank you welcoming people, thank you Cottage Flat, and thank you Sheffield !
Kiss,
M
