Le Carnaval de Dunkerque and Monosourcils

Salut! So since I last wrote I haven't done any traveling but I have been having fun in Lille. On Sunday, February 19th, I went to Le Carnaval de Dunkerque with my friends Camille, Anne-Alicia, Clemence, and Clemence's friend, Marco. For those of you who do not know what Le Carnaval de Dunkerque is, I have provided a link (in french, but there's also a video) at the bottom of this post to give you an idea of what it was like. I am still a little unclear about where exactly the tradition comes from, but each year, a huge crowd gathers in Dunkerque for a celebration. It's said to be the Venice Carnival of the North. At the start of the day, I really had no idea what I was in for. I knew it was going to be crowded, but I didn't know how it could be so bad that we needed to wear old clothes that we don't mind getting stained or ripped. Lucky for me, one of the girls had a bunch of clothes to dress up in. I ended up going with an oversized yellow and grey, striped, button up shirt, some burgundy parachute/bali style pants, and a plastic, old-school english style police officer's helmet. We looked awesome. Once we got to Dunkerque, I got a glimpse of what I would be dealing with - people of all ages dressed to the max. Face paint, bright wigs, boas, matching cat costumes, and men dressed as women (the main tradition). Making our way to the centre of the city, I could tell that the crowds were just going to get bigger and bigger once the events started to take place. We decided to get a drink before the fish tossing started (don't worry, I'll get to that). I opted for a coke but when someone found out it was my first time at the Carnaval, my coke was quickly taken away and replaced with a beer. Soon it was time to go to the place where they would be throwing the fish. I guess it's tradition for a crowd to assemble at the bottom of a building and chant "liberez les harengs!" (basically "free the herrings") while waiting to catch the fish that are flung from the building. Again, not sure about the significance, but it was neat to experience. Waiting in the crowd was one of the most intense experiences I have ever had, I have never been in a crowd that big. One moment I was being squished and then I was being thrown from one direction to the next. It was impossible to stand your ground. Complete strangers were making conversation with us and banging on my helmet. People were excited to hear that not only was it my first time, but that I was Canadian too. One man, a little too excited by the atmosphere, was going around with bright red lipstick and kissing people. He tried to kiss my friend "sur la bouche!" (on the mouth) but she managed to brush him off. Unfortunately for me, he then came in my direction. "SUR LA BOUCHE!" he yelled. I of course said no so he settled for kissing me on both cheeks and my forehead. Hilarious and overwhelming. Once the fish throwing started, that's when it got even more intense (didn't think that was possible). Before I knew it I, along with all my friends, were down on the ground. That's it, I thought, I'm done for. I was surprised to see how great everyone was when someone fell though. People would try to hold the rest of the crowd back and numerous people helped us up. It was nice to see how great the people of Dunkerque were in that situation, they make sure everyone is kept safe and that the rules are respected. I was impressed because it definitely could have gone bad. After being stomped on, we thought it best to get out of the worst part of the crowd and just watch for the rest of the fish freeing. Next was some food and hot chocolate to warm us up before it was time to head home. Overall, it was a crazy experience but extremely fun. I'm so glad I got the opportunity to see something like that in France :) I wasn't totally traumatized, despite what my French friends may think hahaha. On Tuesday, February 21st, I went to a party at my friend's place. The theme - monosourcil. Before this party, I had no idea what this word meant. I now know that it means unibrow... yes, a unibrow party. It was sooo funny. People were extremely original making unibrows out of feathers, stickers, and by drawing things such as a city and a garden on their eyebrows. Definitely something I'll have to bring back to Canada haha. The party was filled with good food and dancing and it was a good opportunity to meet new people and practice my French (which I actually got the guts to try a bit!) Other than that, I've just been been going to classes and trying to get things sorted out. I've been trying to get my insurance and such worked out so I got my friend Anne-Alicia to come with me so she could translate for me. Lucky she was with me because we were basically sent on a wild goose chase. In the end, we figured out that I needed to open a French bank account, get confirmation of enrolment, and get doctor's stamp in order to finally buy what I need. It was so complicated and it's still not complete! Good thing I had Anne-Alicia with me otherwise I would have been totally lost. That's one that has been hard to get used to, the organization and pace in France. It's much different than home and it's not very fit for a procrastinator such as myself. Maybe it'll make me learn not to procrastinate! Next on the agenda is to meet my sister Erin in Paris tomorrow! We're going to spend 2 nights in Paris, 2 in Amsterdam, and 2 in Lille... I can't wait :)

Adieu!

Le Carnaval de Dunkerque link:

http://www.ville-dunkerque.fr/fr/je-vis-adunkerque/carnaval-dunkerque/index.html