My best friend is leaving me!
August 13, 2013 12:17 PM Subscribe
My best friend is going to Lille, France for a year to work as a teacher. I'm super excited for her and I want to give her an awesome going away present.
Things she likes:
- Weird, quirky things
- Food
- French related things
- Travelling
- Books
I want to get her something that is creative, funky and fun. I don't mind giving her a gift certificate if it is something fun and exciting. I was originally thinking about getting her a gift card for a bus company or something but I don't even know which one I would have to get for her. It would also be really cool if I could get her something pertaining to Lille (like a cool experience she could participate in).
I want to spend around 50ish euros for this gift!
Things she likes:
- Weird, quirky things
- Food
- French related things
- Travelling
- Books
I want to get her something that is creative, funky and fun. I don't mind giving her a gift certificate if it is something fun and exciting. I was originally thinking about getting her a gift card for a bus company or something but I don't even know which one I would have to get for her. It would also be really cool if I could get her something pertaining to Lille (like a cool experience she could participate in).
I want to spend around 50ish euros for this gift!
One of the most thoughtful gifts we received when we went off to live in Sydney was a set of gift certificates (purchased online, printed out) to some nice restaurants around the city. It let us try out some very different things that we probably would not have got to, at least to start with.
(Yes, there's a selection bias - very nice hole-in-the-wall places do not sell gift certificates online. But there were enough places that did to put together a very nice gift for us.)
posted by RedOrGreen at 12:42 PM on August 13, 2013
(Yes, there's a selection bias - very nice hole-in-the-wall places do not sell gift certificates online. But there were enough places that did to put together a very nice gift for us.)
posted by RedOrGreen at 12:42 PM on August 13, 2013
I went there on exchange!
Seconding the bus, train stuff--she's going to want to travel and an open-end return ticket to Paris or something will make her very happy : )
If you're from somewhere warm and she probably doesn't have anything good for the cold, make sure to get her some very warm mittens/gloves/scarves. It gets freezing there. I'd have killed for my fleece-lined leggings there. She'll thank you and think of you =)
Umbrella is a must! Rainboots are too! Say no to heels, cobblestones will kill 'em.
Banks are closed mondays and most shops are closed Sundays. Tell her =)
Tell her she HAS to go the Sunday morning market at Wazemmes at least once a month!
Give her the gift of being available to Skype regularly, but without your holding her to it too hard. :) She'll be happy to use it!
posted by rhythm_queen at 12:45 PM on August 13, 2013
Seconding the bus, train stuff--she's going to want to travel and an open-end return ticket to Paris or something will make her very happy : )
If you're from somewhere warm and she probably doesn't have anything good for the cold, make sure to get her some very warm mittens/gloves/scarves. It gets freezing there. I'd have killed for my fleece-lined leggings there. She'll thank you and think of you =)
Umbrella is a must! Rainboots are too! Say no to heels, cobblestones will kill 'em.
Banks are closed mondays and most shops are closed Sundays. Tell her =)
Tell her she HAS to go the Sunday morning market at Wazemmes at least once a month!
Give her the gift of being available to Skype regularly, but without your holding her to it too hard. :) She'll be happy to use it!
posted by rhythm_queen at 12:45 PM on August 13, 2013
See if the bookstore Le Furet sells gift certificates (cheques cadeaux), as it's THE bookstore and general downtown meeting spot.
Find a guide to estaminets in the Lille region. Estaminets are traditional Flemish taverns, waystations for travelers, and a good place to get a beer and a basket of fries and play a traditional wooden game with others. We had our wedding reception at an estaminet. Fun times.
Lille is a weird and quirky city and she's going to love it. What high school is she teaching in?
posted by Liesl at 12:49 PM on August 13, 2013
Find a guide to estaminets in the Lille region. Estaminets are traditional Flemish taverns, waystations for travelers, and a good place to get a beer and a basket of fries and play a traditional wooden game with others. We had our wedding reception at an estaminet. Fun times.
Lille is a weird and quirky city and she's going to love it. What high school is she teaching in?
posted by Liesl at 12:49 PM on August 13, 2013
I've never been to Lille but I did live in France for a year. If she's 27 or younger, maybe a Jeune 18-27 railcard, that gives train discounts. I got so much use out of mine. Looks like it costs exactly 50 euros. Along the same lines, maybe a Hostelling International membership, $28. Gift certificates for fun places are a good idea, but honestly, it sounds easier just to give her 50 euros and a note with the research you've done about where she could spend it.
posted by carolr at 1:13 PM on August 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by carolr at 1:13 PM on August 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
This will probalbly be the most boring suggestion in the thread: H.Ferrar's A French Reference Grammar. It is concise, portable, and complete enough for beginners and fluent speakers. It is indispensable for someone improving their French, especially if they have to write in French. You can pick up a used one cheaply and have cash to spend on other suggestions.
My other suggestion would be a good umbrella that won't fall apart when it first goes up in strong wind. She will thank you.
posted by MuffinMan at 1:24 PM on August 13, 2013
My other suggestion would be a good umbrella that won't fall apart when it first goes up in strong wind. She will thank you.
posted by MuffinMan at 1:24 PM on August 13, 2013
I was in Arras, which is about an hour away from Lille. It's an amazing place, she'll have a blast. One thing she should definitely do is have frites from a friterie- they are amazing and will ruin her for soggy McDonald's fries forever.
Definitely seconding the suggestion of something travel-related. On my phone so I can't link, but if she's eligible, definitely look at the Jeune 17-28. It was the Carte 12-25 when I was there, and it saved me a stupid amount of money in fares.
And yes, an umbrella would be cool (the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region has wonderfully warm people but absolutely shitty weather) as would nice knitted things. I'm from India, the change in weather was... not fun.
posted by Tamanna at 9:00 PM on August 13, 2013
Definitely seconding the suggestion of something travel-related. On my phone so I can't link, but if she's eligible, definitely look at the Jeune 17-28. It was the Carte 12-25 when I was there, and it saved me a stupid amount of money in fares.
And yes, an umbrella would be cool (the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region has wonderfully warm people but absolutely shitty weather) as would nice knitted things. I'm from India, the change in weather was... not fun.
posted by Tamanna at 9:00 PM on August 13, 2013
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- Book gift: She will probably get all of the France-related stuff she wants, but consider a travel guide to Belgium especially the Flanders region (the area closer to Lille). They exist in English but over here it's much easier to find the French-language one, of course. Consider giving her a picture of it and having it amazon-shipped directly to her new address.
Lille is best known for it's big braderie (flea market) the first weekend in September and for it's proximity to (or in) the land of the Ch'ti, a sort of local dialect and attitude that is the source of humour in many French media (see the not-so-long-ago movie "Bienvenue chez les Ch'ti"). There would be plenty of books on the subject, too. I live in Paris and spend a lot of time in Belgium.
posted by whatzit at 12:26 PM on August 13, 2013