lille or valenciennes?

Where you last saw me... I was in Poitiers, still in the beginning of my program with Middlebury. Since then, I have spent quite a few lovely moments with my fellow students. Lots of moments laughing in the kitchen or at meals with everyone. Wrote a ridiculous amount of pure "crap". Listened to amazing lectures by Salwa, one of the brightest women I have ever met (though she has yet to figure out how to answer her iPhone). Visited Cognac (including a 10am tasting!) and the chateaux de Loire. Spent a weekend in Paris with my closest friend in the program. Went "fou" (crazy) studying the film "Pierrot le fou" among other films. Had an amazing final dinner. Went out with our cinema prof after said dinner and possibly laughed the hardest in my life. Packed up all of the belongings I had with me in Poitiers and dragged it up to Lille. Spent a week on one girl's couch while searching for a place to live. Dragged my stuff across the city to start sleeping on another girl's couch.

And that's where I am right now. In my second temporary housing.

I'm not going to lie. This past week has been rough. I've had some up moments, but quite a few down moments. I'm entirely grateful for these two girls (who are practically strangers) for taking me in. It's probably because of them that I have rented some place in shady Fives (or worse) in Lille.

Now, I need some advice. Debating where I should live. First decision, Lille or Valenciennes. Once it was suggested that I live in Lille (when I did my interview), I never even thought of Valenciennes. I only have to go there twice a week. The past few days, I was leaning towards Valenciennes. Now, I'm back in between the two.

Lille
Pros:
- Big city
- Lots of shops, restaurants, cafes
- Metro to get everywhere
- Lots of groups that meetup so I can possibly meet some friends
- Possibly easier to find people for English lessons to make some extra money
- If I can get around the admin stuff, the possibility of taking some classes at the university
Cons:
- It's a big city. Con because I've never lived in a city, so I'm still not comfortable with it.
- Have to take (and pay for) the train to Valenciennes long before the crack of dawn. That'll get old really fast.
- Chances are, I won't be living in the area with all the decent shops and such. Most likely will be in a "shadier" area.
- Metro will get expensive. Can easily walk most places (except obviously won't be doing that in the morning to get to Valenciennes), but when it's cold and rainy (let's face it, that'll be most days), that won't be fun.

Valencienens:
Pros:
- While everyone says it's small, it's like three times the size of Chauny, so I feel it's big, but still small enough to feel at home.
- Close to work. Will only have to pay for tram twice a week (would also have to pay for it coming from Lille). Can walk everywhere else.
- Not as many shops as Lille, but still all the good ones.
- Can easily go to Lille for the day and/or weekend.
- Nicer place (though not necessarily larger) for the same amount of money.
- Will easily be able to make friends with the language assistants when they arrive.
Cons:
- Rentals are about the same price as in Lille though it's not a large city (but more likely to be in a "nice" area).
- Smaller than Lille.
- Along the same lines, not as much happening there.

So yeah, that's where I stand right now. Thoughts?