Rachel Bainbridge
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Strong connections which will be difficult to leave behind
July 21, 2015
My year abroad is sadly now drawing to a close – at the time of writing it’s the start of the two week Easter holidays and when I return to school I only have one week of teaching left. Reflecting on the past 7 months, I feel really happy with the new friendships and connections …
My bonds with my friends are the true reason why my stay here has been so special
As I have sat down to write this latest entry to the Year Abroad Blog, I have been hit with a great sense of pain. “Why?” you may ask. “How come?” you may ponder. Well, it is due to the realisation that I am two thirds of the way through my time here in the …
Never say no, you have nothing to lose
I was extremely surprised when I arrived in a small city in France to be placed with 33 other English Language Assistants. It is every language student’s nightmare that you will arrive at your destination and feel isolated and very far away from anything that reminds you of home. But this was not the case. …
Making connections as a flatmate and as an European
The strongest connections I’ve made in terms of relationships this year has undoubtedly been with my flatmates. I live with 3 other assistants in a flat rented to us by the ESPE (like a primary teacher training college) in the Académie of Nice. Together we are four girls from four different countries – Engand, Ireland, …
Argentina has become part of who I am
Now entering into my seventh month of living in Buenos Aires, I can’t quite believe my time here has gone so fast. In fact, I want it to slow right down or rewind back to September so I can live this all again. Having said that, since September I feel that I have come a …
Doing things the French way
April 28, 2015
As silly as it sounds, one of the main challenges my fellow assistants and I have found is the different pace of life here in France. During the summer I experienced 5 weeks of living in a very traditional, French rural village and knew it was the norm for shops and café’s to have short …
Things that annoy me as a Brit abroad in France
How different can France be from the UK? We’re separated by only 20 miles of water, share a Western European identity and history, and can hop on a train to pass between the two! You would think that surely a Brit abroad in France cannot be facing as many cultural challenges as, say, a Brit …
“Dear Tourist, you are not in Spain. You are not in France. You are in the Basque Country”
This is what was emblazoned across a flag hung from a balcony on my street during my first couple of weeks here in San Sebastián (although if we’re to follow the train of thought of the above quote, we should be calling it uniquely Donostia, or its more familiar name of Donosti). While sounding very …
I’ve made friends for life
April 27, 2015
I am more British than I ever realised. My upper lip is stiff, I am as sarcastic as they come and I am missing a decent cup of tea. Brazilians are the opposite of the British. They are loud, they are emotional, they love physical contact and my attempts at sarcasm are completely lost on …
I was born to be a Varoise
The subject of this blog, Cultural Challenges, is problematic because me and the culture of the South of France rub along very nicely together. The main cultural aspect for France is, of course, the food. I have an Irish flatmate who desperately misses potatoes (honestly, I’m not making it up), but I on the other …
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