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 …
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, …
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 …
I can now say that I have friends from all over the world
April 25, 2014
Post by Matthew Watts So, my time in France is nearly over! These last seven months have really flown by and I can’t believe I only have six months left before I’ll be back in Nottingham to do my final year of university. I have enjoyed the assistantship and have enjoyed teaching English, even though …
My year abroad would not have been anywhere near as enjoyable without them
April 23, 2014
I can’t believe that I have now finished my teaching placement, these last 7 months have absolutely whizzed by. I have definitely made many connections here in France my only regret being that more of them weren’t with French people! I really hope to stay in touch with the people I’ve met whilst being out …
I now see getting around via the Metro as a normal thing I could do with my eyes closed…
April 21, 2014
I’ve made many connections during my Parisian year abroad thus far, mostly due to language. Because of the multicultural aspect of my new internship with a translation firm, I finally feel myself becoming more proficient in the everyday, informal bits of French. Especially now that I chat daily, in French, with the interns from our …
Making all sort of connections in France
April 17, 2014
So I’ll start with the connections I’ve made in terms of friendships with my fellow English speakers. Before I arrived in Montpellier I had the intention of only becoming friends with French people to really emerge myself into the language. However that didn’t really go to plan. When I met the other assistants, I really …
I now feel a strong connection with France
April 15, 2014
Growing up, I moved around a lot. As I had lived in different places and had attended several different schools, I thought settling into France would be easy. I was wrong. Settling in to a new country where another language is spoken is completely different! Getting back on the plane after spending a lovely two …
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