Well… I’ve been home for a while now, and it’s probably time for an update.
February 4, 2014
Hi everyone! As the title suggests, I’m back in England, and I’ve been here for a few weeks now: all settled in and ready to write another post. By the end of the placement I was completely ready to come home, mostly because of a wisdom tooth that made my face swell up and left …
Learning how the French do it
When living in a different country the first step is to learn the language. The next step is to adapt to the culture, which I have experienced to be quite difficult in certain situations where I’m so used to my own cultural behaviour and way of thinking. When I first arrived in Montpellier, I was …
A two hour lunch seems a little excessive
February 3, 2014
Although I have faced many challenges whilst being on my year abroad luckily adjusting to the French culture has not been one of the harder ones. However that is not to say that I haven’t found a few things frustrating. Firstly the concept of Sunday closure; In France almost everything closes on a Sunday and …
Cultural differences are what makes living abroad such a unique experience
When living abroad it is hard to escape noticing the cultural differences that exist between your own country and the way of life you’re used to living, and the one you now reside in and the new norms and ‘rules’ you are to abide to. And whilst still living in Europe this may not be …
The challenge of vegetarianism in France
February 1, 2014
During my time in France, I came across a number of cultural challenges. For example, I discovered that the French really do not share the English sense of humour. This resulted in many embarrassing situations where I seemed inadvertently to offend people (note to self: never use sarcasm in France) or to get into a …
Many of the stereotypes English people have about the French are stereotypes for a reason
January 29, 2014
Post written by Bethan Roberts. Salut! As it is nearing the end of January I am over half way through my Language Assistant placement in Chambéry. There are some things I really like about living in France (croissants and cheese are the obvious candidates!) and some aspects I just have to tolerate, in true British …
For me the biggest improvement is my confidence in speaking French
December 31, 2013
Having spoken very little French over the Summer, which I regretted instantly when I arrived in France, I really struggled for the first few days to get back into it. My landlady, normally a little rudely, would often have to correct me or point out that I wasn’t making much sense! However since then I …
Shaping my native tongue
Post written by Josephine Adams. Before I had even thought about organising it, I knew that I expected my language skills to improve during my year abroad. Of course, the image that this conjures up involves speaking nothing but French at home and at work, something which couldn’t have been further from the truth for …
Novel ways of language acquisition
Roughly half way through my year abroad my language skills have no doubt improved. Rather nervous before setting off that I would not be able to understand any Parisians I am glad to say that I am able to understand people when they talk to me in the street or in lectures. However there is …
I had no choice but to embrace the language
It’s been six months since I’ve been living in France now and I must admit, I have made a lot of progress. My summer began in a small village in the high Alps called La Chapelle en Valgaudemar as an au pair for 2 months. To be honest when I first arrived in France, my …
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