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 …
Living in halls of residence was the best decision I made
April 15, 2014
After having chosen that I wanted to spend my year abroad in Paris I then set about trying to decide where I wanted to live. There were a few options open to me, including living as a lodger in a family house, living by myself in the centre of the city or living in a …
I was trying to be funny, but they just thought I was rude
February 4, 2014
I’m living less than 300 miles from my home in England; Nottingham is almost as far from my home as Paris so I wasn’t expecting to find many, if any, cultural challenges. However as the months here have passed I’ve really realised that there is a fairly big difference between English culture and French culture, …
French admin…my biggest challenge
There have been a fair few cultural challenges to face up to so far on my Year Abroad in Paris, but they’re all part of the experience in the end, so I’m not going to complain. The language barrier is first and foremost in my mind. Having to speak French on tap is quite draining …
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 …
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 …
A bientôt, Paris
December 29, 2013
It has been strange adapting to hearing another language on the train on the way into work every day, but seeing as I have been working in English during my first internship in Paris, the metro has so far proved invaluable. After a time I’ve been able to understand snatches of people’s conversations, and also, …
Adapting nicely to the French ways in Paris
November 4, 2013
Post written by Charlie Page My year abroad didn’t exactly get off to the best off starts when I arrived at the place where I would be living until April a month ahead of when my host family thought I should arrive! Safe to say that they were not best impressed with me being unable …
Dr Who and Sheldon speak French – who knew?
November 3, 2013
It was strange when I first moved in to my studio in Paris, with me knowing that it would be far removed from everything that I had thus far experienced at Nottingham. The scariest thing of all was that I knew I would not only have to live independently, but do so in a different …
Appreciating Parisian culture
October 24, 2013
I’ve been in France for about a month now and it has been, let’s say interesting. I arrived with mountains of paperwork, hoping to be ready for the bureaucratic administrative system that France is famous for. It more than lived up to its expectation and I have been inundated with yet more mounds of paper, …
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