my year in france

• Home
• Blog
• About
• Tutorials

As far as I know, the best way to learn a language is to surround yourself in the culture, in the language and to be independent. I knew that studying in France was what I wanted to do. The week at uni went well. Cheese, Pastries and Children: My Year in France “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt. You will adapt and even if you do feel disoriented, it will soon pass once you mix and see that we are all humans living on the one planet called Earth! In order to enter France you will need to complete an international travel certificate, which certifies that your journey is essential and confirms that you have not been suffering from a set of listed symptoms associated with Covid-19. My Year in France! I am spending my 2009-2010 school year in France on a Rotary International Youth Exchange :) I will be living in Rouen, Normandy. Before coming to France, I was warned about experiencing a ‘culture shock’ described in the dictionary as ‘the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone when they are suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes.’. Adieu/farewell! We, as a class, visited Lille, where we could study, to see if we liked it. The reporters had to shout to be heard above the sirens and the helicopters. Which is long periods of meh trails, interspersed with steep switchbacks with crazy exposure. The tapas were incredible and unbelievably cheap, and all of the locals we met love their home so much they wouldn't think of leaving. My eyes lit up. This week comes to a close, leaving a huge sadness and void in our society. I can vividly remember the day I came to France in September 2016. They laugh at our amazement of fresh bread and how everything’s shut on a Sunday. I managed to get a decent haircut and have small talk in French in France with a hairdresser. Then, to my amazement, the teacher would join in! However, crucially, my family’s support and love has been my continued guidance. It took over seven months to get my visa finalized, during which time I was (technically) not allowed to leave the country. The closing date each year by which the time the tax declaration needs to be submitted to the French tax authority varies by department. I had certainly improved. Submission of the return is normally required at the end of May, early June. They grow their own fruit and vegetables, make their own flour for bread and even produce their own electricity. They are all done now, except one but I have done my best to ask for it to be signed so there’s not much more I can do. It would be much longer than the usual two-week holiday with my parents, where I would impress the waiter with my knowledge of “ l’addition”, or the strange look when I asked for butter with my bread with our evening meal. I thought it would be a good idea to pick it up before the Easter holidays so I collected it and found out my marks. It seemed to get quite heated at times and people had the microphone taken off them. However, speaking personally, I never experienced a culture shock. This was the type of traditional France I really wanted to see. In these classes, the setting was always school classroom format. It all just happened so quickly and out of the blue. This was fairly straightforward and the only difficult thing about it was translating the French so that I knew what to write in English. I was soon to find out. AFS (American Field Services) is a program which was created to smooth ties between previously warring countries. I am so pleased that I made the decision to come here. Same goes for... We help students to become Global Graduates throughstudy abroad opportunities, work placements, volunteering, languages and international jobsduring and after their degree course. I know that many universities offer exchanges to America and Australia. My Year In Greece. There were very few negatives to my year abroad, but for all the times I felt lonely or homesick or doubted my ability, I wouldn’t change these times. France How my year abroad in Paris became ten years abroad. My Year Abroad Experience in France 22 January 2016 I am currently studying combination of French and Law at Lancaster University. We knew of each other beforehand in class, and had exchanged a few pleasantries in passing, on Facebook and in person, but nothing more than that. Vence…it’s been great but John B says it’s time to “hoist up the sails”….I am going home! Some of my music professors brought a cassette player to class to play examples. We watched an extract from a film and had to talk about it shot by shot. The film we analysed was an old 1950s American film called Sunset Boulevard. I have around two weeks left before I hope to come home for Easter. In Lille, you went into a room with a pen and paper, with each subjects courses on the walls, where one creates a personal timetable, for the international officer to sign off. I followed the events all afternoon and saw some horrific images of the victims. Overall, I was happy with how I did but as with all exams, you can never really trust your instinct. Take care and passez un très bon weekend! Very simply, if you spend more than 183 days in France in a French tax year (the calendar year), then you will be regarded as resident for tax purposes for the whole of the year. This was my aim, and I achieved it. In France, students don’t seem to choose a degree course like we do back in the UK, they choose lessons from all different kinds of subjects. It was a frosty December when we visited, only for a few days. Yes, life here is very different. I had about 14 forms to get signed. The French were, at times, grumpy, unhelpful, and slow. But once the ice was broken, it became much easier. They constantly made jokes about “Us” (The English) nearly losing Scotland in the recent referendum, and we laughed at the American students wanting to constantly go on day trips to Dunkerque for the 'sea, sand and sun', me and the locals felt obligated to tell them that it is next to a port, nuclear power station and a chemical factory. It was only 12 euros for the journey. Please keep in mind though that each child has its own ability and capacity, and a mere school grade equivalent is not always the best deciding factor in where a child will best be suited. It’s a world capital of the unique brandy also called cognac. Putnam County To Publish 'My Year In France' - Southeast-Brewster, NY - The 1919 column is a record of an African-American serving with the 369th U.S. Infantry Regiment in France during World War I. I am particularly grateful for the times when I have been able to reflect and think about what my nationality means to me. In England, it is all done with two clicks of the mouse, once a year. In other news, I have been getting my teachers to sign a Module Assessment Form to take back to Nottingham to prove that I have attended lessons and exams. Hey folks, this is the page for my travel blog www.my-year-in-greece.co.uk I enjoyed my experience at French university, I developed independence as a language learner, and learned to laugh and relax, and speak coherently gained new confidence. The journey was relaxing and I soon arrived in Besancon at 7:20 pm. It seemed like most of France was basking in spring sunshine – Besançon reached 20c and maybe higher in the direct sun. The next few days I will be packing and clearing away the things in my room. Good afternoon all, what a beautiful day it has been again in Besançon! On Wednesday evening, I was invited to watch a film about a village in Alsace that is completely self-sufficient. It seemed to go okay and I had lots of questions afterwards. It was grey. My Year in France Tuesday, 23 July 2013. My accommodation was an old 19th Century Franciscan Monastery with a chapel included, where you would get woken up by the organ when there is mass two times a week – only in Latin. Whereas, if you have never left your home country then, I guess you might be more likely to experience this dreaded ‘culture shock’. Eventually, I found the Gare du Nord again and took the Metro RER D to Paris Gare de Lyon. Today, I did a presentation about Brexit but in terms of how it was reported in the French right-wing press. This week, we heard from Neve, originally from New York (Brooklyn). However, this does not mean that she will only be speaking English. by Gareth Cartman France Top survival tips for your year abroad in France. Sometimes I would mimic and listen to the class on the way home, but sometimes I’d put my earphones and relax a little after a long 12-hour day of lectures. It requires a lot of your energy but it also provides you with so much fulfillment. Walker Darke is studying French with Music at Canterbury Christ Church University and spent his year abroad studying in Lille. Join the discussion today. I can’t believe how quickly it has gone! I am going to give some the kitchen stuff I bought to the Erasmus Student Network who distribute all the things to next year’s Erasmus students. Tuesday: I had 3 exams. I suppose the essence of this blog is, don’t be afraid of being abroad. At first, there was a lot more guessing of words, but as I developed my language specific to the subjects (as well as daily life) I was studying, as well as broadening my language skills formally, while talking to the teacher, as well as talking informally to other students. The idea for My Life in France had been gestating since 1969, when her husband, Paul, sifted through hundreds of letters that he and Julia had written his twin brother, Charles Child (my grandfather), from France in 1948--1954. I mean, when I was first ill in Grenoble just after my birthday, I really wanted a "mummy cuddle", but I seemed to get over that pretty quickly as soon ad I … Thursday was the busiest and most tiring day. A Franciful Year Becomes a Franciful 5 Months! The year abroad has been an incredible eye-opener and an amazing experience for many reasons. She took me to this rather ‘posh’ hotel which I didn’t know existed. Sunday, 17 March 2013. France has many major industries, including: tourism, machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metals, electronic equipments, textiles, and foods. As with all the international students, we had to choose our modules to study. The pass mark is 11 and above. Before setting out to France, I had several goals in mind that I wanted to achieve during my time in France. December 19, 2012 by afrancifulyear. There would be a few questions, and then the homework would be set at the end of the lesson. On Wednesday, I only had 2 exams. After my year abroad in Lille, I feel more European, and more globalised because of my time in a different country. Thank you for reading, thank you to you all for being there. It’s been a fantastic adventure, none of which would have been possible without my coordinateur who was always on hand to help me. So, I wouldn’t do it again but for sure, I would recommend it. In conclusion, during my year abroad, there was never been a dull moment, from bumping into the French President, François Hollande, to seeing the finish of Paris-Roubaix, an international cycle race. Sorry I haven’t written a blog in a little while. It took me around 4 hours to make sure there were no clashes, and that I had the sufficient amount of credits. After going to the Le Mans 24 hour race, I would have liked to catch one of my other highlights of the sporting year. I used to sit at the back, with my phone recording the class, and me writing down words I didn’t understand, of which I’d research later. I can’t quite believe that my year abroad or rather the 9 months in France have come to an end. A week after your arrival, there should be a board of dates in the main reception so that you can book a day and time for the cleaner to see you. 77, No 51, page 1, 3 Putnam County Courier, April 18, 1919, Vol. The Eurostar left St Pancras at 11:30 am and I arrived in Paris Gare du Nord at 2:50 pm French time. At 3-4 I had a translation to do from English to French on an article written in the Guardian. The time I got there, I only had an hour to wait so I grabbed some food from Pret à Manger and waited for the TGV back to Besançon. Hello! In order to fulfil the amount of credits one does in Canterbury, I had a minimum of 26 hours of lectures in a normal week which fluctuates up to nearly 38 hours with added lectures and exams up to 4 hours in length each, of which all were in French. It is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed. However, like last year, it will be a treat to watch as many stages as I want, live on TV. Buy A Year in Provence New e. by Mayle, Peter (ISBN: 9780140296037) from Amazon's Book Store. Many... Definitely! Unfortunately the Tour doesn’t pass through the west of France this year. Seeing the UK and life for that matter from the continent has allowed me to question what it means to be British. This exam was quite fun. Of course, everyone was calm on-screen but you could sense the panic in the air. Maybe I’m lucky. Living in France has allowed me to look at the UK with a fresh pair of eyes. Yesterday, I officially finished semester 2! I can’t believe it’s been 4 months since I was last home…, I had 2 exams yesterday – one starting at 8 am and another one which started at 1 pm. I have gained experience for the future with a more in depth knowledge of France and the culture and made contacts from around the world. Thank you to everyone who has been with me on this journey. I have also used this week to distribute the forms I need to be signed by the teachers to take back to NTU. Homesick. After collecting the exam mark, I headed home and walked through t the main street to enjoy the glorious weather. New Year's Day is a public holiday. It continued throughout my time there. All the shop windows were covered with “Je Suis Charlie”. I was in luck when another student from Canterbury was living in the room beside me! So, consider yourselves lucky!!! I have also printed out 13 forms for Semester 2 to be signed before I leave for Easter in April. Lessons have been quite intense again as we get ready to start the final exams that start next week and end on the 12th April. And, without a shadow of a doubt, my French has come on leaps and bounds since September. I also need to meet with the cleaner who will check my room before I leave otherwise you will be charged 40 euros. The marking system works very differently here and everything is out of 20. The French, from my perspective, pay far more respect to procedures than results and obeying rules than creative solutions. Then, I had to make my way down to the other university site, about 10 minutes walk, to do another exam. The short answer is…no, I wouldn’t. I arrived back in France yesterday after spending two weeks back at home in England. In some classes, I was the only non-French student. I know tomorrow is a bank holiday in the UK, it’s not in France so I hope everyone has a good Easter weekend. But the smallest things were the best. I lived in a city that was only an hour away from Paris, and the Manhunt to come in the following days deeply affected Lille. The last exam on Tuesday was the exam for Erasmus students. We may face difficult times, but our values will always make sure we ‘keep calm and carry on’. So, a busy week all in all. My Year in France My name is Camille Skinner (but some people call me Dori--pronounced "Do-dee"). I created a French bank account, I battled against French bureaucracy to get student housing benefit, which took a total of 7 months to arrive. The extract  we were given was only 1 minute long. I am going to babble on about 3 things aujourd’hui: 1. Luckily, I did understand and all was fine. And so, despite being in France, I still feel that this week comes to a sombre close and I wanted to convey this in my blog. Again, just like the exam, we had to talk about it shot by shot and analyse it. 2.School Holidays. You need to complete it and inform your Halls of residence that you are leaving. This was particularly difficult at first, but the lack of internet was a blessing in disguise. I cannot go without talking about the biggest culture shock for me, and the French People, and that was the attack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris. I spent most of my time walking around the city, getting a metro day pass, and visiting the local markets in Wazemmes, and visiting all the churches in the suburbs. Feeds: Posts Comments. Paul suggested creating a book from the letters about their favorite, formative years together. I can’t quite believe that my year abroad comes to an end in just 12 days! My eyes lit up. The culture is not like that back at home but I never felt disoriented or as if I had been dropped onto another planet. My mind feels like there is more to write but I think that’s just because it’s been a busy week or two! Some may try and undermine our nation, but I know that our country is a shining example to many. Im a Rotary Exchange student from New Zealand spending the year in the South of France. I could feel the fear, the shock and the sadness in my room even though I wasn’t anywhere near London. If you would like to comment, please login or register. I'm Olivia and I study Modern European Languages. Could I handle living in a foreign land for a year? Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. This involved grammar questions and also a 250 essay in French. The complex towered above my eighteen-year-old self, and when we had been introduced to Professor and had the basics explained to us, we then had to speak French – to French people our age. Maybe my situation has allowed me to adapt better to the environment. At this moment, the UK seemed so much closer. It’s been a glorious week in terms of the weather. I think that, although I had a great time, and I would not change a thing, this opportunity cannot be repeated because it’s one of those things that you can only do once. There was talk of some exams taking place in May and so, I was glad that I would be coming back just in case. Culturally, Lille was a thriving hub of the arts and culture. I had such as nice time being back there. France, the UK and the US all have their own school grade structures. Also, being back in France means that I can collect any exams and grades from last semester. It has been an incredible experience for many reasons and one that will stay with me for a long time. Personally that was the turning point. 553 likes. On many occasions, I was the only one left in the classroom, as they all stood on the steps and I could see the cloud of smoke, along with their espressos, rising into the atmosphere.However, some classes were not like this description. Have a good weekend whatever you have planned. So, that’s it. Not only that, I need to meet with my coordinator who will sign off all my assessment forms so that NTU can see that I attended the lessons and exams. 77, No 51, page 1, 3 But, it was always easier to talk to the international students, as we shared a lot more in common and we could share our experiences, linguistically and culturally and broaden our awareness. In total, excluding the Easter break, I have only 3 weeks left in France. It has a town and village feel about it and I especially like the market that takes place weekly, bringing local farmers and their produce to the town. I hope to write once they are all completed to let you know how they went. When in my first year at university in Canterbury, the professor mentioned that it was possible for students to spend a year abroad studying in France. Since it was a bank holiday, the buses weren’t;t running so I took a taxi which was waiting outside the station back to the campus. Things to do at your Crous Halls of Residence, The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all, Follow My Year in Besançon on WordPress.com. There were some other English grammar tasks too. For me, this year abroad has been about learning about myself. I chose Besançon because I knew little about it and I wanted to discover somewhere different. All the mid-semester 2 exams are done now. We, as a class, visited Lille, where we could study, to see if we liked it. When it’s time to leave your Halls of residence, you need to get a préavis de départ. I hope they found it engaging. Again, I think this went well. Although, she left me her cleaning trolley to do clean it better. I realised there was definitely room for improvement. I hopefully will be back on UK soil in 48 hours! These would become my aims for my year in France. People might wonder why I even came back to France if I only have two weeks left. I had to try each one and then answer questions on the computer about each one – rating taste, texture, smell etc. However, I also realised that although improving my French was an important aspect of the year abroad, the year abroad is not just about that. The 1st exam involved writing a business email in English. Despite its imperfections and its struggle to find its place in the world, I have learnt that the UK will always have a special place for me because it’s home. The posters were taken down after a month or two, but Lille, like France, remained scarred by the events. Then, she brought out three plates of ham and I did the same thing and also for the saucisson. Their wisdom and advice kept me going. It was a surreal experience. There are lots of little bridges to cross too, enabling you meanderer like the river to admire the environment from a different angle and under a different shade of light. I stuttered my words out, with my face going red, and my hands getting clammy and my self belief clearly lacking. I then had to pick one and write about it. My obligatory ham and cheese baguette from the boulangerie was excellent, the Lille specialty of moules frites with strong cheese sauce, was not appealing. I have to say, they weren’t the easiest exams and I didn’t come away feeling that I had done a great job but we will just have to see or as the French say – ‘on verra!’. I can’t quite believe that my year abroad or rather the 9 months in France have come to an end. ©2016 Global Graduates Ltd. It has been an incredible experience for many reasons and one that will stay with me for a long time. I quickly turned on Sky News, the only British news channel I can watch here. Thankfully, I don’t have any exams now to do so I am using the time to get ready to come back to the UK for good. Waking up and realising that it was Saturday was a very nice feeling this morning! However, overall, I was happy with what I had written. It’s a perfect size for an international student, not too big nor too small. One being, of course, to improve my French. In this post I will tell you what is there to do in Cognac and why it’s a perfect place for a weekend in France. Although I come back to France for two weeks after the Easter break, these two weeks will be used to pack and move out. She sat me down by a computer and said that I would be trying some cheese, ham and saucisson. This would be the key change I make if I were to do it again. It’s Friday afternoon and so a peaceful time to look back on this week and think about all that has happened, not only here in France but of course back home in the UK. I don’t know the reason but I find France and the French no more different to us British people. There were times when self-doubt creeps in and you wonder whether you are making any progress towards your goals, but actually, when you leave the situation and look back, you can see just how far you have come.