Lost in Frenchlation

To begin with, I think it’s important to be aware that what I’m seeing and experiencing right now is but a very small part of the whole of French culture. Paris being a bustling European metropole, it doesn’t represent the more rural parts of France neither can it even be compared to other big cities in the country. There are a lot of French students coming from other parts of France like Lyon, Marseille, and Toulouse. Even for them, Paris is something else and I learned that the capital has a special status among French people.

Community is everything, especially while living abroad

At the time I am writing this blog, I have already accomplished an Erasmus abroad in Paris for six months and am currently doing my second in Italy. During these months, I have learned a lot about what it means to live in a community or family. Therefore, I want to write a blog about myself today, and also present to you methods on how to connect with people in a new city.

New approach to solve problems

In my semester abroad I had to work out a lot of group activities. So, on the one hand it was a new experience for me to do works in another language than my mother tongue and on the other hand the way of solving exercises was completely different from the method I knew. Today, I want to talk about the second topic.

“T’inquiète pas”

In this blog task I will reflect about how I am coping with the foreign language in my host country. Since I am in Paris the language which is spoken at the university and in everyday situations is French.

“La France sans Paris, c’est comme un gigot sans moutarde”

In this blog post, which is dedicated to a cultural aspect, I explain why Paris enjoys a very high status throughout France and how, as time went by, I was able to understand the reasons for its status.

Striking France

The first official right to strike in France has existed since 1864. It was announced during the second Empire of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, called Napoleon III, who was the Emperor of France from 1852 to 1870. The right to strike was renewed after World War II in 1946, at the beginning of the fourth Republic of France.

Familiarizing the unfamiliar: Upbringing in France

In my first blog contribution I would like to share an aspect that has attracted my attention now for several times and in different situations and the fact that I had started to get used to it and even to act in a similar way.

Familiarities in Paris

From the beginning of my stay abroad in Paris, I tried to meet and get to know a lot of French or even Parisian people, to improve my French and to get to know the culture better.

Coping with the French language

When I left Berne last September to study in Montpellier it was five years since I had finished high school, and therefore five years in which I didn’t practice any French. Actually, I never really spoke in my French class, because I was very bad and anxious that I would make mistakes. Bottom line I had no idea if my French would be good enough to study in France.

“On ne perd rien à être poli sauf sa place dans le metro”

The French writer Tristan Bernard (1866 – 1947) came to the conclusion “On ne perd rien à être poli sauf sa place dans le metro”. A provocative statement about the unwritten laws of Parisian public transport, which is often confirmed for travellers in the 21st century.