Wrapping up an extrodinary year

Well, I'm sat at home, in the United Kingdom. The adventure is over, well I guess if you look at it another way, the adventure is only just beginning.
First off, I had computer issues, but all good now (that stopped me from writing a blog sooner, then I had a busy last couple of weeks!)

First up, it was sunny towards the end of April/Early May in Paris, and I took the opportunity to go take photos in the city. Well, I say take photos, the plan was to go to the Eiffel Tower, then grab the RER further down the city to somewhere else. I ended up walking from the Eiffel tower to Bibliotheque Francois Mitterand (10km apparently). It ended up being a lovely afternoon, I even managed to sneak in a museum where I saw the original ruins of Paris, then sat on the riverbanks of the Ile Saint-Louis. It was quite tiring towards the end, but a memorable day in which I saw practically all the main sights of the city.

I followed this up with a visit to the Chateau of Fontainbleau which was a bit of a long way and saw me going via Gare de Lyon. When I got there I was faced with a 15 minute bus ride, but wow was it worth it. I was faced with this massive palace filled with rooms that were so beautifully designed.

It was the way home though that gave me my strange story of the day. I got back to the Gare and the ticket inspector stood and watched me validate my NaviGo, it made the accepting ding noise and then, immediately. 'Monsieur, veuillez presenter votre titre de transport pour une inspection'. I obligied, but I wanted to say 'BUT YOU WATCHED ME VALIDATE IT!!!'. But onwards I went.
The next week or so was spent saying Goodbye to places and people, and then I ended up in a reflective mood of what a wonderful year I've had. I might even pop back and spend another year here after my final year of university.

Then came the big test, I had to pass an interview in French. I won't go into details of it (let's face it, it would bore you!) but I passed and ended up on what is essentially a waiting list for a contract to free itself up. What a fantastic end of year!

So, that's it, the year abroad is over. I've had a blast and would snap up the chance to do it again. Thank you for reading this throughout the year and I'd love to keep up the occasional blogging.  So, this isn't the end. It's just the end of the beginning. 

Hurray for Clichés.

Parlez-vous Anglais?

I like France, I like the country and the language. But living here is something very different. I still like France, I've learnt that sometimes, they do things better than we do. But the opposite is also true. Living abroad opens your eyes to differences both the good and the bad. I've been learning French since I was 11 years old. I remember starting with the simple 'Je m'appelle Geoff, j'ai vingt ans' etc etc. Then we moved. Where I moved to, they had been learning French since they were 9 years old. They were already pros at the introducing yourself business. They had already moved onto 'Je voudrais un hotdog' and that sort of stuff. All of a sudden there was a significant gap between my ability and there abilities. In Year 8 (my second year of learning French) I was in the top set.  How strange, I was in a top set with people who I was supposed to be as good as, but there was a gap.

 Then in Year 9 (a new school) came a bizarre experience where I could say very very basic stuff, and then a series of slightly more complex stuff but missing out on a few in between bits. To be honest with you, I don't think I've ever made up that gap. Yeah, I know how to use the stuff they learnt, but not in the same way. I've not had that extra 2 years of practise and so I find myself in a situation where I still make silly little mistakes.

Now, moving to France and speaking every day in their language. There are barriers to overcome. Confidence being one, I was always afraid of making mistakes. My French is decent, but you don't want a situation where you speak the language, and a French person looks at you and says 'Eh?'.  But, I've learnt that that is exactly what you need! You just need to try.

You are not always going to be able to say everything. Academic French and practical French are two very different things. I was told to keep something 'branché'.  My first reaction was 'WTF does that mean?'.  It means keep it plugged in.  So, every when living here, you are going to struggle. Fact.  (Future year abroaders, get ready for this.  You're not going to know things, but not knowing things is actually how you learn things).

The biggest thing I've learnt though is that living totally in French is out of the question.  I tried not phoning home for a while at the start of the year. But then, one day I broke. My mum said to me 'Why did you phone, it'll cost a fortune?'.  My answer: 'I don't even care, I just need to speak English to someone'.  That's going to happen. It's nothing to be ashamed of. You can't turn your back on your mother tongue. I read BBC News more than I read French news. Just because you are abroad, doesn't mean you turn your back on the UK. Just take that chance to embrace a new culture as well as your own.

Have a good week folks!