Sunday 29 November 2015

10 Surprising (or not) Things About France!



Bonsoir everyone, happy Sunday! I hope you're all well. As promised, something slightly different this week. Here are a few things I've discovered about the French while living here in Paris over the last couple of months.


1) As stereotypical as it sounds, the French really do eat a lot of baguettes. There is a boulangerie on every corner selling perfect baguettes (crunchy crust, fluffy filling and golden in colour) for less than a euro. Hardly a day goes by when I don’t eat a baguette and we even have a chart in our flat to document our baguette consumption. I’m dreading returning home and having to settle for Hovis thickly sliced.

2) Another stereotype that has proven to be perfectly true is that France is the home of cheese. I didn’t realise how many different types of cheese existed until I saw the shelves and shelves of the stinky stuff in the supermarket; comtés, tommes, roqueforts – the list is endless. What amazes me, however, is that despite the hundreds of cheeses on offer, I’m yet to find any cheddar. I now have to settle for sprinkling my pasta dishes with grated emmental which is like replacing cadbury’s with supermarket’s own: bland and disappointing.

3) Stereotype number three (there seems to be a pattern here…) is that wine is the only thing worth drinking. It’s absolutely delicious and you can pick up a decent bottle from your local supermarket for around 3€. What many people don’t know, however, is that although France arguably has the best wine, it certainly has the worst! Their cheap wine is ten times worse than anything I’ve got on offer in ASDA, stay away!

4) Something that the fashion conscious may already be aware of but of which I was ignorant before arriving here, is that the French don’t wear any colours. Their wardrobes are made up of black, grey, dark blue and more black. Since realising this I’ve slowly stopped wearing my fun, bright t-shirts and am now the proud owner of three pairs of black jeans in the hope of blending in and becoming chic!

5) As a waitress, I am very passionate about customer service and get very annoyed if I’m served by someone grumpy back in the UK – waiters should be happy! That said, I’ve had to abandon this ideal here, as the French have never heard the phrase ‘service with a smile’ and I’m not even sure they know what customer service is. This particularly grates on me as they expect a tip quand même.

6) From disinterested servers to far too interested suitors. English guys have got a bad reputation when it comes to the ladies but I have to say that in comparison to some of the types I’ve met here you English lads are absolute gentlemen. The French men don’t seem to comprehend clear phrases like ‘go away’ or ‘I’m not interested’, so now I just resort to firmly shouting ‘non’ over and over again until they give up. I always dreamt of finding myself a suave, French husband but somehow I don’t think it’s going to happen.

7) Another group of people who are much better in England than in France are the teachers. Working in a school here has made me realise that I definitely don’t want to put my future (though now highly unlikely) bilingual children through the French education system. Here, teachers manhandle the children, shout constantly at them and seem to live for their two-hour lunchtimes. At first, I wondered why the kids like me so much, but in comparison to their teachers I’m a saint.

8) Now, the French have this famous laissez-faire attitude to life; they go with the flow and are very laid back about plans, timings etc. But for such a relaxed country they don’t half love bureaucracy: it takes days, if not weeks, to sort out any kind of paperwork and they are sticklers for details. I have been lucky to have friends doing the same forms as me but if you’re attempting anything alone…bon courage.

9) I’ve always had to use public transport as I only recently passed my driving test and in the UK this is a nightmare – late trains, a bus once every half an hour and paying £6 return to the city centre. Here, life’s a dream. I have a navigo which costs 70€ a month (we’re supposed to get half of that reimbursed but y’know…it’s taking some time), this gives me unlimited transport by train and bus and it’s as simple as that. Everything is always on time and incredibly frequent – I now sigh in frustration if I have to wait 5 minutes for a train instead of 2.

10) This last point baffles me; the French seem to know we’re English. Before we open our mouths to speak, 9 times out of 10, we get “‘ello, ‘ow can I ‘elp?”. What gives us away?! Is it something about the way we look? Even though I’ve taken great pains to wear only black. Is it that we’re so smiley? Regardless, I insist on replying in French and answering their “vous parlez français?” with a confident “bah ouais, bien sûr” which always throws them. I’m determined that by the end of the year I will stop giving off this ‘English’ vibe and convince everyone I’m French with my undeniable Frenchyness.

I hope this was slightly informative and vaguely interesting. Next week's blog will be up on Monday as my family are visiting me this weekend *incredibly excited squealing*  and I won't have time to write it. I know, quel dommage!

Bisous à tous xxx

Sunday 22 November 2015

Fluctuat nec mergitur


The stunning Eiffel Tower
The beginning of the week was understandably subdued; back at school Monday morning the atmosphere in the staff room was sombre. Thankfully, no one I spoke to at school was affected directly by the attacks of last weekend and many of the children were unaware anything bad had happened. At midday we all met, teachers and students, in the sports hall where the Head Teacher gave a very moving speech about how following the events of Friday night the most important thing is to stand united against the terrorists and embody the French motto ‘Liberté, égalité, fraternité’. This was followed by a minute’s silence while we remembered those who lost their lives, and I realised during that minute that I felt the same loss as the people around me. Paris is my home now and I mourned with France as a citizen.

Tuesday night, some of the girls and I went to see the Eiffel Tower, as during the national days of mourning it was lit up red, white and blue. The effect was stunning and we all just looked at it in awe: there it stood, a beautiful symbol of mourning and solidarity; a clear message of defiance to anyone looking to destroy the Parisian way of life. Far from being broken after the attacks, the Eiffel Tower was more glorious than before; the epitome of the French spirit with Paris’ motto shining upon it: ‘fluctuat nec mergitur’ - ‘she is tossed by the waves but does not sink’. Seeing those words, my determination to continue life as normal intensified and for that reason I will cease to refer to the 13th November and focus on the highlights of my week because we will not be sunk!

delicious wine and walnuts!
The weekend started early for us as Thursday night was le Beaujolais Nouveau: the third Thursday of November. This night marks the day when bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau, the new wine from the first harvest of grapes in the Beaujolais region of France, are officially released. We turned up at our local bar to find the floor covered in straw and chickens chilling by the door – I’m still not really sure why but it added to the overall ambience of the night for sure. The wine was yummy and the atmosphere was lively and cheery which was exactly what we all needed after our week at work. The best part of the night was that we got given handfuls of complimentary walnuts – delicious. The night ended how most British people end a night out drinking – with fast food. A delicious Maccy D’s later and we were home.


random chicken
Friday four of us decided to check out the Andy Warhol exhibit which was really interesting, after which we decided to go to Marks and Spencers – much more interesting! I never thought I’d be excited to go to M&S but after two months trying to navigate French supermarkets it was like heaven! In the end I only bought three things – sliced wholemeal bread: now a luxury, pitta bread: another luxury and an advent calendar for Clémence cus I am a top babysitter. 

Then we decided to go proper shopping which is always dangerous for me. I seem to have two settings when faced with shopping: spend nothing or spend a fortune. Friday was no exception as I spent over 100 euros in H&M! It was after this tiny indulgence that I realised I’d lost my phone. Total panic ensued, on my part anyway, I wanted to cry and got very irrational. Luckily, Laura was a calming presence and we located my phone in the M&S café where we’d had lunch. Phew. Friday night some of us went out for Pizza at an Italian restaurant nearby. Me and Laura shared a pizza and a pasta dish and I managed to help Sapphire finish hers off too cus I’m a greedy piglet!

Saturday morning we were treated to a delicious brunch of crêpes chez Sapphire. We walked into her flat and were greeted by a spread worthy of a hotel; slices of grapefruit and orange, chocolate sauce, chopped bananas, honey and a big stack of yummy crêpes. After we’d devoured the lot we headed to a little made in France pop up market thing. All of the products there were amazing, if a little out of my price range (60 euros for a woolly hat). We then decided to visit Galerie Lafayette to see the spectacular Christmas decorations and they didn’t disappoint! Paris certainly knows how to do Christmas.
just wow!
Last night four of us headed out to a bar/club/hostel called Belushi’s and it was so much fun! I really needed a good dance and that was what I got. Sapphire lost her phone, which seems to be the theme of the week, I empathised completely and we soon had the security guard ringing it and scouring the entire building for it. Little did we know that one of the guys we were out with had it in his pocket all along! Panic over we set off home. We left slightly earlier than I’d have liked so I’m hoping to drag all the girls back there again some time soon.

This week is a two day week at school for me (yayyyyyyy!), so looking forward to filling my days off with swimming, exploring and planning for when my family come to stay which is less than two weeks away! Next week’s blog is about things I didn’t think I’d have to do on my Year Abroad so a bit of a change from the normal weekly account, hopefully you’ll enjoy it.

Bisous à tous xxx


Sunday 15 November 2015

What to write when there are no words...

It’s Sunday, which means a blog update, but there’s only one thing I feel I can talk about this week. I’m still in shock and processing the events of Friday night, so this post will probably be slightly incoherent.

Just 10 short months after the terrible shootings at the Charlie Hebdo offices, Paris is suffering again. I remember hearing about the attack in January, seeing ‘Je suis Charlie’ everywhere on social media sights and being shocked that such an atrocity had happened so near to home. I never expected that on moving to Paris, I would experience another, much scarier act of terrorism. The feelings you experience are ten fold when it’s your home.

Friday night I was home alone, in my lounge, watching a film and for once I’d left my phone in my bedroom. I had no idea what was going on the other side of the capital. Laura came home from church and told me what had happened and was still happening. I was in shock. I felt sick. How do you take that information in? I’m still not sure I have. I rushed to get my phone and assured my family I was okay.

I was suddenly hit with the reality of what had happened when I saw the amount of worried messages from friends and family to check I was okay. Tears sprang to my eyes at the amount of people who cared and whose first thoughts on learning of the attacks was that I could potentially be affected. I, and everyone I know, were very fortunate and were nowhere near any of the explosions or shootings. I feel incredibly lucky as we have spent many a Friday night in the centre and it could so easily have us. 

We stayed up until the early hours, glued to the news, ringing family members and trying to get our heads around what had happened. For hours all we could hear outside our window were sirens. We haven’t done anything this weekend, partly because we’ve been advised to stay home but also  out of respect; it didn’t seem right to be out doing things just because we were lucky enough not to be directly affected.

Obviously Facebook and other social media sites have been flooded with support and #prayforParis which is very touching, as well as people highlighting that Paris is not the only city to have suffered at the hands of terrorism this week, which is also an important thing to remember. I was shocked to discover that other places were suffering but weren't getting the same media coverage.

However, there have been a couple of posts online that have made my blood boil and my heart break for the millions of Muslims around the world. I cannot comprehend how people can justify blaming millions of people for the acts of a few disgusting excuses for human beings. I would like to take this blog post as an opportunity to reiterate what a lot of my friends have already said online. Terrorists are not Muslims. Muslims believe in peace and do not condone any acts of terrorism. So think about that before you condemn an entire religion for the horrific events of Friday night. They are not to blame.

Finally, I just want to say that while I will be mourning the losses of this weekend, and taking some time to deal with everything, I will not let this change the way I live my life. I will not let the actions of these men stop me enjoying this beautiful city I now call home. I will not live in fear of what might happen. I will continue to live the way I always have. I will not let the terrorists win.

RIP to everyone who has lost their lives to terrorism, no matter where in the world.
My thoughts are with the friends and families of the victims.

Bisous à tous xxx

Monday 9 November 2015

I'm almost Parisienne, I think...

I have lived in Paris for almost seven weeks and until this weekend I still felt like a bumbling English tourist. Every chance I got, I tried to be more “French” or do something you need to do when you’re here, which became tiring and ultimately counterproductive. This week, I relaxed and things improved drastically.

To start with me and Clémence had the best five days together since I started looking after her: we made biscuits, she sat on my shoulders, we watched The Swan Princess over three days and I even straightened her hair! Instead of dreading the amount of tantrums I’m going to have to deal with, I now look forward to my two and a half hours with her and planning what we’re going to do.

The Low Bats
Friday was a day of two halves as I spent the morning moping around doing nothing. But at 3pm I gathered the motivation to go to the launderette; something I’m still trying to get used to doing in France. This time everything went a lot better and my clothes were washed and dried without any of my previous problems (like forgetting to put in a washing tablet...) After picking Clémence up we got the bus for the first time, which is something I do all the time in England but was a daunting prospect in Paris. We did it and Clémence even impressed our fellow passengers with her English vocab! Straight from work I went out to a bar near Oberkampf with Anna and it was such a good night!

We saw the Low Bats and Selenian
The bar is called Pop In and it is comprised of four very small rooms over two levels. It was quirky with live music and hipster people. It was free to get in and Happy Hour was about to finish when we arrived at 8:45pm so we quickly grabbed a pint each for 3 euros. Three glasses of wine later we were both a bit tipsy. We got talking to three guys and had a great time with them, or at least I think we did - I was quite drunk. It’s surprising how fluent in French I am once I’ve consumed several glasses of alcohol! The music was very ‘cool’, Anna described it as psychedelic and lasted a couple of hours. We got the last metro home and woke up Saturday with one of the worst hangovers ever!

Best brunch ever!!!
Being hungover didn’t stop me getting up at 9am Saturday morning as I was going to meet Hannah and her Dad in Montmartre for a proper French brunch! It was such a lovely day and the brunch was delicious. For 17 euros you get a hot drink, a fresh glass of orange juice, a fruit salad, a yoghurt, a boiled egg with soldiers, a massive bowl of fried potatoes, salmon on toasted bread and a little cake called a madeleine. I was so stuffed when I finished that I barely ate the rest of the day. We spent the rest of the day wandering round the little streets of Montmartre, climbing and descending hundreds of steps while we were at it, all the time avoiding the creepy street vendors who don’t take no for an answer. It was a little sad to say goodbye to Hannah at the end of the day but we’re seeing each other in 7 short weeks for New Year celebrations so I think I’ll just about manage.

Sunday morning, Charis and I went for a swim which was super fun. We swam lengths for about half an hour and then explored the smaller, more fun pools including one outside with a lazy river. I never thought I’d start a November morning on a lazy river in Paris but now I can say I have! Yesterday afternoon Laura, Charis and I went to the Palais de Tokyo for an art/photography exhibition. We paid 8 euros to get in and then got given a top of the range camera to take photos of the exhibit. It was such a nice change using a camera that works instead of the silly htc camera on my phone. As well as simply taking pictures of the exhibition, there was an interactive section where we could have our photos taken in various cool ways. We had a kind of time lapse taken of us in a kaleidoscope and another photo using torches. Keep an eye out on my facebook page for them cus they’re pretty interesting. The day ended with a quick drink in the museum café which was on a terrace facing the Eiffel Tower – it couldn’t have been more idyllic. 
weird art
my best photo


Laura and Charis!
So that sums up my weekend. It was the first time I felt completely settled and confident for days at a time and I think it’s because I stopped trying all the time. I did things I do in my day to day life back home without worrying and in French; it's a great feeling. You can’t experience everything a place has to offer if you’re constantly trying too hard or in other words being a tourist. I’ve come to realise this weekend that to really feel settled, part of a city and on your way to being Parisian you just have to embrace the culture and relax. I can’t wait to feel like that every day.

Bisous à tous xxx

Sunday 1 November 2015

I need to get fitter. It's a matter of life or death...

As predicted, this week went a lot better than the first week of the holidays: mainly because I treated myself to a little holiday to Bordeaux to see Laura, who I hadn't seen since June. This was possible as Clémence and her parents went on holiday too, giving me three (paid!) days off. The journey to Bordeaux  was on an eco train that took five hours, which might sound like a nightmare for some, but I actually love travelling by train - it's my favourite. I spent the trip settled next to the window with my feet up, either reading my trusty HP; listening to music; drinking diet coke; or just watching the gorgeous French countryside fly past my window: pretty heavenly.

Bordeaux at night :)
I arrived in Bordeaux at 1pm and was so happy to see Laura! After living together for two years, this was the longest we'd ever gone without a proper catch up. The first minute or so we both just spluttered as we struggled to prioritise all the news we had for each other. Needless to say, we spent the entirety of Sunday filling each other in. Aside from exploring Bordeaux you'll be disappointed to hear that we spent most of our time either asleep or just hanging out. Monday night, however, we went out to sample some of Bordeaux's famous wine. Five large glasses of wine later we were rather drunk and at the stage where everything and anything was hilarious. While walking home, Laura said something that really tickled me and we both fell about laughing crazily. Apparently us giggling in the street was appealing as this rather odd man came up and made 'friends' with us. 

For a little while, it was funny to talk to him, then, even in our drunken state, we realised he probably was too odd and that we should get away from him. Laura had a plan so we went into the next fast-food place and ordered chips (this guy just followed), and then Laura said she needed the bathroom so we went together. Unfortunately, Laura's plan was to climb out the bathroom window and the bathroom had no window. With hindsight this was probably a good thing, as we weren't in any fit state to be climbing. Back in the shop, we went to eat our chips, which the odd man had kindly paid for. Our next tactic to put him off was to talk rapidly in English to eachother in the hope that he'd give up on talking to us. It didn't work. 

Glass of wine number one!
We headed home after finishing our chips, odd French man in tow. Laura had another brainwave and said she needed the toilet (the guy must have thought she had bladder problems!). This time we went up a little side street to 'pee'. What we actually did was leg it. Now, you should know, Laura runs. She can run. I can’t run; I get out of breath climbing the stairs. However, I have always firmly believed that if faced with a dangerous situation like, I don’t know, a serial killer or vaguely creepy men, that adrenaline and survival instinct would kick in. Turns out I was wrong. I stopped running after about two minutes, clutching my side and panting something ridiculous. Nothing Laura said to motivate me worked, and that was the night I realised faced with running or potential death, I would die. Luckily, the man, who was most likely harmless, didn’t reappear and we were fine. The good thing is that he made me realise that I NEED to get fitter. It’s a matter of life or death :P

My LIDL receipt!!!
It was so lovely to catch up with Laura, it helped a lot with my homesickness and was such a relaxing few days. She’s hopefully going to come and stay with me in Paris after the New Year (which we’re spending in Strasbourg with Hannah and Ellie!)

Yesterday was a fantastic day. It started with a LIDL shop with my housemate Laura (different Laura!), which I was very excited about. The only food I had was a packet of spaghetti and some frozen veg. We had to get the metro, but it was definitely worth it for how cheap LIDL was. I managed to stock my fridge, freezer and cupboard for a mere 37€ - bargain! Though, my shoulders and back did not appreciate lugging it all home, especially up 8 flights of stairs .

At 5pm Soph arrived! She’s studying in Rheims which is pretty close and it was so, so nice to see her. We drank a bottle of wine on the roof, caught up, watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle and had a delicious, fancy salmon salad for dinner. We’d decided no to go out for Halloween as Soph had some work to get done. While she beavered away in my room. I became almost like an odd-job person for all the girls getting ready to go out. I painted on clown eyes, put in two pairs of contact lenses, added some skeletal contouring, back combed three people’s hair and provided eyeliner and hairspray. Everybody looked absolutely incredible, especially considering it was all rather last minute. There was a dead Minnie Mouse, two very scary clowns, the creepy dude from Saw, a corpse husband and bride, a Cheshire Cat and even an Eiffel Tower!

Me and Soph spent our evening watching Legally Blonde, eating pistachios, pretzels and chocolate fingers. I had curled up on the sofa to sleep (as I had selflessly given Soph my bed) and was awoken by somebody whispering my name at 5am.  Perfect Halloween surprise. I opened my eyes to find a still completely costumed Cheshire cat, complete with white contact lenses that I had struggled to put in earlier. Lexine had been unable to take them out and as I am the resident contact lens expert, she had come to me. Eventually after battling with Lexine’s fear of anyone “squeezing her eyeballs”, we managed to get them out. Hannah to the rescue!

It’s now the end of the holidays and I’m facing seven weeks of lesson planning, scary French teachers and early mornings. I’m feeling determined and kind of motivated…hopefully that will last. If not, bring on Christmas!

Bisous à tous xx