Or, "making the most of it"
Hello everyone,
In a return to normal service, I thought I would compile a list of survival tips that you may find useful. They may even turn into everyday life tips, you never know. This will apply in part to France, but edit and adapt as you wish.
1. Make plans. Plan everything.
Plan ahead when it comes to food, especially when there is a Sunday on the horizon when EVERYTHING is shut.
Plan on Sundays to, instead, go to museums, have a walk, visit chateaux, go to a friend's for a baking day/wine and whine session (term copyright Miss M Merryweather). Sundays in France are very traditional and being the reputedly lazy nation that they are (see earlier post, I think I called it Franco-British relations but it may be another one), they certainly know how to do a Day of Rest. Cash in on this, by all means. I spent an entire Sunday in my pyjamas a few weeks ago. And I mean an entire day. I usually have caved in by 3pm - but I am not a quitter any more. Wink.
2. Make friends with people with whom you only speak the language you're all there to learn. (in my case, French.)
I've mentioned this a lot, so I'll only pass fleeting comment on it, but it's one of the best things you can do to improve your language skills.
2a. If they comment that they don't have much confidence with their English, offer to give them lessons. It looks great on your CV (er, hello "Voluntary freelance teacher of English to adult learners"), is immense fun and is a bit of a confidence boost too.
3. Travel.
You'll probably never have the same freedom to just wake up in the morning and go wherever you feel like, so make the most of it. My main inspiration for this is "Where can I go to tell stories of crazy people and crazy experiences to future generations of children that are not my direct offspring?"
4. Do something you don't fully understand every day.
By this I mean: Eat something you don't recognise, watch a film you don't fully understand the title of, go to a place of worship you would not otherwise go to (for me, this was a mosque in Russia).
5. Round up a group of locals and get them to take you for dinner/coffee.
My flatmates are great for this, anti-English sentiments excluded. The best way to understand a country is to hang out with the locals and compare notes.
6. Go to the pub.
If the rugby's on, you can learn all sorts of vocabulary.
7. Make a point of seeing a friend once a week, with whom you share the same mother tongue and the same year abroad experiences - but whom you don't see every day.
It helps. A lot. I've been exceptionally lucky to find people I can do this with in both Russia and France. You can also combine this with point 4 - two birds with one stone.
8. Start reading your assigned texts for final year.
Your professors will probably expect you to have done this, but even if they don't, it's a great head start.
8a. Read books that you actually want to read.
You'll have the time to do it for once.
9. Don't panic.
French university bureaucracy is a complete and utter nightmare, but for most people the actual grades do not count towards your final degree classification. Some people don't even have to pass their courses, so just check what you need to do for your university and act accordingly.
10. Buy a smartphone.
Seriously.
10a. Get accommodation that actually has internet. Not just for looking at pictures of cats (I know you do it), but take it from me, there is a LOT that the internet is actually useful for.
11. Make life plans.
You have one year of uni left, after which time people will be asking you uncomfortable questions, including "So what are you doing with your life now?"
In fact, they are probably asking you at the moment that question most dreaded by all students, "So what are your plans after university?". I hate this question. I really hate it. I've got sick of responding with the flippant, depression averting "You tell me!". I feel like an idiot when I reply "I have no idea" (which usually warrants the response "Oh Jimmy is going to become the new CEO of X at the age of 22, having completed his internship at Y" - that's great for Jimmy but it makes me feel awful, so please stop telling me)
Avoid all of this awkwardness and unpleasant feeling by DRINKING TEA AND MAKING A LIST. Seriously. Even if you don't like tea, a suitably hot beverage that you can put your hands around will do just fine. Make a list of everything you enjoy in life. Look at it often. Make a list of things you're good at. Look at that often. See if there is any correlation. If not, make another list of "Jobs that will suck out my soul but at least I can retire early and send my kids to public school". Then make a list of "Halfway-house jobs that won't kill me but won't utterly fulfil me either and will still allow me to buy my own flat. Not in Chelsea, but like, Hammersmith or something. The good part."
I have many lists. Of many things. I write them in a moleskine notebook, which makes me feel like I have at least achieved something in life - being that I'm at least at university in London, so my London allowance on my student loan will stretch just a little further - even if I still buy Morrisons Value food, which is actually pretty good.
12. Start a blog.
This one is a bit of an obvious one, so I've left it til last. Seriously. The best thing I have done in a long time. It's allowed me to document my experiences and share them with friends, family, strangers and to allow me to reflect on my life myself. It's given me a purpose out here. It has provided me with what is for all intents and purposes an online portfolio of my writing, which may one day come in useful. This blog has allowed me to connect with audiences from all over the world, which I never could have imagined happening when I set off on my travels just under a year ago
Hello everyone,
In a return to normal service, I thought I would compile a list of survival tips that you may find useful. They may even turn into everyday life tips, you never know. This will apply in part to France, but edit and adapt as you wish.
1. Make plans. Plan everything.
Plan ahead when it comes to food, especially when there is a Sunday on the horizon when EVERYTHING is shut.
Plan on Sundays to, instead, go to museums, have a walk, visit chateaux, go to a friend's for a baking day/wine and whine session (term copyright Miss M Merryweather). Sundays in France are very traditional and being the reputedly lazy nation that they are (see earlier post, I think I called it Franco-British relations but it may be another one), they certainly know how to do a Day of Rest. Cash in on this, by all means. I spent an entire Sunday in my pyjamas a few weeks ago. And I mean an entire day. I usually have caved in by 3pm - but I am not a quitter any more. Wink.
2. Make friends with people with whom you only speak the language you're all there to learn. (in my case, French.)
I've mentioned this a lot, so I'll only pass fleeting comment on it, but it's one of the best things you can do to improve your language skills.
2a. If they comment that they don't have much confidence with their English, offer to give them lessons. It looks great on your CV (er, hello "Voluntary freelance teacher of English to adult learners"), is immense fun and is a bit of a confidence boost too.
3. Travel.
You'll probably never have the same freedom to just wake up in the morning and go wherever you feel like, so make the most of it. My main inspiration for this is "Where can I go to tell stories of crazy people and crazy experiences to future generations of children that are not my direct offspring?"
4. Do something you don't fully understand every day.
By this I mean: Eat something you don't recognise, watch a film you don't fully understand the title of, go to a place of worship you would not otherwise go to (for me, this was a mosque in Russia).
5. Round up a group of locals and get them to take you for dinner/coffee.
My flatmates are great for this, anti-English sentiments excluded. The best way to understand a country is to hang out with the locals and compare notes.
6. Go to the pub.
If the rugby's on, you can learn all sorts of vocabulary.
7. Make a point of seeing a friend once a week, with whom you share the same mother tongue and the same year abroad experiences - but whom you don't see every day.
It helps. A lot. I've been exceptionally lucky to find people I can do this with in both Russia and France. You can also combine this with point 4 - two birds with one stone.
8. Start reading your assigned texts for final year.
Your professors will probably expect you to have done this, but even if they don't, it's a great head start.
8a. Read books that you actually want to read.
You'll have the time to do it for once.
9. Don't panic.
French university bureaucracy is a complete and utter nightmare, but for most people the actual grades do not count towards your final degree classification. Some people don't even have to pass their courses, so just check what you need to do for your university and act accordingly.
10. Buy a smartphone.
Seriously.
10a. Get accommodation that actually has internet. Not just for looking at pictures of cats (I know you do it), but take it from me, there is a LOT that the internet is actually useful for.
11. Make life plans.
You have one year of uni left, after which time people will be asking you uncomfortable questions, including "So what are you doing with your life now?"
In fact, they are probably asking you at the moment that question most dreaded by all students, "So what are your plans after university?". I hate this question. I really hate it. I've got sick of responding with the flippant, depression averting "You tell me!". I feel like an idiot when I reply "I have no idea" (which usually warrants the response "Oh Jimmy is going to become the new CEO of X at the age of 22, having completed his internship at Y" - that's great for Jimmy but it makes me feel awful, so please stop telling me)
Avoid all of this awkwardness and unpleasant feeling by DRINKING TEA AND MAKING A LIST. Seriously. Even if you don't like tea, a suitably hot beverage that you can put your hands around will do just fine. Make a list of everything you enjoy in life. Look at it often. Make a list of things you're good at. Look at that often. See if there is any correlation. If not, make another list of "Jobs that will suck out my soul but at least I can retire early and send my kids to public school". Then make a list of "Halfway-house jobs that won't kill me but won't utterly fulfil me either and will still allow me to buy my own flat. Not in Chelsea, but like, Hammersmith or something. The good part."
I have many lists. Of many things. I write them in a moleskine notebook, which makes me feel like I have at least achieved something in life - being that I'm at least at university in London, so my London allowance on my student loan will stretch just a little further - even if I still buy Morrisons Value food, which is actually pretty good.
12. Start a blog.
This one is a bit of an obvious one, so I've left it til last. Seriously. The best thing I have done in a long time. It's allowed me to document my experiences and share them with friends, family, strangers and to allow me to reflect on my life myself. It's given me a purpose out here. It has provided me with what is for all intents and purposes an online portfolio of my writing, which may one day come in useful. This blog has allowed me to connect with audiences from all over the world, which I never could have imagined happening when I set off on my travels just under a year ago
Hi! Great post, it's really helpful! I'm a Scottish and currently in the midst of Spending a year abroad in France. I have decided to blog about it, writing each of my experiences as they happen in the hope to give others and insight in what to expect. Please take follow me in my journey! http://survivingayearabroad.blogspot.com/
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