Русским читателям

Здравствуйте, всем,

Я замечала что вы посмотрели мой блог о русском видэо, и решила читать немножка вашего форума. Я не часто читать его, но каждый раз, ваши комментарии мне очень нравится.
Я очень рад что вы выбираете читать мой блог, спасибо всем!

Для ваших предложения видэо - спасибо большое! Мне очень понравились и спасибо за ваши помощь чтобы мне можно лучше понимать вашу страну и вашу культуру.



(English readers - this blog is to thank the Russians for their continued support of this blog and their suggestions for videos in response to that which I posted on Tuesday. I will work out how to post them on here too!)

Friday musings

Hello chaps,

I just wanted to share my week with you as goodness knows, it's been an interesting one.

A friend of mine has come up with the "five week" concept, which is that five weeks into term, you hit a low point and start to hate things. This was true in Piter and it has proven itself here. Living abroad is a challenging one to deal with as your daily life is completely different - even the things you used to do at home, like simply buying a pint of milk, become foreign and alien. There is only so much that anyone can take of anything, and this week, France was not in my good books.

I did something I hate doing this week. I took two days off and hid myself from the world as I found myself grievously unable to cope with "life" due to major homesickness and stress. I never adopt "hermit mode" except in moments of feeling unutterably horrible. I am going to make no bones about this one, and if any future employer reads this, I am proving I am human and I have my weaknesses. My strengths and achievements are shown on my cv, but what is important is how such things are achieved and the moments of being at the absolute bottom that are not. Everyone has a point when they are run down into the ground, it is how you pick yourself up from it that matters.

Me? I chose coffee.
I chose coffee and I chose action.
I left my flat.
I made resolutions to be proactive.
I telephoned my parents who told me to get a grip.

As a result, I went for coffee with a French person from my International Relations class, who taught me French idioms and that the French hate the English for a number of reasons - but mainly because we used to be Best Buds - then sold ourselves out to the Americans. Controversial.

I've started voluntarily teaching English to my Italian friend - by using our shared language of French to facilitate things. It is this kind of experience which really makes me value my degree for its benefits to me as a person - I would be hopelessly incapacitated without it in these situations. I think I have also found my vocation for at least some small part of my Twenties - teaching English as a Foreign Language to adults. I previously taught it occasionally to my Greek-Cypriot housemate in my first year of university and loved it, so it was something I wanted to do out here with anyone who wanted to improve their English. As patronising and colonialist as that sounds, English these days is becoming a requirement for anyone to get a job in Europe, so, as it is my mother tongue, I feel relatively well-equipped to help people.

Pet hate of the week: French translation teacher telling us our English was wrong. Hang on a minute.

So this week has been mixed, but I feel better for feeling terrible then picking myself up. There is nothing better than a good action plan and a cup of tea (or six). This year abroad is proving more educational and character building than I ever thought possible, and I will remember it in many years to come.

Also, I have been wearing my Russian Orthodox scarf every day this week. Not a single person has commented on it, so I am going to tell you guys, my dear readers about this. I love it. It is of a unique design, it is pure wool and I had wanted one since I started studying Russian History at A Level. It is one of my most sentimentally valuable possessions and wearing it makes me feel worldly wise and reminds me of the Russian people who have been so generous to me in my visits out there. My scarf collection is ever growing, but my Russian orthodox scarf will always be one of my most treasured possessions and indeed, more simply, one of my favourite scarves!

La Vie en France

Hello chaps,

So I want to write today a bit more about my experiences as an Erasmus student, as, despite there being a large community of us, we all have our own unique experience.

The first question people usually ask me is "Why did you pick Tours?".

The first part of the answer to this is largely bureaucratic, as my university had some spare Erasmus places going. This is my blog so I am going to be completely honest, so hang me for it. Initially I was not assigned a place due to their internal selection process (they didn't want to acknowledge my Russian grades, despite them being in the Upper 2:1/1st category and instead chose to look at my shambolic French oral grade, which, in the exam I quaked under the pressure and forgot my entire presentation. True story). So, luckily, I was able to get a spare place and not have to pay two grand to come out here. Nice one.

The second part is that I wanted to go to "real" France, in order to speak as much French as possible. It is tough trying to learn a language when you are not immersed in it all the time. I found in Paris that people are unwilling to speak French to me, unless I spoke to them in English, in which case they would reply only in French. I love Paris but I thought it would be more beneficial for my language study to come to a place that attracts fewer tourists and where fewer people speak English as often as the Parisians.


Tours is incredibly French and functions as a sort of "mini Paris" in terms of architecture. This is the case because the rate of taxation on the style of buildings popular in Paris amongst the Bourgeoisie was much lower out here than in Paris. It is close enough to Paris to have made such an undertaking practical for the Paris elite, so many lived out here and conducted their merchant dealings in Paris. Bit like Surrey, really.

As a result, the city is delightfully middle class, for the most part anyway. There are far fewer "dodgy bits" than in Paris, London or St Petersburg, which is arguably also because it's smaller. Its heritage though means that it has tended to attract a richer population, so it is, as my mother would say, "very civilised".

Tours is situated in the Loire valley, or as the English call it, "Wine Country". The "tourangeaux" are very proud of this and there are many billboards in town advertising Bourgeuil wine, made in the Loire valley. I am not shocked by this but it raises a smile every time I see it.

"Oh, France!"

It is easy, though, to fall into the trap of not speaking  any French out here, as an Erasmus student. Living abroad is tough sometimes and as a result, groups of people who share the same language often spend the majority of their time together. "Birds of a feather" definitely do flock together. This is good to an extent, I must say that I have found it a huge comfort to know that there are English people close by, to whom this city is also alien. It's nice to know that there are people just as culturally awkward as me and who are a continually baffled by the French university system. However, I am in France to speak and learn French, so I try and push myself into this as much as possible. I have written previously about my European friends who share this opinion. I must also add that there are many English people who share this too. On a Monday there is the Language Cafe where French and other people meet to speak languages, which is very popular with English and other students alike, as well as locals who want to practise their English. (I love it)

There are plenty of cliches that surround the term "Erasmus" - that it's like first year of university again, people spend more time going out than going to lectures and go off travelling all the time.

Some of these are certainly true, I certainly feel like I'm in first year again - sort of.
I am pushed into the deep end again in terms of independence and making new friends. I am more crippled by homesickness and the discomfort of the unfamiliar than I ever was during my first year. But the sense of freedom and the lack of real responsibility is undeniably refreshing. Sure, I have classes to go to and I get a lot from them. I have incredible intellectual freedom as the entire university (save the medical school, but who wants to be a doctor anyway?! - before you all eat me, I am being flippant and doing my best to antagonise my brother as any good sister should) opened itself up to me. Like a clam. My courses this year do not count towards my degree, or to anything - I just have to pass them and that will be sufficient. I have never been able to study so freely at this level with no  real pressure. As a result, I have been able to put "Studied International Law as an Erasmus Exchange student in France" on my CV.  In theory, this makes me "more employable", though we shall see about how true that actually is.

As for partying, I am not much of a party type myself. Those of you who know me are now nodding and thinking "it'll be her fortieth birthday next year". It's true. I go out, I socialise, I'll have the odd drink - but the true cliched vices of first year never really applied to me even when I actually was one. I have never picked up a road sign or a traffic cone from the side of the street, and I am actually bored of clubbing by about 1am. So hang me and call me boring - but at least I can get home OK and function the next morning. Let's just go out for dinner instead, have a slow Leffe and be in bed by 12. I actually think that's more sociable, especially as the night buses stop at 130 so there is always a horrid walk home in the cold when you want to stay out past that time. Transport for London this ain't.

Travelling, though, is one of the cliches I do like. It seems that everyone travels to the same places, which is great because everyone shares recommendations and stories about their experiences. Bruges has been visited by many people out here, and Amsterdam and Madrid seem to be particular favourites. I am particularly interested by the views of non-Europeans (Americans, Canadians and Australians in particular), for whom this is their first time in Europe, and therefore is even more of a culture shock. My travels have taught me that the English conception of homogenised Europe is a complete and utter myth, and Europe is all the richer for it. I am hugely lucky to have a 3 day weekend, it's perfect for travelling and I know that it will be a long time til I get the same amount of freedom again.

A bit of silliness and sentimentality for your Monday

Hello chaps,
Привет мои дорогие читатели,

I am suffering from serious Piter withdrawal symptoms, so I am going to write this post in both English and Russian.

Сегодня я очень скучаю по Питеру и поэтому буду писать тоже по русски. Я очень хотела бы что вы помогите меня с русским языком. Мне кажется что он скоро убегает от меня из-за того что я больше не живу туда!

So, I thought today I would provide you with just a little something to improve your Mondays, as a quick reconnaissance of various social networks would suggest that it is needed today!

Так, я подумала что сегодня я обеспечивала бы вас с чем-нибудь чтобы делать более интересный ваш день, потому что читав социальные сайты, мне кажется что вам нужно какое-то развлечение!

My wonderful grandmother sent me this video, which I thought was great, so thought I would share it with you. The video is just a bit of light entertainment in the form of some popular Russian songs performed by the Military Orchestra - and performed very well at that. There may be some you recognise without realising it, so do check it out.

Вот, моя дорогая бабушка мне послала это видэо и мне очень понравилось - я подумала что это вам тоже понравилось бы.
В этом много русских песен - Пожалуйста, дорогие русские читателя, можете ли вы объясните мне об их культурных контекстах для вас? Мне очень интересно было бы слышать ваши мнения.


Check out the video here

International Women's Day

Hello chaps,

In a slight break from normal service, today's blog is going to be something of a rant/attempt to persuade internet bigots to open their minds. I hope you will enjoy it, I'd love to hear your feedback, as always!

March 8th is International Women's Day, and has been celebrated in other countries for much longer than in England. Or at least, I suspect this, but we must consider the fact that I have myself only been aware of it for a few years, since studying the Russian Revolution for AS level 4 years ago. This can go two ways: I am horrendously ignorant, or we just didn't have it in the UK. You decide about that one.

Indeed, Women's Day much celebrated in Russia, it is an officially recognised national holiday, where men traditionally give flowers and presents to the main women in their lives, such as their mothers and sisters. I suppose it can be regarded as an extension of how we celebrate Mother's Day in the UK. The day in Russia exists to pay tribute to the hard work that women contribute to society and is in no way meant to be either patronising or feminist.

Feminism does not really exist in Russia in the Western sense of the word. Women were enfranchised in 1917 in line with the Russian Revolution, which was in part sparked by the (peaceful) Women's Day march of that year, so there was no equivalent to the suffragettes.

 Men and women have very different roles in society in Russia compared with in the West - women are allowed to vote and hold office (the previous mayor of St Petersburg was Valentina Matviyenko, the most prominent female politician in the Russian Federation), yet it is still the custom for them to be considered the weaker sex, and for men to act in a chivalrous, masculine fashion. In a practical context, this largely refers to them opening doors for women.

A traditional Russian holiday, then, which appears to have been more widely adopted by the West in recent years. My theory on this is that we have the internet and social media to thank in part for this, which has its pros and cons. The main con I will point out here is the lack of cultural understanding in the West about the provenance of this holiday. I was rather exasperated to see comments by young men saying "When is International Men's Day?" in a joking-but-not-joking kind of way. Firstly, there is an International Men's day, it's on 23rd February in Russia, and exists in the same context as Women's Day - a day of celebrating the hard work of men in society. In Russia this is typically reserved for military men, as it was traditionally called Red Army Day.(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defender_of_the_Fatherland_Day ). I am told that the International Men's Day is 19th November, so take your pick which date to celebrate.

In the West, I feel that Women's day is coming into prominence as a feminist concept, which I wholeheartedly support. I have always been surrounded by strong women, for which I am hugely grateful, and hope to one day exert the same influence on young women myself, whether I have kids or not (bit soon for that, please stop hyperventilating - besides I rather like the idea of being someone's mad aunt, who has lots of cats and sends them postcards from my various travels to obscure countries).

I am a huge appreciator of writers such as Caitlin Moran, who, in her book How to Be a Woman, essentially lays out my own feminist belief, which is the following: you don't have to be a bra-burning banshee to support the cause of women being accepted in the workplace on equal terms as men, for the same pay.

The fact remains that this does not yet take place, even in today's society, some 100 years after the suffragette movement. Let us all remember the 100th anniversary of the death of Emily Davison on 5th June 2013 - the lady who was killed by the kng's horse at Epsom on the same date in 1913. It is a complete mistake to think that feminism is outdated and should have died in the 60s, along with the mini-skirt. It therefore completely riles me when people make such comments - for them to get annoyed that women get one day of recognition is frankly an insult to the day-to-day inequality that women face all over the world, at home and in the workplace.

My adam's apple is smaller than a man's. That doesn't mean my brain is too.

This leads me onto my next point, which is related to this, and that is the rather despicable 'Lad' culture that has been developed in recent years also by social media. Of course, we accept that it existed before, but the force of the internet has increased awareness and popularity of something that started off as isolated joking and banter by groups of males at the end of high school education and in their University years - we can take the Bullingdon club as one of the oldest examples of this. I want to make one final point about this, without drawing on too many examples - you can find them for yourselves at the utterly despicable "unilad" website. (Google it, I don't want to directly give them traffic). Basically, it is this - it is *never* acceptable to make derogatory comments about women, based solely on their gender. The assumption that women can be automatically exploited by a small minority of silly little boys is quite frightening and must be extinguished with everything that social media (and wider society for that matter) has to offer.

Tell me this, silly boys: Would you make the same comments to your mother or your grandmother?

Didn't think so.

Travels and excuses

Hello chaps,

So I feel I should explain my blogging absence of late. After the announcement of my winning the iX13 blog competition, I found myself far too busy to maintain my position - funny how you're actually expected to work at university, isn't it? (I'm kidding, I work pretty hard. She says, writing a blog completely unrelated to such matters)...

It was all announced during the last week before the pause pedagogique, or Reading week as you and I call it. I found myself swamped with 3 exams and life admin related to my upcoming travel plans.

I spent my pause in 4 cities, which over the course of 9 days is pretty impressive.

I returned to my parents house to celebrate my 21st for the second time - which culminated in a chocolate mousse cake so big it took 4 people 4 days to eat. And I don't mean it was only eaten at dinner. Oh come on, if you can't have cake for breakfast on your birthday, when can you? Don't judge me!!

I then returned to London to see some friends, and then was off to Cardiff to see another friend. It is something of an Erasmus student stereotype to do a crazy amount of travelling, so naturally I went to Brussels and Bruges for the last 4 days.
It made me feel horribly old to realise it was over ten years ago that I last visited Bruges, when they were still phasing out the Belgian franc. We visited a chocolate museum that was opened in 2004. Seems like ages ago now - but was not there when I last was. This makes me feel old because it just does not feel like that long ago.

For the main point of this article: It's actually unbelievable how important the ability to speak other languages is. I'm going to draw on two examples here. Firstly, the serveuse in the macaroon shop in Montmartre I visited a few weeks ago. She was speaking to two Spanish customers before us, in fluent Spanish. She then lapsed into perfect English to serve my companion (I was holding fort at the table). She then switched into her native language of French to serve the next customers.

All of this took place in the space of 5-10 minutes. 3 languages. 10 minutes. When was the last time you did that, and seamlessly?

Didn't think so.

Second example: Bruges. Everything is written in 3 languages as a matter of course. And all service staff are required to speak all three. Sure, English is the lingua franca, in most cases, but not everyone can speak English and, quite frankly, not everyone should have to in order to communicate with other people. I denounce our lack of linguistic ability in England. We are lagging behind other nations, especially on the continent, and are selfish enough to expect other people to speak our language without making any attempt to speak theirs.

I therefore choose to speak in French to all service staff over here, as I am frankly ashamed of this national heritage. It screams ignorance, and I certainly do not think ignorance is bliss.

Mistakes made and learned from

Hello chaps,

As is often the case these days, I am suffering a serious blog backlog. In order to overcome this, I have entered myself into a translation competition, which at the moment is killing me more than writing up my overhanging blogs. Funny how procrastination makes you more productive, isn't it?

So today's blogs covers some recent experiences where I have made a bit of a fool of myself, so figured you all could learn from my mistakes. I will also discuss some other people's silliness to make myself feel better. ;)

Episode 1: "Charity" scammers in Tours and Paris.
When a tourist in Paris, do not fall into this trap, as it has the potential for some dire consequences.
I want to make the disclaimer here that not all charity collectors in Paris are scammers - but as with everything, check the legitimacy as far as you can. If they are legitimate, they will show you some actual identification and will not mind doing so, and certainly will not chase you in the Metro.


 I will point out that myself and my companion were even then relatively seasoned travellers, as my companion had spent a year travelling through South and South East Asia, as well as North Africa and Europe. I had spent a month living in Tatarstan and had been to Moscow (and been mugged whilst there - a lesson in itself). We both live in London so are relatively streetwise, yet this still took us by surprise.


The first incidence happened in Paris last summer, when I was there for five days. We were enjoying a walk along the Seine by the Pont Neuf when some children approached us, claiming to be taking people's details for charity donations. The children were claiming to be mute and deaf, so our only communication was through some rather fumbled gesticulation on their part.

Halfway through writing a name down, the police came around the corner in a patrol car, at which point the apparently "mute" child shouted "Polizia!" in a language that was not French. Moreover, it proved that they knew they were not supposed to be doing what they were doing and that the police were well aware of their presence.

This is not the only time I have seen scammers such as this. There was a group of them on Rue Nationale here in Tours for a time (I suspect they have now been removed by some force or another). I saw a group of them chasing tourists in the Metro only on Sunday as I was passing through Paris.

The fact remains that they prey on the goodwill of tourists (in the case of Paris) and the goodwill of passers-by in Tours (there are fewer tourists here). We felt slightly sickened after we almost got taken for a ride ourselves.

A serious point to note here, then. Don't make the same mistake we did - even though we didn't give them our details, you can't be sure what they will do with them if you do.


On a lighter note, I think I have solved the world obesity crisis - replace all chocolates with diabetic Stevia chocolates. I bought some by mistake in Bruges this weekend. I never want to make this mistake again, and therefore feel compelled to warn all of you. They are probably one of the most vile things I have ever eaten; they have a terrible aftertaste and leave you feeling horribly sick afterwards. You'll never want to eat chocolate again - which, if you're trying to kick that chocolate habit once and for all, is probably a bonus. For everyone else, not so much.


A final betise for all of you, which made me chuckle no end.
An Englishman, ordering a "coffee" from the sandwicherie at Gare du Nord, speaks no French.
He returns the coffee, saying "I asked for a coffee, you've given me an Espresso. I want another coffee, with milk, or a refund"
The serveuse responds, "Mais non, monsieur, c'est comme ca, un cafe est un cafe".
"But I asked for a coffee, this is an Espresso, I can't drink this"
"Mais monsieur, c'est la machine, c'est un cafe noir, comme vous m'avez demande"
Englishman grumbles. Abandons "coffee".

I then order my sandwich, in French, pretending not to be English.
The serveuse speaks to me in perfect English.


Oh, France.