C'est Ma Direction

Firstly, listen to the song- it’s so COOL!

 http://youtu.be/Q-RLDwF4aBA

Secondly, I chose this as the title of my last blog as I felt it was quite apt . Given that this song was one of the ‘songs’ of my Year Abroad,  and on saying goodbye one of my colleagues quoted the song by saying to me ‘It’s your direction’ which I can’t argue with. This year has truly been an incredible part of my life and my direction. Lots of pages have turned and now it is time for the final hurdle of getting my degree and deciding on my life direction.

September 1^st 2011 seems so long ago.  It’s crazy to think that 11 months ago I arrived with my mum; innocent, naïve and unaware of what France had to offer me, and trekking across Paris into the countryside not to find what I expected. And yet, the year has been  better than I ever imagined. I will never forget my first week of getting to grips with things, nightmares, coincidences and challenges. Blowing the fuses trying to make a cup of tea. Sharing a shower with a stranger. Not realising that the trains stop after 10pm. Eating greasy canteen food. Being hit on by drunken guys. The funny incident with the ‘Bank Man’ - with whom I actually ended up being with and going on holiday with…  So many stories and memories I’ll never forget and which have made me see life differently.

Working at HEC was an experience in itself. I had to adjust to working hours and a working schedule. I may not have had the most interesting/busy job but I did learn a lot of new skills and thanks to my friendly colleagues I could speak French every day and improve all the time. My fellow stagiare friends also played a big part in my stay there. Without them, I couldn’t have enjoyed my placement at all. We were a family together, looking out for each other but more importantly having FUN. Batiment J became a bit of a party block and there are some moments I will never forget, such as finding a key attached to a bra outside the building! All the pre and post POWs, film nights, pizza, corridor parties, toilet problems, fights over the microwave,watching the world go by on the balcony.. I am so grateful to have lived with these people, and I feel particularly blessed to have had such a kind, lovely, fun and like-minded co-douche  next door to me. I will miss them all very much.

As much as I complained about not being in the centre of Paris, I have still managed to get out and see a bit more of it. It is a shame that it wasn’t directly on my doorstep however, as I feel I could have experienced a less touristy Paris and discovered all the little places you wouldn’t discover otherwise. I never got that true experience of rush hour commutes or late night drinks in street cafés but I did experience being in a relationship with a French man, and also wild HEC parties and celebrations! I have seen Paris by day and by night  and have probably saved a lot of money by not living in Paris itself!  There is too much to see and do in all cities, I’ll just have to come again!

Being in France offered me lots of other opportunities too. I have managed to travel around a bit; Bruges, Loire Valley, Havre, Rennes, St Malo, Mont St Michel, Reims, Carnac, Correze… and equally a holiday in Morocco and Egypt aha! But this year I feel I have accomplished more than I would have staying in England.

 If I hadn’t have come to France, I ( probably ) would never have:

-          Experienced an open bar for as little as €5, nor experienced the infamous CUSSON dinners.

-          Discovered what a real ‘Nuit Blanche’ in Paris is.

-          Sang in a Glee club

-          Done Zumba

-          Seen Audrey Tatou turn on the Christmas Lights

-          Run a half marathon

-          Worked at the worlds ‘number 1’ business school

-          Been to a Gala near the Opera

-          Conquered my fear of rides

-          Seen Sarkozy give a speech

-          Seen Kanye West and Jay-Z in concert

-          Been to a French rap group concert

-          Discovered Speculous

-          Made so many friends and contacts

-          Learned how to hold a baby in one arm and do everything else with the other!

-          Tried surfing

-          Eaten mussels which I collected myself

-          Stayed in a castle

-          Seen an Opera

-          Eaten fois gras ( meat in general! :S )

-          And last but not least, If I hadn’t of come to France this year I would never have  (buckets ready) …Fallen in love …

Yes, this year abroad was not just beneficial for my degree, but it has played a vital part in my life and given me skills and experiences for life. Someone once said to me that a year abroad is the best year of you r life. And I wouldn’t argue with them. Equally, someone once said to me that spending a long time in a different country opens your eyes to the world and different cultures and makes you more open-minded. It’s true, I see things differently now and believe that anything is possible. I have also been told that once you get back to your home country, you notice things you never did before, and you question why nothing is as adventurous as being abroad. This I have yet to discover.

But if there is one thing I have learned from being here this year, it’s that you have to just go for it all the time. No matter what it is, don’t hesitate, don’t over analyse, just take every opportunity you get. I believe that things do happen for a reason, and so when a chance passes you by its only right you pursue it.

I am going to miss my year abroad. The daily routine, being with my colleagues, singing in Glee club, hanging out with my neighbours, chilling at my boyfriends, going into Paris, the amazing Zumba teacher, free bread with meals, French music…

I won’t miss:  trains ( lack of them, waiting for them, running for them, missing them), my green and wooden HEC room, weird men talking to me, everything being closed all the time, getting to the till at the supermarket and realising I haven’t weighed my fruit, UHT milk, Haricots, worrying how to get back, waiting till gone 9 to eat dinner, the dreaded HILL of Jouy en Josas.

Then after my internship I spent 6 weeks au-pairing, which again was another totally different experience but a great one all the same. I have experienced what French Family life is like and got to stay in very luxurious places! It definitely helped to stay that little bit longer to get my French up to this level. I can now confidently listen to conversations, watch films, read articles and understand everything, but I still have trouble getting out some sentences verbally. I just really hope that I won’t forget it all once back in England!

So now it is time to go back to being a student and graduating. Argh! But as the song quite rightly says, it’s ‘Ma Direction’ and I have no worries or doubts at all about what the future may hold for me. I have 100% enjoyed this year and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat if I could. I am sad to leave it all behind but equally I have missed Southampton and being a student, and of course, I have missed my family and friends at home!! I am going to look into doing a Masters in Interpreting once I have my degree, or perhaps coming back to France to find work! I will treasure the memories of this year forever. Thank you for being a part of it with me by reading my blog, I hope it has been interesting for you!

Finally, a little anecdote to end my last blog. After all, it wouldn’t be a Ruth blog without a ‘weird guy’ story! On the train from Brives to Paris, I was sat at the window with a young lad next to me. He starts quizzing me about where I am getting off, what I was doing in France etc and we have some small talk. He annoys me quickly, as I just wanted to get on with my reading and sleeping for the 4 hour journey! So after a few moments of conversation he passes his phone to me, on which he has written a message; ‘ tu es très belle’… arr isn’t that nice?! I don’t really know what to do or say so I just smile nervously and say ‘Merci’. But then, a few minutes later I am just looking out of the window hoping he’ll stop talking to me, he puts his hand on my knee!!!!!!! I immediately turn to look at him and say ‘what the hell do you think you’re doing?’ to which he says ‘can I?’. Obviously I say ‘No! I am not interested in you and have a boyfriend anyway’. His response, ‘ It doesn’t matter, I have a girlfriend too, who cares?’…!!  So then we spend about 5 minutes arguing over whether it is right to be touching other people when you are in a relationship, and I gave him some very disapproving looks. Thankfully, I didn’t have to spend the last 3 hours next to him as he got off a while after. But I did have to laugh. Only me, hey?

Vive La France! 1^st September 2011- 17^th August 2012.