Happy New Year from Paris!
From Sophie
Hello everyone. It's great to be back online. I blogged back in June 2008 when I was studying German at Portsmouth University in preparation for a PGCE course. Well, I'm happy to say I passed both courses but decided not to pursue a career in teaching German in England; instead, I came to Paris to read for an M.A in Teaching French as a Foreign Language, which I also passed, but then again decided not to pursue a career in teaching French either.
In fact I've gone back to teaching English (my favourite subject!) and so I've been in Paris for over a year now, working at the British Council near les Invalides. Here is a photo from the staffroom: it's fab, isn't it?
Anyway, I'm enjoying life here even though I didn't think I would: in previous visits to Paris I found people to be either stuck-up and haughty or downright rude. They didn't like foreigners, especially tourists and their driving was terrible. Waiters in cafés and restaurants were quite disdainful. I thought I wouldn't be able to make friends easily and I'd feel alone and sad in a busy metropolis. In fact, I couldn't have been more wrong or prejudiced. It's a really cosmopolitan city with a great buzz: there's always lots to see and do. I've made lots of friends and I go out regularly to cafés, restaurants, cinemas, museums, theatres and concerts. Recently, I went to a fondue restaurant with friends from out of town and we experienced drinking wine from a baby bottle!
Of course it's all a drain on the purse but it's worth it. Why else live in a city?
But there are other advantages, too. The architecture is gorgeous
and in the summer most Parisians have left to go on holiday so it's quite peaceful except for the hordes of tourists! Oh dear, I think I've become a stereotypical Parisian!
If you've ever been abroad on holiday or for business and worried what the locals were going to be like or if you've visited Paris, do write and tell me all about it. I'd love to read about your experiences and share in the delights of your discoveries.
Till then, best wishes for 2011!
Sophie Handy
Vocabulary:
1. blogged: from the verb to blog, which means to write a web log (an online journal). Web + log = blog.
2. PGCE: abbreviation for Post-Graduate Certificate of Education, a one year post-graduate university degree allowing the graduate to teach a subject in primary or secondary schools in the UK.
3. read: to read for a degree is a very formal or possibly old-fashioned way of saying to study.
4. les Invalides: a French word. It was a hospital and retirement home for war veterans as well as a burial site for some of France's war heroes such as Napoleon Bonaparte.
5. fab: short for fabulous meaning great or wonderful.
6. stuck-up: an informal adjective meaning snobbish or conceited.
7. haughty: another adjective meaning condescending or behaving in a superior or arrogant way.
8. downright: adjective which means completely and utterly.
9. disdainful: adjective meaning to have extreme contempt or disgust for something or someone.
10. prejudiced: if you are prejudiced you have a preformed opinion, usually unfavourable, based on insufficient knowledge or inaccurate stereotypes.
11. buzz: if you look up this word in a good dictionary, you'll find lots of different meanings but in this blog I mean a vibe or feeling of excitement.
12. fondue: another French word derived from fondre which means to melt; a dish eaten by dipping small pieces of food into the contents of a pot, usually melted cheese, hot oil or chocolate sauce. In our case we dipped chunks of bread into hot Emmental cheese. Delicious!
13. a drain on the purse: a drain is something that uses up resources (in this case money). A purse is for a woman, for a man it's called a wallet.
14. hordes: a horde is a large group of people, usually associated with invaders such as Vikings or the Mongol horde of Genghis Khan!
15. till: informal use, short for until.
Comment number 1.
At 15:17 21st Jan 2011, luca83 wrote:Hello Sophie,
I've never been in Paris but I'd like visit it and the rest of France.
Here in Italy, people also say that french people aren't too kind and hospitable, especially with tourists. I don't believe in this commonplace and you confirm I do right.
Last summer I went in the south of Norway and I had a tour from Oslo to Bergen by train visiting many villages and amazing landscapes. Norway is known to be a country well organized with its efficient public services and welfare state. What surprised me it was to realize that norvegians are also very friendly and helpful to aid tourists like I was. They are not so "cold" like it seems.
I remember one day I entered in a post office to buy a stamp collection to a friend. Postal clerks received me in a separated room and showed me several stamp collection explaining me the meaning and subjects of each of them.
In Italy and Spain too, I've never experienced a special treatment like this.
I advice you to have a trip in Norway if you haven't been yet.
Thanks for giving us the chance to share our experiences and sorry for some mistake in my writing.
Ciao a tutti from Italy.
Luca
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Comment number 2.
At 16:50 22nd Jan 2011, MIchael wrote:Hi sophie:
Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience with us here.Firstly,I admire you that can master several other language except your native english.In the otherwise I can not use english fluently till now,even if
I have tried to learn this stuff for several years.Would you kindly initiate any learning skill to me?
And then with referrence to your left topic of experience aboard ,I am glad to share with you and your blogger here.One of them is happened in Iran,which is a mystery country to most of us.Since some business reasons,I had to stay there for about one and a half month.One day,when I am not very busy.I visit a city called Yazid ,a very old city ,maybe have more than two thousand years old .I visited a old gardan,which is used for a king in their history.Otherwise ,some gorgeous mosque,as you may kown it ,Iran is a islamic country.For the reason of business,I have chance to contact Iranian frequently.It is very clean country.I remember that the while bedsheet in the hotel is like just got from the shop.Most of the people are gentle and well-educated.they are full of passion and energy.At the same time,the food is not fairly good,just kabob ,sutff like that.I lose my weight about ten kilograms during that period,but it is really a good news for me.
It is memorable trip and I usually talked to my friends even if now.I hope you can enjoy your life in paris,and be a real parisian as well.
All the best!
Michael
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Comment number 3.
At 17:28 22nd Jan 2011, Filippo wrote:Salut Sophie! Great to hear from you again. Congrats on your achievements!! Like I said before, I went to Paris last month and I had such a great time. I fell in love with this city and yes, I did see "Les Invalides". Trocádero blew me away and some cafès of the 2nd arrondisement were very nice. I hope to visit the French capital again. The only downside is the fact that some French people seem to be lazy when it is time to speak English. All the best to you and Simon, Filippo
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Comment number 4.
At 19:57 22nd Jan 2011, Tereza wrote:Hi Sophie!
I was in France once, in Bretagne, for a week. The people were quite friendly, but I must tell, they did not want to communicate in English, although they could speak it (as I realized later) and even when they saw that I did not understand their French. I know I should not prejudice, but it was quite strange... But maybe I just met a specific sort of people.
Have a nice day,
Tereza (Czech republic)
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Comment number 5.
At 13:34 23rd Jan 2011, debido wrote:Hi Sophie!
How are you? I lib in Japan.
I troubelled in France wrong time ago. Rubbed it lots. But I do not rub flogs!! Bad taste!! Do you rub flogs?? Yuck.
France wine taste good. And law meet too : )
Happy days!
Debi ( Japan )
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Comment number 6.
At 07:04 24th Jan 2011, Leila wrote:Sophie, thank you for your blog, I found the vocabulary you used very interesting.
Leila from Finland
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Comment number 7.
At 08:18 24th Jan 2011, Sukritya wrote:Dear Sophie,
I would convey congrtulation to you, on your narrative art style, how beutifully , you painted the 'Picture of Paris' , As if i have been with you there, i felt so.
regards
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Comment number 8.
At 05:10 25th Jan 2011, Naheed wrote:Hello Sophie,
The picture of fundue makes me really hungry. I haven't tried my self though, but have heard really good about French food and that how healthy eating habits do French people have and how they always keep an eye on their weight. The thing that I really want to posses from France is the art of making fragrances and the French language. Still have to make my way to learn the former but I am already on my way to learn the latter.
Along with your lovely post, I have already learnt new words in it.
Wish you have a great time in France,
Naheed
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Comment number 9.
At 07:39 25th Jan 2011, Zaheer Abbas wrote:Hello Sophie,
Thanks for sharing such excellent and magnificient memories about one of the famous city in all over the world.
Sophie, to be honest we could not share our thought like native speaker any how i will try to communcate and expalain my experiences as i could.
Actually i belongs to Pakistan & studied there up to pre-degree level moreover i took my IELTS test by British councial to further study in UK.
What was in my mind i realy love to live like bertain because i like their way of living and above all my beloved langauge English because it was my favourite subject since from my early classes.
Any ways come to point , i visted lot of place and now i have started job in gulf.So i can understand all problems that a froginer can face.
when i read this ''experience'' it seemed to me as someone is writing about me.
Once again many thanks for sharing your valuable experienc of living away from one's homland.
My best regards
ZA
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Comment number 10.
At 08:24 25th Jan 2011, Elisabeth wrote:Salut Sophie,
You seem to be a real language wiz - I greatly admire that! I'd love to be fluent in several languages, too, but the moment one doesn't practise a language - well, you know...
I spent a week's holiday in Paris with my family some years ago - so we were part of the hordes, but we absolutely loved it. The city is a marvel, the weather was excellent and the Parisians turned out much friendlier than their reputation. One of the best memories is how we managed to spend a full day in the Louvre with our two daughters, then aged 12 and 10. We set them tasks to find and note down the exact location of some works of art which we had marked in a catalogue and sent them off on their own (equipped with a mobile phone, of course). They were so excited and ambitious. We met for lunch and for coffee - they never showed a sign of exhaustion and wouldn't stop until they had tracked down the last bit of their assignment. It was brilliant.
But back to your post - one thing must be confessed: If I had been asked to guess where one might get served wine from a baby bottle, the VERY LAST place I would have opted for would have been Paris.
Looking at your photos, I must say I wouldn't mind sharing your workplace and having access to that staffroom with that view - wow!
All the best,
Elisabeth (Austria)
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