the island of france, paris…

It is the last week of my Teaching Assistantship in France and as I consider all that I’ve experienced here, I have some things to share with new assistants or those interested in spending time in this beautiful country. These are things I’ve found to be useful..

Read, Read, Read.
Before I arrived in October, I spent the summer rigorously (or not so rigorously) practicing French with podcasts and conversations with native French, at events held by my local Alliance Française branch, by watching French movies and skimming French language books. I even taught my boyfriend some French by leaving vocabulary lists hanging in the bathroom, in our room, on mirrors, on the alarm clock.. I listened to French radio stations and became the number one fan in the world for NOVAPLANET which is a top notch radio station that you can stream from home on the internet.

Month after month I had learned words like la pelle, désabusé and other words that don’t matter all that much and my language level upon arrival was still but a half-step passed “really shitty”. Nonetheless, after watching all those movies, spending soirées with French natives and listening to their radio stations, I had a little grasp on some cultural cues. This is important.

Now I realize that what I didn’t do enough of was learn about French history because history is what brings us to the shit-filled sidewalks, the rigorous school systems, the linguistic pride of today. I have just started reading books about the differences between French and (North) American cultures and French history and it’s a big shame! These books are incredibly eye opening and are helping to make sense of my time here. I recommend Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong because that is the only one I’ve almost finished so far.

Listen. There is a reason that dogs shit n’importe où and people argue in public. There is a reason that everything is closed on Sunday and you get so many vacations. There are always reasons.

Try new things, get experimental.
This past year in France, I have weened myself off of shampoo and conditioner, gotten a tattoo and learned to cook vegan meals. I have learned to speak French comfortably, how to hitchhike alone, couchsurf alone, and I learned a form of meditation that works for me. I have visited a sex sauna (prepare yourself for some weird smells), I have sung in a bar, partied naked with a bunch of naked people, invited a homeless man in for a place to sleep, hugged a crying student, watched a 5-car fire explode in front of my eyes and ate Tartiflette (the heavens were crying joy with me). I have had one of the best years of self-growth I’ve ever had and I attribute that to the generous amount of free time given to us for experiencing France and life in general. You know how you are scheduled to work twelve hours a week? You probably will work less than twelve hours a week and you get a 2 week vacation every 5 weeks. It’s really cacahuètes!

You are going to have so much free time to try new things, it’s a great opportunity to be free, to have adventures. Go on walks, talk to strangers and coworkers, tell them about things you love to do and you will be surprised at what people offer you in forms of advice or outlets for your hobbies. Check out things like Les Maisons Pour Tous for creative outlets. Join a theatre group, use Zikinf to find fellow musicians. Get crazy, y’all.

Speak French and immerse yourself in France.
I think this is important and one of the harder things as an expat to do. You will have lots of English (or Spanish, German, Greek, etc) speaking friends, but balance it out. Blow them off sometimes or incorporate them in to French friend groups. This will likely be hard at first, because it is not the easiest task in the world to be invited in to French circles. I recommend you use meetup groups, dating websites, couchsurfing, leboncoin, bars, yoga classes, punk shows, sexual encounters… Get creative, meet people, be genuine, look around at how others use social cues, use those cues.

Teach your students and new friends about the great parts of your culture, your home. Blow their minds, let them blow your minds, have a mind explosion! But whatever you do, try using French. If you aren’t already speaking French fluently you will find great joy in reaching a comfortable speaking level and I can not iterate enough how many doors it will open to the French culture and French relationships if you speak their language assez bien. Write emails in French, find a tandem who will give you an hour of French conversation in exchange for an hour of English conversation. Travel alone! Travel alone! Travel alone! Read books in French, listen to NovaPlanet (you can stream it online), discover French rap (Oxmo Puccino is the man!), listen to French language podcasts, watch French movies (Jean Reno is the other man!). The internet is a great tool, use it wisely and you will find a million things to help you in your language journey.

Enjoy yourself fully, be free, and prepare to not want to go.
This country is full of rich culture, food, coastlines and it is a way to experience life that can feel refreshingly new. Exploring it is a great joy. One of the best things I did this year was buy a bike and let myself get lost on it. Good luck, make some memories, and don’t be afraid to break a leg because France has got you covered.