Settling In by the Seine

by Andrea Finlay, Sciences Po Paris, France

Buildings on my walk to university, Sciences Po Paris

Moving to paris has been as incredible and as daunting as you can imagine. It’s practically a parallel universe to Fallowfield. Instead of New Zealand wines at the bottom of the road, I have Notre Dame Cathedral. The 143 Stagecoach bus is now the metro line 10 and sunny days in platt fields have now turned into heatwave picnics under the Eiffel tower. 

What no one prepares you for is the culture shock. University classes starting at 8am but finishing at 9pm, two absences in the semester and you may find yourself in trouble and the extremely different nightlife scene to Manchester. I am not ashamed to say that our small group of english students have been finding comfort in an english pub, watching premier league football. 

My flatmate and I eating pizza on the banks of the Seine

It has been far from a negative experience though. The reputation french people have for being rude and unwelcoming is far from reality. It is extremely difficult to do nothing in Paris. Suffering from a boring Sunday? well we just took a short 15 minute walk to visit Le Louvre. And living off a diet consisting of baguettes, saucisson and croissants is hardly taxing.

Our classes are made up of every nationality you could think of, though not many brits, and i have interacted with people and cultures i never would have in Manchester. People who have had extremely different upbringings and backgrounds to me with a wide range of experiences. This is one of the most valuable and enriching aspects of a year abroad. 

The Erasmus nights outs are a far cry from a 256 Tuesday but you still meet just as interesting people. We have also become avid rugby fans and spend the majority of our evenings at La Place de la Concorde watching the games in the fan zone and making the most of a winning atmosphere. 

Myself and a visiting friend by the Eiffel Tower

Studying abroad is difficult. Carrying out the most mundane tasks such as job interviews, picking up a parcel and food shopping takes twice as much effort and energy. My screen time has been 50% google maps and 50% google translate. You may question whether this was the right leap to take and whether you’re ready. However within a week, I have found a job, I have met some friends, i have navigated the metro (fully recommend getting a Navigo card if you’re ever in Paris) and I have eaten a lot of baguettes. I would say that we are at beginning our integration into French culture. So yes, it is a big change and the homesickness is rife but it will be the best year of our life.