Author: Liam McCabe

As the days began to get shorter and the air started to become colder, the realisation that Christmas was upon us hit me rather quickly. Upon my return from swelteringly hot Monaco, I was greeted to a breezy chill in the wind, coupled with the littering of towering Christmas trees complete with flashing decorations and beaming lights. It was a rather beautiful sight.

All around Paris you could spot these enormous, sky-scraping trees, Christmas markets being set up with dozens of stands, and ice rinks beginning to appear for keen visitors to strut their stuff on the ice. Paris was the last place I ice skated in fact, 9 years ago, and after that experience I concluded it wasn’t best for me to try it ever again. Mulled wine was everywhere, definitely not my thing, but hot chocolates topped with whipped cream were my go-to after a long slugging of work at University or when the temperature started getting a little too cold to feel my face.

Now I’d settled in properly and fully immersed myself in the University life, I vowed to myself that I would explore France and its culture. France is a gargantuan nation, and far larger than most believe it to be. A mind-blowing example is the fact that it takes less time to drive from Paris to Manchester (English channel crossing included) than it would to drive from Paris to Nice on the glittering South coast. From the bustling metropolis of the French capital, often grey and cold, you can travel to other parts of the nation and witness rows and rows of palm trees.

Such diversity is unheard of pretty much everywhere in the remainder of Western Europe, with a grand wealth of popular hotspots to discover and a wide range of history to see. Although University life can get extremely busy, I always take my time to sightsee and partake in activities whenever I can. For example, I enjoy long walks in the city centre, covering most of the major attractions along the way.

I unfortunately missed the first week of University lessons due to a delay in my visa process, but come the second week I had arrived in Paris and was raring to learn. The education system there has many similarities and differences compared to what University of Manchester undergraduates are accustomed too, but generally I found the transition into life at SciencesPo somewhat comfortable and straightforward.

The day was Saturday the 4th of September 2021. Months of hard work, research, filling out application forms, searching for accommodation and processing my French visa had led to this moment. Nervous? Definitely.