And so, all this nostalgia has got me reminiscing about the lessons in Paris and Lyon and, more memorably, the times I have humiliated myself in front of classes full of French students. So...
Here are the bits that I'm really going to miss:
- Saying I'm a student at Université de Paris Diderot 7 or Lyon Jean Moulin 3 - they just sound good, don't they?
- French lectures that make sense
- Entertaining translation classes on Fridays
- Having no classes on Mondays!!
- Telling people I'm from Leicester and them thinking it's exotic
- Lessons in old, Harry Potter-like university buildings
- The literature teacher that has the Queen's accent - every lecture is the Queen's speech!
- Having the Seine on campus
- Being able to pop into the middle of Paris/Lyon after lectures
- Having people think I know what I'm talking about in English Lit lessons just because I'm English!
- Sheep on campus in Paris - good times!
- Laid back French lessons
- Laid back French deadlines!
And here are the bits I'll be happy to leave behind:
- 8am classes
- 8am grammar classes!!
- French lectures that really don't make sense.
- Walking into classes, not recognising anyone, sitting down and then realising that it's actually not my class at all...
- Studying Mrs Dalloway. Twice.
- French computer keyboard finger gymnastics
- THE ADMIN
- Being asked to define English words and having no idea what the word is
- The 'commentaire composée' with its brain-ache complexity and nine parts...
- Annoyingly laid back exam timetables!
Nine months of being a student in France has gone way too fast; I'll be back in 'exotic' Leicester before I know it!
Read Hattie's blog Parlez-vous français? for her latest (or previous!) updates.
