I wish I had known… par les étudiants d’Automne 2016

  • that Paris is at your disposal. So enjoy it while you can !
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Devant le Panthéon sur la Place des Grands Hommes à Paris

 

  • That there are some really cool places/things to visit/see just a short metro ride outside the city too !

 

  • How difficult it would to reach fluency. Although I’ve improved a lot throughout this semester, I did feel discouraged at several points because I was unable to meet my own unrealistic expectations. It was helpful to remember that becoming a fluent French speaker is a long and gradual process, and that each step forward (no matter how small) should be celebrated !

 

  • How easy it would be to not meet any French people (especially those our age) if we don’t make an active effort to do so !

 

  •  To book later flight home so I could have more time in Paris after finishing finals !!

 

  •  To talk to French people incessantly (and just keep telling yourself it’s for language learning purposes soi it feels less weird) otherwise your French MIGHT NOT EVEN GET ANY BETTER !!! Quelle horreur c’est pour ça qu’on est ici quand même !!! PROFITES !

 

  •  To organize better. There is so much to see and do, that even at the very last minute I saw some thing new. Be prepare to try new things. They will arrive no matter what you should prepare though, especially skills. Keep a journal and write in it everyday. Depending if its for therapeutic reasons or just for fun, choose the language you use wisely. If you need to do something in English, use the journal. However other than that try o speak French at all times. Watch and listen and read things in French.

 

  •  That I should put myself out there and try to make friends with as many as many French people as possible.

 

  • That if you want to do activities with your host family you have to make it happen !
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Devant le Palais Galliera à Paris