Apologies for the long title. One of the things I am still trying to grasp about French culture 4 weeks is how to know if I should use the formal vs. informal ‘you’ to address a stranger and how I should phrase questions and requests to people I do not know. My struggle to read…
Tag: IIP Paris
Adapting to French Customs
Before traveling abroad, I went to numerous orientations for this International Internship Program that prepared me for the different customs I would encounter during my time in France. During these sessions, we discussed the work-life boundaries that would be expected in the workplace, as well as the formal administrative differences compared to my experiences in…
Parisians can’t place where I’m from
As much as I experience uncertainty around French culture and tasks at my internship, I also have been confusing many French speakers on where my accent is from. I know that I do not have a very strong American accent when I speak French, nor do I attempt to speak in a “Parisian accent” (if…
C’est comme tu veux !
Two months sounds like a long time, but I can tell that time is flying by. It feels like just yesterday, I landed in Paris, took a nap at my homestay, then went on a walk exploring the city for the very first time. Right now, looking at the calendar and seeing that I have…
Navigating Uncertainty in the Workplace
The concept of uncertainty is something that has always scared me, as it does for many people with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Ambiguity can often feel threatening, and it is uncomfortable to walk through life not knowing what will happen next. However, that is an inevitable part of the journey, and you just have to accept that…
Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana
The speed at which the days are flying past me reminded me of this funny phrase we use in linguistics to talk about syntactic processing (i.e. how there are a few ways you can read this sentence since some words have double meanings/can represent different parts of speech depending on context). I have already spent…
The Importance of a Work-Life Balance
As a young college student tasked with independently navigating an exciting new country while simultaneously having the responsibilities of a full-time working adult, time management skills are essential. Being in a (somewhat) foreign country, there are infinite things to explore. It is thrilling and beyond liberating to have these two months to venture through as…
Seeing cool things despite the canicule!
My week has flown by so fast! From finally meeting EUSA and the other students at the program, doing fun activities with them and exploring Paris on my own, it’s felt like I come home each day with new stories to share with my host family. There’s so much to do every day! I’ve found…
Bioscience and Research Culture in Paris
My first week in Paris is over. In a short frame of time, I have so many experiences and so much new information that has already changed how I look at the world and myself. The day I landed at the CDG airport, the 4 hours of sleep I had on the plane did not…
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