Bean's Corner

Plot Twist

06:27

Well, there was me telling you I'd been feeling homesick but I'd found ways to battle it and make myself feel better, and then Friday 13th happened!

On Wednesday night, Riley arrived, she's a close friend from uni who's spending the first half of her year abroad in Valencia, and the following day was her 21st birthday. All very exciting, I'd been looking forward to her visit for so long!

On Thursday and Friday, Sam and I had exams, so we said we'd go out and celebrate on Friday night so that we weren't hungover or tired for our exam on Friday afternoon. So on Thursday, we took Riley to the Trocadero to see the Eiffel Tower, took some super cute photos and then went to see the Notre Dame and visit some of the shops alongside it which sell all the tourist rubbish. We had a really lovely day, watched a film in the evening and I cooked for the three of us. Good vibes, good people and all that jazz!

On Friday, Sam had something on in the morning for a job he's applied to, so Riley and I had a nice, chilled out morning and bought lunch from a patisserie. Then I went to my exam, which I think went pretty well!

The plan for Friday night was to go and have a couple of drinks at Alice and Alex's flat and then head to the bars in the 11th arrondissement. So, we get there, have some drinks and all is well. Then Sonia messages me as she's lost, so I call her and go and wait outside while I'm directing her to the flat. In the ten minutes I'm on the phone to her, I received about ten messages on Facebook, which I saw once I hung up. The messages were in a group message from my friends from work back home 'Bean, are you okay?' 'Bean what's happening in Paris, are you alright?' 'why isn't she answering!!' - you get the idea. So, I just replied and said I was fine, really baffled as to why they were asking if I was alright. I then got a notification from the BBC News app on my phone 'shootings in Paris, 11th region'. Thank you, BBC, for without you, we would not have had a clue!

Back inside the flat we're all a bit confused and unsure about what we should do. Do we go elsewhere for drinks? Should we stay inside? Should Sam, Riley and I go back to our own flat?

We decided to wait it out for a while and see what happens. We carry on drinking until there becomes a distinct lack of alcohol in the building - a definite cause for concern!

You need to realise that we had no idea how close were really were to the shootings and explosions at the time (we didn't even know there were bombs involved at first), and that the gravity of the situation didn't really occur to us as we were safely tucked up inside. After a while, the number of messages we're all getting from people at home gets me worrying. This is definitely more serious than we realise.

At about midnight, Riley and I decided to go out and see what was happening in the streets near us, so we head down the stairs and as we open the front door to the building, the crowd of people playing sardines in the bar opposite started yelling at us to go back inside straight away. Scary. So we walk back upstairs, but we look out the window and they're still shouting at us to get inside. Even scarier. That's when it hit that we must be fairly close to whatever's going on, and whatever it is, its big. At this point, I'm feeling pretty nervous, I'm texting my mum to reassure her that I'm fine, I'm concerned about my teddy back in my room on his own (yes, that thought really did cross my mind) and I'm wondering what to do.

Eventually, just after 2am we decided to try and get home - we saw that people from the bar were stood on the streets, so assumed that it must be safe again. By this time, I was so on edge about everything that when a man pulled up next to us on his scooter and stood in front of us, I jumped backwards pretty quickly when he pointed at us for whatever reason. Honestly, a person's fingers have never looked more like a gun in my life! Our taxi never came, so we ended up squeezing nine of us into Alice and Alex's two-bed apartment. It was cosy, to say the least!

The next morning, we woke up and decided we needed to get back to our own flat, so we took the metro, realising that were were only three stops away from both of the places where the shooting occurred.

We got home without a hitch on Saturday, although the feeling of the city was like in the films after a zombie apocalypse - a total ghost town. Very, very creepy and tense.

Since Friday night, we've all been fine, Riley got back to Valencia yesterday with no problems, and Sam and I have stayed inside mostly. We'd not really even felt that worried about it all over the weekend.

I don't know what happened last night, but Sam and I started talking about everything that happened on Friday night, and the more we talked about it, the more we realised that we're actually feeling quite weird about it. I can't fully describe how I'm feeling, other than saying I feel on edge, scared, freaked out... I'm currently not going to my classes at uni because I got myself too worked up about being that far from the flat, and in the more central parts of Paris. Part of me never wants to leave the flat again, part of me wants to go back home to England. I'm nervous that something else is going to happen which will cause France to stop people coming in or going out; I think that's my biggest fear - not being able to get home. Right now, I don't really want to go home because it involves travelling across Paris, across France, through London - is basically just a terrible idea! But I also really need to hug my family.

I want to say another big thank you so much to everyone who sent me messages to check I'm safe on Friday night and over the weekend, I really appreciated all the messages. And I do feel incredibly thankful that I've not been affected by these attacks in a more serious way. Of course it goes without saying that my thoughts are with the family and friends of those lost or injured.

One of the most surreal situations of my life. Hopefully my next post will be much more positive, telling you Paris has found its light again and Christmas is on its way.

Bean xx

advice

Homesickness and How I'm Getting Over it

11:22

How could someone possibly be homesick living somewhere as cool as PARIS? I know, I know. Its ridiculous, but its the truth.

Firstly, I should explain that I'm a home girl, I love to be at home, I love to be with my family and my parents and my younger brother are three of my best friends. I missed them while I was at uni in York and I miss them even more now I'm living abroad. I knew when I got on the train to Paris (with my mum!) that this was going to be one of the best years of my life, but also one of the hardest. I knew I was going to make new friends and new memories, but I also knew that there were going to be times when all I would want to do is go home and have a cuddle with my mum and dad (and my cat)!

After hitting the six week milestone, I realised that this was the longest I'd ever been away from home, let alone in a foreign country. Of course I'm absolutely buzzing about that! But I'd also got to the point where I just needed some TLC from my mum. Since it was All Saints here in France, the university had a week off, so I went home with mum and dad after they came to visit me and I cannot tell you how great it felt to be back on my home turf! I popped to York for a night out, spent Halloween in London with some of my best friends and had a very chilled out weekend with my family. Exactly what I needed. But also the worst decision I've ever made!

Leaving home and getting on the Eurostar back to Paris felt like the worst thing I've ever had to do in my life, I don't remember the last time I cried that much. I'd just had the best week, seen almost all my closest friends and my family and I did not want to go back. I walked through security with a red-eyed, blotchy face and a sniffly nose - the lovely lady checking my bag even gave me a pack of tissues! I sat on the train next to a nice man called Mr Potter who chatted to me for a while, I'd managed to convince myself that Paris wouldn't be so bad, and then what happens? The train stops. 'There is a problem with the electricity, we will try to get to Paris.' All I could think was: 'this is an omen, I should NOT have left England, this is the end!' The train ended up taking an extra hour and a half to get into Gare du Nord and it turned out not to be the end of my life!

Last week - the week after my lovely trip home - was the worst. I felt pants. I cried most days on FaceTime to my mum and dad, I had a teacher tell me I had a bad attitude because I'm English (not true) and I'd spent too much money at home and had to eat pasta everyday. I have never felt so homesick.

Now that I've had my moan, here's how I've got myself to this point: Monday night, six days after my return to Paris, feeling like I can cope again.

The first thing was a challenge my Gran set me: speak to two new people everyday, in French.

So I may not have spoken to two new people everyday, but I have managed to have a full conversation with at least one new person everyday since I've been back. The highlights have been a new friend I made in a French class and the nice lady in the patisserie down the road. This challenge has made me realise that people aren't as out of reach as I was making them out to be in my head and I don't have to feel lonely; all I have to do is say 'bonjour, ça va?'

Something else that I have been doing for a while now is taking myself for walks. Yes I do miss my dogs a lot, but that's not the reason behind this! I have found that on weekdays, a lot of the time I find myself in my room alone, on the metro or in a classroom. Boring. So I decided if I was sat in my room for a long period of time, I had to take myself outside and walk to the park that's just down the road. The fresh air, seeing new faces and the change of scenery all really help to cheer me up.

And yesterday, I walked to the park with my polaroid camera and I was stopped by a man who ended up speaking to me in French for over twenty minutes. That might not sound like a big deal, but that 20-minute conversation has made me the happiest girl in Paris because it's shown me that my French really is improving. To put it into perspective, my oral exam in June was 15 minutes and I was terrified in the time leading up to it and right the way through the exam, because speaking French for 15 minutes straight was a challenge for me. And now, I'm just chilling in a park having a chinwag with a total stranger for even longer!

Other things I've been doing include going out with my English friends here. I know that sounds obvious but I'd got myself feeling so rubbish that I felt like I never wanted to leave the flat, but on Friday night I had a great night out with some friends and I'm so glad I went, because I was really unsure about going simply because I felt so down. I've also started working harder because, although we don't have to pass the exams we take here (we have two big essays set by York), I'm happiest when I feel like I have a purpose.

So, to summarise if you're on your year abroad and are feeling down:

- speak to new people

- go outside

- go out with your friends even if you really don't feel like it (you can always go home!)

- do some work

I followed my own advice today and worked really hard, so now its time for some telly!

À bientôt!

Bean xx

erasmus

Bean's Tour of Paris

08:29

erasmus

Laura Came to Stay!

13:07

erasmus

Things I've Learned About Paris So Far

14:31

Hello, bonjour, hola

Its the end of week five at La Sorbonne and my sixth week in Paris and I am VERY ready for this week off I now have!

Since this is sort of a milestone in my year abroad, I thought I'd share some things I've learned about Paris since I first arrived...

1. The French stereotype

I'm sure that anyone reading this is familiar with the stereotype that we give to French people - you know, striped tops, beret, garlic and a baguette in hand?

Well, I was surprised but also quite pleased to see that the baguette side of things is not just a stereotype. The French, or at least the Parisians, walk around with baguettes as if they're any other regular accessory. One thing I think is absolutely brilliant about this baguette situation, is how most people I've seen have not one but two baguettes - one that they're eating on the go, and one that they're taking home. Absolutely genius if you ask me.

2. Sundays aren't fundays

So, it turns out we've been spoilt in the UK when it comes to things to do on a Sunday. I know that most shops close early on a Sunday at home, but here nothing is open! Okay, I tell a lie, there are certain areas (densely populated by tourists) which stay open on a Sunday, but honestly the majority of the French population seems to stay in bed. If I want to do a spot of Sunday shopping I have to travel about 40 minutes to a big shopping centre at La Défense, which isn't bad, but I'd prefer to shop a little closer to home!

[Tip: Place des Vosges is a gorgeous park in the 4th arrondissement and is surrounded by little streets with shops and cafés which are open on a Sunday - we went last week and found a street dedicated to falafel. Definitely worth a look.]

3. Its not rude to stare (or wink, or cat call, or just be a complete pervert...)

This one really grinds my gears. It turns out that the male population of Paris was never taught that its rude to stare. Honestly, the number of times I have been walking along minding my own business and I've had a man step closer to me and wink, or say something in French like 'salut chouchou' ('hey sweetheart'), its something that happens everyday.

I think the thing I have the biggest issue with (if you read Sam's blog you'll have read about this already) is when I'm on the metro and a man decides to have a staring contest with me, and even when I make eye contact and look away (i.e. lose the contest) they don't give up! The perfect example of this is last night. Sam and I were on our way to meet some friends for dinner, sat on the metro for twenty minutes with a man stood directly in front of me staring me the WHOLE TIME. Twenty minutes. I looked at him, let me eyes tell him to bugger off, he didn't take the hint. Sam looked at him, then me, then back to him and shook his head - still nothing. This guy did not give up. It really is disgusting, but for some reason everyone seems to think its alright here.

4. Organisation

There is none. Read my previous posts for examples!

5. Sam attracts weirdos

Finally and not really relevant to Paris, but honestly, being around Sam is exactly like going out in public with my mum - they both have this incredible ability to track down the most bizarre people.

For example, last night we went out for dinner and the waiter would not leave Sam alone. He was stroking him, telling him he was strong and sort of just standing next to him giggling. It was odd, and that was not the first time we've been in that kind of situation.

[Tip: I supposed it goes without saying, but be careful if and when you're in these bizarre situations. We were on the steps of the Sacré-Cœur one night last weekend and a similar thing happened, but my friend's purse was stolen and we think it was when a man was making us laugh while he was stroking Sam's leg. Keep your wits about you!]

À bientôt!

Bean xx

erasmus

First Visitor - A Weekend With Gran

10:06

Hello, bonjour, hola!

Last weekend I had my first visitor in Paris - my gran! We had such a lovely weekend, so I thought I'd share what we did.

Gran arrived on Friday afternoon, around 4pm, I found her at a little café just outside Gare du Nord with a glass of wine (watch out for the recurring theme) after having a bit of a palava involving her arriving earlier than expected and my phone not working! So we drank some wine and caught up, and discussed what our plans were for the weekend ahead. I then took her on the métro to her hotel, Hotel Aramis, which was the same one mum and I had stayed in during the apartment hunt which feels like a lifetime ago!

Once she had dropped her bag off, we decided to go to a restaurant called Il Pescatore for dinner. Il Pescatore is a lovely Italian restaurant in the fifth arrondissement which mum, Sam and I discovered last month, the waiters are so friendly and the food is absolutely delicious. Gran and I shared Serrano ham and mozzarella to start, we then both had the lasagne for our main course, and we managed to squeeze in dessert too - I had panna cotta and it was gorgeous! One thing I really appreciated was our waiter speaking to me in French, only speaking English when my gran needed to understand too (e.g. when he told us the day's specials); we had a great chat and it gave me the chance to show my gran that I can in fact speak French! I don't know about anyone else learning a language, but my family very, very rarely hear me speak French or Spanish!

On the Saturday, I went and picked Gran up from her hotel and we headed straight to the Louvre to be cultured and whatnot. When we arrived we got straight in the queue, only to be tapped on the shoulder and given a ticket by a total stranger! So on top of me getting in for free because I'm European and under 26 years old, my gran didn't have to pay either, which was a juicy little bonus - la cerise sur le gâteau, if you please!

Inside the Louvre

[Tip for year abroaders: it seems that if you're under 26 and from Europe, you can get in for free at a lot of tourist spots in Paris, so be sure to take your driver's licence or passport if you're out being a tourist for the day!]

Anyway, we wandered round the Louvre for a couple of hours, saw some headless statues and some Monet and then we decided we needed some fresh air. So we hopped on the metro to the gardens of Luxembourg, which really are beautiful and definitely worth a visit. We sat and had a chocolat viennois (hot choc with whipped cream on top) and Gran studied her map for a while (she loves maps, not sure why, she's a funny thing), then we wandered around the gardens and enjoyed the gorgeous October sunshine.

Palais du Luxembourg

After the gardens we went for a drink at Le Rousseau, a restaurant and bar on Rue du Cherche-Midi in the sixth arrondissement, very near to the hotel Gran was staying in, and discussed where to go for dinner that night. We decided on Café Saint Placide, which is a very casual restaurant on Rue de Rennes, I had tagliatelle carbonara, and Gran had salmon, both were delicious!

On the Sunday, I decided it was time we did some shopping, so we went to the shopping mall that Alex, Alice and I had found the weekend before. We shopped till we dropped - I got a really lovely, soft scarf from Zara and Gran bought some warm clothes for golf - and then we headed to the Tuileries gardens for another wander round, before heading to a café for some food. Once we'd eaten it was time for Gran to go home, so I made sure she got on the right train on the metro, and we parted ways. I was really sad to see her leave after such a wonderful weekend, but thankfully my parents are coming to visit in two weeks and then I'm going home for a week!

À bientôt!

Bean xx

Three Months Down, One to Go!

Plot Twist

Homesickness and How I'm Getting Over it

Bean's Tour of Paris

Laura Came to Stay!

Things I've Learned About Paris So Far

First Visitor - A Weekend With Gran

About me

Follow Me

Blog Archive