As I am starting to hit crunch time in my classes (hence the title of the post – also it’s a killer Sia song), I seem to be losing time to post here. However, I just finished writing a 5-page paper on business ethics related to sexual harassment, so I am already on a writing binge. While I still have many jaunts to share about from the past few months, I need to stop to update you on my life here in Grenoble, France. A lot has changed since I arrived here; I have friends I cannot imagine not knowing, I have become single, and I’m trying to figure out what to do with my life after I graduate.

While I could tell you about the city I’m in and everything, I’ll save that for a later post (I promise I won’t go missing for months again). Instead, I’d like to share some cool things about being here!

Speaking French Constantly

Everybody knows that the best way to learn a language is full immersion. I thought I had this when I was working in collections with French-speaking customers from Quebec. However, hearing words in French around me every day is very different than talking to customers on the phone. I can’t even talk to the family I live with here without speaking French. When I was back in the states, I was always so eager to practice, whether it be through listening to music or watching Netflix in the language. Being here, my brain is half in French all of the time, so I can understand the world around me. It’s going to be strange not to have to do that when I’m back.

*side note: it’s so strange to hear people speaking American English here, that it’s kind of head-turning every time I hear it. I’m sure when I first get back, I’ll keep being surprised just hearing people talk!

Wine wine wine!

This one is a very true French stereotype. You can get a bottle of good wine (by American standards) for 5 euros, and that’s not even the cheapest bottle you can get. Also, at restaurants, you can always order a glass of wine. I have yet to go to one that does not offer it.

Greeting people: La Bise

This is definitely one of those things that I’m still getting used to. It’s when you say hi to someone and you do two cheek kisses. I like it because it’s used like we would say “what’s up” or “how’s it going” in the states. We use these in a rhetorical sense, so they’re kind of just a way to say hi. Doing la bise is nice because you know that the person actually wants to say hi to you. The only hard thing about it is knowing which side to start on. Also I once got made fun of by my friend Victor for looking disoriented about greeting their friend whom I’d never met this way. It’s okay though because I’m American so it’s not like I do this all the time.

However, as I am in a class that is mostly exchange students, greeting people can be a struggle. Every culture has it’s own way of saying hi! My friend from Brazil does one cheek kiss (but he’s started doing two to avoid confusion). I wouldn’t dare to try la bise with my friend from Finland, since he told me they stick to a head nod or a handshake. My sweet Danish friends both hug, as do the other Americans I know, but my friend from Norway always does la bise. And one of my close French friends (he’s actually half Chilean) has taken to hugging me. So pro-tip: if you’re going to another country where you’ll interact with a lot of locals, make sure you know how to greet them.

Polyglots everywhere

My friends here, on average, speak three or more languages, so they find it funny that learning a second language proficiently in the US is not very common. Most of them speak English, French (the school requires it) and their native language (if it’s French, the school requires them to take another language). One of my closest friends, Fie (from Denmark) was just telling me how she speaks so much English here that speaking Danish is really strange for her. When she does speak Danish with other students from there, they often mix a lot of English words in.

Public transport is great?

Okay this one is kind of an exaggeration. I take public transport everywhere here, which includes busses and trams. Doing this is an art when you live a mile from the city center and almost two miles from your school. There are multiple routes to get home, so I’m constantly checking schedules to see which will be fastest. Moreover, on Sundays and in the evenings, the transport runs less often, or will just stop all together, so I always have to plan ahead for when I’m going to arrive somewhere. The craziest thing about this is that driving would take even longer. The streets here are difficult to navigate and the traffic is insane. Busses and trams get priority at intersections and special lanes, so they’re often faster. I’m pretty pumped to get back and feel like my 10 minute walk to class is short.

Never getting ID’d

Okay I did get ID’d once while buying some wine and beer (the age to buy in most stores is 18, even though the legal drinking age is 16). But just walking in to bars without having to go through a bouncer is amazing. Sometimes when I see people outside smoking, I think it’s the line to get ID’s checked and then I remember that it’s not necessary. It’s funny because I’ve gotten my public transport pass checked three times in the last week, and can’t enter or leave my school without my ID, but don’t need my government ID at all!

Living with a host family

I don’t have to cook dinner or clean, and get a home-cooked meal every night. Plus I get to practice a lot of French with them, not to mention that my host dad is a history/geography buff, so he is always telling me great facts and information about the regional gastronomy and wine in different regions of Southern Europe. This is probably one of my favorite things here.

So I am sure that there are many more cool things about being here, but it’s almost 1am here and I can’t think of anymore right now, plus I want to go to bed. Also here are some cool pictures from my time here!