Tips for Integration

By Laura (PIP, spring 97) and Renée (Grenoble, 88-89)

The application was accepted, you made the hop across the pond, and now you’re finally here in France.  Congratulations! You’ve made it this far, but what happens now?  Apart from your classes and internship, you want to get out there, learn French from the natives, and really “feel Parisian”. But how? Here are some ways to learn French fast and have an authentic French experience.

Perhaps easier said than done. You can’t exactly walk up to a French person on the street and say “Hi, I’m new here, wanna be my friend?”

Try the following ways to make some new amis:

MEETING THE FRENCH

  • If you live with a host family, have the one-a-week included dinner with them. Don’t miss it!   Try cooking for them too!  Watch the news  with them as it can lead to spontaneous conversation and a chance to hear French opinions on current events.
  • Stick around when the extended family comes to visit. Your host family might have a niece who would love to show you around Paris, or a cousin who will introduce you to his or her friends. At the very least, meeting them will be a good occasion to speak French with new people.
  • If you live at the Fondation, make friends with the French student residents. You can meet them at the dorm itself, at the cafeteria, at parties on campus…
  • Once your internship starts, you’ll meet lots of French people through work.  Accept invitations to go out for lunch, or invite colleagues out to lunch with you. Ask them to go for coffee or a drink after work – the worst they could do is say no!
  • Do sports. Be it soccer, aerobics, judo, or yoga, chances are you’ll be doing it with the French and it’ll be another opportunity to meet them. See your Paris Poche for information about fitness activities.
  • Go to a language exchange get-together. Several groups in Paris organize cocktail hours where, for 10 euros, you can drink an apéro and eat snacks while conversing in French and English. See the free magazine the FUSAC (available at the entrance to the building) for more information.
  • Do a Conversation Exchange. Alphalearning puts Americans in contact with French people who want to exchange English-French conversation. It’s free for English speakers (i.e., you).Telephone: 01 40 82 98 41.  L’Esp@ce Langues est un centre multimédia pour l’auto apprentissage des langues vivantes, 29, bd Jourdan 14ème. Club International des jeunes à Paris (CIJP) www.club-international.org 01 43 06 23 16201-203 rue de Vaugirard 15è M° Pasteur  2.5€. Tous les mardis de 19h30 à 21h30
  • You can always meet new people the way you did at home- at cafés and bars, at restaurants, in the park. The key to meeting people here is to go out with one or two friends max. No Frenchman in his right mind would approach a group of 10 Americans!
  • Sporting events are often shown on big screens at cultural centers around Paris.  It provides for a great atmosphere & an easy way to meet people with a common interest.
  • Salons:  These events are similiar to trade shows centered around a theme.  It is a good way to discover a different part of French culture.  At the very least, you will have lots of opportunities to speak with the vendors.  Salon de l’Agriculture, Salon du Chocolat etc  http://www.salons-online.com

With American culture becoming more dominant, it’s easy to live in France and be completely immune to French culture. You can watch American TV shows and films, read American news, and even eat Oreos! Sometimes you’ll feel homesick or overwhelmed, and the temptation to do everything “like at home” will be strong.  But remember that you’re in France for a short time, and to get the most out of your semester abroad you have to go native.

IMMERSE YOURSELF IN FRENCH CULTURE

  • Listen to the French radio stations instead of your usual music.  Though radio stations here do play a lot of American music, you’ll discover that France has its very own music scene which is worth checking out. You should also listen to the news in French instead of listening to American broadcasts via the internet. At first you might not understand much, but if you listen regularly you’ll make swift progress.  You will also learn a lot of phrases and the rhythm of French by singing along to songs.    Chante France (90.9 FM) is 100% French songs.  France Info (105.5 FM) is the all-news station.  France Culture is similar to NPR.
  • Watch French TV, including American shows dubbed into French. It’s even easier to understand if you already know a show’s characters and plot. You learn lots of French by watching Grey’s Anatomy or  Bones that have been dubbed into French, or Koh-Lanta (the French version of Survivor).
  • Go to see French films. Forget about going to see American movies, they’ll be waiting for you at Blockbuster when you get back.
  • Read French newspapers such as Le Parisien, Le Figaro, Libération, or Le Monde.  You wouldn’t be caught dead reading USA Today at home, so why would you start reading it now?
  • Choose French experiences over Anglo ones.

Instead of………………………… Try…

Disneyland Paris                            Parc Asterix

Virgin Megastore                           The FNAC

Ben & Jerry’s                                   Berthillon

McDonald’s                                      Quick

Peanut Butter                                  Nutella

Coffee to go                                     An expresso at the zinc (counter)

American or British pubs          French bars

Supermarket                                   Outdoor marché

The Body Shop                              Yves Rocher

Coca-Cola                                       Orangina, Gini

Travel in France. Take the time to know France really well, instead of trying to see all the European capitals in sixteen weeks. Go to Grenoble, Lille, Nantes, Strasbourg and Normandy. Remember that France is more than Paris.  See http://www.bu.edu/paris/tourism/

We certainly hope these tips on how to assimilate French culture will be helpful.  The semester will be over before you know it, so put them into practice right away. We know that if you do, you’ll have an amazing, life-changing study abroad experience. Good luck!