Paris, je t'aime?
I went to France for five days after Christmas, as a friend I had met while studying at Yamasa invited me to visit him. I had to take a plane from London Stansted to Nantes in the northwest of France. My friend came to meet me at the airport along with his brother (who is actually studying Korean) and a friend of his. We then drove for about two hours to the town my friend is from which is called Laval. It’s a nice town with lots of little shops and cafés and even a castle and a cathedral. It’s a nice place to visit and stroll around, but I can imagine it would be a bit dull to grow up there, as the nearest big city is pretty far away.
I spent the next two days and the end of my trip with my friend’s family. They were really nice and made me feel very welcome. Apart from my friend’s brother who I had already met, he has a sister about fifteen years old and a younger brother about twelve. I was expecting his sister to be a bit of a brat from his description, but she was really sweet. Her and the younger brother were pretty shy around me. My friend’s mother was very friendly and I really enjoyed chatting with her. She loves the British TV shows “Doctor Who” and “Torchwood” and is a bit of a computer geek. His father was a bit stern, but still a nice guy. I didn’t see him so much because he was working and also got sick while I was there.
My friend had told me previously that we would probably have a party with some of his friends for New Year’s Eve. However, after I arrived he announced that we would be going to Paris instead with his brother and the friend who I had already met. When his father found out about this he was not happy and seemed reluctant to let us use the family car. He even asked me if I was okay about going. I said I didn’t mind, but to be honest I wasn’t keen on the idea. I had little choice though, but to go along with the plan. In the end we didn’t leave for Paris until 9:30 in the evening and it took us over four hours to get there. I was looking forward to going to bed and getting up fairly early the next day to do some sightseeing.
However, my companions had other ideas. First of all when we arrived I couldn’t believe my friend had referred to his brother’s place as an “apartment”. It was more like a box room with a kitchen area and a bathroom (there were four of us). Also, my plans to go straight to bed were thwarted, as the others wanted to stay up and drink, smoke etc. I didn’t fall asleep until about 4:30. None the less I woke up before lunch and I was determined not to waste the day. So while the others stayed in bed I went exploring the local area on my own. Later on when I returned the others finally surfaced and we went to the Eiffel Tower. I had wanted to skip the touristy things, but again I went along with the majority decision.
That night I assumed we would be going to a bar or something to celebrate the New Year. My friend had been very vague about our actual plans. In the end our “plan” was just to go to the Champs-Élysées to meet some people they knew. When we arrived I wasn’t surprised by how crowded it was, but by the number of police in full riot gear and the people who would randomly let off fireworks on the street. I expected there to be a big fireworks display like in London. However, instead the Eiffel Tower was just lip up. Also there was some kind of minor firework display, although that might have just been fireworks let off by people on the street.
Then just before midnight I got separated from the others in the crowd. By the time I got my bearings I had lost sight of them. I tried looking around and calling my friend and his brother’s mobiles, but I got no answer. I finally got hold of them after over an hour and my friend’s brother gave me vague directions of where to meet them. I tried following the directions the best I could, but I had no idea of where I was. Also, after that I couldn’t get hold of my friend or his brother again on their mobiles. I couldn’t even return to the apartment, as the trains weren’t running to the nearest station and I couldn’t get in anyway without a key.
Fortunately everything ended up okay in the end. I met two groups of French people around my age who were very kind and insisted I stay with them when I explained my situation. It turned out I’d need to get a taxi to where the others were and they advised me that my chances of getting one were slim. I was enjoying chatting to these people anyway, despite being strangers and the cold. We mostly spoke in French, but one guy who was really drunk kept on saying to me in English randomly “Where is your friend?!”. I got the impression that they felt he had let me down. Anyway, the trains started running again and so I could finally return to the apartment. When I arrived the others were already there sleeping. By that point I was just delighted to get to bed.
In conclusion, my trip to France was definitely an experience. Apart from meeting my friend’s family the best part of the trip was using the French I had learnt. I was able to speak to my friend’s family and friends in French nearly all the time. It was also fun when I went exploring on my own to speak to people in cafés and shops. However, if I ever in that situation again I’ll make sure I have my own place to stay, or at least my own key!
I spent the next two days and the end of my trip with my friend’s family. They were really nice and made me feel very welcome. Apart from my friend’s brother who I had already met, he has a sister about fifteen years old and a younger brother about twelve. I was expecting his sister to be a bit of a brat from his description, but she was really sweet. Her and the younger brother were pretty shy around me. My friend’s mother was very friendly and I really enjoyed chatting with her. She loves the British TV shows “Doctor Who” and “Torchwood” and is a bit of a computer geek. His father was a bit stern, but still a nice guy. I didn’t see him so much because he was working and also got sick while I was there.
My friend had told me previously that we would probably have a party with some of his friends for New Year’s Eve. However, after I arrived he announced that we would be going to Paris instead with his brother and the friend who I had already met. When his father found out about this he was not happy and seemed reluctant to let us use the family car. He even asked me if I was okay about going. I said I didn’t mind, but to be honest I wasn’t keen on the idea. I had little choice though, but to go along with the plan. In the end we didn’t leave for Paris until 9:30 in the evening and it took us over four hours to get there. I was looking forward to going to bed and getting up fairly early the next day to do some sightseeing.
However, my companions had other ideas. First of all when we arrived I couldn’t believe my friend had referred to his brother’s place as an “apartment”. It was more like a box room with a kitchen area and a bathroom (there were four of us). Also, my plans to go straight to bed were thwarted, as the others wanted to stay up and drink, smoke etc. I didn’t fall asleep until about 4:30. None the less I woke up before lunch and I was determined not to waste the day. So while the others stayed in bed I went exploring the local area on my own. Later on when I returned the others finally surfaced and we went to the Eiffel Tower. I had wanted to skip the touristy things, but again I went along with the majority decision.
That night I assumed we would be going to a bar or something to celebrate the New Year. My friend had been very vague about our actual plans. In the end our “plan” was just to go to the Champs-Élysées to meet some people they knew. When we arrived I wasn’t surprised by how crowded it was, but by the number of police in full riot gear and the people who would randomly let off fireworks on the street. I expected there to be a big fireworks display like in London. However, instead the Eiffel Tower was just lip up. Also there was some kind of minor firework display, although that might have just been fireworks let off by people on the street.
Then just before midnight I got separated from the others in the crowd. By the time I got my bearings I had lost sight of them. I tried looking around and calling my friend and his brother’s mobiles, but I got no answer. I finally got hold of them after over an hour and my friend’s brother gave me vague directions of where to meet them. I tried following the directions the best I could, but I had no idea of where I was. Also, after that I couldn’t get hold of my friend or his brother again on their mobiles. I couldn’t even return to the apartment, as the trains weren’t running to the nearest station and I couldn’t get in anyway without a key.
Fortunately everything ended up okay in the end. I met two groups of French people around my age who were very kind and insisted I stay with them when I explained my situation. It turned out I’d need to get a taxi to where the others were and they advised me that my chances of getting one were slim. I was enjoying chatting to these people anyway, despite being strangers and the cold. We mostly spoke in French, but one guy who was really drunk kept on saying to me in English randomly “Where is your friend?!”. I got the impression that they felt he had let me down. Anyway, the trains started running again and so I could finally return to the apartment. When I arrived the others were already there sleeping. By that point I was just delighted to get to bed.
In conclusion, my trip to France was definitely an experience. Apart from meeting my friend’s family the best part of the trip was using the French I had learnt. I was able to speak to my friend’s family and friends in French nearly all the time. It was also fun when I went exploring on my own to speak to people in cafés and shops. However, if I ever in that situation again I’ll make sure I have my own place to stay, or at least my own key!