Steve's sandbox

Author: Steve Evans

  • Maisie Palmer: La cuisine française, le musée de l’orangerie et une visite à la tour Eiffel – October 2023

    Après avoir pris le temps de m’habituer à l’école pendant le mois de septembre, ce mois-ci j’ai trouvé le temps d’ explorer une des meilleures choses à Paris : la cuisine !  Mon amie et moi (voir l’image ci-jointe) avons fait la queue durant une heure, pour l’expérience d’un célèbre restaurant qui s’appelle ‘Le Relais d’Entrecôte’. La particularité de ce restaurant est qu’il y a seulement deux options sur le menu: la salade verte et les steak frites ! C’est peut-être un cliché français, mais c’était tellement délicieux. 

    Le jour suivant, nous avons visité l’une de mes galeries d’arts préférées dans le monde. Le musée de l’Orangerie est un très petit, mais magnifique bâtiment qui abrite certains tableaux les plus célèbres de Monet, notamment, Les Nymphéas. Les tableaux sont tout autour de vous parce que Monet les a créés avec la pièce en tête. Il y a une règle qui dit ‘il faut être silencieux pendant votre visite dans la galerie’ parce que Monet voulait que ce soit un espace pour réfléchir et méditer. Cet espace apporte un sens de tranquillité complet. Monet savait certainement ce qu’il faisait parce que nous sommes reparties très détendues.

    Plus tard dans la soirée du même jour, nous sommes allées à la tour Eiffel. Chaque heure après les couchers de soleil, la tour Eiffel scintille pendant seulement 10 minutes. C’est vrai que de plus en plus de gens arrivent comme l’heure de l’illumination approche! Ce week-end m’a fait apprécier la chance que j’ai d’habiter ici, à Paris. J’espère que je pourrai trouver le temps pour la découverte chaque semaine, même si la saison des examens approche !

    After having taken the time to get used to school during the month of September, this month I found myself exploring one of the best things in Paris. The cuisine! Me and my friend (see image attached) stayed in line for an hour for the experience of a famous restaurant called ‘Le Relais d’Entrecôte’. The most special thing about this restaurant is that there are only two options on the menu: a green salad and steak and chips! Maybe it’s a french cliché but it was really delicious! 

    The next day, we visited one of my favourite art galleries in the world. ‘Le musée de l’orangerie’ is a really small but magnificent building that holds some of the most famous paintings by Monet, notably, Water Lilies. The paintings are all around you because Monet created them with the room in mind. There is a rule that says ‘you must be silent during your visit in the gallery’ because Monet wanted it to be a space for reflecting and mediation. This brings a complete sense of calm. Monet certainly knew what he was doing because we left feeling very relaxed.

    Later in the evening of the same day, we went to the Eiffel tower. Each hour after the sun sets, the Eiffel tower sparkles for only 10 minutes. It’s true that more and more people arrive as the hour approaches! This weekend made me appreciate how lucky I am to live here in Paris. I hope that I can find the time for exploration each week even as exam season approaches! 



  • Joshua Winfield: Starting my classes, Oct 2023

    Je ne peux pas croire qu’un mois vient de s’achever ! Après un mois ici à Montréal, je suis bien habitué à ma nouvelle vie et j’aime beaucoup mes cours. Ce trimestre, je suis inscrit dans une grande variété des cours, y compris un cours de la culture catalane, où l’on étudie l’histoire de la Catalogne ainsi que la situation politique actuelle. J’étudie également un cours de les difficultés de français écrit qui est un cours super utile pour nous aider à raffiner nos capacités en tant que traducteurs.trices. Au début de mes cours c’était un peu difficile de suivre tous les cours en français, particulièrement les notions plus complexes, qui m’a pris un peu de temps pour comprendre. Mais maintenant après un mois d’immersion, je les trouve beaucoup plus faciles, et c’est une bonne manière à apprendre et améliorer mon français, j’ai toujours mon cahier de vocabulaire pour ajouter de nouveaux mots !

    Patinage gratuit avec mes amies à l’université!

    L’université est également connue au monde sportif, en offrant en même temps l’opportunité pour les personnes sportives de participer au niveau universitaire, mais aussi pour les autres étudiants et étudiantes de regarder le sport de haute qualité pour un prix très bon marche ! Mes amies et moi sommes allé.e.s voir un match de football canadien ! C’était une ambiance incroyable et en plus l’Université de Montréal a gagné ce qui nous rendait fier.ère.s !

    Mes amies et moi au match Carabins!

    Un autre moment marquant pour moi pendant le mois était la journée des langues européennes. Ceci était un événement qu’organisait le département de langues modernes. On nous a offert des ateliers gratuits sur une douzaine des langues, y compris l’italien et le portugais. Les ateliers ont suivi une présentation fascinante sur l’abénaquis, une langue autochtone qui est parlée au Québec. On a appris des expressions de bases ainsi que les nombres (i.e. bonjour = kwïa). Pendant cet atelier, j’ai rencontré une amie de Valence qui étudie ici à l’Université de Montréal. Elle a son propre balado ou elle aborde des sujets qui concernent les langues et la linguistique. Après avoir appris que j’étudie le catalan, elle m’a invité à faire un épisode sur les raisons pour lesquelles j’ai choisi d’étudier la langue. C’était une trop chouette expérience et j’aimais beaucoup avoir l’opportunité de transmettre mon amour pour le catalan.

    On avait beaucoup de choix pour la journée des langues européennes

    I can’t believe a month has already flown by! After a month here in Montreal, I’m now used to my new life and I’m really enjoying my classes. This term, I’m enrolled in a variety of courses, including one which is a course about Catalan culture, where we study the history of Catalonia as well as the current political situation. I’m also studying a course about the difficulties of written French, which is a really useful course to help us hone our skills as translators. At the beginning of my courses I found it a bit difficult to follow all the lessons in French, especially the more complex notions, which took me a bit of time to understand. But now, after a month of immersion, I find the courses much easier, and it’s been a great way to learn and improve my French – I always have my vocabulary notebook to add new words!

    The university is also well known in the sporting world, offering both the opportunity for sporty people to participate at university level, and for other students to watch high quality sport at a very good price! Me and my friends went to see the Uni team play a Canadian football match! It was an incredible atmosphere and what’s more, the Université de Montréal won, which made us really proud!

    Another highlight for me during the last month was European Languages Day, an event organised by the modern languages department. We were offered free workshops on a dozen different languages, including Italian and Portuguese. The workshops followed a fascinating presentation on Abenaki, a native language spoken in Quebec during which we learnt basic expressions as well as numbers (i.e. hello = kwïa). During the workshop, I met a friend from Valencia who is studying here at the Université de Montréal. She has her own podcast on which she discusses languages and linguistics with guest speakers. After finding out that I’m studying Catalan, she invited me to do an episode on why I chose to study the language. It was such a great experience and I loved having the opportunity to pass on my love of Catalan.

  • Cosmo de Bono: October in Taipei – Oct 2023

    中文-繁體字
    時間真過得很快，我已經在台北學習了 6 個星期了！有時後我仍然覺得很難適應這爾的新日常生活，因為台灣的什麼東西都跟英國完全不一樣，但我知道這是留學經驗的重要一部分。日子一天天過去，我越來越習慣台北，也發現了這個城市的新地方。

    這個月的主要進步是天氣。因為現在是秋天，所以現在的天氣比以前的舒服多了。當然跟英國天氣比，台灣的溫暖多了，但在戶外也不會覺得不舒服了。雖然刮了一個小颱風，但其實下大雨讓我想起了英國！

    十月有兩個國定假日。第一個是中秋節。人們會吃很多月餅來慶祝這個節日，所以當我的中文老師把她自己做的月餅帶到課堂上的時候，我非常高興。第二個節日叫雙十節，因為是 10 月 10 日。這一天是台灣的《國慶日》，因此台北哪裡都掛著台灣國旗。

    假期讓我有時間出去台北玩兒玩兒和北海岸附近旅行。我去了北投，從台北坐地鐵只需 40 分鐘，還去了這裡的日式溫泉。這非常有趣。在我看來看到日本在這裡的影響也很有趣。最近，我還去了九份古老的金礦村，也參觀了十分的瀑布。這些台北外面的小旅行讓我可以跟本地人說中文，非常有趣。因為台灣人完全沒想到我會說中文，所以我說時候，他們都感到興奮。昨天，一個麵包店的老闆免費送給我一些糕點，因為我會說中文，他非常高興！

    雖然到 11 月底我才有假期，但在台北外面的短旅行讓我更珍惜台灣。

    English:
    Time is going by very quickly and I’ve been studying in Taipei for 6 weeks now! I still find it difficult sometimes to adapt to my new life here as almost everything in Taiwan is different from England, but I know that this is an important part of the study abroad experience. Day by day I get more used to Taipei and discover new parts of the city.

    The main improvement this month has been the weather. Now that it’s autumn, the weather is a lot cooler than before. It’s of course a lot warmer than the UK but it is no longer uncomfortable to be outside. There was a small typhoon but the rain actually reminded me of the UK!

    So far in October, there have been two national holidays. The first was the mid-autumn festival. People celebrate this festival by eating lots of mooncakes, so I was delighted when my Chinese teacher brought mooncakes to class that she had made herself. The second holiday is called double 10th day because it’s on the 10th of October. This is the National Day of Taiwan and because of this, there are lots of Taiwanese flags hanging across Taipei.

    The holidays have allowed me to spend some time travelling outside of Taipei and near the north coast. I visited Beitou, 40 minutes by train from Taipei, and went to the Japanese hot springs here. This was very fun, and it was interesting to see the Japanese influence here. I recently have also been to the old gold-mining village of Jiufen and saw the famous waterfall at Shifen. These small trips outside of Taipei are allowing me to speak Chinese with locals which is very fun. Taiwanese people are always so surprised and excited that I can speak Chinese. Yesterday the shopkeeper in a bakery gave me some pastries for free as he was so happy that I spoke Chinese!

    I don’t have any more holidays until the end of November, but my short trips outside of Taipei have made me appreciate Taiwan a lot more.

    Day trip to Jiufen

    中文-简体字
    时间过得很快，我已经在台北学习了 6 个星期了！有时后我仍然觉得很难适应这尔的新日常生活，因为台湾的什么东西都跟英国完全不一样，但我知道这是留学经历的重要一部分。日子一天天过去，我越来越习惯台北，也发现了这个城市的新地方。

    这个月的主要进步是天气。因为现在是秋天，所以现在的天气比以前的舒服多了。当然跟英国天气比，台湾的暖多了，但在室外也不会觉得不舒服了。虽然刮了一个小台风，但其实下大雨让我想起了英国！

    十月有两个国定假日。第一个是中秋节。人们会吃很多月饼来庆祝这个节日，所以当我的中文老师把她自己做的月饼带到课堂上的时候，我非常高兴。第二个节日叫双十节，因为是在 10 月 10 日。这一天是台湾的《国庆日》，因此台北哪儿都挂着台湾国旗。

    假期让我有时间出去台北玩儿玩儿和北海岸附近旅行。我去了北投，从台北坐地铁只需 40 分钟，还去了这里的日式温泉。这非常有趣。在我看来看到日本在这里的影响也很有意思。最近，我还去了九份古老的金矿村，也参观了十分的瀑布。这些台北外面的小旅行让我可以和本地人说中文，非常有趣。因为台湾人都完全没想到我会说中文，所以我说时候，他们都感到兴奋。昨天，一个面包店的老板免费送给我一些糕点，因为我会说中文，他非常高兴！

    虽然到 11 月底我才有假期，但在台北外面的短旅行让我更加珍惜台湾。

  • Jed Martin: Das Ende meiner Semesterferien – October 2023

    Moin an alle Leser,

    langsam kommen die Semesterferen nach ein paar erholsamen Monaten zu einem Ende. Das heißt, dass mein Unikurs jetzt wieder anfängt und die freie Zeit wird sich in Lernzeit umwandelt. Obwohl das neue Semester schon an die Tür klopfte, hatte ich es mir vorgenommen meine letzten paar Wochen Semesterferien zu genießen und gut auszunutzen. Deswegen bin ich mit meiner Freundin und unseren Fahrrädern mit einer Fähre von Rostock nach Schweden gefahren!  Schweden war wunderschön und obwohl wir nur sechs Tage da waren, haben wir überraschend viel erkundet. Wir haben  Tagesausflüge in Städte wie Malmö und Trelleborg unternommen und haben es auch sogar geschafft einen Tag in Koppenhagen (Dänemark) zu verbringen. Natürlich haben wir es nicht geschafft alles in nur einem Tag anzuschauen aber ich würde sagen, dass ich nun auf jeden Fall ein besseres Gefühl und Verständnis von dem Leben in Skandinavien habe. Wir haben uns aber auch die Zeit genommen um uns die Natur Schwedens anzuschauen und sind mehrmals die schöne schwedische Südküste mit unseren Fahrrädern langgefahren.

    Die Sprache dort finde ich vor allem sehr interessant. Man hat sofort gemerkt, dass es definitiv manche Ähnlichkeiten gibt zwischen Deutsch und Schwedisch (zum Beispiel das Wort “du”). Nach ein bisschen Recherche habe ich herausgefunden, dass die Ähnlichkeit von Deutsch und Schwedisch vor allem in der historischen Verwandtschaft beider Sprachen begründet ist. Außerdem beeinflussten die zahlreichen deutschen Kaufleute und Handwerker, die im Mittelalter nach Schweden kame, den schwedischen Wortschatz.

    An dem Tag nach unserer Rückkehr nach Deutschland ging meine Abenteuer sofort weiter nach Dresden. Diesmal bin ich mit einer kleinen Freundesgruppe mit einem Auto dorthin gefahren. Dresden ist eine schöne Stadt mit einer traurigen Geschichte. Gegen Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs beschlossen die Alliierten, dass Dresden das Ziel eines der größten Bombenangriffe in der Geschichte der Menschheit sein sollte. Im Februar 1945 warfen 800 britische Bomber Spreng- und Brandbomben auf die Stadt Dresden ab. Die Folge war ein Feuersturm, welchem bis zu 25.000 Menschen zum Opfer fielen. Die Notwendigkeit dieser Bombardierungen ist bis heute umstritten und einige halten die Bombardierungen für völlig unberechtigt. Seitdem wurde Dresden wiederaufgebaut und hat seinen Charakter bewahrt, beispielsweise durch den Wiederaufbau der Frauenkirche, die durch die Bombenangriffe teilweise zerstört worden war.

    Die letzten Wochen waren sehr spannend und erholsam und ich habe viel über die schwedische und deutsche Kultur gelernt. Das ist leider mein letzter monatlicher Bericht gewesen und ich danke euch dafür, dass ihr euch die Zeit genommen habt meine Berichte zu lesen.

    Jed

    Hello to all readers,

    The semester holidays are slowly coming to an end after a few relaxing months. This means that my university course is about to start again and the free time will turn into study time. Although the new semester was already knocking on the door, I had decided to enjoy and make good use of my last few weeks of semester break. That’s why I took a ferry from Rostock to Sweden with my girlfriend and our bikes!  Sweden was beautiful and although we were only there for six days, we managed to explore a surprising amount. We took day trips to cities like Malmö and Trelleborg and even managed to spend a day in Koppenhagen (Denmark). Of course, we didn’t manage to see everything in just one day, but I would say that I definitely have a better feeling and understanding of life in Scandinavia now. We also took the time to see the nature of Sweden and rode our bikes several times along the beautiful Swedish south coast.

    I find the language there very interesting. You immediately could notice that there are definitely some similarities between German and Swedish (for example, the word “du”=”you”). After a bit of research, I found out that the similarity between German and Swedish is mainly due to the historical relationship between the two languages. Furthermore, the numerous German merchants and craftsmen who came to Sweden in the Middle Ages influenced the Swedish vocabulary.

    On the day after we returned to Germany, my adventures immediately continued to Dresden. This time I went there by car with a small group of friends. Dresden is a beautiful city with a sad history. Towards the end of the Second World War, the Allied forces decided that Dresden should be the target of one of the biggest bombing raids in human history. In February 1945, 800 British bombers dropped explosive and incendiary bombs on the city of Dresden. The result was a firestorm in which up to 25,000 people fell victim. The necessity of these bombings is still disputed today and some consider the bombings to be completely unjustified. Since then, Dresden has been rebuilt and has retained its character, for example by rebuilding the Frauenkirche, which had been partially destroyed by the bombing.

    The last few weeks have been very exciting and relaxing and I have learned a lot about Swedish and German culture. This is unfortunately my last monthly report and I thank you for taking the time to read my reports.

    Jed

     

     

  • Simon Watson: Деятельность и занятия – October 2023

    Curtain up!

    Well, what a busy month! Life in Astana continues, and with Russian classes every day, there’s no time for slowing down. As part of my course we have classes in Russian grammar, speaking, text analysis, essay writing and translation so the work is very intensive. My two lovely teachers and named Kira and Dina, and they are both very passionate about the language and their students, so we learn a lot.

    We also have time for cultural activities, such as when several of us went to the Astana Opera House to watch the ballet. The Opera House was designed with a lot of help from the first President of Kazakhstan and it is very ornate, with giant chandeliers and a marble foyer. Everyone enjoyed the performance, and for some people it was their first time seeing the ballet, so an excellent experience. It was also very reasonable as tickets only cost around £15 for a very good seat – much cheaper than in London or New York!

    I also made use of the Kazakh health system when I broke one of my teeth and had to have an emergency repair. The dentists in Kazakhstan are usually very affordable and it was an excellent opportunity to learn some new Russian vocabulary which I otherwise would not have known.

    Марокканский чай.

    The weather has turned colder, and winter is definitely on its way. Astana is the second coldest capital city in the world after Ulaanbaatar and with snow starting in October, I am very glad I brought a good winter coat!

    Astana Opera foyer – very grand!

    Какой насыщенный месяц! Жизнь в Астане не стоит на месте, а занятия по русскому языку идут каждый день, так что медлить некогда. В рамках моего курса мы проводим занятия по русской грамматике, разговорной и устной речи, анализу текста, написанию эссе и переводу, так что работа идет очень интенсивно. Моих двух прекрасных преподавателей зовут Кира и Дина, и они очень любят язык и своих учеников, поэтому мы многому учимся.

    У нас есть время для культурных развлечений, как, например, когда многие из нас пошли в Оперный театр Астаны посмотреть балет. Оперный театр был построен при большой помощи первого президента Казахстана, он очень богато украшен, с огромными люстрами и мраморным вестибюлем. Всем понравилось представление, а для некоторых это было первое посещение балета, так что это замечательное событие. Кроме того, билеты стоили всего 15 фунтов за хорошее место – гораздо дешевле, чем в Лондоне или Нью-Йорке!

    Я также использовал казахстанскую систему здравоохранения, когда сломал один из зубов и мне нужно было срочно его отремонтировать. Стоматологи в Казахстане обычно очень доступны, и это была прекрасная возможность выучить новую русскую лексику, которой я раньше не знал.

    Rush hour in Astana

    Погода стала холоднее, приближается зима. Астана – вторая по холодности столица в мире после Улан-Батора, и снег начинает идти уже в октябре, так что я очень рада, что взяла с собой хорошее зимнее пальто!

  • Abbie Yallop – Seoul Garden Festival – October 2023

    It has finally become Autumn here in South Korea! People say that the best time to travel here is around this time as the

    weather is perfect, not humid like in the Summer. There are many beautiful sights to see and this period is well known for having many flower festivals, as this is when many are blooming such as the flower called ‘cosmos’. I’ve been meaning to visit the park called ‘Haneul Park’ which translates to ‘Sky Park’. The name did not disappoint as I quite literally had to climb many stairs to reach the park that sits quite high on a mountain. When I arrived, I luckily stumbled across the ‘Seoul Garden Show’ where there was many events, such as performances, local craft markets and food. I saw so many amazing flowers in a weaving maze and there were so many photo opportunities set up amongst the plants. To watch the local performances, I sat amongst the crowd of people on a very comfortable bean bag chair and enjoyed each song. I then walked around further and came across some art displays and sculptures. My favourite was the word ‘Love’ in multicolours. Although, the most beautiful section to me was the rose garden. I’ve never seen so many colours of roses together before! It was a popular spot for people wanting to take their perfect Instagram photos. It was definitely nice to escape the city for a moment, even though the park is very close by to my house, to enjoy some fresh air and picturesque sceneries!

    드디어 한국에 가을이 찾아왔습니다. 한국의 가을은 여름처럼 습하지 않아서 사람들이 한국에서 가장 여행 가기 좋은 계절은 가을이라고 했습니다. 가을에 풍경도 좋고 코스모스와 같은 꽃 축제를 많이 한다고 알려져 있습니다. 저는 하늘공원에 가기를 고대했습니다. 하늘공원은 이름 그대로 많은 계단을 올라야 꽤 높은 산 정상에 위치해 있었습니다. 제가 도착했을 때에 Seoul Garden Show를 하고 있었는데 많은 공연, 공예품들과 음식들이 있었습니다. 예쁜 꽃들로 장식된 미로들과 사진 찍기 좋은 식물들로 어우러진 장소였습니다. 공연을 볼 때, 관중석에는 편안한 의자와 빈백이 배치되어 있어 공연을 즐기기에 좋았습니다. 주변을 둘러보다가 예술작품과 조각상들도 보였습니다. 제일 인상 깊었던 것은 다양한 색으로 Love이라고 써진 것이었습니다. 그래도 가장 아름다웠던 부분은 장미 정원이었습니다. 저는 그만큼의 다양란 색의 장미를 본 적이 없었습니다. 그 장소는 사람들이 인스타그램 사진을 찍고 싶어 하는 유명한 장소였습니다. 그 공원은 나의 집에서 가까웠지만 도시를 잠시 떠나서 상쾌한 공기와 아름다운 경치를 즐길 수 있어서 좋았다.

  • Lucas Evans: Mon arrivée à Lyon : Arriving in Lyon – September 2023

    La vue depuis chez moi au coucher du soleil : the view from my house during sunset

    Je suis arrivé à Lyon le 26 août. C’était le dernier jour de la canicule. J’ai hélé un taxi qui m’a emmené sur les pentes de la Croix-Rousse, mon quartier pour les prochains six mois. J’ai été bien accueilli par ma famille d’accueil, Fred et sa fille Collette. Ils habitent dans un joli appartement qui donne sur l’est de la ville. Cette nuit-là, un orage est arrivé et cachait la belle vue depuis l’appartement. Il a enfin mis fin à la canicule. Mon arrivée à Lyon a été bénie par le ciel.

    Les premiers jours dans une nouvelle ville, on ne se sent jamais à sa place. Ne connaissant personne, on se balade partout sans but. On n’est pas des touristes mais on n’est pas encore chez soi. Cependant, j’ai de la chance de vivre avec Fred. Le premier soir, on a pris le repas ensemble et il m’a fait un petit tour du quartier. L’expérience de vivre avec une famille vraiment lyonnaise a rendu l’installation beaucoup plus facile. De plus, je peux parler le français avec eux chaque matin quand je me lève ce qui améliore chaque jour.

    Le quartier de La Croix-Rousse depuis le Rhône : The Croix-Rousse neighbourhood seen from the river Rhône

    Lyon est une très belle ville et je trouve l’ambiance très sympa. Je suis très content que j’ai choisi cette ville pour mon année à l’étranger. Il y a tant de choses à faire, à voir, et à visiter, donc j’imagine que j’y vais passer quelques mois assez occupés! J’ai hâte de commencer à la faculté et de m’habituer à cette nouvelle vie.

    À bientôt!

    La super lune bleue sur Lyon depuis chez moi : The super blue moon over Lyon seen from my house

    I arrived in Lyon the 26th August. It was the last day of the heatwave. I hailed a taxi which took me up the slopes of the Croix-Rousse, my home for the next 6 months. I was kindly welcomed by my host family, Fred and his daughter Collette. They live in a nice apartment which overlooks the east of the city. That night, a storm arrived which obscured the gorgeous view from the apartment. The heatwave was at last broken. My arrival in Lyon was blessed by the skies.

    The first few days in a new city are always strange. Knowing no one, you walk around aimlessly. You’re not a tourist but you can’t yet call it home. I am really lucky to live with Fred. The first night, we ate dinner together and he gave me a little tour of the neighbourhood. The experience of living with a truly lyonnais family has made settling in so much easier. Also, I am able to speak French with them every morning when I get up which gets better by the day.

    Lyon is a really beautiful city and I think it has got a great atmosphere. I am very glad that I chose this city for my year abroad. There are so many things to do, to see, and to visit so I imagine that I am going to have a busy few months here! I am looking forward to starting at university and getting used to this new life.

    See you soon!

  • Jenna O’Flynn: Bienvenue à Paris – September 2023

    Bonjour à tous!

    J’ai terminé juste ma deuxième semaine à Paris et donc j’ai pensé que dans ce poste, je parlerais un peu de certaines de choses que j’ai fait jusqu’à maintenant!

    Moi devant La Tour Eiffel

    J’habite dans le 16e, alors la seine est sur le pas de ma porte et non loin de moi se trouve la magnifique Tour Eiffel! Pour moi, juste la voir presque chaque jour, que ce soit en courant devant lui, en y rencontrant des amis ou en le regardant scintiller chaque heure après le coucher du soleil pendant 5 minutes, ça ne perd toujours pas son côté surréel ! J’ai attaché des photos de cela et j’espère que l’ambiance qui se crée dans ce moment est transmis à vous! C’est difficile de comprendre que la Tour Eiffel est juste au coin de la rue! Pendant les dernières semaines, j’ai compris que ces les choses gratuites et simples qui sont souvent les choses les plus agréables. Si vous avez l’occasion de visiter à Paris, allez dans les jardins de la Tour Eiffel et profitez de l’ambiance incroyable! Une autre chose que j’aime à Paris, c’est l’abondance de parcs partout dans la ville. Un jour, j’ai visité les jardins des Tuileries alors qu’il faisait très chaud et rester assis là à regarder le monde passer était tellement relaxant et agréable. J’ai vraiment hâte d’explorer une nouvelle ville et j’ai hâte d’en apprendre davantage sur la culture française à travers d’autres activités à Paris !

    Merci d’avoir lu et à bientôt!

    Hello everyone!

    I’ve just finished my second week in Paris so I thought in this post I’d talk a bit about some of the things I’ve done so far!


    I live in the 16th arrondissement, so the Seine is on my doorstep and not far from me is the magnificent Eiffel Tower! For me, just seeing it almost every day, whether it’s running past it, meeting friends there or watching it sparkle every hour after sunset for 5 minutes, it never loses it surreality. I have attached photos of this and I hope that the atmosphere that is created in this moment is transferred to you! It’s hard to comprehend that the Eiffel Tower is just around the corner! Over the past few weeks, I have realised that the free and simple things are often the most enjoyable things. If you have the opportunity to visit Paris, go to the Eiffel Tower gardens and enjoy the incredible atmosphere! Another thing I love about Paris is the abundance of parks throughout the whole city. I visited the Tuileries Gardens one day when it was very hot and sitting there watching the world go by was so relaxing and enjoyable. I’m really excited to be exploring a new city and can’t wait to learn more about the French culture through other activities in Paris!

    Thanks for reading and see you soon!

  • Case Study: Max Jenkins – Valencia 2023

    Firstly, I would like to thank the John Speak Trust for helping finance my study abroad in Valencia. This really helped further fund different activities and nights out that I would not have originally been able to afford!

    I was really spoiled during the five months I was in Valencia. I think that before my arrival and the stress of planning my trip, I hadn’t truly considered the effect of what this journey would have on me. It is safe to say that it isn’t anything that I will ever regret or want to change.


    Arriving in Valencia in January, I was welcomed to lovely warm weather, not so typical of a British winter! I jumped straight into exploring the city and starting University. Looking back, it is surprising how fast it took for me to adapt to the daily life of Spain. I suppose I had to in some ways though, as the majority of shops all close for a break in the middle of the day!

    However, this did not come without its challenges. While I actually found quite a few similarities between my University in Spain and England, there was a very large learning curve in that I was learning everything in Spanish! Working in classes with the majority of Spanish students was definitely a challenging experience, but it put me in a position where not only did I have to speak Spanish, but I was also listening to Spanish all the time.

    That opportunity to be immersed in Spain’s culture and be able to speak Spanish on a daily basis is something that has been extremely useful in the advancement of my Spanish speaking, especially in terms of my pronunciation and general fluency. These advancements obviously came with plenty of nervousness and lots of mistakes, but this is very normal!

    My time abroad has helped me become more comfortable with making mistakes.

    I am very grateful to have had this opportunity! Not only did I get to come study abroad, but I could afford to go out more often and try new things! Jiu Jitsu and Rock Climbing are two examples of activities that I tried for the first time while abroad, and they were fun! It was definitely a struggle being taught how to learn certain techniques in Spanish, but I think it immensely aided my comprehension. Similarly with food, I was able to try many different examples of local dishes, some of which include paella, arroces melozos, and a type of dried and smoked octopus dish often served at coastal seaside towns in the Valencia region.


    In conclusion, the five months during my time in Valencia allowed me to greatly develop my Spanish speaking.

    Thanks to the trust helping me gain some further financial freedom, I was able to make the most out of my time abroad by going out and trying different, new activities and meeting new people!

  • Cosmo de Bono: First Month in Taipei, September 2023

    2023/09 – 陳白宇
    我來台灣已經三個星期了。在這裡的時間過得很快，我現在已經適應了這裡的新生活。我住在台北，在國立台灣師範大學（NTNU）學習 10 個月。我每天上午有兩個小時的現代漢語課，週一、週二和週四下午還有專業語言課 – 古代漢語、文學和翻譯。我的所有課程都有一個語言誓約，就是老師和學生只能說中文。課程並不輕鬆，因為老師們教得很快，老師也給學生很多作業。每週還有筆試和口試，是為了檢查學生的進步。然而，這些都很有趣，而且我看得出我的中文已經有了明顯的進步。

    雖然我必須花很多時間學習，但我也發現課外時間對提高我的語言能力同樣有用。我現在是北師大合唱團的一員，每週一和週五晚上都要排練三小時。雖然這是一項很大的投入，但我每周可以花 6 個小時用中文跟台灣學生聊天兒，讓我練習口語。我發現聽別人說中文是提高發音和語調的最有效方法。

    在教室外面，我在台灣最難事情的是天氣。每天的氣溫都30 度以上。再加上潮濕的天氣，讓一切都變得有點累。但是到了十月份，天氣會變得涼爽很多，所以我打算到時候再開始去參觀台北有名的地方

    我和一對寄宿夫婦住在一起，他們是Greg和Risa（他們更喜歡用自己的英文名字）。他們非常友好，還養了一隻小狗。

    因為來台北的時間不長，所以我沒有更多的消息可以報告，但目前一切都很順利，我很高興能在這裡生活 10 個月！

    First Month in Taipei

    I’ve been in Taiwan for three weeks now. The time here has gone by very quickly and I’m now well settled into my new life here. I’m living in Taipei and studying at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) for 10 months. I have 2 hours of Mandarin classes every morning and on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, I have extra specialised language classes – Classical Chinese, literature and translation. All of my classes have a language pledge rule whereby teachers and students are only allowed to speak Chinese. The classes aren’t easy as they are fast-paced and the teachers assign a lot of homework. There are also weekly tests to monitor my progress. However, they are fun and I can tell that my Chinese has already improved a lot.

    Although I have to spend a lot of time studying, I’ve also found that my time outside the classroom is just as useful for improving my language skills. I’m now part of the NTNU choir and rehearse for 3 hours every Monday and Friday evening. Whilst this is a big commitment it allows me to spend 6 hours a week chatting in Chinese to Taiwanese students and become more familiar with the spoken language. I find that listening to people speaking Chinese is the best way to improve my pronounciation and tones.

    The hardest part of my time in Taiwan so far has been the weather. Every day has been at least 30 degrees Celsius. This combined with the humidity has made everything a bit more tiring. However, it’s due to become a lot cooler in October so I’m planning to start some proper sightseeing then.

    I’m living with a host couple – Greg and Risa (they prefer to go by their English names). They’re very friendly and have a small dog.

    I don’t have much more news to report as I haven’t been in Taipei for long, but so far everything is going well and I’m excited that I can spend 10 months living here!