Steve's sandbox

Tag: rugby

  • Christmas in Cadiz: Peter Horton, Spain – December 2015

    Navidad en Cádiz!

    Todavía no parece así, pero casi está Navidad! Normalmente habría mucha nieve al suelo y tendría un árbol bonito en mi casa, pero este año que no; este año todavía hace bastante calor y no he visto ningunas nubes hace muchas semanas! Navidad en Cádiz por seguro es algo completamente diferente. Trabajo ahorra está muy tranquilo porque no hay tantos estudiantes en la escuela y esperamos enero hasta que empezamos más cosas, pero todavía hay unas cositas las que tengo que hacer.

    Con respeto al trabajo, mi jefa me ha dicho que yo estoy encargado de una campaña en la que queremos mejorar nuestra presencia en las redes sociales. Esta campaña incluye tareas en las que tengo que buscar artículos interesantes y relevante para compartirlos, además tengo que hacer un curso de “Marketing para las redes sociales.” A mí me parece que esa vale mucho porque puedo ver el desarrollo desde el comienzo hasta el fin, e yo puedo gestionar mi propios objetivos y horarios. En el año nuevo, espero que pueda hacer más tareas similares así que puedo desarrollar mis propias habilidades y puedo utilizar español en mi propia manera. Además, todavía hago comunicaciones corporativas y traducciones, así espero que mi español empresario siga mejorando.

    Había menos partidos de rugby desde hace mi último publicación porque toda la gente les están preparando para las vacaciones, pero eso no significa que ha desaparecido el lado social. Este fin de semana pasado tuvimos una cena navidad para el club y diría que eso era la primera vez en la que me he sentido el espíritu de navidad aquí en España.

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

    Christmas in Cadiz!

    It doesn’t feel like it yet but Christmas is just around the corner! Normally I would see snow on the floor and have a beautiful green tree in my house, but not this year; this year it is still pretty warm and I haven’t seen a cloud for weeks! Christmas in Cadiz really is like nothing else. Work has quietened down recently as there have been less students and we are saving a lot of work until January but there are still little bits and bobs to do nevertheless.

    With regards to work, I have been put in charge of a campaign to increase our social media presence; this includes finding interesting and relevant articles in Spanish to share, as well as taking part in a course aimed at Social Media marketing. I find this very rewarding because I have been involved from start to finish and I am able to manage my own targets and timetable. In the New Year I hope to be put in charge of more campaigns like this so that I can develop my own skills and am able to use my Spanish in my own way. On top of this, I have still been involved with corporate communications and translations so I hope that my business Spanish is improving as well.

    There have been less rugby matches since my last post as everyone gets ready for the holiday period but that doesn’t mean that the social side has disappeared. Just this weekend we had a lovely Christmas dinner at a club and it is the first time this year that I have felt the Christmas spirit here in Spain.

  • Malaga and Madrid – Peter Horton, November 2015

    Malaga y Madrid!

    Este mes ha seguido el mismo cómo el mes pasado con respecto a trabajo pero he podido viajar alrededor de Andalucia con mi equipo de Rugby. He jugado partidos en Malaga y uno fuera de Gibraltar pero lo que he visto en mis viajes es que hay una diferencia enorma entre el paisaje y eso me da un gran impacto. Mientras viajando alrededor Inglaterra se ve campos verdes con colinas ondulantas, sino aquí hay campos pardos o de color naranja rodeado por cactus y montañas.

    También he tenido mucha suerte en que he tenido unos días sin trabajo y por eso cogí un autobús por la noche hasta Madrid y pasé algunos días explorando. Hay un gran contraste entre el paisaje andaluz y el estilo de vida lleno del capital, la gente en las ciudades grandes nunca para mientras la gente de los pueblos disfruta un estilo de vida tranquilo.

    A mí me parece que, sigo disfrutando mi trabajo aquí en K2 Internacional, y mi trabajo ha aumentado ahorra porque hay sólo dos otras prácticas. Tengo muchas cosas a hacer y principalmente tengo traducciones y comunicaciones con agencias. Pienso que en mi tiempo libre me gusta estar fuera de las ciudades grandes porque puedo relajarme y disfrutar la cultura andaluz sino con respecto a trabajo estaría más contento si yo trabajara en una ciudad mayor con tareas dificiles.

     

     

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

    This month has carried on much the same as last month in terms of work but I have been fortunate enough to be able to travel around Andalusia with my rugby club. I have played matches in Malaga and just outside Gibraltar but what I have noticed in my travels is the difference in scenery and what an impact it makes. Traveling around the countryside of England you will see green fields and rolling hills, but here whilst traveling you will see dirt fields of brown and orange lined with cactuses and broken up by rocky mountains.

    I was also fortunate enough to have a couple of days off work so took an overnight coach up to Madrid and spent a few days exploring. There is a huge contrast between the Andalusian countryside and the busy lifestyle of the capital, the people in the big cities never stop whilst the people in the towns and villages enjoy a calm and peaceful lifestyle.

    For me personally, I continue to enjoy working here at K2 Internacional, and my work has stepped up a little bit now that two of the other interns have left. I have various tasks but primarily I am involved with translations and communications with partner agents at the moment. I think for my free time I enjoy being away from it all and able to enjoy the relaxing culture of Andalusia but with regards to work I would prefer to be in a bigger city with more challenging tasks.

  • Peter Horton, Cadiz, Spain – October monthly report

    Un Mes Listo!

    He estado aquí en Cádiz durante un mes ahorra y he aprendido entender su acento y costumbres únicos. La gente es muy simpático y me han dado la bienvenida, mi jefa me dijo que ella sería mi madre durante el año porque es difícil vivir muy lejos de mi casa. Los otros del mi piso ahorra les han asentido y nos hacíamos amigos sobre nuestro amor del futbol español, parece que flue en sus venas. Aunque hay algunas discusiones en el piso porque uno de mis compañeros es de Barcelona y el otro de Madrid y ambos piensan que tengan le mejor equipo del mundo.

     

    He empezado mi práctica y me gusta mucho hablar en un ambiente profesional. Hay cuatro otros en prácticas aquí todos de Letonia pero hablamos en español porque ellos quieren mejorar tan mucho cómo yo, aunque después de navidad saldrán tres a Letonia. He hecho muchas tareas de traducción, principalmente para el sitio web sino también para correos electrónicos, he hecho además otras cosas. He buscado y añadido muchos contactos a su red. Además he tenido que buscar actividades y excursiones los que puedo ofrecer a los estudiantes del colegio para mejorar su conciencia cultural, esa tarea me he gustado lo más porque he podido disfrutar algunas actividades por mi mismo. Visité el museo de Cadiz y paseé un paseo en la ciudad para aprender sobre la historia de esta ciudad bonita.

     

    Para seguir satisfaciendo a mi amor de rugby me he juntado con el equipo local, y he llegado a conocer algunos de mis amigos mejores. Tenía miedo porque no tenía ningún idea de su nivel o si podía encontrar amigos porque soy ingles; aunque, me di cuenta pronto que ese miedo no se necesitaba. Aunque no hay nadie allí que hable ingles, me han dado un buen bienvenido y siento un parte de su familia. Ahorra estoy en el equipo primero cómo el numero 10 y espero que tengamos una temporada larga y con éxito. Desafortunadamente llegaba tan tarde que yo no podía disfrutar la pretemporada entrenamiento en la paya; aunque, todo el equipo pasábamos un buen fin de semana juntos en “Los Caños de Meca” y me gustaba el entrenamiento y unos partidos pequeños allí. Ya hemos ganado nuestro primero partido de la liga contra Jerez y espero que tenemos mucha suerte en el futuro.

     

    Sobre todo me sigue gustando a vivir aquí en Cadiz. La gente son lo más simpática que ya he conocido y puedo ver el mejoramiento en mi español cada día, empiezo a entender cada vez más y estoy teniendo cada vez más confianza en mi mismo para hablar en las conversaciones.

     

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

    One month finished!

    I have been here in Cadiz for a little over a month now and have learnt to appreciate their unique accent and customs. The people here are incredibly friendly and welcoming; my manager told me that she would act as my mother for the year because it must be hard being away from home for so long. The rest of my flat has now moved in and we have bonded over our love for Spanish football, it seems to flow in their veins. There is some debate though as one of them is from Barcelona and the other from Madrid so both claim that they have the world’s best team!

     

    I have started my internship and am thoroughly enjoying using my language skills in a professional atmosphere. There are four other interns currently, all from Latvia, but we all communicate in Spanish because they desire to improve as much as I do, although by Christmas only one of them will still be working here.

     

    I have been doing a lot of translation tasks so far mainly for their website, but I have also been doing other tasks. I have been networking, hoping to expand our directory of contacts. In addition, I have had to search for local activities and excursions that I can offer to the students in the college to promote their cultural awareness, this task I have enjoyed the most because I have been able to enjoy some of the opportunities myself.

     

    I have visited the Cadiz Museum and went on a historical walk around the town learning about the history of this beautiful labyrinth. To continue satisfying my love of rugby I have joined the local team, and met some of my best friends here. I was scared at first as I had no idea how good they would be or whether I would fit in at all being English; but I soon realised that these fears were completely unnecessary. Although not one of them there speaks English, they have welcomed me nicely into their team and I feel part of their family. I have made the starting team as their fly half and look forward to a long and successful season with them. Unfortunately I arrived too late to enjoy the preseason beach rugby; however, we all went away together for a training weekend to “Los Caños de Meca” and I enjoyed some fitness and a few matches on the beach there. We have won our first friendly match against Rota, and the league starts this weekend so I look forward to getting off to a good start.  Overall I am still thoroughly enjoying living here in Cadiz. The people are some of the most friendly  I have ever met and I can see my Spanish improving every day, slowly I am beginning to understand more and more and I am becoming more and more confident in joining in the conversations.

     

     

  • Alexander Arch – Case Study, Paris, France 2014 – 2015

    I am a student of French, Spanish qnd international business at Sheffiled Hallam University.   I have spent my year abroad in Noisy-le-Grand, just outside of Paris. Whilst in France, I worked for a holiday comparison website which allowed me to develop my French and Spanish skills in a professional environment. The placement also helped me identify the areas of business which interest me.   As I was working for a small company I was able to witness how it was run as well as seeing how my contributions affected income and views.

    Whilst living and working in France, I was fortunate to find a local rugby club which allowed me to meet many people from all over the country as well as hearing slang and very familiar French which I don’t encounter at work (or university!!).

    I discovered that spending as much time with locals as possible really helped develop my language skills.  When I arrived I found it difficult to understand many people due to their accents and because they spoke so quickly, but now I find it easier to understand most people- however I still struggle with the southern French accents!

    Over the past year I have had many unforgettable experiences, I’ve learned many things and I’ve made life-long friends.  I have really enjoyed this past year and would recommend undertaking a placement abroad to anybody.

     

    Finally, I would like to thank the John Speak Trust for their support during my time abroad.  The Trust has given me the opportunity to really embrace and make the most of my time in France, an experience that I’ll never forget.

    Alexander Arch – August 2014 to May 2015 (France)

  • Alexander Arch, France – April 2015

    J’ai été selectionné pour l’équipe d’Ile de france moins de 26 ans ce mois, alors le weekend de pâques- je suis allé à Béziers pour jouer contre Languedoc Roussillon. J’étais le seul joueur de Noisy le Grand alors j’étais nerveux car je ne connaissais personne, mais tout le monde était accueillant. Le samedi, on a rencontré à Gare de Lyon à 11h, nous étions 24 joueurs, 3 entraîneurs et beaucoup de dirigeants (je pense qu’ils sont venus pour leurs vacances). Nous sommes montés dans le train pour notre voyage de 800 km- de 4,5 heures! On a passé le voyage jouer aux cartes et écouter de la musiqueNous avons passé le voyage jouer aux cartes et écouter de la musique. Quand nous sommes arrivés à l’hôtel nous avons eu une réunion d’équipe à propos du match, la tactique et le plan pour le week-end, puis nous avons fait un entraînement. Le terrain a été encirclé de palmiers, que nous ne voyons pas en Angleterre! La ville de Béziers est vraiment agréable et totalement différente de Paris. Après la session d’entraînement, nous avons dîné puis eu de temps libre avant de dormir, je me suis détendru avec quelques-uns des autres trois-quarts au salon de l’hôtel- nous avons trouvé un journal local qui avait une double page sur notre match et comment cela ils veulent nous battre car nous sommes le plus grand committé de rugby en France !!

    Le matin, nous avons pris le petit déjeuner, puis a promené autour de la zone locale. Il faisait vraiment beau, 25 degrés! Ensuite, on a déjeuné et a eu un peu de temps libre avant d’aller au stade, j’ai passé ce temps à la piscine (pas ma préparation normale). Le match était proche, mais nous avons perdu 12-8 et a eu beaucoup de chances de gagner alors nous étions très enervé. Après le match nous avons eu la nourriture avec l’opposition qui était sympa, et beaucoup avaient des accents très prononcés !!

    Nous sommes arrivés dans le train pour rentrer à la maison et le conducteur nous ont envoyé dans la direction de l’équipe de rugby féminine de Caen qui étaient également à bord du train. Nous avons passé la plupart du voyage avec eux, en chantant des chansons de rugby français. J’ai eu un très bon week-end, j’étais vraiment anxieux, mais c’était une expérience que je ne oublierai jamais!

    ENGLISH TRANLSATION:

    I was picked to play for the Ile de France u26 regional team this month. This meant that on the Easter weekend, I went down to Béziers to play against Languedoc Roussillon. I was the only person from my club to have been selected to I was quite anxious to go without knowing anybody- but it was fine and very body was welcoming. We met at Gare de Lyon on the Saturday at 11am, 24 players, our 3 coaches and quite a lot of regional representatives (I think that they came for a short holiday!). We then boarded the train to Béziers, which is 500 miles and 4.5 hours on the train from Paris!! We spent the journey playing cards and listening to music. When we got to the hotel we had a team meeting about the match, tactics and the plan for the weekend which was followed by a training session. The pitch was surrounded by Palm trees, which we don’t see back home in England! The town of Béziers is really nice and completely different to Paris. After the training session, we had tea and then had a bit of free time before we went to bed, I spent this time with some of the other backs in the hotel lounge- where we found a local newspaper which had a double page spread about our match and how that wanted to beat us as we are the biggest ‘rugby comité’ in France!!

    In the morning, we had breakfast and then had a walk around the local area. It was really sunny, 25 degrees with no clouds in the sky! We then had lunch and had a bit of free time before we went to the stadium, I spent this time by the pool (not my normal pre match preparation).

    The game was close, we lost 12-8 and had a lot of chances to win so we were all quite annoyed. After the game we had some food with the opposition who were friendly, and many had very strong accents!!


    We got on the train to come home and the conductor pointed us in the direction of the Caen female rugby team who were also on the train. We spent most of the journey with them, singing french rugby songs (none of which I can repeat). I had a really good weekend, I was really anxious before hand but it was really enjoyable and an experience that I’ll never forget!

  • Alexander Arch, France – February 2015

    Alex Alexander, February 2015

     

    Cet mois, j’ai eu la chance et acheté des billets pour le match des 6 nations entre la France et l’Ecosse. Je suis allé au match avec deux amis de l’université, Alastair et Tristan et nous avons brièvement rencontré avec Jeremy, mon coéquipier de rugby, et sa copine (J’ai oublié sa nom) avant le match. Jeremy n’avait pas de confidence sur le match et il se plaignait de la composition française. mais heureusement pour nous- Angleterre avait gagné la veille donc notre seul souci était notre vue parce que nous étions sur la rangée arrière de la tribune haute! Nous sommes entrés dans le stade environ une heure avant le coup d’envoi et nous avons été vraiment surpris à la qualité de la vue, même si nous étions dans les places les moins chères en haut du stade, nous avions une vue exceptionnel. L’atmosphère était incroyable et me donnait la chair de poule quand La Marseillaise a été chanté. Malheureusement, le jeu n’était pas au même niveau que l’atmosphère avant le match et le score final était 15-8 en France sur un match très décevant. Après le match, nous sommes allés chez nous, je dois dire à quel point je ai été impressionné par la rapidité des transports publics. Le réseau de transport est beaucoup plus efficace que ceux autour de nos stades au Royaume-Uni. Ce mois à venir, la France joue contre l’Angleterre et je vais à mon club de rugby et le regarder avec mes coéquipiers -J’espère bien que nous allons gagner

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

    This month, I was lucky enough to get my hands on some tickets for the 6 nations rugby game between France and Scotland. I went to the game with 2 friends from university, Alastair and Tristan and we briefly met up with Jeremy, with whom I play rugby, and his girlfriend (whose name I have forgotten) before the game. Jeremy wasn’t very confident about the game and was complaining about the French team selection, but fortunately for us- England had won the evening before so our only worry was what the view was going to be like as we were on the back row of the top tier! We went into the ground about an hour before kick off and we were really surprised at how good the view was, even though we were in the cheapest seats at the top of the stadium- we had an amazing view. The atmosphere was incredible and I got goosebumps when the French national anthem was sung. Unfortunately, the game wasn’t up to the same level as the pre-match atmosphere and the final score ended 15-8 to France on a very underwhelming match. After the game we headed home, I have to say how impressed I was at how quickly the public transport moved the crowd away from the stadium, it really showed us how poor our transport networks are around major stadiums. This coming month, France play against England and I am going to go to the rugby club and watch it with my team mates- I really hope that we can win otherwise I wont hear the end of it!!

     

  • Alexander Arch, France – December 2014

    Alex Arch – Dec 14

     

    Le dimanche, on a joué un match important contre Marcoussis, qui sont première dans le ligue, et ils ont gagné tous leurs matchs. Nous sommes 6 sur 10 et nous avons gagné 4 de nos 9 matchs, mais tous les matchs étaient serrés. On a su que on pourrait qualifier pour les barrages si on gange le match.

    Je suis arrivé au club à midi, pour le déjeuner avec mes coequipiers. On l’a mangé et régardé les actualités du sport  à la télé (tout le monde a rigolé quand il a vu que mon équipe, Leicester City, a perdu!). Après avoir mangé, la deuxième équipe s’est chauffée et la première est résté à l’intérieur. J’ai passé le temps avec mon ami Jérémy et des livres, il veut améliorer son niveau d’anglais alors je l’aide avec son livre ‘Ali Baba et les quarantes voleurs’ et il m’aide avec mon livre ‘Lettres à sa fille’.

    Le match a commancé  à 15h, il y avait du brouillard mais il a disparu rapidement. Le terrain était boueux qui était mieux pour Marcoussis que nous. J’ai commencé le match dans mon poste normal, l’arrière. Au début, on était faible et Marcoussis a marque pendants le première 5 minutes. Mais après leur essaie, on a amélioré mais ne pouvait pas marquer- on a manqué 2 penalités.

    On était beaucoup plus fort pendant le deuxième temps, et on appliquait beacoup de la pression qui liée au essaie. Les deux équipes ont marquées un penalité alors le score était 10-8 dans the 79ème minute. On avait le ballon, et essaie de marquer, mais malheureusement, il y avait un en-avant alors on a perdu 10-8.

    On était très deçu parce qu’on a joué bien et les conditions étaient difficile, mais je pence que nous pouvons être fier de nos performances.

    Le vendredi, on aura le bilan à mi-parcours et un repas de noël qui devrait  être sympa. J’aime le rugby ici, les gens sont très accueillant et ils corrigent mes fautes quand je parle

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION

    On Sunday, we had a tough match against Marcoussis, who are top of the table and have won all of their games played. We were in 6th position and have won 4 of our 9 games this season, however all of our matches have been close. We knew that if we could manage to win, we would still have a good chance of reaching the end of season play-offs, which involve the top 2 teams.

    I arrived at the club just before midday, we then had lunch, chicken and pasta, whilst watching the sports news channel (everybody laughs when they see that my team, Leicester City, has lost again in the football). After eating, the reserves went out to warm up before their game at 13.30h, whilst the first team stayed in the clubhouse. I spent the time reading with my friend Jérémy, who wants to learn English. He was reading Ali Baba and the 40 thieves, whilst I was reading  ‘Lettres à sa fille’ by Calamity Jane. I find that this is really useful as we can help each other when we struggle with the meanings of words.

    We kicked off at 15h, the fog cleared quickly and the pitch was muddy which suited our opponents. I started the game in my usual position of full back. We didn’t start very well, conceding 7 points in the first 5 minutes. However towards the end of the half we grew into the game, but failed to score- missing 2 penalties.

    We were much improved in the second half, we applied a lot of pressure on the Marcoussis line and eventually scored. Both teams then scored a penalty and we went into the last play losing 10-8. We managed to run the length of the pitch and looked set to score until we knocked the ball on, about 5m from their line. We lost 10-8.

    We were all really disappointed and bruised after an extremely tough game in awful weather conditions. However I think that we can be proud of our performance.

    On Friday, we have our mid season review and our Christmas meal which I am looking forward to.

    I am really enjoying playing rugby here, the people are really welcoming and are all happy to correct the mistakes when I talk.

  • Alexander Arch, France – November 2014

    Alex sightseeing with sister Claire Nov14

    Ce mois, le temps a changé beaucoup, heureusement, le week-end que ma sœur est venu, le temps est resté sec. Ma sœur est arrivé à la Gare du Nord juste après 19 heures le vendredi soir, alors j’ai pu la rencontrer sur le quai après avoir travailler. Puis nous sommes allés à l’apprtement de mes, qui se trouve dans le sud-est de Paris, nous sommes restés là car il était beaucoup plus facile que de voyager et revenir de mon hébergement qui n’est pas près de Paris. Le vendredi soir, ma sœur et moi sommes allés à un bar de cocktail avec mes amis, Rae et Tom. Je n’y avais pas été avant et j’ai été agréablement surpris par le prix des boissons! Le samedi, nous nous sommes réveillés tôt pour commencer une journée entière de tourisme- nous avons commencé en prenant le métro à la tour eiffel, où ma sœur a passé environ d’une heure essayant de prendre la photo parfaite pour son Instagram! Quand elle était heureux, nous sommes allés à Notre-Dame, marchant à côté de la Seine où il y avait des stands de souvenirs (où ma soeur a passé plus de temps). Quand nous sommes arrivés, Claire était extrêmement refroidi alors nous sommes allés aux jardins des Tuileries par le Louvre et le pont de cadenas.Comme la nuit tombait, nous avons décidé de retourner à l’Arc de Triomphe de rencontrer Tom. puis nous avons eu la maison de métro après une journée de marche partout!  Après une journée épuisante, nous avons pris la décision de sortir avec le reste des autres étudiants Sheffield Hallam à Paris. Le lendemain, nous sommes allés au Sacré Coeur avant ma sœur devait prendre le train pour rentrer à Londres. Nous avons eu un excellent week-end, mais c’était très fatiguant!

    Aussi, je suis très heureux parce que je ai été sélectionné pour jouer au rugby pour l’Ile de France en vertu 26. Les entraîneurs de l’équipe sont du sud de la France et ont des accents qui sont très différents à l’Parisiens natif, donc c’est une bonne chance d’améliorer mes capacités d’écoute français ainsi que mon Rugby !!

     

     

    Alex (with sister) sightseeing in Paris Nov14

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION

    This month has seen the weather substantially change, thankfully the weekend that my sister came over, the weather stayed dry. My sister arrived at Gare du Nord just after 7 o’clock on the Friday evening, which meant that I was able to meet her on the platform after work. We then made our way to my Friends’ flat which is located in the South east of Paris, we stayed there as it was much easier than travelling back and forth from my accommodation which is a long way out of Paris. On the Friday night, my sister and I went to a cocktail bar with the friends we were staying with Rae and Tom. I hadn’t been there before and I really enjoyed it, I was nicely surprised at the price of drinks as well! On the saturday, we woke up early to start a whole day of site seeing- we started off by getting the metro to the eiffel tower, where my sister spent around an hour trying to take the perfect photo for her instagram! When she was finally happy with one, we made our way to Notre Dame, walking along side the seine whilst my sister searched for some souvenirs to take home. Once we arrived, Claire was extremely underwelmed so we went to the Tuilerie gardens via the Louvre and padlock bridge. At this point the sun was setting and we decided to head back to the Arc de Triomphe to meet Tom. Then we got the metro home after a day of walking everywhere! After an exhausting day, we made the decision to go out with the rest of the other Sheffield Hallam students in Paris. The next day we went to the Sacré Coeur before my sister had to catch the train back to London. We both had a great weekend, but it was very tiring trying to fit everything in!
    Also, I am very pleased as I have been picked to play rugby for the Ile de France under 26 side. The coaches of the team are from the South of France and have very different accents to the native Parisiens, so this is a good opportuinity to improve my french listening skills as well as my rugby!!

     

    Alex and sister Claire Nov14

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Alexander Arch, France – October 2014

    Alex Arch – rugby team

    Ce mois a été très agréable, je suis allé au match de football, j’ai joué mon premier match de rugby en

    France et je suis allé à Disneyland! J’ai commencé le mois au match de foot, entre Paris Saint Germain et

    Barcelone en Ligue de Champions. L’ambiance était fantastique et c’était agréable d’aller à un match parce

    que je manque vraiment le football anglais! Aussi, j’ai finalement joué mon premier match de rugby en

    France, il a fallu plus d’un mois pour valider ma license, mais maintenant il est arrivé, je suis permis à jouer.

    Il était très similaire au rugby à la maison car il pleuvait tout le match, mais je l’ai bien aimé et je suis

    impatient de mon prochain match le dimanche! Oh, et nous avons gagné (ce qui est la chose la plus

    importante)! Enfin, le week­end dernier était l’anniversaire de mon amie et nous sommes allés à

    Disneyland! C’était une bonne, mais il y avait trop du monde, heureusement, il y avait du soleil donc ce

    n’était pas trop mal quand nous avons dû attendre environ une heure pour les manèges. Ce mois­ci nous

    allons voir le prochain match du PSG en Ligue des Champions, j’ai quelques matchs de rugby, ma sœur

    vient me voir et je crois que nous avons un week­end férié de 4 jours!!

    Alex Arch – Disneyland Paris

     

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

    This month has been really enjoyable, amongst other things I have been to a football match, played my first

    rugby match in France and even went to Disneyland! I started the month off by going to the Paris Saint

    Germain match versus Barcelona in the Champions League, the match was really good and Paris won 3­

    The atmosphere was great and it was nice to go to a game as I am really missing English football. I

    eventually played my first rugby game in France, it took over a month to process my registration but now it

    has arrived, I am free to play. It was very similar to playing rugby at home as it was pouring with rain but I

    enjoyed myself and am looking forward to my next game on sunday! Oh, and we won (which is the most

    important thing)! Finally, last weekend it was my friend’s birthday so we went to disneyland! We had a good

    time but it was really busy, luckily the sun was out so it wasn’t too bad when we had to wait about an hour

    for the rides. This coming month we are going to see the next PSG match in the Champions league, I have

    a few rugby games, my sister is coming to see me and I believe that we have a 4 day bank holiday

    weekend so, fortunately, I have a lot to look forward to as the dark nights draw in and it gets very cold!

  • Alexander Arch, France – September 2014

    Alex Arch rugby training in France

    Je suis devenu plus stable en France ce mois, je me suis inscrit une salle de gym et joint une équipe de rugby, donc j’ai une routine maintenant, je fait quelque chose tous les jours. J’ai eu la chance d’acheter le billets pour les matchs de PSG dans le Ligue des Champions, il m’excite parce que je n’ai jamais été à un match du Ligue de Champions. Je pense que mon discours s’améliore, je suis timide quand je parle à des inconnus mais je parle avec plus de confiance avec mes amis, mon entraîneur de rugby, a dit que je m’améliore aussi. J’ai remarqué quelques similitudes et les différences entre l’Angleterre et la France. Les similitudes sont les files d’attente du médecin et le prix des transports publics. J’avais besoin d’un certificat de santé de jouer au rugby et à ma grande surprise, j’ai dû attendre 2 heures!! En outre, les coûts de transport publics sont élevés ce qui est similaire au Royaume-Uni (à l’exception 80p autobus à Sheffield), cela me coûte environ 4 euros pour un billet de retour au travail sur le RER (3 minutes dans chaque direction) heureusement, je vais au vélo normalement. Les différences que j’ai remarquées sont; la vitesse de la parole et la gentillesse des gens dans la rue. Je trouve la vitesse que certains parlent est phénoménal et difficile à comprendre, mais ce n’est pas un problème que je dois apprendre à comprendre la languen’importe comment elle est parlée. Aussi dans les rues les gens ne sourient jamais ou dire bonjour qui me manque de vivre à Sheffield!

     

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION

    I have become more settled in France this month. I have joined a rugby team, joined a gym and basically got into a routine where I am doing something all day, every day. I have also been lucky enough to get my hands on tickets to go and see PSG in the Champions League, which I am really excited about it as I’ve never been to a game in this competition before. I feel as though my language is progressing well, I am still quite shy when speaking to strangers but I feel as though my conversations with friends are flowing much better, my rugby coach has also said that my language has improved quite a lot in a month. I have experienced many differences and similarities between the UK and France recently. The most significant similarities which I encountered were the queues in the doctors and the price of public transport; I needed a medical certificate from the doctor which enabled to play rugby and to my surprise I was waiting for 2 hours to see him! Also, public transport costs are high which is like the UK (except 80p buses in Sheffield), it costs me around 4 euros for a return ticket to work on the RER (3 minutes each way), fortunately I normally bike!! The differences that I’ve noticed are; the speed at which the French talk and the friendliness of people on the street. I find the speed at which some people speak phenomenal and hard to understand, but this is good as I need to learn how to understand the language no matter how it is spoken. Also, in the streets the people rarely smile and say hello which I miss from living in Sheffield!

    Alex Arch with family in Paris