work
Autumn is starting to creep its way in; the weather is getting colder, the leaves are changing, the number of daylight hours are decreasing day by day. The arrival of autumn means my summer internship here in Paris has come to an end.
After living here for 3 months, its once again time to pack my bags and head off for the 2nd part of my Europe Adventure (otherwise known as #asiancarinaineurope on instagram haha!) - one year of exchange in London! Well, of course I get to spend 2 weeks in Singapore in between to administrative stuff. I REALLY miss the food in Singapore, and homecooked meals by my grandparents/father/other family members so i'm not complaining.
I would say living in Paris was a great experience. Would I live in Paris again in the future? Maybe not (IF I speak fluent french one day, i might consider). But given the same opportunity would I have agreed to come to Paris, DEFINITELY.
This summer internship in Paris has given me a fair share of discrimination experiences, banking issues, inefficient and incompetent delivery services, and transport issues - random breaking down of the metro during peak hours.
Nevertheless, i'm going to miss this place quite a fair bit, my lifestyle here (not going to miss work though! Working really does get quite boring. But the people in the office are quite fun, so that makes up), the food, the weather etc.
So here are the top 5 things i'll miss about my summer internship in Paris.
CROISSANTS
Being able to buy 1 Euro croissants from the bakery beside my apartment building, Le Grenier a Pain, has brought me so much comfort. Stressed from work? Get a croissant. Not sure what to eat? Get a croissant. Want a snack? Croissants. Even for no particular reason? Just get a croissant!
Biting into a yummy buttery flaky on the outside and soft on the inside piece of croissant for only 1 euros instantly brightens my day.
Generally you're able to get good croissants anywhere (Morning around 9 or 10am is the best time) as long as they are golden brown, warm and just out of the oven. If you're ever in Paris, get a croissant and remember to request for one just fresh out of the oven (normally they do give you the fresher ones - at least at the bakery near where i lived they did!)
P.S. They also do really good Chouquettes (my 2nd fav.)
P.S. And since we are on the topic of food, DUCK LEG CONFIT in Paris is always a good idea.
P.S. And since we are on the topic of food, DUCK LEG CONFIT in Paris is always a good idea.
FRENCH CLASSES
There is something special about taking french classes in France. Understanding the language really helps one connect with the country and the culture so much more. Plus, the french are nicer when they see you trying to fit in! I took french evening lessons at Accord, after reading a recommendation from Paris in four months. It was probably the only school that offered french evening courses in the summer! Lessons were 2x a week 1.5 hrs each, 40euros a week (cheaper than tuition in singapore!!) And I was there for 13 weeks (sans a few classes due to weekend trips).
I've taken french classes in NTU, but nothing quite compares to french lessons here in Paris. I feel like I learn so much more. It could be because
1) The whole lesson is COMPLETELY in french, definitely a culture shock.
2) You have to ask questions in French, sometimes the teacher will make you repeat the question until you get it with the perfect sentence structure before you get an answer.
3) You go at a pace suitable for you. One level is too easy? Just move right on to the next. Very much self-monitored learning. Coming from the Singaporean education system, this is so refreshing! I found myself actually putting in much more time googling phrases, finding translations, and I had a GENUINE interest in doing homework (comparing this to my willingness to do my tutorials in university)
4) Its super interactive. We play taboo in class, we act out skits with conversations, we talk about our day etc.
I really from the bottom of my heart look forward to EVERY french lesson after work! I am most definitely not fluent in french, but I give myself a pat on the back everytime I understand a word, phrase or sentence that is being said in french. I find so much joy in getting conjugations right, I enjoy testing myself when my colleagues speak in french to see how much I understand. So much joy in self-motivated learning!
I already miss my french teachers!
ANONYMITY
For 2 months (before Jerald came) I was alone, I knew nobody, nobody knew me. Living alone means not having to account to ANYBODY, You can go wherever you want, whenever you want. And thats exactly what I did.
Self prepared meals, waking up at whatever time during the weekends (usually pretty early) not having to justify how you spent your day, not having to share the toilet with anybody else, dressing as you please, eat whatever you want (30 euro meal? Who cares, just eat lesser the next day!) sharing as little or as much information as you want about yourself, amazing new found freedom.
That being said, I don't go out partying and staying out, I pretty much just enjoy being let off the hook as generally, parisians/french don't expect me to conform to societal norms (since i'm CLEARLY a foreigner), and I don't get judged! I can behave like a tourist, or like an inhabitant, which ever is more useful to whatever situation, and people buy it! See, no need for accountability, no need to think 'what will people think of me'.
THE WEATHER
Yes. The cold schizophrenic weather in Paris! That is the thing I will be dreading when I get off the A380 at Changi Airport. The weather in Paris was such a wonderful change from the hot and humid one in Singapore. In Paris, it never got hotter than 30 degrees, temperatures could be 20°C one day and 30° the next, choosing what to wear form the limited (and uncoordinated) selection of clothes I brought with me was honestly pretty fun! Plus, the office did not have a very strict dress code for the ladies. Jeans, dresses, leggings, skirts, sweaters, coats, bomber jackets, blazers etc. it was like playing dress up every morning!
The weather also made it REALLY enjoyable to walk from one place to another. You could walk for hours and not feel sweaty and uncomfortable!
I doubt i'd be able to experience another summer in a temperate climate for a while, and that is something i'll DEFINITELY miss! Not looking forward to the cold winter months. Then again, I've never experienced anything below 10°C in my life, so that's going to be an interesting experience.
THE CULTURE & MONUMENTS
Oh Paris. The Cathedrals, the Buildings, its Architecture, the Musuems (I'm more of a fan of the exterior of the musuems than the painting inside because honestly, i'm not that well versed in fine arts, oops). From the Palaces, to the Gardens, to individual squares, this is something i'm pretty sure I wouldn't find anywhere else. Paris is INDEED gorgeous. Even the architecture of apartment buildings and boutiques are wonderful! Just google BNP Paribas or Abercrombie and Fitch building in Paris. Like I said before, I don't think Paris is romantic, but it is most DEFINITELY beautiful. Its beauty extends far beyond the Eiffel Tower. FAR FAR FAR BEYOND.
Definitely going to miss roaming around aimlessly while admiring the architecture of buildings, flowers in the gardens, children playing, street musicians, horses riding by, the whole experience.
Paris is NEVER boring. There's so much to see, so many different arrondissements each with something unique to offer, I had so many places I wished I could visit but didn't have the chance to. Another reason to be back!
P.S. Even the interior deco of cafés and boutiques are fantastic. A little off point, but yes! I'll miss the beauty of this City.
I encourage everyone to visit Paris once in their lifetime. Sure the dirty streets and smelly metro stations do sometimes make it a little less charming (especially for someone coming from a place like singapore - maybe even Japan, Korea or anywhere where we are pretty used to the cleanliness of things and politeness of people), but you'll definitely fall in love with the city. Thank you Paris for being beautiful, thank you for the whole experience, thank you for the good and bad ;)
'Till we meet again,
Au Revoir.
The weather also made it REALLY enjoyable to walk from one place to another. You could walk for hours and not feel sweaty and uncomfortable!
I doubt i'd be able to experience another summer in a temperate climate for a while, and that is something i'll DEFINITELY miss! Not looking forward to the cold winter months. Then again, I've never experienced anything below 10°C in my life, so that's going to be an interesting experience.
THE CULTURE & MONUMENTS
Oh Paris. The Cathedrals, the Buildings, its Architecture, the Musuems (I'm more of a fan of the exterior of the musuems than the painting inside because honestly, i'm not that well versed in fine arts, oops). From the Palaces, to the Gardens, to individual squares, this is something i'm pretty sure I wouldn't find anywhere else. Paris is INDEED gorgeous. Even the architecture of apartment buildings and boutiques are wonderful! Just google BNP Paribas or Abercrombie and Fitch building in Paris. Like I said before, I don't think Paris is romantic, but it is most DEFINITELY beautiful. Its beauty extends far beyond the Eiffel Tower. FAR FAR FAR BEYOND.
Definitely going to miss roaming around aimlessly while admiring the architecture of buildings, flowers in the gardens, children playing, street musicians, horses riding by, the whole experience.
Paris is NEVER boring. There's so much to see, so many different arrondissements each with something unique to offer, I had so many places I wished I could visit but didn't have the chance to. Another reason to be back!
P.S. Even the interior deco of cafés and boutiques are fantastic. A little off point, but yes! I'll miss the beauty of this City.
I encourage everyone to visit Paris once in their lifetime. Sure the dirty streets and smelly metro stations do sometimes make it a little less charming (especially for someone coming from a place like singapore - maybe even Japan, Korea or anywhere where we are pretty used to the cleanliness of things and politeness of people), but you'll definitely fall in love with the city. Thank you Paris for being beautiful, thank you for the whole experience, thank you for the good and bad ;)
'Till we meet again,
Au Revoir.
5 Things I Will Miss About Paris
18 September 2014 Paris, France
"I have gone to parks alone, eaten alone at RESTAURANTS - which i realised is not the same as cafés lol omg, explored areas alone, gone on a day group tour (like 50 other people in groups/pairs) alone, gone shopping alone."
My rant messages to FungYee, who just got back from her multiple tour trips.
I realised by posting only pictures, i'm part of the group of people that paint an idealistic impression of living in a foreign country. Somehow everyone thinks its all fun and excitement, and that i'm having the time of my life. Don't get me wrong, I love it here, but it would be ridiculous to agree to statements like "You look like you're enjoying SO MUCH", "Having a lot of fun isn't it?" or condescending remarks on how I should not "complain" about anything.
It makes sense though. That people would rather live with their ignorance and believe that everything is a bed of roses, that things are perfect, and that i'm having the time of my life. People would only want to hear the pretty side of things, and when you tell them the other side, minus the glitz and glam, they judge you for being unappreciative or ungrateful. Otherwise they assume you're unhappy and not having a good time. I guess its hard to put the truth out there and not be misunderstood.
You can choose to stop here, or click read more to understand what I think/feel.
My rant messages to FungYee, who just got back from her multiple tour trips.
I realised by posting only pictures, i'm part of the group of people that paint an idealistic impression of living in a foreign country. Somehow everyone thinks its all fun and excitement, and that i'm having the time of my life. Don't get me wrong, I love it here, but it would be ridiculous to agree to statements like "You look like you're enjoying SO MUCH", "Having a lot of fun isn't it?" or condescending remarks on how I should not "complain" about anything.
It makes sense though. That people would rather live with their ignorance and believe that everything is a bed of roses, that things are perfect, and that i'm having the time of my life. People would only want to hear the pretty side of things, and when you tell them the other side, minus the glitz and glam, they judge you for being unappreciative or ungrateful. Otherwise they assume you're unhappy and not having a good time. I guess its hard to put the truth out there and not be misunderstood.
You can choose to stop here, or click read more to understand what I think/feel.
The Other Side
19 July 2014
2 saturdays ago, I was feeling really lazy and grumpy and I just wanted to stay in bed for the whole weekend. But, by noon, I was done with the laundry and vacuuming of the the house, I decided to just drag myself out and hit up Le Marais.
Definitely did not regret doing so! That saturday ended up to be the most happening saturday yet ;)
After exiting the metro, I was walking towards Place des Vosges, and I saw so many interesting shops and art galleries. I was so pleasantly surprised.
It felt really weird to go in and just take photos of the artwork and leave since the shops seem to be selling these artwork, and there is no way in heck i'll ever be able to afford any of it. So, I just took pictures, gawked and admired the unique artwork themes from the shop windows.
This one really reminds me of the statue in Orchard Ion back in Singapore.
(IS IT EXACTLY THE SAME?! - my memory is failing)
This perfume store display their testers as such! It was so cool. The shopkeeper invited me in and sprayed a scent "with a lot of asian notes" on me. It was a really nice scent though. I didn't know if it was intentional or if I was being oversensitive, but I always feel awkward at the Asian references, I don't dislike it because I know I OBVIOUSLY Look extremely asian (even among asians, I'm super asian!) Hahaha but its awkward because I don't know how I should respond/react, not that I feel uncomfortable or anything.
Nevertheless, I was so tempted to buy it. But no, I don't need anymore perfume.
P.S. Im doing a really good job exercising self-control in terms of retail therapy - just saying.
JAM SHOP. Enough said.
Finally I reached Place des Vosges, gorgeous looking park with waterfalls, families having picnics, children running around and playing in the sand box, while couples make out under trees/ on benches nearby :) such a cute picture perfect sight!
Outside the park, there was a like string ensemble of about 20 people playing wonderful music to promote their CD (Unfortunately, the crowd made it hard to get a good picture).
While they were entertaining the public with melodious music, behind us a horse carriage just trotted by.
I was so excited when the horses rode by. Paris can never be boring!
After enjoying the music for a bit, it started raining, so I headed over to Victor Hugo's Mansion to look at the museum and temporarily hide out from the rain.
Victor Hugo - The man behind Les Misérables and Hunchback for Notre Dame.
The rooms were themed by the different stages of his life. He is one exceptionally talented man. Im no expert on the history of any of this, so just check Wikipedia :)
There was something about the Chinese inspired room decorations that he adopted for himself and his wife that I found quite haunting. Very intricate, very interesting, yet a little haunting.
His bedroom before he passed
Also went to view an exhibit on L'Homme Qui Rit - The man who smiles. Was not allowed to take any photos, but the exhibitions was really something special. Watched part of the play in black and white. It was such an interesting experience.
Went to Breizh Café for some crêpe and hot tea. I made the stupid decision of not buying and umbrella or bringing an extra jacket, so by this time I was literally freezing and my fingers were all purple from the cold.
After my meal, I was attempting to head back home when I walked right into the middle of the gay pride (equivalent of the Pink Dot movement in Singapore) parade, and decided to stay and watch.
The way they celebrate is so different from what we normally do in SG. They play music in the streets, carry rainbow coloured umbrellas and wear elaborate costumes while dancing and parading in the streets!
If you look closely, you'll see topless girls and guys in the pictures. Yeappp, liberal is what they are. I was so entertained by the parade. It was so much fun and way more interesting that all these was happened IN THE RAIN.
So special to see the cultural differences between a european city and an asian city in different, but i love it!
In the end, its a good thing I left the house. There is just so much to see and so much to do in Paris, it never gets boring :)
More updates:
After one month in Paris, I'm starting to feel really happy here. Taking all the experiences and making the best of every situation. I don't feel homesick, and I'm really glad I'm coping good in Paris. Glad for this opportunity to live alone, and grow. I'm actually really liking this "new life". I never expected it to be easy (or hard), but all in all, I would say I'm doing a lot better/its been a lot easier for me than many would expect.
Sometimes I think I'm pretty adaptable/have good survival instincts for a Singaporean. Typically, at 20+, we still live with their parents, some of us have never left the country or lived away from their parents for long periods of time. We are so sheltered back in Singapore and I'm really starting to realise that now that I'm here. Hearing about what youths in Singapore are complaining about, my only respond is: a lot of us need to do a little more growing up.
My whole life i've never been alone, be it in kindergarten, back home with my siblings, different cliques from primary school up till college, I sort of have planned my social circles such that even if i didn't have a bestfriend to run to when i have problems, I was never alone.
Looking back, even though I felt alone, dealing with the whole inferiority complex stuff, I was not as alone as I thought.
Even though I'm more alone now, its a good thing that I'm doing fine, I guess it shows that when we focus on the good things, and not make mountains out of the molehills that are our problems, we really are able to enjoy life to a greater extent.
In comparison, the youths here are really independent. The other interns have so much experience away from their hometown its enviable. I hope after this internship I can say that i've grown/matured and it would be noticeable in the way I behave.
Thankful that I'm no longer moping about things related to body image, self-confidence, feeling inadequate about my achievements, being inferior in comparison to people who achieve more in terms of academics, and the lack of friends in college etc. Those things pretty much consumed my life when I was in Singapore. But being alone here, I hope i can find myself and grow into my own individual, instead of just being another rat in the rat race trying to outrun everyone else.
Learning to be more positive as the days go by - Never thought I would be associated with the word "positive" hahaha but here's to new adventures and here's to growing up!
Oh, another thing I've noticed, people are really good looking here! Not all, but sometimes when I'm on the metro, or in the office I'll be like "Wow. thats person is really good looking." Initially I thought its probably because they look different from the type of people I'm used to looking at, but no, even after 1 month, I still think the interns in the office are really good looking. Somehow they just are. Its like they ALL have good genes or something, its kind of unfair lol!
Happening Saturday in The Marais
13 July 2014 Le Marais, Paris, France
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