About time I got round to this...

So after having been here over a month already, I realised it was about time I started a blog already! My original plan was just to take a lot of photos to illustrate my year abroad, but I've found that I've been making the most of every moment rather than thinking too much about taking photos.

On the morning of the 27th June, I grabbed my bags and hopped on a plane over to Grenoble, in south-west France. This was it: the start of my year abroad. I remember when starting university, and even before that when choosing my university, thinking about how excited I was for the year abroad aspect of my course even though it was so far in the future. But now here I am and I can't believe how quickly it's come around! And I know this year will fly by just like the others have, so I am going to make the most of every second pour ne pas louper une miette de la vie en France. 

I have never really wanted to live with the stress of a big city like London or Paris, so Grenoble was the perfect choice for me. It's big enough that there are plenty of things to do, but it's also easy enough to escape to enjoy the mountains, countryside, lakes and smaller towns. I'm living in a colocation, thus sharing an appartment with 3 others. It's pretty simple but I have a good sized room and everything I could possibly need, as well as living in such a convenient place. I basically live next to the Parc Paul Mistral (the main park in Grenoble), which is great to visit to enjoy the sun and to relax. And also all throughout the summer, there have been many activities and events taking place there, meaning it's always lively and there's always something to do. As well as this, it only takes me about 20 minutes to walk into town, or 20 minutes in the other direction to walk to work. It couldn't be much easier than that! Or if I'm feeling particularly lazy, it's so easy just to hop on the tram to get around.

Unlike most people, I'm lucky enough to get to spend a whole year over here rather than just 9 months. I'm working as an English teacher in a company (Schneider Electric), which involves working on a 1-1 basis with adults from within a particular department in order to help them improve their English skills which are becoming more and more important in business, especially due to working on an international scale. Despite speaking English in lessons, the language of the office is French therefore during lunch breaks, coffee breaks, and generally anytime outside of lessons I get to use and improve my French skills. And hey, you'd be surprised with the amount of things you learn about French, as well as about English, just from within the English lessons themselves! The only possible downside is that I am working with people who are mostly aged 30+, but everyone is so friendly that I couldn't be happier. And fortunately there are a couple of younger people closer to my age who I get on really well with.

Anyways, I think I've rambled on enough for an introduction! I will be sure to post again soon to talk about some of the things I've done so far and possibly to post some photos!

A bientôt!
Robyn