Reading in Paris and Autumn Term Roundup

I'm sitting at my kitchen table, back in my family home in the UK. The Christmas tree is still up, and therefore the whole family is still somewhat caught in a happy festive haze, wandering around eating Christmas cake to the soundtrack of the carols on Classic FM. It's times like these that I feel like I've never even been away because everything's so warm and familiar. It's comforting to have this 'point de repère', or landmark, in my life at this time. I feel that everything is changing so dramatically and that every time I go away I come back even more different to the girl who left her home town in Sept 2015 for Paris.

As I predicted, this term has flown by even faster than I could have imagined. Essays and deadlines aside, I've loved every single minute. Yes, uni has really challenged me (at least I'm getting my money's worth!), and I've found my modules genuinely interesting. They've been very literature-heavy, which I thought would put me off French literature for a good long while, but quite the opposite has happened. They've ignited a strong interest in both French and English classics and now I'm reading everything that I can get my hands on. My last reads are L'Etranger (Camus), Le Petit Prince (Antoine de St-Exupéry) and 1984 (George Orwell). As you can imagine, these are all extremely thought provoking and I think my brain may explode. This situation may not improve any time soon as I've just bought War and Peace, and The Catcher In The Rye is waiting patiently on my bedside table. In terms of French literature, La Peste (Camus) and Voyage Au Bout De La Nuit (Céline) are definitely on my list.

This spark of interest has come about partly as a result of my shame that my knowledge of French literature is definitely not what it should be. Also, as somebody who is extremely interested in translation and who is considering it as a career, I should be reading as much as possible.

One book that has had an unprecedented deep effect on me is Nord Perdu by Nancy Huston. The author was born Canadian, moved to France in early adulthood and now is a bilingual French citizen. The book, written in such beautiful French that I could only dream to produce one day, is an account of her experience of trying to find balance in her life between two continents and cultures. I read it pretty much in one go, huddled in a chair in the freezing Luxembourg Gardens, unable to put it down because it touched me so deeply. The compass as a metaphor was powerful and all the joys and the difficulties that she spoke about I related to on some level.

In the spirit of my two great loves of Paris and reading, here are some....

 Quiet and Secret Gardens to Read In!

• Square Marcel Bleustein Blanchet, 18ème- hidden behind the Sacré-Coeur, this is overlooked by everybody. 
• Square Ajaccio, 7ème- Shh, this is a secret one. 
• Allée Marcel Proust, Champs-Elysées- set back off the busy Avenue, you can block out the traffic if you strategically place yourself on a bench behind a bush. 
• Little park in front of Trinité d'Estienne-d'Orves- this is where I did a good chunk of my revision last summer. The church, my favourite in Paris, gives a beautiful backdrop.

What else have I been doing this term apart from studying and reading, I hear my devoted fanbase clamouring to know? (I joke, my fanbase consists of my parents. Big love to you)

Here's another list: 

• Jumping on Line 13 to go to my Translation Internship
• Experimenting with omelette fillings
• Going to concerts of my favourite artists- a nice mix of old theatres and huge arenas 
• Exploring the streets whilst running
• Getting angry about the US Election with literally everybody
• Making cute treats for Halloween
• Eating sushi home-made by my flatmate 
• Cleaning up the mess I make by continuously knocking over my cacti 
• Being all touristy with my friend Jenny who came to visit (fun shout out) 

And even more random memories, because I'm sentimental and I love it: 

The metro late at night////drinking hot chocolate for breakfast in Panis////running down the Avenue de Saxe in the rain////sheep behind Invalides////stockpiling chickpeas////exchanging cute notes with flatmates via our pigeonholes////Piscine Blomet////the autumn leaves in the Luxembourg Gardens///sharp morning air on the Boulevard Raspail////looking for a suede jacket and finding one/////being covered in streamers at the Maitre Gims concert////gatherings at Maubert-Mutualité, Strasbourg-St-Denis and Poissonnière 

I never wanted this term to end, and now it has. In true Katharine-style, I wish the same for this coming term. As long as I'm still laughing, running and working, I'll be happy.

I'll be back in Paris on Thursday. I can't wait to see what this new term brings.

K x

Second year so far

I haven't posted here for a while; I keep starting a new draft, forget about it and then a few weeks later it's not relevant any more. Time seems to be accelerating and that's something I'm not okay with; throughout my year-and-a-bit in Paris I've had an almost physical sensation that time is slipping through my fingers. I want to savour every bit of this experience.

 My parents and brother came over last week and we all visited the Loire Valley together. It was such a lovely couple of days. I'm learning to treasure the time with my family in a different way now that I live here, and I love that. It was rather odd to show them around my foyer and quartier; the gap between my two lives suddenly became very clear. I'm sure that this is something that every student can relate to; a feeling that your Uni life and your Home life coexist harmoniously in separate bubbles, and when they fuse for a moment it feels very strange. That said, we had the best time together and I can't describe how much I appreciate that they came to see me. 

Recently I've just felt so happy. The other night I was lying in bed, in that strange in-between stage when you're not quite asleep but not really awake either, and I just thought, 'Life is good right now.' Like every student, I'm so used to feeling like life is hitting me in the face all the time with new pressures and deadlines, that I almost didn't realise that lately I actually seem to have everything together. I've dealt with what stressed me out last year, and the result is that my mind isn't so clouded with a to-do list that I can see past my unfinished essay and dirty washing, to the fact that I have the most amazing friends, great opportunities in a new internship and job, and that I'm actually getting a lot of enjoyment out of my degree at the moment. 

Of course, this doesn't mean that I think my life is perfect, and I don't want to appear to be boasting. I just feel like it's important to recognise when you're happy; society as a whole spends way too much time being negative! I'm going to continue doing what I'm doing and hope that this continues for a long time.

My life now consists of: runs on the rive gauche, Friday morning markets, reading up on translation theory, going to the pool with flatmates, learning about spices, listening to the best playlists on the metro, cycling to uni in the morning light, woolly hats, spying on the neighbours with my roommate, porridge, the deepest most honest conversations with my friends, frozen bananas, walking along the Boulevard du Montparnasse in my gold-heeled ballerina pumps and feeling complete.

I like second year so far.

Bisous,

K x

Things that happen when you live between two countries

Splitting your life between two countries can be really, really disorientating. Of course, it makes you feel really cultured and international (you can also sweep past all the confused people trying to find Eurostar check-in thinking 'Make way, make way, experienced traveller coming through!'). But whenever I travel from one of my 'homes' to the other, I always need a few days to adjust. Kindly see below the list of things that I have done since getting back to the UK a few days ago....

• Had to suppress a cheery 'Bonjour!' to the cashier in Morrisons
• Also had to suppress a cheery 'Au Revoir!' to said cashier
• The same goes for kissing acquaintances on each cheek- I'm now faced with a choice between hug and handshake and I've forgotten how to judge
• Left every appliance in the house on because in France there are no switches on the sockets
• Looked the wrong way when crossing the road, became confused and ended up looking in all the directions at once (honestly, it's a miracle I haven't died yet)  
• Bemoaned the lack of public transport. Why oh why does my hometown not have the metro?!
• Constantly done double takes when signs and billboards are in English
• Been puzzled at the lack of Longchamp bags, trench coats and Chelsea boots. And then re-realised that I'm not in Paris any more and people are a lot more chilled when they go grocery shopping
• Had to remember not to subtract a percentage of the price in shops, because things are in pounds now! 

Imagine this whole list the other way round, and that's the adjustment I have to make when going back to Paris! You wouldn't think that a country so close to the UK would have so many differences. 

Let me know if you can relate/have things to add! 

K x 

Onwards and upwards: the end of BA1

A couple of weeks ago,  I had my very last exam, marking the end of the first year of my degree! Tomorrow, I'll be packing my bags for the last time this academic year. Wish me luck; I definitely have more stuff than I started with! I may have to enlist the help of one of my flatmates to sit on my suitcase as I zip it shut.


If I said that I wasn't sad about leaving for a few months, I'd be lying. I'm going to miss Paris a lot. But since exams ended I've had such an amazing time just being a tourist, going to exhibitions, concerts, and day trips (Giverny is amazing). I even went to a reception at the ambassador's residence, which was an incredible experience. I've spent so much time with my favourite people, some of whom won't be here next year. It's been bittersweet.


Everything's fixed for my return in September- I've finally got a room with a balcony, shared with the lovely Clara (cheeky shoutout). I can't wait to get back and decorate it with my postcard collection (yes, I'm ridiculous), fairy lights, and who knows, I might even go the whole way and get a houseplant. Yolo.

I see Paris as my home now. I can't quite explain this. I know that I've only been here a year, and there's a lot of people that I love back in the UK. I'll always feel at home with my family, but (and I mean this in the most sensitive way possible) my life is here now. I'm where I'm supposed to be. I feel centred, balanced, here.


I don't want to be over-emotional but I just need to say this: this year has been the happiest of my life so far. It hasn't been without its challenges, but I've had the confidence and the right people around me to help me through. When I look back at my life this time last year, I'm reminded of how much more positive I've become and the self-belief that I've gained. I'm going to do my utmost to ensure that next year is even better. Onwards and upwards!

This summer is going to be a good one. It won't be long before I'm packing my bags again, and I'm so excited. As always, I'll be posting snippets of my adventures, and all the experiences and funny disasters along the way!



Until September, Paris. You've been everything I hoped for and more.

K x

Why living in a Foyer is the best thing you'll ever do

Whenever I have to explain what a Foyer is to English people I seem to use a different translation, but none ever seems to be apt. I've described it as a sort of student halls (probably the best attempt), a dormitory, and a boarding house (which makes it sound like a Victorian jail).

Basically, it's a building with about sixty students divided into floors of about ten to twelve. Some girls share rooms, others have one all to themselves. Each floor has a shared kitchen, shared showers, shared toilets, etc. It usually has a religious focus, or is attached to a religious group. Mine is Catholic, but the majority of the girls, including me, are not Catholics, and there's never any discrimination, bias, or attempts at conversion, thank goodness! I don't think anyone wants to have someone try and convert them over their coffee and toast in the morning.

My university hasn't got any halls, and my other options were getting a flat on my own or with people from uni. I know that I'd hate living alone, and no way was I organised enough to sort out a flat, especially one overseas. So a Foyer was my only option...not to mention the cheapest.

When I told my friends back home that this is where I'd chosen to live, there were mixed reactions- mostly horror, to be honest! Everyone, including me, to be honest, had visions of nuns and 10pm curfews. It seemed as far away from the 'British university experience' as you can get.

In actual fact, I think it's the closest thing that you can get to the British university experience when you're living abroad, and by British university experience, I mean getting to meet tons of different people doing totally different subjects to you, bonding over silly amounts of pasta, and going out together. I've ended up with friends both from France and places all over the world.

Ridiculous things have happened, including a certain person accidentally setting fire to a bag of popcorn in the microwave and causing mass panic (shoutout to my gal Salma) and somebody else locking themselves out of their room at 1am and having to do some seriously impressive stuff with a potato masher to get it open (Clara, I'm still impressed and sorry that I was useless). This is Foyer life!

Most of the time, however, our Foyer is a disaster free zone, although admittedly the limescale in the kettle is getting to a toxic level. We have a library, a launderette (by that, I mean a washing machine, a dryer and loads of clothes horses in an underground cave) and a lovely lady who comes and cleans our kitchen and bathroom. I don't think I'll have this at any other stage in my life!

Of course, there are always downsides. I have approximately half a shelf in the fridge, and sometimes the WiFi just stops working for NO REASON and the whole Foyer doesn't know what to do with itself. People come wandering into the kitchen looking lost and confused.

In short, life in a studio flat can suit people perfectly, and I can completely see why. But living in a Foyer is totally my thing. It's great to get home to a kitchen full of people or a movie night. It sounds cheesy but it really does feel more like a family, something that's very important to me as I don't go home that often. Plus, my French has definitely improved, one of the main reasons that I chose a Foyer in the first place. Living alongside French people, you definitely pick up things without realising...even if it is colloquial insults. Thanks a lot, people!

I'm staying on next year, and I think I'm going to ask for a shared room again. It is a little sad because most of my group are going back to uni in their countries or are going to do university exchanges and go abroad. Some are staying, though, and knowing the amazing people I've met this year makes me excited for next.

It's highly unlikely that future first years are reading this, but if by any chance you are, check out some Foyers. They're great.

K x

Paris vs Exams

This time of year feels so strange because it feels like the academic year is over already. Lectures are finished and the only thing left is exams. It does feel weird having exam stress in a foreign city because to be honest I've never stopped feeling like I'm on an extended holiday. Don't get me wrong, I have actually worked hard this year (well, mostly...), but it's so hard to get into the study zone when you can see the Eiffel Tower from your uni library!

The issue with having to do revision in a foreign capital city is that there are so many ways to procrastinate! Back in the UK I would get distracted by the internet like everyone else, but here I wake up and think, 'Oh, today's a lovely day, imagine the view from the Sacré Coeur!' And then I just jump on the métro and spend a couple of hours wandering around Montmartre.

The upside is that I can bribe myself to do revision by promising a trip to a cool gallery or a walk along the Seine with one of my friends who is equally as bored by revision as me. I feel like anyone who studies abroad, or in a cool city in the UK, can relate- even though we've been away for a couple of terms now, there's still a novelty about it and so many places that we want to see that we haven't got to yet.

I ticket one of these places off my mental list today, and that is La Butte aux Cailles. Think beautiful cobbled winding streets with old lamps and flowers peeping over the whitewashed walls. I heard nothing but birdsong for probably the first time since I've been in Paris. Perfect for an evening walk, or you can Vélib it.

I have a confession, and that is that for about 80% of the time I carry a Paris guidebook that my grandma gave me in my bag. Not very Parisian, I know! The thing is that it has so many great recommendations (at one point it was full of strips of paper to mark the places I wanted to go to) and sometimes I'm coming back from somewhere or on a boring errand and just fancy taking off somewhere for an hour or so. That's how I found out about La Butte aux Cailles.  It also has some pretty great maps that I use when cycling because my phone always seems to die.

For students in big cities, small cities or just anywhere really, I totally recommend getting a guidebook. Yes, it makes you look stupid, especially when you're looking at a map on a street corner and the real locals (I count myself as a fake local, or shall we say fokal) are giving you disapproving looks as if to say, 'How can that silly tourist get so lost?'. At this point I always want to jump up and down shouting, 'Lies and slander! I live here, kindly inspect my Navigo pass and library card!'. But of course that would be ridiculous and embarrassing, and oh-so-not Parisian.

Anyway, I'm off topic- the message here is basically that guidebooks look lame but can be useful. You don't have to consult it in the middle of the street blocking everyone else (seriously, don't), but I've discovered so many great places thanks to it. Thanks, Grandma!

Exam period is dragging on, but in a week or so I'll be free and enjoying my last weeks in Paris before the summer. (Argh, 'last weeks'! Where has this year gone to?!) But before I start reminiscing on what has been the best year of my life so far (here we go already), I must stop and go to bed because my sleep schedule is ridiculous. It doesn't matter what country you're in, the student life is still the same!

Gros bisous,

K x

Thoughts about Brussels

The first thing I saw when I woke up on Tuesday morning was the news that there had been a terrorist attack in Brussels. The anger and sadness I felt was so overwhelming that I just lay in bed and cried. I don't think we, as compassionate human beings, can ever understand what drives people to do this.
We can analyse for weeks on end and write books and interview ex-Daech members. But to get anywhere close to comprehending why somebody would plan for months and years to kill innocent people? Impossible.

Impossible was the word a Belgian minister apparently used to describe the war on terror. In an odd sort of way, I felt a grim sense of relief that at least somebody seems to be voicing what the people feel. I understand why world leaders have to give the zero-tolerance response that they do. But the problem is so complex, and we don't have enough resources or manpower, 'we' being Europe as a whole.

I know that to say that the problem is 'impossible' is not helpful, nor necessarily what we need to hear in times like these. However I felt that it was an expression of what a lot of people seem to feel, and within me at least, this very human admission struck a chord.

I think that one of the most upsetting things that people are saying is that it was only a matter of time. I admit that when I saw the news, it was a shock, but it was not a surprise. I cannot imagine the atmosphere in Brussels ever since the Paris attacks if that was truly what everyone was thinking. A whole city, afraid. At the very least, in the aftermath of the Paris attacks, we all had the facts to deal with to try and make sense of things. But the Belgians had none of that; all they had was rumours and fear for a good few months until this.

One thing that I find disgusting is sensationalist media headlines saying things like: 'London is next!' and 'Europe under attack!'. This is absolutely useless. It gives no practical or official information and just spreads more fear, which is incidentally the aim of the terrorists. We KNOW that London is a terrorist target. Sensationalist reporting just to sell more copies or whatever is absolutely awful, and is one of the things that annoyed me the most in the days after both the Paris and Brussels attacks.

Sorry that this just turned into a huge rant, if you even carried on reading after the first paragraph. These attacks really have affected me and my friends in Paris on a personal level, even though we don't know many people in Brussels. I wouldn't wish the impact of the attacks on Paris on any city.

Realistically, this won't be the last. But it would be wonderful if it was.

K x