Moving to Paris.....suggesstions?

[sethypoo]

I'm seriously considering going to Paris or England (London area) during the Fall semester of my Junior year of college for a "semester abroad."

I was wondering if there are any MacRumors members out there who have been in a exchange program like this, and if they can give me any information at all about leaving America (California to be exact) and going to a foreign country.

Power outlets- do I need special adapters?
What are some good colleges in the area?

[sethypoo]

To add:
What are some top-notch exchange programs to go with?

[pseudobrit]

Power outlets- do I need special adapters?
What are some good colleges in the area?

You'll need 220 adapters, IIRC.

As to other research, I'd search both the Dept. of State and Education websites.

[sethypoo]

You'll need 220 adapters, IIRC.

Thanks.

I assume that those said adapters work in France and England?

[IrishGold]

I'm seriously considering going to Paris or England (London area) during the Fall semester of my Junior year of college for a "semester abroad."

Go to England.

Trust me on this.

[trebblekicked]

i worked on a cultural exchange with a french theatre festival for two summers. best time of my life. i spent a decent amount of time in the UK, too, and although it was pretty cool, it couldn't hold a candle to france.

my recommendation is find an exchange program that gets you outside of paris. a couple of nice places you should look into are Rennes and Quimper. very cool cities in bretagne. Not to say Paris is bad. It has a reputation for being snooty, but i think that's just typical american french-bashing.

what do you study?

[IrishGold]

Not to say Paris is bad. It has a reputation for being snooty, but i think that's just typical american french-bashing.

You haven't been there lately then.
I wouldn't make it apparent that your American more than you have to.

[trebblekicked]

You haven't been there lately then.
I wouldn't make it apparent that your American more than you have to.

does within the last year count?

all the time i spent in france, i've never felt like a "victim" of an anti-americanism. whenever i talk politics in france i get the feeling they don't like our foreign policy very much, but does that change the way they feel about me as an individual? no. they'll still bum me a cigarette or pick up the next round. they're good people.

[IrishGold]

Guess I just had a different experience then.

Maybe its because Im from the South and use to a more friendly culture, but I got a very rude vibe while I was there.

[Abstract]

France is more "different" than London is to anything in the US, so you'll get the most culture shock from living in France (I'm assuming that's what you want...... a completely different experience). So yes, I think France is what YOU should do.

However, I feel that France is only a great place ..... to visit. I lived in London, and it was the best experience of my life. But I think France is the different experience you'd want if you're going to visit a place for 4 months or so.

And don't live outside of Paris if you don't know any french, despite what others here have said. Living in a small french town may be a bit too rough since people outside of the major touristy cities rarely speak english. Others may have had a different experience, but generally it WILL be a problem.

[medea]

abstract: I'm sorry but all areas outside of France are not small rural French towns, that is like saying all areas outside of New York are small rural U.S. towns.

sethypoo: Go to Borders (or whatever bookstore) and check out this book I was looking through a while ago, it's called Living, Studying and Working in France, here is an amazon link http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0805059474/qid=1083504007/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-0246729-2186575?v=glance&s=books . I am sure if you choose the U.K. instead there are plenty of similar books for there as well. One thing you need to research is the legal system, check out http://www.frenchentree.com/ as they have a legal & taxes section as well as other information. Good luck with your decision.

[virividox]

when paris and london, there is a lot of things to do and see either place.

sure england is different from american culture, but nothing beats france if you want a true foreign experience

food especially. :)

trust me on this, iv lived in all three countries.

[Abstract]

abstract: I'm sorry but all areas outside of France are not small rural French towns, that is like saying all areas outside of New York are small rural U.S. towns.


Outside of New York City, people would still speak mainly english. Outside of Paris, people aren't as likely to speak english. I was discussing the possible language barrier that may be magnified if he were to live in a small town outside of Paris. Someone who only speaks Mandarin may be much better off living in New York City rather than "_____" County, which is actually true. Change what I said about NYC and change it to Paris, and its still true. It'll be easier for him to survive on english alone (and possibly survival-level french) if he lives in Paris, or any touristy city that's large.

By referring to something "outside of Paris", I should have said, "outside of Paris or a touristy city", so that was my mistake. I guess if someone that demanded every post to be precisely worded and proofread were to read my post, s/he may be slightly confused and cloud the entire purpose of my previous thread by replying with a statement that summarized the main point of my message quite erroneously. I hope nobody else took my post the wrong way.

I'll try not to resort to sarcasm next time, either...

[zamyatin]

I went to Beijing for a semester in college; it was fun. Financially, it was great because everything in China is amazingly cheap! I did not have to take any student loans that semester. I spent about $1500 on airline tickets, and maybe $3,000 on everything else combined. My housing cost $2 per night, restaurant meals were about $1, and the food carts sold lunches for $0.50. You can get all the knockoff North Face down jackets, pirated music CDs for a dollar, great big Mao-style overcoats, and all the kitsch you could ever desire!

If China's not on your radar, though, a trip to Europe would be great. I can't help you with the choice between England and France, but I bet you'd have a good time in either one.

[sethypoo]

what do you study?

I'm going for a PhD in child Psychology with an emphasis on counseling.

Thank you all so much for your help! I checked with my univeristy I'm currently attending in the USA: they have no programs going to England whatsoever, and their France semester abroad program is for French language majors primarily.

I think I'm leaning toward England right now: there's nothing saying I can't take a train/plane to France for a weekend getaway! :)

My schedule is such that I can't really fit in a lot of foreign language classes, so England might work since, well, they speak English there last time I checked.

[sethypoo]

I went to Beijing for a semester in college; it was fun. Financially, it was great because everything in China is amazingly cheap! I did not have to take any student loans that semester. I spent about $1500 on airline tickets, and maybe $3,000 on everything else combined. My housing cost $2 per night, restaurant meals were about $1, and the food carts sold lunches for $0.50. You can get all the knockoff North Face down jackets, pirated music CDs for a dollar, great big Mao-style overcoats, and all the kitsch you could ever desire!

If China's not on your radar, though, a trip to Europe would be great. I can't help you with the choice between England and France, but I bet you'd have a good time in either one.

Nah, China is not on my radar for a place to live for a semester, but I am definatly going to vacation/visit there sometime in my life.

Jeez, $2 a night for your room? $1 for dinner?!?

sethypoo: Go to Borders (or whatever bookstore) and check out this book I was looking through a while ago, it's called Living, Studying and Working in France, here is an amazon link http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...=glance&s=books . I am sure if you choose the U.K. instead there are plenty of similar books for there as well. One thing you need to research is the legal system, check out http://www.frenchentree.com/ as they have a legal & taxes section as well as other information. Good luck with your decision.

Thank you for the tip on the book.....I will definatly be stopping into my local Borders soon.

[IrishGold]

think I'm leaning toward England right now:

You will love it in England...

Find you a hot blonde girl with a nice body and that accent

.....oh dear god....yes! I might just join you :D

Screw studying :p

[Mav451]

Very very true. You can get a massive bowl of noodles for maybe $1-2, and it will probably be better than whatever you've had in the US (especially if you've only been to "Americanized" restaurants). And of course, they got A & J there too (got a few places in MD :) )

Why am i talking bout food and going OT? I dunno :)

*Ah, yeah England may be best if you don't wanna learn another language...I actually know a few guys from class considering going to England as well (but they are Undergrads).

[sethypoo]

What kind of immunizations are required these days to travel abroad? As far as I know, I'm up to date on everything that's been required here in the USA.

[Abstract]

Going from the USA to England....not much. You may want to get your Hepatitis A and/or B shot. One of them is important if you're going to eat seafood. I think I got it before I moved to England, but that's all I got. If you're likely to eat seafood in another country, its recommended. Canada is in the lowest risk group for Hep B (or A) so I never needed to get it, but I don't think the UK is "only" in the low risk group, not the lowest risk group. However, seeing as how you're going to a first world country, I don't see much of a problem if you're to move there as long as you have all the 'standard' shots and don't eat at any dodgy restaurants. Hep B isn't a standard immunization in Canada.