Why Am I Obsessed With France?

If you know me at all, whether it be personally or from my social media, it is pretty transparent that I am a nut for all things French. It has now reached the point where my own family believe I must have been French in a past life. There is absolutely no denying the fact that, despite me being a legitimate British citizen (you can check my passport if you don't believe me), I was unequivocally French in a past life. Voilà, my secret it out.

(I do still love a good ol' cuppa and an occasional scone, so I'm not an absolute traitor.)

I have been asked on countless occasions why I have this emotional affiliation with France, especially Paris. The truth is, it all began when I was aged a mere 6 years old and I went on a family holiday to Bordeaux, where we stayed in a beautiful winery in which me and my sister would play on our tamagotchis whilst sipping red wine....(I'm TOTALLY joking....). My parents have recently recalled that they used to send me out every morning to fetch our breakfast (croissants...mmm) from the bread van that circulated every morning, just because I was the only one brave enough to test out my KS2 French skills that I had acquired at school (shoutout to Madame Salvage, you legend).

Although I was only uttering phrases such as 'Quatre croissants s'il vous plaît' or 'Avez vouz du pain?', I do remember experiencing such excitement from speaking French to a native, who actually seemed to appreciate (and comprehend) my efforts. I still to this day feel the same excitement in my stomach when I am in France and I'm speaking French. For me, nothing beats that sensation.

As I began at senior school, I was told I was a 'very able linguist with a flair for French' (this was literally the first sentence of every single french report I ever received...do teachers just recycle old reports??), so I was given a big confidence boost and I continued with my French studies at GCSE. Another thing that my school offered for French students was a trip to a town called Antibes. I can hand-on-my-heart say that was one of my all time favourite school trips and my love for French soared even higher. I stayed with a host family with my best friend and we had such a good laugh together, and living in a French family's house was also a fantastically immersing experience where I fully began to comprehend the french way of life.

Numerous trips to France to visit my French exchange, a week-long work experience placement in Nantes and a few short breaks to Paris were fantastic opportunities to improve my language skills and my confidence over the years and during my A-Levels. I loved discovering other beautiful gems in France (Paris is still bae) along the way and I aim to visit more parts of the country and learn about the different dialects, cuisines and traditions that they encompass.

Now I'm sat here in my room at the University of Bath studying International Management with French, en route to pursuing my goal of becoming a total fashionista living in Paris and working for Vogue. I have figurines of the Eiffel Tower perched above my bed so I have a daily reminder of what all the exams, strenuous note taking and numerous mental breakdowns are all for.

So to answer my title of 'Why Am I obsessed With France?', it all boils down to that holiday in France and asking for a few croissants in the morning, and how I feel (still to this day) when I'm speaking French. Hopefully in the future I'll be sending postcards from my cosy, Parisian appartment and all of this will be worth it.

À Bientôt!