By Ashley C., guest blogger and France study abroad participant

Normally, I would say you shouldn?t take advantage of men in order to practice your French, but I?ve made a few exceptions here. One night, while eating a crepe in Vieux Lyon (amazing crepes, by the way!), a man came up to me and said “bon appetit!” (a very common expression, of course), and I said “Merci!” and smiled (thinking he would just pass by). He then sat down. I thought to myself, I wonder if he?s a nice guy or a weird one? He then started to talk to me slowly and carefully, and he complimented me on my French (which, by the way, is not good…yet), and then asked me out to a drink. Ordinarily, if I was back in the states, I would never have even talked to him for more than a few minutes, but in France I?m supposed to be practicing my French, right?

So, I told him that I?d rather just talk where we were sitting (with lots of people around), and we talked about everything from our families to our pets (beginner vocabulary, but still…I couldn?t believe I was having a conversation with someone really from France in French).

What I came away with from this experience was a greater desire to talk with locals and take some chances with my French. Be careful, of course, but don?t be afraid to speak in a language you?re just learning with locals. They don?t care usually, and are mostly just happy you?re speaking in French at all! Give yourself a pat on the back and ask a store merchant (or a cute French person) how they?re doing!

The people that I?ve met really enjoy knowing where you?re from and why you?re studying French, so make the most of it and practice your French with them! Even if you mess up and make a fool of yourself (which you won?t, but if you?d like to talk to someone who has made a fool of themselves – I?m right here), you really won?t be seeing these people for very long (depending on how long you stay). Concentrate on practicing your French and getting over insecurities about what people might think of you. Hey, it might even help you be a more confident person when you go back home!

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By Ashley C., guest blogger learning French in France

I live in an exceptionally beautiful part of Lyon called Croix-Rousse! There?s a farmer?s market every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and it?s the most wonderful farmer?s market you could ever go to! There are wonderful fruits and vegetables, of course, but there are some vendors who also sell beautiful clothing, pottery, jewelry, and other handmade creations. I can spend a whole weekday morning just wandering around the wonderful stands (and I have spent many weekday mornings doing just that!).

If you meander through the market and end up near the Metro station, you?ll also reach a great viewing point where you can sit on a bench and look out at all of Lyon. I like to bring a book and some of my notes from class and just eat one of the fresh apples from the farmer?s market. I also like to buy a baguette and some “jambon” (ham) and make sandwiches for lunch every week. I eat very well here.

For the athletes (or the casual jogger, like myself), Croix-Rousse is also a great place for a jog. You?ll see several people running up and down the streets here, and there?s even a great track just around the corner from where I live. Croix-Rousse is exceptional in this respect, because there are not a lot of places you can go in France where you?ll see a log of joggers. People are thin here, but they are not typically athletic-looking. In the states, I see much more athletic-looking people, but there is also (of course) a lot of obesity.

Another reason why I love Croix-Rousse (and a reason you won?t find in tour guide books) is the local merchant just down the street. When I first came to Lyon, I knew no one and this local merchant was the first person I met and talked with. He?s very patient with my French and genuinely very nice and welcoming. When I buy something at the store, he always takes time to ask me how I?m doing and (sometimes) to teach me a little bit about French. People are very nice here!

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By Ashley C., guest blogger learning French in Lyon, France

The 14th of July in France is like the 4th of July in the USA (except they celebrate a different independence, of course!). There are fireworks everywhere, and you get the day off school (even if you really want to just go to school anyway!). It?s a very exciting and beautiful, but also a bit dangerous (so be careful!).

On the 14th, I went out with some of the students in my class to celebrate the big night when someone threw a homemade firecracker (which sort of looks like a little round bomb – no really!) and it landed in the middle of our circle of friends. The firework went off in one of my friends eyes, and we all panicked thinking maybe his eye could be seriously damaged, but, actually, it ended up being just fine by the next day. It was scary though! These little homemade firecrackers go off all the time on the 14th of July, and every time they did I was a little scared. I did enjoy the holiday, but I wish it was a bit safer! (don?t tell my mom about these firecrackers!).

The organized fireworks are much more random and very different than the 4th of July fireworks in the states. Instead of heading to a park to see organized fireworks (like you do in the states mostly), you really can go anywhere and you can always see the big, professionally-lit fireworks shoot across the sky! It?s wonderful. I headed to Vieux Lyon (a very pretty area with cobblestone streets) to get a close view.

Lots of people were standing around Vieux Lyon drinking beer and munching on snacks, while others sat down on blankets for a more relaxing evening. What struck me most about the night was its randomness. You could stand up and scream or dance, and no one acts like its anything out of the ordinary. People just do their own thing here. In the states, I think if someone started dancing and screaming in front of you, many people would be uncomfortable or even more their little picnic blankets. Here, whatever goes!

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By Ashley C., guest blogger studying French in Lyon, France

Here are some items I purchased that have been really helpful on my travels!

-Bescherelle books: I bought the Bescherelle package of French books (l?orthographie, la grammaire, la conjugaison) for about 40 Euros, and I use them all the time. Turns out that even though you can always look up conjugations when doing your French homework in the US, you actually really need to memorize the conjugations for speaking in French! I found these books extremely helpful for general reference, but also for reading while I?m on the metro (you will spend a lot of time on the metro here, so use the time well with these books!).

-Notebook, pens and a highlighter: Basically, be prepared when you come to class! Not many students are, and you?ve no idea how many times I?ve been asked “do you have a spare pen?” Be prepared. You?ll also want a highlighter. I don?t usually use one, but sometimes it?s really great to have a highlighter when going through different worksheets in class (particularly, when the printer?s ink is a bit too dark to read. Highlighting makes it easier!).

-A Guide Book: I found Rick Steve?s guidebook on France the most helpful. That?s how I found my favorite cafe that I now go to every day!

An Electronic Dictionary: I have a little pocket dictionary that is useful, but I can?t look up words as quickly as I?d like sometimes. Electronic dictionaries are really helpful, since they enable you to find the word you want to look up really easily and quickly. This is particularly helpful when you?re trying to speed write something in your Super Intensive class and you only have so much time! If I could do it over again, I?d have bought one early on in my trip. [Editor's note: There are a lot of great iPhone apps that can do this!]

Good shoes: I know they don?t have any magical powers to help you learn French better, but I can?t study well when my feet have a million blisters on them. Invest in good walking shoes or good fashionable sandals. Take it from someone who knows what it?s like to have a lot of blisters from walking around Lyon, wear good shoes! I didn?t want to shell out the hundred dollars or so to buy myself a good pair back in the states, but I think it was rather silly of me to be so worried about a hundred dollars now
that my feet are all pink and bumpy.

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By Ashley C., guest blogger studying French in Lyon, France

June 2010:

So hot. I was too hot for my shirt (literally). I?ve barely experienced weather this hot before. I wore nothing (basically). I bought a couple cheap H&M dresses because my jean shorts were too hot. I bought a paper fan to carry around with me, and I drank enough water to fill an ocean (or so it seemed). I didn?t realize it would be so hot, so I didn?t pack appropriately. Bring the coolest clothes you have, or just plan to spend a bit of

money (clothes are cheap here) when you arrive. I also went to Avignon one weekend, and experienced the most horridly hot weather ever. It was an oven. I can?t even think about it.

August 2010:

Much better. Finally wearing a sweater sometimes makes sense!
Style (and what not to wear):

Girls: Dress up! Bring your dresses and your skirts and everything you?ve always wanted to wear every day, but couldn?t due to USA fashions that dictate that dresses are for fancy occasions. In France, you can wear a really fancy dress around the town! Awesome! Strappy sandals are also really popular here. Bring your own, or buy some here. Nearly everything is cheap when you buy it on sale, so this is really a shopping girl?s heaven.

A few don?ts: Don?t bring shorts and expect other people to be wearing them. If you like to be in fashion, just leave your shorts and your athletic sneakers at home. If you don?t care about fashion, sure, no don?ts for you! Work those sneakers and see if you can start a fashion trend!

Boys: You can wear whatever you want! Guys run around wearing short, white shorts here! I see striped jackets and sweatshirts (something I?d never see in the states). I see lots of pink and colorful shirts on men. It?s inspiring! Men?s fashion is so dull in the states, but it?s much more free here. There are no don?ts, except to leave the gel out of your hair (oh wait, that?s just something I personally prefer…).

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By Ashley C., guest blogger studying French in Lyon, France

If you read my earlier blog about the Lyon school?s program, you?ll realize that even if you take the 30/hours a week Super Intensive course, you?ll be out of school by 3 PM. You?ll be so tired, you?ll be a walking zombie around 3 PM, so don?t worry too much about needing a plan everyday (you don?t). I do think I could have used my time better during my first few weeks here if only I?d known how to use my time better. Thus, my blog about time management!

1) The after-school nap: Take one, or grab a beer. Do something other than study French and give that brain of yours a rest.

2) Then, study your French:

    a) Watch a French movie, first with English subtitles and then with French subtitles.
Watch a movie from the USA with French subtitles. Alternate – you get the point.

    b) There?s a great public library in Lyon (near the Part-Dieu metro station) where you
can rent audiobooks to help you learn French. They have baby books, young adult
books, ect. They have everything you need to be immersed in the language! For 6
Euros, you can get a library card and rent whatever you want.

    c) Again, don?t get carried away with the night drinking! Some people really ruin their
stay in Lyon by drinking every night and not getting any sleep. I like to think these
people have rich parents who are paying for them and they deserve the terrible
education they?re getting (but I feel bad for the parents).

    d) Do your homework. Depending on the teacher, you?ll have some required homework.
Even if your teacher doesn?t assign homework, do complete the spare exercises and
ask your teacher to correct them the next day anyway. (hey! you?re paying for the
class, so you should be able to get the most out of it).

    e) Attend the after-school activities: Earlier I wrote about these activities (they change
everyday – e.g. laser tag, a movie, a museum, etc.), and they?re good to attend since
everything?s in French and you can talk to the teacher in charge of that day?s activity
in French (for free!).

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Read all of Ashley's blogs from Lyon France

 I bought a calling card, thinking that my card would knock down the price of my calls on my USA phone from $1/minute to just a few cents/minute. Not true. You have to actually buy a French phone and then use the calling card on the local French phone in order to use the calling card properly. I racked up a good $500 phone bill by making this mistake! Whoops.

Which brings me to my next point, try not to have a boyfriend/girlfriend when traveling to France! (or if you do, make sure to take the following advice):

1) Use Skype!
I don?t have internet at my apartment, which is a bit troublesome, but there are several internet cafes around and, my favorite, Haagan Dazs! Whenever I need internet, there?s also always a reason to have some ice cream! Win, win (but not for my thighs).

2) Buy a French phone:
The phones are cheaper than the states (I bought mine for 29 Euros), but the phone plans are much more expensive. I use my French phone only to text my friends locally – i.e. “Where are we meeting up?” texts, etc. The French phone plans are simple, easy, and are as follows: You put a certain amount of credit on your phone (e.g. I put 10 Euros on my phone) and then your phone will stop working when you?ve spent the amount of money you put on it. You want to be able to connect with your classmates, but don?t actually call them, and definitely (unless it?s an emergency) don?t call home on your French phone without a calling card.

3) Write emails/Facebook messages/anything other than calling:
I?ve had to resort to emailing some of my best friends due to my incredibly horrific phone bill the first
month of my stay here. If I could do it over again, of course I would have just emailed/facebooked during my first month. Don?t get hit with a bad phone bill. Your friends will still be there when you get back (or, wait!, I haven?t tested this out yet), and you need to save your pennies when you?re a student.

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By Ashley C., guest blogger studying French in Lyon, France

Avignon: I don?t think you can look at Google Images of Avignon, and get a feel for whether or not the place is worth visiting. Avignon is just an experience. Everywhere, there are people in costumes who hand out flyers to their next theatre performance.  There are people who sing opera in the street; there are people dressed up as bears, and people who play the piano down the side walk. You can definitely go to Avignon without a plan, and just wander around the central downtown. There are enough street
performers to see to last you an entire weekend! It?s one of the most colorful places I?ve ever visited, and I think if you get as far as Lyon, you should definitely spend a weekend here.

Annecy: Annecy is the most popular place to visit on the weekend for the students at my school. It?s beautiful. The water in the lake is incredibly clean (apparently, according to my guide book, it wasn?t all the clean back in the 1950s, but Annecy cleaned it up to increase the tourist populations. Their efforts were successful!). Good hiking, great camping (if you?ve got a tent!), and lots of paddle boating. I just hung out at the beach mostly, and had a great time.

Geneva: If you like to relax when you travel, definitely go to Geneva. I say this because I had the most wonderful time in Geneva, but other people have told me that they didn?t find much to do. Then I thought back on what I did in Geneva, and I remembered I had only hung out on a paddle boat all day. That said, I?ve been on a lot of paddle boats, and there is nothing like paddle boating in Geneva. Again, the water is incredibly clean! Everything is beautiful. Also, visit the Red Cross museum if you can,
and know that it closes early (like everything else in Geneva!).

Dijon: I went here just to experience another city in France, but honestly it wasn?t worth the coin. The mustard is pretty cool to sample, but otherwise there?s not that much to see.

Paris: One word: GO!

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By Ashley C., guest blogger studying French in Lyon, France

I love to travel, but I don?t have a lot of money, and here are some tips that I?ve discovered by talking to locals and making some of my own mistakes.

1) Buy a 50% reduction card if you plan to travel around Lyon on the weekends are staying for longer than three weeks. The cards cost 20 Euros, but they knock the price of the train in half for a lot of places in France: Avignon, Annecy, Chartreuse, etc. If you?re traveling with friends, just buy one card, and have the card holder?s name buy your tickets (but do pay them back!).

2) Paris is easy to get to on a dime, but you have to plan early! The tickets to paris can range from 20-100 Euros one way, and you do not want to be the one paying the 200 Euros for the round trip! I bought my tickets about a month early, and I paid 60 Euros round trip. My friend paid 200 Euros for his round trip ticket. Ouch.

3) Hotels/Hostels: Book early! Everything is just booked during the summers. Even though I would have easily stayed in a hostel whenever I traveled, I wasn?t ever able to because I never planned ahead in this respect. I did find some cheap hotels (about 70 Euros a night) to stay in, and this wasn?t a bad option considering I was traveling with friends.

4) This brings me to my next point – travel with friends! I didn?t know anyone before I came to Lyon, but I made friends fast not only because It?s fun to have friends, but also because it?s just so much more affordable to travel with friends! You can split the hotel or the hostel, you can split taxies, you don?t have to worry so much when you get lost, you have people to drink with at the bars, ect. I don?t think I need to go on about how great it is to have friends! Make some, and travel together if at all possible!

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By Ashley C., guest blogger studying French in Lyon, France

Here is a short list of tips based on my first month here that I thought everyone might find helpful for French study in Lyon!

Eating:
Eat well! This may be entirely obvious to most people, but it wasn?t to me. During my first couple weeks here, I lived by the motto “if I?m only going to be here a short time, I should be able to eat whatever I want!” When you travel, though, your diet changes so much. I didn?t realize that my diet would even change that much! I didn?t realize I could even gain weight (I?m pencil thin, and I?ve never been on a diet). Eat fruits and veggies!  Eat healthy food! Don?t eat croissants every spare chance you can get! I started to get sick a few weeks in (I think because of my diet), and I?m now still trying to figure out how
to eat well in Lyon. You can do it, but don?t think it will come naturally.

Drinking:
Every night, some students hit the bars. I went a couple of times, and was absolutely tired the next day for class. Don?t succumb to peer pressure here! You only have so much time to learn French, and I really feel for the students who are (virtually) wasting their education in France by going out every night. Party hard when you go home, but study hard here!

Studying:
You don?t need to study that much, but I think it?s good to look over your notes from each day. This week my class really poured over different ways to conjugate verbs, so I studied a bit harder (conjugations just must be memorized!), but otherwise I?ve gotten by well without studying too heavily.

Sleeping:
French beds are tiny! (I think because of all the skinny people here!). I usually sleep in a nice big queen bed in the states, but here I can barely fit in one of these French twin beds. It?s not bad once you get used to it, but be prepared (and look on google images to see what your bed will look like!).

Greeting:
Even if you don?t know that much French, people can tell if you?re a nice person if you just smile and treat them kindly. Be nice in the stores and the shops. Smile often. Say “sil?vous plait” a lot. Say “Merci et au revoir” when you leave a shop. Be nice! It?s very important, especially when you?re in a new place.

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