Let’s give French another try!

My name is Pius Binder, I am Austrian and 22 years old. I decided to go to France because I wanted to learn the language appropriately.

In 2009, after two years avoiding the French culture and language, I went to university and decided to give French another try.

After applying to study abroad at MU's partner university in Angers, France and being accepted to do so, I left for my exchange semester in the beginning of 2011.

Some of my first impressions of France were quite surprising! France is known for the birthplace of the best chefs in the world, and I expected that all French people are “gourmets”. Unfortunately, my expectations were only partly fulfilled, since even here in France, one can find McDonalds and other fast food chains.  Nevertheless I still think that France is the country where “mere mortals” know the most about food and also that the people have an elementally natural relationship with nutrition and beverages.

When I entered the first French supermarket in the center of Paris, I was astonished from the variety of different meat they have: rabbit, chicken hearts, veal liver, “foie gras" to name a few.  There were also so many types of cheese, vegetables and seafood available in such a diverse quantity that I had never seen before!

Generally speaking, French people (even if they are working) spend 2

hours between noon and 2pm to eat and get together. This does not mean

that they are working less, but simply that they work longer.

In Angers, where I am studying, I was really surprised by our university cafeteria.  There, it's possible to get a 3 course meal for only 3 Euros!  i couldn't believe it! 

Aside from the food in France, other things certainly caught my eye! No matter where I go, I recognize that I am always surrounded by young and beautiful people. Maybe this is the result from the French lifestyle “Vivre sa vie”, describing that one has to live his or her life on all levels, or perhaps it's because within Europe, France consistently rates as having one of the countries with the highest quality of life.

So far, I am very happy that I gave the French culture another

try.  Going abroad has allowed me to have some new and positive experiences.