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Showing posts from February, 2020

My French learning timeline

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Got into a university:  Foreign Studies (French Studies) - Freshman : No prior knowledge of the language. Started to learn a, b, c ... in French. - Sophomore : Got B2 in TCF blanc (unfortunately I got B1 in the actual TCF, but it was close...). - Junior : 9 months exchange in France (one semester in a language school, one semester in a university), got DELF B2 the first semester. - Senior : Graduated. Two years and a half of interruption (I took a few classes in French.) Got into a French university Currently, I'm in my third year in the law dept. How did you learn French (or any other foreign language)? Share your learning experiences in the comment section below!

This university reform sucks...

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Another week went by, one week closer to midterms and finals. This year is a little bit different. We don't have revision week(s) before exams nor the traditional exam weeks. We have, instead, midterms and finals successively until the end of the semester.  Let me explain... At the beginning of this year, the government decided that university students should be evaluated throughout the semester to help them succeed in their studies rather than giving them one and only chance at the end of the semester. It seems fair, right? In order to do so, they added more midterms and decided that a final exam should be carried out only a couple of weeks after the class ends (two to three weeks max, if possible).  As a consequence, we have finals immediately after the end of one course instead of having all the exams in the exam weeks at the end of the semester. Up to this point, the reform seems relatively reasonable.  However, the problem is that these exams could be sch

You don't need a motivation to be productive

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"I think the problem is my lack of motivation. That's why I'm so reluctant to study..." This might be something that comes to your mind when you wake up and don't feel like studying or doing whatever you need to do. There are numerous articles and YouTube videos on how to be motivated all the time and that motivation is the key to your success.  I used to feel the need to be motivated to be a productive person, too. I thought that my not being productive enough was due to my lack of motivation, even though I very much enjoyed what I studied and was enthusiastic about learning more. Side note, if you really feel like your body is heavy and it seems impossible to wake up and go on with your daily life, I recommend you going to see your doctor and have a check-up. When I felt that way and I was sleeping way too long than I usually do, it turned out that I had a problem with my thyroid and my hormones were unusually high (surprise, surprise...). So keep that

Living abroad could be stressful... 3 tips for keeping your mind healthy

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Living abroad could be pretty stressful, to say the least. You live away from your family and friends, your language, your favorite comfort food and you throw yourself into a different culture.  There are many tips and tricks that people might give you in order to stay healthy (physically as well as mentally), relaxed, and relatively calm.  They usually consist of eating well, sleeping, doing physical exercise, have the courage to talk to people and make friends that you can rely on, go on a trip once in a while, etc. They are all true and these tips are helpful to a certain extent but not in a definitive way. I'm an introvert workaholic who cannot limit myself from overworking. I'd rather stay home and read a book (or work!) than go out to have a drink with friends. I have a hard time asking people for help because I don't want to disturb others and don't want my fellow students to think that I'm always profiting from them, without being able to give anythin

Starting a blog...

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Hi there. Thanks for visiting my blog. So, I decided to blog about my studies abroad in France as a foreign student because my experience is rather particular and might interest some people (or maybe not...). I'm currently studying law at a university in a small French city. There's no English program here in my uni so I'm pursuing my studies of law in my third language, that is, French. My native language is Japanese and English is my second. (If you find any English mistakes, please let me know! I'm still learning the language.) I learned French as my major in my university back home. I started to learn it when I was a freshman without prior experience nor, for the matter of fact, any exposure to the French language.  After I graduated, I decided to study a whole new discipline, in this case, law. And  I'm now in my third year of  the undergraduate program of law in France.  If you have ever studied abroad, France or elsewhere, please share your ex