Majestic Study - Being Foreign Law Student in France

This is Day 7 of confinement.  Today, I basically worked all day. I prepared for a class that was supposed to happen this week. The answers will be published on the university online platform and we can ask questions to the professor there so I was preparing for that. In order to do so, I read multiple textbooks, some summaries and articles of doctrine in order to understand the law cases that were assigned to study (thus, I had to read cases). I've started preparing it last week but it has been hard to concentrate because emails keep coming in to give us instructions on various courses. It's hard to keep track of what to do and by when.  However, today, I was productive. I was able to concentrate and find my own rhythm of work. I set small goals in my journal and then took them off of my to-do list as the day went. Also, I was actually motivated to start new things since my mind is calmer than last week due to the fact we know more about the situation and know mor...

According to the Nikkei Asian Review (see the article in English  here ), the Japanese government decided that travelers from the United States will be asked to quarantine at home or at a hotel for 14 days upon arrival in Japan. You will be asked not to use any public transportation: trains, buses, airplanes... If you were to arrive at the airport in Tokyo for example and then you were planning to fly to another city with a domestic line, you'll be stuck at the airport that you arrived at. Your transit flight will have to be canceled. This measure will continue until the end of April (as of March 22, 2020). According to the Asahi newspaper, the location (whether at your home or in a hotel) will be appointed by the head of the quarantine station at the arriving airport but the details are not yet announced (see the article in Japanese  here ). The problem? How are you supposed to get home or get to your hotel without using public transportation? No instructions so far......

It's Day 6 of the confinement.  A French newspaper, Le Monde, reported the situations of foreign students in France in the Coronavirus crisis. Foreign students were recommended to go back to their home country if possible and some went back. But some stayed due to the rise of airplane tickets resulting from multiple cancelations as well as because of the fact that they risk being put into quarantine at their arrival in their own country.  As the article reports, many of them are stuck in a small room without classes to go to, friends to talk to or jobs from which they can make money. Most of the French students have the possibility of going back to their parents' house during this lockdown, but not all foreign students can do so. This is a very hard time for us who study abroad in France. If you are interested in reading more about it (and if you can read French), here is the article. "Tout d'un coup, c'est le vide" : loin de leurs famille...

Universities have closed due to the Coronavirus and many of them are switching to online teaching to ensure the continuity of the education. My university in France is one of them. However, my university, a public university in rural France, does not have the IT infrastructure to implement this substitutional education, at least not immediately. Some professors have been sending their lecture notes via emails or trying to engage a discussion and corrections of exercises on the famous educational platform called Moodle (yes, that exists in France, too). But as I am seeing how it's being done at the moment, I have some suggestions for professors who want to continue teaching online while universities are closed. 1. All the students might not have the means to participate Again, our school is a public university. Public universities do not charge tuition for the education that they offer. Although many scholarships are put in place and it's very common these day...

Another somewhat productive day has passed. In the morning, I worked on my translation job for 3 hours and we had an early lunch at around 11 am. Then I watched a couple of episodes of the Netflix series "13 Reasons Why" (yes, I know that I'm totally late for the party). I made it to Episode 4 of Season 1 (so no spoilers, please). In the afternoon, I studied special contracts law: I mostly did the reading from textbooks and other sources.  "13 Reasons Why" makes me think about a lot of things, as it did for many other people. It not only addresses the problem of sexual harassment toward women (and especially toward young teenage girls) but also the harm of homosocial pressure amongst men.  I did go to an American high school for a year and it reminds me of those days as well, parts of it that were good and bad.  The high school that I went for a one-year exchange was a very small school in the Midwest, USA. Of course, the exchange program organ...

So, it is the second day of confinement in France. I was pretty productive today. I finished one of my translation works and I started another one. Honestly, I wouldn't have had the time to do them if the university was not closed. Also, I responded to some emails relating, again, to my work, which I had been putting off for some time. We still have not gone outside since Monday morning. Being inside all the time does not really bother us because we are kind of two workaholics living under the same roof. My partner and I worked until around six o'clock and then we did some physical exercise before making dinner. We watched a movie after eating and got back to work: #workaholics. I might go outside for a run tomorrow. Tell me about your day! I'm working on a video on how I work on my notes for law classes. Stay tuned if you are interested. Thank you always for reading. Stay healthy!

(Sorry, forgot to post last night, so I'm posting this article today, which is Day 2 of confinement.) As the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, announced, we are going under the confinement of at least 2 weeks in order to slow the propagation of the Coronavirus. Great! I guess...? In his discourse last night,  it was clear that the decision was taken due to the fact people are going to parks and markets despite the recommendation from the government to refrain from going out and gathering with friends and family members. Earlier in the day, the news showed people getting together in parks and markets in Paris to show the "resistance" to the President's order to stay inside (or maybe just to enjoy the sun?). Some bars and restaurants decided not to follow the orders, too. So, the consequence is severe. Now, we cannot go out without a written document certifying that we need to go grocery shopping, go to the pharmacy, see a doctor, etc.  It ma...