Why I Moved to France

Last month was a major accomplishment for me. I was able to complete two of my personal goals to move abroad for a little while and become fluent in French.

There is something very romantic and charming about the French language that I have always been drawn to. I studied French from the time I was in Grade 4 until high school. I even fell in love reading translations of French philosophers Rousseau, Voltaire, Descartes. But outside of class and beyond my library of books, keeping up with the language wasn’t easy. Coming from Canada, French is our second national language but one of the misconceptions about Canadians is that we all speak French – actually only 30% of Canadians speak French. In my hometown of Toronto there are 140 languages spoken (other than French). It’s hard to become fluent when you’re not completely surrounded by it.

So I decide to move to France. I packed up for a month-long experience to completely immerse myself. To live, breathe, (and eat) all things French. I reached out to GoStudyWork and enrolled in a four-week program beginning in Rouen and later in Aix-en-Provence. I always saw myself moving to Paris (I do love that city) but I decided to be away from the glamour and spotlight of the City of Lights. If I was serious about finally becoming fluent in French I knew I would have to move into a much smaller town.

To start, Rouen was the perfect place. With about 110,000 people in Rouen proper, it’s small enough to interact with French locals yet big enough to enjoy the bustle of city life in between classes. I had never lived abroad until this year, and now I happened to find myself in one of the oldest, most picturesque medieval cities in Europe!

I rented an apartment with a lovely local couple in the Old Town on rue d’Amiens. The street at little cafés, family-run shops, and gothic churches at every corner. This was the view from my window!

My school was on the Left Bank. Each morning I would walk through Rue Martainville and cross the Seine (the same Seine that runs through Paris) toward L’ Eglise Saint-Sever. It was a lengthy 25 minute walk to-and-from. I could have taken a convenient bus ride for €3.20 both ways, but it was a scenic walk. What I love about this city is that you can walk everywhere and I looked forward to it every morning.

September weather was exceptionally beautiful with sun almost everyday. This time of year it’s usually cold and rainy with signs of fall already on the ground but I was still going on my morning runs along the Seine each morning.

Everyday after class I picked up a French baguette from the boulangerie in my neighbourhood. Among the things I learned from the French is to bite off the first on your walk home.

What is characteristic of Rouen is its half-timbered houses dating back to the 19th century, built from logs and tree trunks with low tech tools.

Sometimes they were crooked.

This tall brown one with blue windows happened to go on the market when I was there. I’m not sure if it sold but there was a sign for €750,000.