5 things I have learnt about France since arriving 2 months ago

From the annoying to the great and everything in between I have learnt a lot since arriving in September! The French culture is undoubtedly different from Irish culture but in some ways you would never have thought!

1. "Apéritifs" - French people drink far more often than Irish people, sounds bizarre but it's true! They may not drink more in volume but it's not uncommon to see people drinking a beer outside cafes at 12 'o clock in the day. Something that was a bit of a surprise for me was when wine was passed around the teachers table at lunch in the lycée. This would be unheard of back home!

2. Bureaucracy - I don't know why it's not liberté egalité fraternité bureaucratié, they have a serious addiction to it! It's 2014 and still almost every application will be done by paper , which is madness! The lycée has a whole entire classroom dedicated to paperwork with 10 shelves filled with folders. And when I applied for my bank account I had at least 12 forms to sign in multiple places, madness!

3. Sundays - The day the french make up for getting up at 6 in the morning and working 'till half 5 in the evening. It is the true lazy day,which is great if you have it all planned out food-wise but I still forget sometimes and end up eating plain pasta for the day because nothing is open! Huge supermarkets will shut for a whole day so there is no hope for corner shops being open!

4. Laissez-faire mentality - Following on from the idea of Sundays in France is the attitude they have in regards to work, everything is very laid back and it's almost common for people to be late for meeting and rendez-vous etc. Although the teachers spent a lot more time preparing classes they still only have 18 hours of contact time with kids. Also the bank is shut Sundays, Mondays, Saturday afternoon and the person who is in charge house insurance does not work Wednesdays!

5. Food - Of course when making an incredibly general post about France I couldn't leave out the wine and food! The french love their food and wine, I was teased about my bland tasting emmental sandwiches in the staff room last week and for not using "real" cheese. There's a reason why this stereotype exists about France - because it's very true and the food is good! You do get what you pay for, but the good bread, cheese and wine can be had for very low prices!

Adeus, Éanna.