Dealing With Stressful Situations
Summary of topic: you don't have to face it alone
If you do have a difficult situation just remember that there is always someone who can help you and you don't have to face it alone. These are some things that were quite difficult to handle in my experience in France.
University
If you are going to uni in France, you should be prepared that the way they go about things are quite different. I was put into a tutorial class on a day that clashed with my ELA placement so I asked her if I could change classes. The other classes were not full, but she was adamant that I could not switch. I explained to her that I am on a school placement and I can't change the days.
Université Jean Moulin 3
She was quite a scary woman.. I think she was just loudly spoken and very to the point though. I had to then try and change my school day but that didn't work. My mum told me to email her explaining that I couldn't change my school days. Also to mention that I was really willing to learn and put the effort in and I did not want to drop out of the class. She instantly got back to me and said I could switch classes. I found that really strange because she was so adamant in person. Maybe its because I could express myself better on email, out of the stressful situation.
French Police
I won't get into this on my blog but if you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to report something to the police, I have had to so don't hesitate to message me. Its most definitely the hardest thing I've had to do.
French police officers don't speak much English. When you locate your local police station I advise you to call them up and explain you are a UK student, studying French but you would like to speak with an English speaking police officer. This will help you to know where to go if there is no one in that station that speaks English. This is what I did.
You can also get advice by calling the British Embassy* in France (they speak English). They are really good at reassuring you and pointing you to the best place or person.
Fainting on the bus...
As much as I wish this didn't happen, it absolutely did, in a bus full of people!
Me and my friends were at Grand Parc Miribel Jonage and we had been lying in the sun and swimming all day. We wanted to get lunch there at a food stand but they had problems with their hot food so they only served snacks. I just bought a coke and a mini pack of Pringles and that's all I had all day.
Then we had to get the most crowded bus back and I had to stand as there were no available seats. The thing is I had my mask on and it was really stuffy. I remember feeling a little faint and then the next thing I knew my flatmate was lifting me up from the ground.
I am so grateful for two strangers who were so kind. They gave me their massive bottle of water and cookies. Then some first aiders were called to the bus stop where I was getting off. The strangers then came and found me and gave me a plate full of cakes they had got from a party. That was at least a positive that came from a very stressful situation. My flatmate and friend also massively helped me.
It was pretty scary as it all happened so quick and I really lost control of my body. It was my fault for not keeping hydrated so please please remember to!
Anyway here is a pic of us looking very happy before it happened!! And if anything embarrassing happens to you, I'm sure it won't be as bad as this haha.
Overall, these were the most stressful situations I had been in. I learned a lot and grew as a person from them so try not to let them get you down too much.
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