Just wondering if anyonehas beento Marseille in France,my daughter is going there on Erasmus,in January,she has been told not to get 'on campus' accomodation',so we are at a loss as to where to go,any advice much appreciated.
being French I would like to give you my opinion.
She should stick to the wealthy residential areas. Not the popular less wealthy ones, sorry to be politically incorrect but Marseilles has the toughest reputation in France, with a very high criminality abit like Naples if not worse.
So the bad points to watch out for: not walk in empty streets or deprived areas, including around the train station.
the good point: she s never going to see another amazing sea side like this one, it s a national and international treasure
Im not exagerating:
The FOOD is amazing too, it s got sunshine nearly all year round, and people are quite down to earth and approachable (not like in other French towns say like Bordeaux (posh and cold) or Paris).
Hope I did not scare you.
Being Irish helps, you people are always charming people (well at least in France) as are the Scots.
being French I would like to give you my opinion.
She should stick to the wealthy residential areas. Not the popular less wealthy ones, sorry to be politically incorrect but Marseilles has the toughest reputation in France, with a very high criminality abit like Naples if not worse.
So the bad points to watch out for: not walk in empty streets or deprived areas, including around the train station.the good point: she s never going to see another amazing sea side like this one, it s a national and international treasure
Im not exagerating:The FOOD is amazing too, it s got sunshine nearly all year round, and people are quite down to earth and approachable (not like in other French towns say like Bordeaux (posh and cold) or Paris).
Hope I did not scare you.
Being Irish helps, you people are always charming people (well at least in France) as are the Scots.
Thank you so much for that and appreciate the compliment:p
Ok Ive done a quick search on the net and people from Marseilles seem to be talking about the quietness and and cleanliness (an important feature, much of Marseilles is just overspilling bins just like Naples) of these "arrondissements":
(handy, easier to remember numbers than foreign place names)
- 4th
- 5th
and 9th, they say it s quite close to the "callanques de Cassis" (amazing white cliffs with turquoise sea creeks) but it appears to be further away from the centre.
the 1st and 2nd arrondissements are famous for being very noisy and polluted.
Again, tell your daughter not to hang around the train stations and stick to highly touristic places or "posh" areas and not walk around at night.
Also very important is the anarchy style of driving: they drive fast, madly (watch out for the scooters) and anywhere.
Other than that she is going to love it, I'm feeling quite like spending time in Marseilles/Cassis some day too!
Just an update on my original post.I got the area wrong,its Aux en Provence and my daughter is there almost a week now.Initially she found it hard to get an appartment but now she and her friend are settled into a beautiful appartment with security.The rent is quite expensive at 450 euro a month.They only received their fridge and washing machine yesterday at 7.30 am,a bit strange on a Sunday.The culture shock is setting in fast and the independence,ie not bringing home her washing at weekends and raiding the fridge.She loves the fresh markets and has admitted to eating very healthily.She is in college at 8am everymoring, this is a bit of a shock.I think she can only be strong after this and more independent and perhaps realise how much one takes for granted the little comforts in life.The nights are quite cold but the days are sunny.They are the only two Irish students,lots of American and British and some Italians.
Ohh Aix en Provence is lovely (I'm French too) and, I think, much much safer than Marseilles!
I'm sure she will have a great time. Being an Eramus was one of the greatest experiences in my life! You get to hang out with people from all over the world! I'm still in contact with some of them 10 years later...
Ohh Aix en Provence is lovely (I'm French too) and, I think, much much safer than Marseilles!
I'm sure she will have a great time. Being an Eramus was one of the greatest experiences in my life! You get to hang out with people from all over the world! I'm still in contact with some of them 10 years later...
Claire that is great to hear,but 8 subjects is a bit much I think and she will prob. not use some of them,she wants to major in Marketing which is not an option there,I think if they had less hours at college and worked they would learn french alot faster like using it everyday.I agree with meeting people from all over the world is so good.
Yeah, French universities operate quite differently from British ones, with a wide variety of subjects! I used to have lectures from 8am to 6pm, 4 days a week + another 1/2 day and exams every week... I wouldn't have had the time to work on top of that!
I'm sure she will learn a lot of French though, even without working.
Just had my daughter on the phone and all that was required was 5 subjects so thats a bit easier,they are now looking for work to supplement their money or should I say their social life.
happy to see she s found a place to rent!
how long is she there for?
Until May,the appartment is only 10 min. walk from the college so its brill,there is an elderly lady just below them and she has welcomed them so much,bless her.She actually has a walk in wardrobe and a balcony off her bedroom,how class is that.It was really nice there yesterday and as she said the sun just cheers you up.
the sun just cheers you up...
yes I know exactly the feeling, when I moved to south france 2 years ago.
It cheers you up until the locals drive you mad with rage!
:035:
the sun just cheers you up...
yes I know exactly the feeling, when I moved to south france 2 years ago.
It cheers you up until the locals drive you mad with rage!:035:
Haha, what happened Fadette? Don't worry, I am not from the South of France! 😉
I'll be brief but subjective and offensive (because I can, Im French! however when a brit or an amrerican starts to criticize us I cant help feeling Im insulted too and find it hard to agree on all their points. but here is my list of whats wrong with the french from the south):
intolerant
(dont be a parisian and it helps to get respect if youre from south west france)
aggressive
(their trick is to shout at you as to cover all your words like in kindergarden when we sing "lalala" blocking our ears to insult some other kids. got manhandled by a tai chi tutor (yes) because I was late then I started to cry in despair "stop touching me!!" and he shouted, more loudly, back "Im not touching you!" while clamping hard on my wist and shaking me)
intrusive
(got told off by electrician who didnt show up twice that I must be having a lie in at 8 am and be lazy cause he rang and I didnt answer, filthy me. Remember all those lovely old ladies at their balconies or in the streets watching you? they keep a record of your actions. I was popular in the small town I first stayed in before I had met anyone. also couldnt go to a cafe without the waitresses/waiters asking tons of personal questions. which leads onto the next : )
jealous.
obsessed with who's got more money than who. in fact I met people who were richer than me (or me poorer than them) who displayed jealousy. Couldnt agree with my lifestyle and were spiteful.
macho (dont start me on that. it's beyond belief.) I had forgotten about womens rights in the UK; there I was nearly assaulted for wearing a mini skirt. not being married is open doors to harassment.
pretentious
("Im going to TELL you what I think of you!" is the most popular start of a good and honest discussion. Honest meaning insulting)
dishonest...
no, Im not going back!! if anything, I developped an obsession nearing Cult Syndrome for northen and Celtic cultures, to compensate for the stress there. I went to Lille (extreme far north France), what can I say: polite, easy going, warm, kind! the total opposite!
Haha, I am from Lille, Fadette! 😉
I have never lived in the South but my sister did and she got really depressed. People were two-faced: really "open" but couldn't care less about you. She didn't make any friends in over a year.
However, star99, I'm sure it's totally different when you're a student!
Lille is nice, people are friendly, but there are lots of problems too... It is very dirty, and I wouldn't walk on my own anywhere in town after dark. Even with another female friend actually... I almost got attacked over Christmas by some guys when I was walking near the station with a friend. I also find that people can be much less open-minded in France than in the UK. You can't wear what you want without getting weird looks. In the UK, nobody seems to care, which is nice!
ah! I subscribe to everything you said Claire!
so so agree. the south France and not making friends (1.5 years I did there. never felt so depressed in my life). and the people being 2 faced!! and me who was thinking I was evil thinking that of those folks, but it's so true! they re abit like Italians in the way there s a lot of emotions, dancing and hand movement when meeting, but the reality is: they re not interested in you. I felt there were too many emotions/sensations and hardly any solid feelings.
ah you re from Lille!! What were the chances of that happening?! then you should NEVER ever live south of Paris, you'd be shocked. you Ch'tis (for the non French here: Ch'tis are the people in North France) are the only ones I felt had a heart and a sense of fun.
yes, the French are not as open minded in general in people in the UK (I say people because I include non Brits:the Irish, and all the other being attracted to the freedom in the UK). that's the reason Im bored here. I dont feel I meet people fast enough or people who are both kind and interesting (when I meet kind people -extremely rarely- I find they ve had a quite linear way of living or seeing life...).
O and yes, the safety. big reason why I moved to the UK in the first place ages ago. So in June Im moving back.
O and yes, the safety. big reason why I moved to the UK in the first place ages ago. So in June Im moving back.
Where in France are you living at the moment (sorry if you've already said it somewhere...) and where in the UK are you moving back? 🙂
living in Paris. going to Edinburgh Scotland!! not exactly Essex and yes Im brave to face the fierce wintry Scottish winds. but Ive lived in London years ago, then south west England, even Wales, and there s nowhere else like Scotland. really. just my opinion. of course I'll be cursing the bleeding weather everyday but I know that had I settled for lovely places like Bath or exciting London or even "sunny" hippie Brighton, I'd always feel My Real Place was up north there and feeling seperated....now if the climate really gets too tough for me, I can always move (again....sigh...) down to Bath or Brighton.
I love Scotland too... But I like being able to go and see my family in Lille so easily! It's very important for me. So I wouldn't like living up North, despite loving the people (and landscape) there... Oh the cheaper houses too! 😛
yep, you're right, visiting the family is important.
Where re you based? Surrey: so you're close to London?
Right, Star99, sorry about hijacking the thread (typical of me)!!
please tell us about your daughter if you've got news, I'd love to hear anecdotes about the South French people ahah (only I do not want to hear they're lovely and caring, Im having none of that! :p)
yep, you're right, visiting the family is important.
Where re you based? Surrey: so you're close to London?Right, Star99, sorry about hijacking the thread (typical of me)!!
please tell us about your daughter if you've got news, I'd love to hear anecdotes about the South French people ahah (only I do not want to hear they're lovely and caring, Im having none of that! :p)
Actually Fadette they have been the most ignorant of people the girls have come into contact with(now thats off my chest) except for that lovely old lady downstairs.Before arriving in France they were made of aware of the cultural differences but not this behaviour.Anyhow there are there to improve their french and mix with other erasmus students.
yep, you're right, visiting the family is important.
Where re you based? Surrey: so you're close to London?
Yes, Guildford! 🙂
Sorry star99!! I'm sure it must be a bit of a culture shock indeed... Hopefully it will get easier, and she can spend time with people from all over the world too!
well sadly Im not surprised Star99. but sad and ashamed I come from this culture.
yes, if she can get to improve her French that's the main point. but the trick is not to hang out too much with English speaking students!
however Id think that some French folks would wanna hang out with your daughter: the "exotism" of being Irish (all english speaking countries carry an aura of "cool" in France and I think throughout mainland Europe. based on the music and film culture me thinks) and trying to get her to talk in English so as to improve their English...
tell us more please if you can.
Just to update,my daughter's friend became ill again and and her bloods were sent to Ireland to her own doctor,he immediately advised her return home,so my daughter is on the phone saying she was coming home too but wanted to return.So the flights I had booked had to be changed again.They arrived into Dublin and I booked her a connecting flight home,but booked a morning flight by mistake,more money to change.Two days after her arrival her friend informed her that she was not returning to France,more tears.My daughter decided to go it alone and look for other accomodation as she would not be able to pay for the original appartment on her own and the lonliness would probably kill her,no accomodationa available,so then we found my daughter shaking uncontrobably and she admitted that she was tempted to do something stupid,all the red lights went on and we calmed her down.We decided she should return to her university here,she agreed and phoned them just to have them lecture her on missing 5 weeks already and it would be hard to catch up.(more tears).THEN after she emailed her landlady in France she got a reply stating how she had broken the contract and needed 900 euro or the locks would be changed and she would never see her stuff again,we put the money in the account and our bank made an error and it was lying between the two accounts and another email telling my daughter that her '****' would be thrown on the street.(how much more could we take?).Went to bank and got a member to phone this landlady to explain the situation,she said ' this could be anyone ringing me'.She said she would check her account monday.My husband decided to book a flight for Tuesday for both of them to go and bring back her stuff someway,not sure what is going to happen,no email contact from the landlady since.Her friends mother is over there now to get her stuff.
Fadette do you know how much 'notary' fees are in France?
Hi Star
What an awful going-on - and miscommunication all round as far as I can see! - so worrying for you all. Do hope it is resolved soon.
Love and Light
Thanks CarolineN,just to add to my problems she went out last night to celebrate her 19th. birthday and texted me at 12.20 am to say she was having a great night.She did not return home and I am up since 6.30am.She often says at her friends house but always knows to text me.I thought perhaps she was low in credit or battery and left it till a while ago,phoned her and her phone is off,phoned her friend and she said she left her at 3pm.I am now in an awful state and dont know what to do.My husband just keeps saying she is allright and will be home soon,I will be relieved but angry if she walks through the door,what will I DO?
Ah the joys of teenagers! - even those supposedly grown-up ones :mad:.
:rolleyes: Maybe I'd welcome her back home with overt delight, saying you thought she'd come to serious harm. Then explain what h*** she has put you through by not keeping in contact ... but it might not turn out like that anyway when I saw her - I'd probably lose my rag, something I rarely do nowadays. Thank goodness mine are sensibly old enough to look after themselves now.
At least she's likely to be safer near you than in Marseilles!
Love and Light
She is home thank God,in one piece,she is now being reminded of what she has done and gone to bed,but I have managed to keep my cool,(the Reiki talking) as one time I would have lost all reasoning.
Jesus!
I got all panicked reading your post Star99. all the hassle and crisis about the flat/landlady etc and now her going missing.
please do tell her the fright it gave you, actually make her read this thread. You know, once in London I "befriended" a stranger, in an art bookshop, and although Im a feminist and really dont trust strange men and am also a paranoid person regarding safety, I actually carried on walking with him in the street in the dark. He went to his car and offered me a lift. All the red lights came up in my mind but you're locked into a stressful 3 seconds moment where you're scared of offending the person by refusing.
I was feeling my own weakness taking control of me and although I was scared deep down I could almost hear myself mumble "yeees, ok....".
Then I thought of my mum. just like that, out of the blue. I thought that if anything happened to me she would never recover. THAT alone made awoke me from my passive turpor and I said "NO" and he went barmy. Believe it or not, that nice chap looking at art books in a specialist art bookshop turned into an aggressive weirdo shouting "****ing get in the car!".
Looking back, I remember his messy strange car. hum...
Anyway...about the notary fees, it all depends on the action being carried out, they usually take a percentage.like buying a flat means paying 2 to 7% in notary fees. Other than that I have no clue.
That landlady is a typical paranoid selfish (French Id like to say) woman.
It was the right thing to come home. I get this feeling she was crossing a dodgy path down there and the shaking shows how all those bad vibes culminated into an emotional crisis. I hope you can sort the financial and practical situation and get back to normal very soon.
and dont forget to tell her you wouldnt "recover" to anything happening to her, it stays in children (how any age)'s hearts.
any news Star99?
how are things going?
miss hearing the news, please share!