Rachel J. Roche

We are mid-way through the week and on Friday we are going to Strasbourg to the European Court of Human Rights and Parliament. It'll also be a great opportunity to take a look at the famous Christmas markets and maybe pick up some cute gifts for back home! 

We most definitely must be half way through. I know this not just because it’s December, but because I had en email earlier today on behalf of the Trustees asking me for a round-up of how I’ve been getting on. I was expecting this email at the half-way point. I am excited that we are half way and also quite chuffed that I made it this far! The end is in sight and it’s time to crank up the volume and head straight on until morning! (Well, to the end of March when the exams w...

Paris is looking fairly Christmassy and I like it! Being nearly Christmas means I get to go home in a few short weeks to see family and friends for our two week break, and spend a bit of time out from the mountain of textbooks that I have accumulated.

As a prelude to said Christmas break, I went home last weekend for the first time since I arrived in Paris on the 1 September 2012. I finally got to see our new house and town (which, incidentally, I love) and myself, Adam, my...

We had our Constitutional law exam yesterday! An oral exam of all of 20 minutes would be a breeze in English of course, but this is a French course so, well, it was in French and the French political and legal system is nothing like ours in the UK!!

Anyway, yesterday morning I was up at 5:30am re-reading through my notes that I had been through in the company of fellow reviser Caroline for the 100th time the night before and then I had to hot-foot it over to Opéra for ...

If I can tell you one thing, it is that the University Paris 1 is not only a law school but a life school! Whilst I am most certainly learning a lot about French and European Law (of course) I am also learning a fair bit about myself and about other people too. By that I mean other people generally, mainly the French and no one specific – although of course, now that the 12 of us students have been together for two and a half months, we probably have the measure of each other by now as ...

This evening I went to a polyglot club soiree that my friend Montanna told me about - polyglotclub.com. 

These events are basically a language swap - we spent the first hour speaking English and the following hour speaking French. There were people from all over the world and the whole idea is to practice your chosen language with native speakers. It's fairly informal and such a good idea, not least because we are all there for the same reason - to learn!

If you are one of my friends and family, you will have noticed that I have haven’t updated my blog for a little while… and you will also know that this is mainly because we have been super busy – to list a few of the recent events, we have visited the Cour de Cassation (the French highest court of appeal that deals with points of law rather than fact), we have also visited the Conseil d’Etat which is the highest administrative court in France (dealing with, inter alia,...

We started our main subjects this week (after mainly introductions last week) – and, thankfully we have slightly shorter days, which is a relief as I’m not sure we could have all kept up the pace of the first week although obviously this is where the real work starts...! We have constitutional law with (Mme. Benetti) on Mondays, European Union Law (Mme. Pingel) Tuesday. Wednesday we then have French in the morning followed by Company Law (M. Lecourt). Thursday and Friday sees Con...

Bonjour à tous.

Nous avons aujourd’hui commencé droit des sociétés avec Monsieur Benoit Lecourt qui a écrit beaucoup des livres et articles dans ce domaine. Il est bien connu je crois. Ce matin nous avons eu un cours avec Madame Lazerge pour améliorer nos connaissances de la langue française et pour élargir nos vocabulaires juridiques.

Demain nous avons deux cours droit des contrats et droit administratif.

It’s Sunday and this week has been a rollercoaster. I was so pleased when Friday afternoon came around because I was so tired, my brain was fried and my eyes stinging. The course is certainly full on and there is a lot of work, but I’m determined to keep at it and do my absolute best. I think I am having a bit more difficulty than I would perhaps like to admit on the language front, but then it’s only one week in and I know I can’t expect miracles just yet!

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I went jogging in the Jardin du Luxembourg this morning! It’s one of the most popular places in the city for jogging and there were plenty of people about despite it being a Sunday when most shops are closed. I really wanted to get some good cleaning products for the bathroom and some antibacterial wipes for my desk and stuff, but I had to make the best of the small bit of bathroom cleaner that I found and some sponges I had bought yesterday to clean around a bit. If there is one thing ...

Ok, so I have arrived! Despite my concern about the size of my luggage and how I was going to be able to transport it, the journey was surprisingly easy! I got a couple of comments on the way… from the taxi driver who suggested I should have brought 2 smaller cases, the check-in guy who couldn’t believe I bought the case in England as apparently we don’t sell cases that big, and then of course the middle-aged man who asked if I had a body in there! Perhaps I should have hidd...

Becky and I went on the Metro quite a few times over our weekend and it’s a brilliant way to get around. On one occasion however, some American tourists came close to being pickpocketed by a group of girls whilst getting on the train. After being shouted at by some guys who noticed before it was too late, the girls promptly left the train but simply went to sit back down on the bench at the station, presumably to wait for another target. It’s awful, but you have to be so careful. ...

Last day! The weather on Saturday morning was perfect. The sun was out and the temperature was just right for rollerblading! It was such fun! We went over to Parc du Luxembourg and up and down the adjacent streets. I noticed quite a few police about and wondered if we were going to get told we weren’t supposed to be rollerblading around the Palace, but on closer inspection, they were just laughing at our attempts to stay upright! The park was really busy, with people jogging, doing yoga...

More from last weekend.

Today (the Saturday) was all about finding my bearings and B was also keen to go roller-skating in the Parc du Luxemborg so we scouted out a rollerblade rental and sock shop to visit later in the day. Breakfast was typically French of course – a pain au chocolate/croissant and a coffee near to the Pantheon and, upon looking at the map, it was clear that my new apartment was just around the corner from the café. After breakfast, we headed over to the Pa...

What a beautiful day. I am sat in Montpellier Park in Cheltenham having lunch and typing on my little netbook. There are plenty of people about but it’s still fairly quiet even for lunch time. Well, apart from a couple of young girls who have now sat right by me laughing incessantly at something some boy has text them. Please be quiet I am trying to type!

There is so much to say as I’ve had a very busy week. This time last week, my friend Becky and I were on our...