A 7 Hour Car Journey, Innumerable Hangovers and 2 1/2 Weeks Later...

I am fully aware that after not having blogged for over a month I am officially the most inconsistent blogger ever. Especially because I haven't even blogged about a rather huge bombshell - after a stressful and emotionally draining results day, I got into the University of Edinburgh!!! So as of 2 weeks ago, I officially live in Edinburgh - on the Cowgate, pretty much as central as you can get.

Studying French and English Literature, I can't think of anywhere else in the UK more suited to my degree course - Edinburgh is brimming with culture, history and grandeur, with an active L'Institut Français D’Écosse and a strong emphasis on French theatre.

So yes, apologies about my absence but after a stupidly busy August, I suddenly now have hundreds of things to write about. Here are just a few photos from the last two weeks in Scotland's cosmopolitan capital...

Block 7's finest... Our surrogate flatmate Aimee, Emily, me and Catherine - both flatmates.

5am walks home

The almighty BRASS MONKEY. This pub definitely deserves its own post...

Brunching at one of Edinburgh's many independent cafes, The Black Medicine Coffee Company.

The beautifully open plan National Museum of Scotland, a five minute walk from my flat.

Nicolson Street at night

Southside Books - a trusty independent bookshop with a stupidly intelligent owner who seems to have read most of the shop's contents. Almost certain to overhear hyper-intelligent conversations about Oscar Wilde's short stories between the owner and a literature student.

In other news, now a writer for the Culture section of the student newspaper (The Student), Friday night saw me take myself to the Traverse Theatre to review The Collection, which I'll post shortly.

So, unlike the last time I posted, I am now officially no longer an inhabitant of Luton: a statement I have wanted to say for so so long. Edinburgh has so many things to write about, I'm sure I won't be stuck for inspiration.

Bises,

Riona

Gérard Depardieu in his French New Wave days...

With all this drama about Gérard Depardieu becoming a Russian citizen following his tax row with the French government, I'm sure a lot of people just see a fat, old, sad man who seems to have been around forever. Alas, Mr Depardieu was quite something in his day, especially in François Truffaut's film of the late French New Wave Le Dernier Métro, starring alongside none other than the stunning Catherine Deneuve (for those unaware of French culture, basically the French Audrey Hepburn).

I'm currently studying this film in French (and have been since July... Literally going over every s i n g l e citation, personnage and thème) as part of the exam is an evaluative film essay. Surprisingly, I found myself really enjoying the film and, wanting to watch more New Wave films, bought Truffaut's La Nuit Américaine and Jean-Luc Goddard's Masculin Feminin. If you're into classic film and the evolution of film (the French New Wave took place at the same time as the Classic Hollywood Cinema era but couldn't be more different) give them a watch. I'd start out with Le Dernier Métro if I were you, it's probably the most, er, normal.

Set during the German Occupation of Paris during the Second World War, one of Truffaut's aims in this love story/drama/slight comedy was to show life in France and the theatre during this time.

Someone kindly uploaded the whole film to YouTube with English subtitles and surprisingly good quality, so here you go...

Bises,

Riona

First University Offer!

Hello non-existent readers!

I got my first University offer today! I've been checking my emails as if my life depends on it for the last few weeks in hope of good news and finally I've received a conditional offer from Royal Holloway, University of London! (to study French and English Literature)

How gorgeous is that building? Seriously reminiscent of Hogwarts, the University was originally a women-only institution (love a bit of feminism) and was officially opened in 1886 by Queen Victoria.

The University also has good links with the Sorbonne (University of Paris) which is where I plan to spend six months studying at in my year abroad. Yes, the main reason I want to go there is because it's been mentioned in Gossip Girl so many times.

Very excited for what the future holds.

Bises,

Riona

ZUT ALORS! ¡Qué lástima! Mamma Mia! 不得了!

Know any of those? Not many British people do (Mamma Mia doesn’t count). It’s official – English students are officially the language dunces of Europe. In June, a survey taken by the European Commission revealed that we are at the bottom of the language league for reading, writing and listening.  As for speaking, only 9% of 14 and 15 year olds can hold a conversation in French – comparing to an average of 42% across Europe. So what (or who) is to blame for this total lack of enthusiasm for language? And with the economy as bleak as it currently is (although, when is it ever good?) why are we knowingly disabling ourselves for the ever looming World Of Work?

Well, this sudden decline followed the Labour government’s decision to make foreign languages optional to learn (way back in 2002) once children made their GCSE choices – resulting in the number sitting a modern language falling by more than 200,000 between 2002 and 2010. So now it’s optional, why does learning a foreign language appeal to so little teenagers? There’s the obvious – ‘too much effort.’ True. Truth is, learning a foreign language is far easier said than done – you have to learn about tenses you never even knew existed in English (pluperfect anyone?), not to mention an accent with pronunciations completely opposite to English and the irregular verb conjugations that often seem like a cruel joke just to test you. Oh yes, do not underestimate the commitment to fluency of a language.

Furthermore, there’s the ignorant ‘two beers please’ attitude that surrounds the subject of foreign languages in England - that English people don’t have to learn another language. To be fair, the statistics seem to suggest this too – after all, English is the official language of the European Union.

So why should we learn languages? Personally, I believe sticking to our native tongue is not fulfilling our human potential – our brains are incredible things and too many people aren’t using them to their full advantage. In addition, and you can only understand this once you’ve had a proper conversation with a foreigner in their own tongue, there is the extreme gratification of learning a language and then putting it into practice with a native – and they actually understand you.

Don’t have the time to dedicate to becoming fluent in a language? You don't need to be fluent in a second-tongue to boost your chances in the job market. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) found that 74% of employers recruit applicants with conversational ability rather than those who are word perfect. They believe this can "help break the ice, deepen cultural understanding, and open business access to new markets."

So why not give it a go?! There are always evening language classes but if you’re still too busy for them, the Internet can be pretty good to improve (or learn from scratch) conversational abilities. Try out www.hellomylo.com for Spanish, French, German and Chinese…

Bises, Riona