Transitioning from the Island to Mainland France as a Language Assistant #2

Continued from…

https://www.addikahbelinda.com/2022/03/01/transitioning-from-the-island-to-mainland-france-as-a-language-assistant-1/

Food

I really enjoyed the island markets; there was cheap fresh food and a variety of green vegetables. https://www.addikahbelinda.com/2021/04/01/traditional-markets-in-reunion-island-the-hype/

On my first visit I discovered food in the market was more expensive than the supermarket however you can get non-food products i.e. shoes and clothes for cheaper prices.

In as much as I would have loved and enjoyed cooking, I must say eating at the schools dining hall I have had a variety of dishes I would have never seen myself eating. How the French combine certain foods still shocks in both ways.

Noodles that I carried from Kenya saved me a huge deal especially in my first days as I was settling in and eating out was a regular option. I have just discovered a supermarket called France Asia that has indomie!! (Indomie is a common easy to cook Kenyan noodle) Honestly this has been such a huge relief. There are also a whole lot of common ingredients there too. With time I begin to realize how important it is to have a kitchen because eating regular take outs is not a walk in the park.

Dressing

It is important to know the temperatures of the region you will be going to especially if you have never been exposed to extremely cold temperatures. From my knowledge South of France is warmer than the northern parts. By the time you are arriving in France, late September early October, it is usually the beginning of the cold and rainy season which is then followed by winter.

Also while packing, to save on luggage space you can wear some of the heavy jackets, tie them round your waist or even carry them all together on the handle of your carryon suitcase and once you are on the plane just put them on the overhead locker like a pro!

I have come to learn huge heavy coats might not do all the magic however layering up with things like thermal shirts and pants underneath is important, sometimes I had up to five tops on to be able to insulate some good heat, just know what works for your body. In terms of getting good shoes, in my opinion I can advice on getting even one good quality pair of boots from home that will push you for the first few months as you wait for the big winter sale around Jan-Feb. During the sale you can get very nice good quality boots from as low as 10euros which would go for like 50-70euros on a normal day. I am speaking from a point of budgeting so all this is dependent on how you have organized your finances hence speaking from my own experience and point of view.

School system

There’s nothing much to report here as I am still in the French system of education. There is however a slight difference in the vacation days as I am in a different region.