When I first moved to France, I didn’t know a single person in Paris and my French vocabulary consisted of “Bonjour” and “Merci.” Not exactly the best conditions for making friends with the locals. I was so worried about my potential friendless future that I did some research into how to make friends with the …

Every February people tend to have love on the brain. Whether revelling in it or railing against it, it’s hard to deny that this month is known for being all about love. Because I live in Paris, I’ve often been asked what it’s like to live in the so-called City of Love. In particular, people …

January is not known to be the prime time for visiting Paris. It’s cold, it’s often rainy, and if it snows, it’s often accompanied by a biting wind. As I am not a fan of the cold, January is not my favourite time in Paris, but it does have a couple of things going for …

Every year I promise myself that I won’t get all sappy and sentimental at the end of the year, and every year without fail I break that promise. I can’t help it. There’s something about the end of a calendar year that makes me want to reflect on the past 12 months and remember all …

I recently returned from a holiday in a country that had a vastly different culture and set of social norms than both my home and adopted countries. I spent a good chunk of this holiday on trains, and I often used this time to think about the many ways in which cultures and societies can differ. About …