Emily in Paris: Making Friends
Emily Hanna
Meeting new people is a huge part of living abroad. I’m lucky to be living with Blyth, so having a built-in friend takes a lot of the pressure off. I also have a Northern Irish Granny whose contact book is similar in size to an Argos catalogue. A few weeks before leaving she put me in contact with not one, but two sets of relatives that live in Paris, consolidating my fear that you cannot escape Kilkeel. Having a little bit of home abroad- people keen to share a cup of tea and some familiar stories- is an unusual thing to be blessed with in a new city, so I consider myself very lucky for that.
Our unfortunate situation with student halls in France made it incredibly difficult to make friends as we were placed on an empty corridor reserved for professors or visiting lecturers. Between a Taiwanese professor travelling with his wife, and a woman who left us notes about being too loud, we didn’t make any lasting connections.
I don't believe in making friends online, so for my part I avoided the ‘Erasmus [insert city here] 2022/23’ Facebook groups, in part due to my Covid first year PTSD. Blyth was, against her will, added to not only a Facebook Group, but a Whatsapp Group Chat. I’ll hold my hands up and say that my refusal to make my own life easier by just including myself in these groups is slightly ridiculous, but the incessant buzzing of that cursed Whatsapp group chat reassured me of irrational choice. The group chat informed us of what Eramus Events were coming up so in our early days in Paris, we headed out to an Erasmus student party at the Duplex. And that was the last we saw of anyone from that group chat. The end.
We still get told about upcoming events, but the most popular theme seems to be flag nights, which coming from Northern Ireland, I feel it’s best to avoid. Facebook groups like this aren’t a bad idea, especially if you’re doing something solo- the reminder that everyone is in the same boat is nice, but I will be sticking by my unpopular opinion. Enter at your own risk.
Around six weeks in, feeling slightly disheartened by our lack of pals, our luck began to change! We started getting to meet other exchange students in class and spending more time with them! Now we have some fab American pals, they get our humour, love our accents and are up for everything! They also hate the school system as much as we do.
If you decide to go abroad for any part of your studies or work, say yes to everything! (Within reason of course.) You’re only going to be living like this for a semester, or a year so you have to make the most. When it comes to making friends, my honest opinion, in any situation, is that the right people take time! I agree that it can feel disheartening not ‘clicking’ with people immediately, but trust me, wait it out and you will meet the most amazing people!
À bientôt!
Emily Hanna is a third year English Literature student and both a Culture Deputy Editor and Health and Lifestyle Columnist for The Scoop.