Bao's winter in Paris

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Jar-Ptitsa
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I can speak: Dutch, German, English, Spanish and understand Italian, Portuguese, Wallonian, Afrikaans, but not always correctly.
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Re: Bao's winter in Paris

Postby Jar-Ptitsa » Mon Jan 09, 2017 9:32 pm

Bao wrote:Oh, sure, the phone is certainly useful - I'd just prefer it if all people used it for messenging and mailing rather than wanting to talk with people. The person in question, I only today realized she'd written me an email offering me an internship for 6 months, just in case, when her files and my CV said it was for two months. And I did not get that from the phone call at all. Maybe they assumed that it was starting in February or March, because they aren't used to people not having the normal succession of internships the Frenchie students do, so she assumed I'd had just made a mistake in the way I put that. I don't know. I can't read minds.


sorry that I can't exactly understand which: she offered the internship after or before the phone call? You want 2 months?

bao wrote:
vogeltje wrote:Thanks for the explanation. It seems a stressful job, I can imagine that you'd prefer to do the calculations in an office. So it's in the construction of buildings? Like houses, flats, larger buildings as well?


For many people it's a good job, but I'm not really good at reacting quickly to changes in the circumstances and making decisions on the spot ... :roll:

I should by now be able to calculate easy examples of things like single houses, apartment buildings, basic foundations, basic halls and factory buildings etc. But I'm not really confident in myself, especially as while my classmates in Germany practice using the norms they are supposed to use in their chosen field, teaching here in France is much messier, the graduates are expected to train on the job - and some of the things we are 'taught' make absolutely no sense whatsoever. Like the introduction of a model calculation with forces that are six times bigger than the maximum that will break the whole thing. :evil:
... I basically whine whenever I talk about here. Probably also because I couldn't really make friends, and am quite lonely. :oops:

But, yes. Calculating things is actually fun, when I know how to do it, or have enough time to figure it out. :D


How confusing :( :? I know that maths is very different in each country. I know a girl who studied engineering in flanders for some months and she couldn't do it so she returned to Wallonia because the maths was too different. She said it wasn't a language problem.

Sorry that you couldn't really make friends and that you're lonely ((((((hugs))))))). I'm so shy with people that I don't make friends, but I only want few because I don't like a lot of them. About France, in Belgium, the people say that in France they are not friendly, and that everyone must do everything their way and conform. Mostly, the foreigners assume that Walloons are completely french except for the passport, but it's not true. Although when I was in France I liked it so much, but we were in Normandy, not Paris. Paris is famous for the unfriendly manners and judgemental (all the world must conform), but of course they think that all belgians are countryside idiots. When can you return to Germany?
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Jar-Ptitsa
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I can speak: Dutch, German, English, Spanish and understand Italian, Portuguese, Wallonian, Afrikaans, but not always correctly.
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Re: Bao's winter in Paris

Postby Jar-Ptitsa » Tue Jan 10, 2017 1:09 am

I don't know if you knew that I've got a job? In a university café. I used to be a gardener (assistant) which I preferred, but I like this job, and the hours are very flexible, and my colleagues are nice. I have got friends there, especially three people. I hope that you can find a friend in France before you leave. London is not bad for this, they are friendly without being overwhelming.
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Bao
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Re: Bao's winter in Paris

Postby Bao » Tue Jan 10, 2017 3:08 pm

About the phone call: The same person had written me an email two or three days before calling. I had just looked at it and thought to myself: six months, that can't be a reply to my CV, and didn't reply immediately. When she called I think she believed I could work for six months, but ... in German we say 'aneinander vorbeireden', it means to talk at cross purposes but I like the German expression much more because it gives me a clear mental image. When people 'aneinander vorbeigehen', they walk past each other without noticing who the other person is. When people 'aneinander vorbeireden' they talk, but are so fixed in their own interpretation of the situation that they don't notice how they don't understand the position of the other person.
Something like that may have happened, that I thought it had been clear on my CV, and she believed that it's normal to have 6 months of internship when it starts this early in the year.

The maths itself isn't different, but the approach to it is. In Germany, and I assume in most other countries engineering students are required to know enough math to use it correctly. In France, they are required to know how to prove that a formula must be the correct one. Also, I was told many French engineers don't actually work in the field after graduation, they also work for financial institutes etc.
And I often simply don't understand what the professor wants from me when reading through the problem I am supposed to solve, and have to ask the French students around me.

Actually, I get along with a number of people, and it's my own fault that I don't spend time with them doing enjoyable things, like drinking tea or cooking together, because I never ask. And, one of my former classmates once said, she'd always wanted to invite me but she saw how anxious I was and wanted to wait until I felt more secure in her company?
It might just as well be something like that. One of my classmates seemed happy when I told her I'll probably stay until the end or March, and not only this month. :)

You're working in a university café! That's great, though gardening also is.

I liked working in our university canteen. At times it was hard, but I liked seeing how people act when you are in uniform. I especially liked all those people who make an effort to not only do the normal thing, but to be nice and helpful. Like, when one of the students had a plate fall down, most were a bit perplexed but then asked what they should do, or where to get things to clean it up. Some immediately tried to clean it up with what was at hand (and were really happy when they learned there are tools just for that use available), and the few who tried to just walk away? Some of the other students called them back and told them to clean it up.
I liked seeing that. The patterns of normal interaction, and the individuality of the people acting.
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Jar-Ptitsa
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I can speak: Dutch, German, English, Spanish and understand Italian, Portuguese, Wallonian, Afrikaans, but not always correctly.
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Re: Bao's winter in Paris

Postby Jar-Ptitsa » Tue Jan 10, 2017 9:53 pm

Bao wrote:About the phone call: The same person had written me an email two or three days before calling. I had just looked at it and thought to myself: six months, that can't be a reply to my CV, and didn't reply immediately. When she called I think she believed I could work for six months, but ... in German we say 'aneinander vorbeireden', it means to talk at cross purposes but I like the German expression much more because it gives me a clear mental image. When people 'aneinander vorbeigehen', they walk past each other without noticing who the other person is. When people 'aneinander vorbeireden' they talk, but are so fixed in their own interpretation of the situation that they don't notice how they don't understand the position of the other person.
Something like that may have happened, that I thought it had been clear on my CV, and she believed that it's normal to have 6 months of internship when it starts this early in the year.


Ja, das mag ich auch, 'aneinander vorbeireden' (nciht, dass ich es schon kannte, jetzt aber wohl :) ) But you only want to do 2 months, so can she offer you this?

Bao wrote:
The maths itself isn't different, but the approach to it is. In Germany, and I assume in most other countries engineering students are required to know enough math to use it correctly. In France, they are required to know how to prove that a formula must be the correct one. Also, I was told many French engineers don't actually work in the field after graduation, they also work for financial institutes etc.
And I often simply don't understand what the professor wants from me when reading through the problem I am supposed to solve, and have to ask the French students around me.


It seems a very different approach. My family are lawyers, and I think that to study this subject is more similar in the different countries, except of course when the laws are different. Law is terribly boring haha. Maybe you will udnerstand what the professor wants after some months with the questions?

Bao wrote: Actually, I get along with a number of people, and it's my own fault that I don't spend time with them doing enjoyable things, like drinking tea or cooking together, because I never ask. And, one of my former classmates once said, she'd always wanted to invite me but she saw how anxious I was and wanted to wait until I felt more secure in her company?
It might just as well be something like that. One of my classmates seemed happy when I told her I'll probably stay until the end or March, and not only this month. :)

You're working in a university café! That's great, though gardening also is.


Yes, for sure they didn't invite you because they thought it would be too stressful for you becuase you're anxious, and they will be happy when you stay until March. It's difficult to be confident and not think that they don't like you or find you too weird etc. I've got talent for that, I mean thinking that people hate me, spy on me and laugh at me etc so I understand people who've got anxiety in social situations and avoid it.

yes, my job is nice. it's a zero hours job, but I'm happy with this contract because we choose the hours. the atmosphere is good. I know some great people there as well, who are my friends now. gardening was good, I liked it, we visited different gardens to make them beautiful. it was great to work outside with the birds.

Bao wrote: I liked working in our university canteen. At times it was hard, but I liked seeing how people act when you are in uniform. I especially liked all those people who make an effort to not only do the normal thing, but to be nice and helpful. Like, when one of the students had a plate fall down, most were a bit perplexed but then asked what they should do, or where to get things to clean it up. Some immediately tried to clean it up with what was at hand (and were really happy when they learned there are tools just for that use available), and the few who tried to just walk away? Some of the other students called them back and told them to clean it up.
I liked seeing that. The patterns of normal interaction, and the individuality of the people acting.


I didn't know that you had worked in a uni canteen as well :) I don't wear uniform, but some of my colleagues wear it. I'm not as busy becuase in our café we serve drinks and cakes, sandwiches etc mostly, not meals. Before I worked in a different one in the same uni, but they asked me if I wanted to work in the smaller and calmer one, which I prefer.

Are you a civil engineer then?
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tiia
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Re: Bao's winter in Paris

Postby tiia » Thu Jan 12, 2017 9:17 am

I already had been thinking about it due to your description of the double degree programme here, but after the post in the library-thread I can say for sure:

Greetings from your home university. :) We're apparently studying the same subject there.
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