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One thing has not changed since I have returned to France: using public transportation.

Tourists have been invading France every summer and I understand why, as the French Riviera is an amazing place- it's like heaven on earth. From its nice weather and its proximity to the Mediterranean Sea and the Italian border, to its delicious ice creams and beautiful landscapes. People are able to understand why I cherish this place so much. Let's get back to business as I am losing track of what I wanted to say...

So I have been using public transportation here, as it's impossible to drive when there are so many tourists and hence traffic. The public transportation somewhat reminds me of London and its underground, DLR and other ways of transporting yourself to every single inch of the big city. I find public transportation pretty interesting as it is a place where companies use space to promote their products.

Differences in Advertising

Let me give you more details. Back when I lived in London I remember myself staring at all the ads and watching all the commercials, as this is an area I'm personally interested in. I have been studying advertising for years now and so I know something about French ads and those you can find in magazines.

While people in London are all complaining about the weather, I am back home living in the sunniest part of France. I wanted to make a list of things that have changed since I got back home for the summer.

1) The food: I have been complaining about the food in London, maybe because I missed French bread so much. Comparing French food to English food was not really a hard thing to do for me. I have to admit that being a French person living in England is hard with the larger choice of chocolates and Ben & Jerries' ice cream, as well as the existence of Nando's restaurants were not going to keep me alive. Especially since I was trying to be healthy.

2) The weather: The sun is a natural source of vitamins, and I do not know how English people or people living in the UK survive. The bad weather puts me in such a bad mood and the lack of natural vitamins is not healthy.

Last month has flown by; May has been hectic with the end of my first university year abroad. I was meant to make the most out of my stay but the weather has forced me to stay in!

I was watching the news the other day on a French TV channel and the reporter claimed that cinemas have made huge profits recently due to the poor weather. This is most likely to be true, as I have been going cinema quite often and I have couple of reviews for you here. First and my favourite as well:

Fast & Furious 6

The movie is definitely a must-see, with humour and terrific action scenes. Even though the ending was a bit long with the world’s longest take off, the movie remains great.

I have been surprised by how great the movie was (well to my opinion at least) although it contains a bit of drama as it is a classic, typical action movie with fight scenes, explosions, and car races…

It is a great action film that offers an adrenaline rush and breathtaking scenes. I recommend it warmly.

Ever wonder what it feels like to wake up in a completely different universe?
You could find out if you're not too scared to leave your family, friends, pets and house behind.

I knew from the start that moving to London would be difficult, I knew I would experience homesickness being far from my hometown. I also knew that the English culture was somewhat different and that the food would completely disgust me. However, as I have mentioned in previous posts I don't regret this experience at all.

For example, I have learnt how the English educational system works. I did not know that some people here go to Sixth-Form college before they actually go to university. In France you can go to university straight after high school.

Talking about university, I have started to use the library and university facilities and, to be honest with you, it is really helpful when you live on campus, as it tends to be noisy most of the time. So if you, like me, need a ‘silent' environment to study, the library is a must-have on a campus or nearby.

I've been living in London since last September and, trust me, the food did not bother me at first. I had my first ever Nandos, and occasionally went to Pizza Hut and Pizza Express (I am not even mentioning the numerous take-aways we have had in my flat but I still get daily promotional emails from many of them). And I am soon to pay a visit to Jamie's Oliver.

However, I like French food; I have realized it now. It is so tasty, expertly prepared and requires an expert knowledge for presentation.

I have heard many critiques of French cooking. First and foremost, every time I mention that I am French, people automatically assume that I come from Paris (wrong guess France is not limited to Paris), and that I eat snails and frog legs (many of my friends even call me frog legs or French-fries knowing that fries are not even French and that English people refer to them as ‘chips'). 

For your information, these are only stereotypes- just as I am aware that English people do not eat fish and chips on a daily basis! However, the cliché I heard about beans on toast was correct (I am afraid), as was the one about tea. I am going to refrain from negative comments, though I have to mention that I mostly buy a sandwich at my university as I am not a fan of English food.