1. Despite some mortifying language mistakes from my end, I am comforted by the fact that everyone makes them. One of my students started a presentation with "Martin Luther King was a black skin head" REALLY?.
2. Living on your own leaves you in no doubt about how much you eat in one week. There is no-one else to blame for the rapidly disappearing Camembert.
3. Food is the ultimate icebreaker. You only have to ask 'what are you're having for dinner?', or 'what food are you going to buy shopping?' and you find yourself acquainted.
4. Apparently there is a limit to how much bread you can eat. It took me nearly 18 days to reach this point, but I can now confidently walk past a Boulangerie without buying a baguette. A bread detox might be on the cards.
5. The personal space radius here a lot smaller. Regardless of gender, introductions are made by a kiss on each cheek, people talk close to your face and queue in close proximity. This was confirmed by a very intimate aerobics class which involved stretching with lots of bodily contact....I'll say no more.
But one thing I am yet to shed some light on is how French women manage to stay svelte like...
