Annie: "I'm very grateful for how it all turned out"

Tell us a bit about yourself!

My name is Annie, I am Swedish but I live in the UK. And I studied in Paris at the Institut Catholique from  2007 to 200!. I studied separate courses: literature, history, film (had an amazing teacher!), and argumentation. 

What decided you to come to France?

Well I had studied France for several years at school and it was the language that from the very start was very close to my heart, and I felt at the age of 19 after graduating, that I wanted to learn the language properly and really get to experience French culture (literature, history, arts..). And all of that is very much at your doorstep if you live in Paris. It's an amazing city to live in. Culture is very much available and quite cheap, for instance for students. And also at that age, I was interested in moving abroad and discovering what I wanted to do with my life. Did I want to study, did I want to work? And I thought moving to a new country would help me to answer those questions - which was indeed the case.

What was your biggest culture shock?

That's an easy one- the bureaucracy! The French love their paperwork, and everything needs to be filled up a certain way at a certain time. It takes a lot of time. If you're going to the bank if you're moving places or paying taxes if you work... All of that takes a long time. You have to count on bureaucracy taking a long time, it can be a bit of a struggle.

A special memory from your time in France? 

Well, that's an easy one. I met my now-husband there back in 2007 when I was just 19 and we've been together ever since. So we met in Paris and moved in together there. I've worked as a waitress after studying and really learned the language properly. Then he came with me to Sweden and now we live in the UK. So yeah, we fell in love in Paris and it was just an amazing experience to be young and in love in this amazing city. If I hadn't moved to France I wouldn't have met him so I'm very grateful for how it all turned out." And whenever I'm asked about Paris it's always very special because it was the first time we met and kissed. So it's a very special city for us both. I grew up a lot in those two years. Being alone in another country you have to learn to stand up for yourself and fight for yourself in difficult situations. You have a language barrier. But that helps you to grow a lot as a person and that changes you in many ways. I think it was a really great experience for me at the age that I was at. I really became an adult during these two years I discovered who I was. There were two very formative years for me.

How did studying in France impacted your career? 

It impacted my career a lot: I worked in publishing. Studying literature in Paris really confirmed my really vague thought that I wanted to work with books, but I didn't really know how. Studying French authors and reading a lot as well it really cemented my wish to work with books. So since then, I did a lot of book fairs, meeting a lot with French publishers, I also did a fellowship in Paris a few years back - and for that, you need to speak French. And I made a lot of new friends I had an amazing time and professionally for me it has been very valuable to be able to speak a third language and to be able to read manuscripts in the French language. I have been responsible for the French market. Now in the UK, I'm a freelancer and I'm still doing editorial assessments for French books for instance. So French is something that I still use a lot in my professional life. It is something that made me stand up in my CV and also to have that cultural link, to have lived there... It's a very valuable experience for the CV and a lot of employers value that. 

Would you recommend studying in France?

I would definitely! France is a country with such a rich culture. And for me, it was such an amazing thing to see and experience and be part of. And just leaving in another country will challenge you as a person, you will grow as a person and get to know other perspectives. That's something everyone could benefit from!