Visiting a country is easy, but working in one entails very much more.  I was the lucky beneficiary of a two month overseas attachment programme sponsored by Shell Petroleum of Singapore.  Prior to my stint in Paris, the richness of the city had already enthralled my heart.  Its numerous monuments, counting among them the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, its fabulous art treasures and its reputation as a city of refined enjoyments, these are the stuff dreams are made of.

On my arrival to Paris, I was not disappointed.  Despite the grey sky and depressing drizzle, my spirits were lifted immediately upon the sight of the Opera Garnier, an impressive monumental architecture from the 2nd Empire.  In the days which followed, I took frequent strolls in Paris, absorbing eagerly all that I saw.  Paris is a very centralised city where by taking a walk in any direction, you can easily chance upon interesting streets, beautiful gardens or impressive monuments, all of which to feast your eyes on.

This sightseeing, however, was not all there was to my stint.  Staying in Paris for 2 months, I had the learning experience of living and working in a foreign land.  Things which had once seemed so mundane and mechanical in Singapore were now sources of challenge.  Take the public transportation, for example: Paris has an almost all-reaching system via trains.  This accessibility however means that the map of transport routes appears to be a seeming tangle of multi-coloured lines to the novice.  Changing trains no longer means a simple crossing of platforms as in tiny Singapore, but often entails following signs through winding tunnels.  Shopping for necessities, visiting the bank, seemingly ordinary routine tasks, could very well throw up unexpected hiccups.  The first few trips to the bank ended with my returning empty-handed as a misunderstanding had caused my allowance to be deposited in a savings account, the French equivalent of a fixed deposit account.

At work, my halting French took some getting used to for both my colleagues and me.  French lessons in Singapore had only equipped me with the capability of making small talk in simulated environments, not how to deal with native French speakers and their confusing accents and generally rapid speech.  Imagine my initial horror when I saw the material I was to work with: a stack of papers filled with technical terms in French.  However, I must say that I was lucky as help was readily given when needed.  Many were kind enough to explain in English or speak s-l-o-w-l-y in French whenever I appeared bewildered.  As for the work material, thankfully, it was just a case of repeated readings, references to the dictionary and consultations with my ever-patient mentor.

I arrived in Paris just prior to the French elections.  The French public service had probably decided this was the best time to make their grouses known.  Strikes were often heard of, be it the train service, the domestic flights or even the Louvre!  It took some getting used to, but soon I began to work round the unexpected inconveniences just as the French did.

Whatever the challenges, my stay in Paris was definitely interesting.  Everyday brought something new.  It could take the form of a new knowledge about the way people in this country study, live or work, or just simply in a stroll along some street, museum or park.  The excitement came in that everything was new and waiting to be experienced.  Free time after work and during weekends was filled with excursions to different parts of the city and even the country, so that I could see everything and miss nothing.  Frequently, I would encounter others on my excursions, perhaps the locals, perhaps tourists or other foreigners staying in France, who added spice to my sojourn.

One thing that always impressed me was the unfailing courtesy of the French people.  Often, people would hold doors during peak hours in the train station even if I was not just right behind them.  On more than one occasion, I had people hold doors for me even though I was more than two metres behind them.  While it is understandable that Parisians sometimes appear frustrated with the swarm of tourists that seem to have overtaken the city, generally they are friendly people who do take the effort to listen to me in my faltering French.

Finally, it is just impossible to be bored in France.  The variety of things which can be done makes choosing an interesting occupation in itself.  You can decide to visit one of the countless museums, go for a stroll in any of the numerous sprawling gardens, or even go for a weekend visit to a region of this large country via the accessible train system.  Last but not least, you can simply engage in a stroll along the captivating river Seine, a fascinating reflection of this fascinating country.