Here is the advertisement I choose for the compulsory subject. I decided to choose this advert because I think it is based on a merging trend for few years now: Flash mob. In fact a flash mob is meeting/ gathering of a group of people in a public place to perform some agreed choreography in advance, before dispersing quickly. The gathering is usually organized through the Internet and the participants do not know each other for the most part.  The flash mob is organized by public relations firms or for advertising spot. It is very useful to target some consumers and to be quickly known, to develop his brand or product. It is not very expensive and a good way to promote you brand on some social networks for example like on Facebook, Twitter and so on. As we can see in this advertisement for T-Mobile, they want to promote brand values thanks to their slogan “Life’s for sharing”. They want to show to people how good it is to communicate thanks to their services, and how it help to share good experience.

About the student life in Lancaster, everybody has been back from their Easter break and life keep going. Exams are coming soon we have to work to get ready for half of may.

See you 

This article is going to talk about the cultural shock in a first part, and in a second part a few news about my experiences in Lancaster.

û  First of all about the climate because most of the foreign people are used to get a warmer climate, and find the greyness and dampness, especially during the winter months difficult to get used to.

û  About the food we could find British food strange, because it taste different or be cooked differently. Many fast foods but I’d rather eat fruit and vegetables when I find some. In fact I try to find a supplier of familiar food, and eat plenty of fresh vegetables.

û  About the dress, I come from a warmer climate, so I may find it uncomfortable to wear heavy winter clothing. British style is not so different but sometimes it may seem immodest, unattractive, and comical or simply brad.

û  About the behavior and the social roles we could be surprised because in large cities, people appeared cold and distant or always in hurry, but in Lancaster it’s much smaller and welcoming, you can talk with people much more easily at the pub, or anywhere else. I find it easily to integrate in the daily life because you are supposed to meet people you know in the center town for example and could talk to them.

û  The British people generally have a reputation for punctuality, in business and academic life keeping to time is important. But social life is little more complicated because arranging to meet to see a film, to have diner, to the pub at 8 pm means arriving at 8pm whereas in France when you say at 8pm it means around 8, and you should probably aim to arrive at about 10 minutes after 8.  

About my personal life in Lancaster, we are still visiting new monuments, having a walk in Williamson Park during the sunny Sundays.

Last Thursday the University of Cumbria was celebrating the sports awards to congratulate the best player of the year, the best team of the year, the most fair play team, and so on. A reception was organized, well dressed the same as in the big universities, with a very good atmosphere.  Our rugby team received the price of the best team of the year.

We are still playing rugby but for fun because the championship is over, and believe me there is still mood in the pitches. 

See you soon !

Last weekend I went to Edimbourg with a friend of mine, to visit this beautiful city and to feel the  fabulous atmosphere of the rugby game of the 6 Nations Tournament: Scotland against France ! The Bleu Army in the scottish capital ! So many french rugby fans to share good moments in pubs, with the very welcoming scottish people ! We where behind the french time to support them as you can see in the famous french magazine : Le Parisien. 

I visit the Castle of Edimbourg, the Scottish National Museum and take a look at the Churches of the city ! 

Here are a few pictures of my trip !

And what about rugby in the University ? Well we had really great time will the players of the team, even if french and english are not the best friends in rugby ! 

See you ! 

United Kingdom is a unitary democracy where the Monarch is the head of state and where the Prime Minister is the head of government, but executive power is exercised by Her Majesty’s Government.

Legislative power is divided in two chambers: the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. It’s the same for Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish government. And the judiciary power is independent of the executive and the legislative. The political system in the UK is multi-party, where the two largest parties are the Conservative Party and the Labour Party.

Lancashire City Council is based in Preston, 30 minutes from Lancaster, built as a home for the Lancashire county administration. It was created in 1882. The local elections are held every four years, for 84 councillors from the same number of divisions.

For the election of 2013, the number of councillors elected was composed of 46% of Labour, 41% of Conservative party, 7% of Liberal Democrats, 3.5% Independent, and 1% of Green Party.

What about the personal safety and the British law. The UK is considered a safe place to live by the students working there. The region is noted for its comparatively low levels of crime. But for our personal safety it’s better use extra caution at night, avoid, poorly lit areas, and carry a mobile phone.

The British law is quiet similar as in France. For example you must be 18 years old to purchase tobacco or alcohol, you may not carry, use, or supply illegal drugs or substances of any kind, not carry any sort of weapon, including guns, stun guns, and knives. As a student at University of Cumbria, I must follow the Student code Conduct, and must follow the British law as well as acting respectably and responsibly towards the staff and students of the university.

Here are a few things you should know about social rituals: First of all people are eating much earlier than in France and at the beginning it’s quite weird. Most of the people studing at the University of Cumbria are coming from Manchester, Liverpool and the areas next to Lancaster.

People are crazy about The Barclays Premier League and they often go to Pubs to watch the games. My roommates are coming from Liverpool and Chelsea and there is a real rivalry about football. 

Lancaster is situated in the county of Lancashire, in the North West of England composed of 1.500.000 inhabitants.

The biggest events on the campus are the local match of the basketball team, rugby team, or football team. The ambiance of the team sport is much more pleasant on a campus than in France.

 See you !