Week 1 – Arriving in Perpignan
My first week was a bit more relaxed than expected, because it was mostly about paperwork and administration.
On Monday I was welcomed by Anna from ALFMED. She is friendly and very helpful and showed me my accommodation, which is right next to the agency. She gave me a brief introduction to the city and the area, including the city centre, public transport, and, since I came here by car, also some information about parking.
In the afternoon I was taken on a city tour by two interns who work at the agency.
The funny part: one of them, who is also from Berlin, told me that her stepdad used to work at OSZIMT as a teacher, and the other intern had once visited my hometown Guangzhou. It is interesting how you can suddenly find something in common with two completely different people, even though you are in another part of the world.
Getting to Know Perpignan
Perpignan is a small city, and the tour of the historical sights took only about an hour.
Pretty much everything is within walking distance, so the first day was quite relaxed – just settling in and getting some rest.
The second day was mostly paperwork.
Anna explained the work contract to me and translated it, since everything is in French. I will be working at an IT company called GTEK, which focuses on Web Development with AI Integration. After that we went through the house rules, and then I had the rest of the day off. Of course, I used the time to go to the beach, check out the Mediterranean Sea, and spend the rest of the day there.
Isn't it gorgeous here?
French 101 and Duolingo Memories
Wednesday was “French 101”: a crash course in French presentations.
They already knew that I do not really speak French (even though I have a 30‑day Duolingo streak), but since you are in France, people really appreciate it when you at least try to speak French.
I prepared a short presentation to introduce myself in French.
Because the agency that organizes this internship is also a language school, they helped me write my information in simple French sentences and with the pronunciation. These two hours really reminded me of the time when I went to German language school. It was actually pretty fun to learn a new language again. Thanks to Duolingo, I did not struggle too much with the pronunciation, and they told me that my presentation turned out quite decent. After this intensive language session, I had time to go grocery shopping and continue organizing my things.
Thursday Plans and a Nice Surprise
On Thursday the schedule suggested visiting Collioure.
The village of Collioure in Pyrénées‑Orientales was voted France’s favourite village in the 2024 edition of a TV competition. I decided to go there on the weekend instead, so I used the time to explore the neighbourhood around my accommodation.
I also received my AP1 result and was very happy to see that I got a 2.
Good Friday and the Sanch Procession
Then came Good Friday, which is a big event in Perpignan.
Before attending the Sanch Procession, I had an interview with the company where I will be working for the next two months. Anna and I drove there and met the employees. It is a small start‑up located in the industrial area of Perpignan. The office is not very big, but the people are friendly. I introduced myself in French, using what I had learned on Wednesday, and then we talked about my working hours: from 8:30 to 16:30 with a one‑hour lunch break. It was a quick meeting just to get to know each other. My official work will start next Tuesday after the Easter holiday. In the afternoon it was time for the big Easter parade.
All members of ALFMED gathered in front of the parade. Since they organize Erasmus and other internships and also run a language school, there were a lot of people: a group of Belgian Erasmus interns, a big group of Irish students, a few German students, and a large group of Spanish students, also a russian family with a little baby, who study French at the language school.
Also fun facts about Perpignan: It is close to the Spanish border and was once the capital of the Kingdom of Mallorca in the 13th century. The region is strongly influenced by Catalan culture, even more than French culture, I think.
The Procession de la Sanch (Processó de la Sanch in Catalan) is an annual ceremony in several towns in French Catalonia.
It is held during Holy Week on Good Friday (“Vendredi Saint” / “Divendres Sant”).
Historically, a distinctive peaked, masked robe (the capirote) was used to protect the identity of prisoners from the revenge of those they had wronged, when they were led to their town’s annual execution.
This practical ceremony later mixed with Christian Good Friday traditions. Today, as part of the Good Friday celebrations, a long procession of black-robed people is led in silence by the red-robed regidor, accompanied only by the solemn tapping of a tambourine.