FLC CONFUSION AND NON ADHERENCE TO ATC INSTRUCTIONS IN FOREIGN AIRSPACE.

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THE FRENCH CTLRS ARE AMONG THE MOST DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND AND THE ONES MOST LIKELY TO CHANGE YOUR LAST CLRNC AND THIS DAY WAS NO EXCEPTION. AFTER A LONG ALL NIGHT FLT; ME VERY NEW TO THE DC-10; AND MY FIRST ARR IN FRANCE SINCE IOE; THE STAR ROUTING HAD BEEN CHANGED 3 TIMES. WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO HOLD AT EPERNON; 7 MI AFTER HAVING PASSED THAT VOR; THEN WERE CLRED TO PROCEED WITH 'STANDARD APCH;' THEN MAINTAIN A RADIAL. EACH TIME WE ATTEMPTED TO CLARIFY OUR CLRNC WE WERE TOLD 'PROCEED AS CLRED.' WE FINALLY ASKED AGAIN AND AGAIN ARE WE CLRED FOR 'STANDARD APCH' AND THE ANSWER WAS 'AFFIRMATIVE.' (AFTER 3 CTLR CHANGES IN ABOUT 3-4 MINS.) HOWEVER; WHEN WE ATTEMPTED TO FLY THE STANDARD APCH; WE WERE SEVERELY CHASTISED AND GIVEN NUMEROUS HDG AND ALT CHANGES TO VECTOR US TO THE APCH. HUMAN FACTORS: I'M NEW ON ACFT AND RTE. FO AND SO OLD HEADS. THEY WERE SURE WE WERE CLRED FOR STANDARD APCH; I WASN'T! RATHER THAN ASKING ARE WE CLRED FOR STANDARD APCH SEVERAL TIMES; I SHOULD HAVE INSISTED THAT FO SIMPLY ASK WHAT IS OUR CLRNC.