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Year abroad @ Department of European Languages
Aberystwyth University
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All images and text are the copyright of the individual students, all views expressed are their own. Therefore, views and advice expressed and/or offered in these pages are neither the views of, nor are they endorsed by the Departmental of European Languages or Aberystwyth University.
Paris
Leszek Ekert with his friend. Leszek Ekert spent the first semester at la Sorbonne-Paris IV (2008-9)
Paris, one of the world’s best known and adored cities certainly lives up to its name. All the clichés are there, from the accordionists, the businessmen running with baguettes down the boulevards, to the disgruntled strikers, the city is a unique chance of a life time that should not be missed. I went to Paris-IV La Sorbonne University which offers a diverse, if bizarre, selection of subjects- I chose Philosophy and History.
Obviously studying gives you the opportunity to learn plenty of new facts, words, and other things in between.
The first semester was hard, arriving from a little Welsh town to a city of 2.5 million (with 10 million in the suburbs) is a shock but with time I adjusted just fine and enjoyed the hustle and bustle of city life. Living abroad puts things in a different perspective and I am glad to say that I have had this opportunity. I have met some wonderful people from all over the world and have not only improved my French but also experienced so many new things that you just don’t have in any other city.
Leszek Ekert
Paris
For my year abroad I decided to do the Erasmus university exchange. I spent one semester studying Langues Étrangères Appliquées at the Sorbonne Paris IV.
Living in Paris was a valuable experience to me. Surrounded by famous monuments, galleries and historic places I felt I was participating in something special. I tried to make the most of my stay in this busy capital of European culture. Countless hours of sightseeing, hundreds of coffees drunk in Parisian cafes, delicious crêpes au nutella eaten ... Art exhibitions, museums, concerts, theatre performances. I love the fact there is always something interesting to do!
The university I went to was Sorbonne IV. I think it is important to be aware that it is a hard work. There is no ‘tarif réduit’ for Erasmus students. I had to do exactly the same job the French students did. I was a little bit surprised because lecturers were not as helpful and friendly as they are in British universities. But fortunately there are student organisations that are willing to help foreign students. It is also the best way to meet other Erasmus students from all over the Europe and explore this fantastic city together. |
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I think Erasmus in Paris was a great challenge to me. I managed to overcome all French bureaucracy obstacles. I feel more competent and responsible. What’s more I know I can manage on my own and I feel comfortable to live in one of the busiest cities in the world. My French improved a lot. I got to know some amazing people and places. No doubt the time spent in Paris was one of the most exciting moments in my life.
Gosia Florek
Pictures: The main Sorbonne building. In front la Place de la Sorbonne; The interior of the main building of La Sorbonne; One of my favourite places, Sacré Coeur de Montmartre.
Paris
I spent my time as an assistant in a lycée outside Paris. I hadn't given a preference for a region in France in my application for the British council and was very happy to be so close to Paris. After staying in a hostel for two weeks I was very lucky to be offered a flat at the lycée for a minimal rent after it was vacated by the Spanish assistant. This made it easy for me to live happily and enjoy my free time. With the money I saved I took a life drawing class at the École Normale Supérieure des Beaux Arts, a French course at the Alliance Française and enjoyed so much of what the city has to offer. As a Joint-Honours student studying Fine Art I used the opportunity to go to the galleries and museums. I went drawing every week with a Russian friend who was also learning French.
At the beginning of the year invitations were posted to all new language assistants in the Paris area inviting them to a society for foreign students run by a group of slightly eccentric elderly women. There I met some great people and at the beginning when you know nobody, it was great. For the first few months I was mostly socialising with other people learning French and by the end I had some great French friends, one of whom I stayed with for most of the summer in the south of France. I lived next door to the Italian assistant at my school which was fantastic.
My advice going abroad would be to pretend not to be shy or terrified and talk to everyone at your school, join any groups on offer, get to know your town, stay during the holidays, keep a sense of humour and you might not want to leave at the end.
Iona Hughes
Besançon
It's the friendly atmosphere that I like most about Aberystwyth, I’ve been away for a year and I feel as if I’ve never been from here. I went abroad as an Erasmus student, to France in the first term. It was a really good experience. I had plenty of support, because of the links there are between universities, and that was a big help.
Emma Woodhall
Besançon
I’m going to be honest with you, Erasmus was not the way that I initially wanted to spend my year abroad. The thought of studying at a French University terrified me. However, I quickly realised that even though Erasmus would be difficult, it would also be very rewarding.
I found that it was actually very easy to settle in to life as an Erasmus student in Besançon. I was surrounded by plenty of other students going through the same experiences and there is also a fantastic student support network. At first, it took a lot of organisation to find accommodation and sort out my timetable etc, but when the classes started I realised that I could understand most of what was being said and my language has come on in leaps and bounds.
The Erasmus Team is very strong here. There are weekly events which are a great way to meet new people and talk lots of French. They have organised skiing trips to Chamonix, day trips to Lyon, Jura wine-tasting tours and so much more that I would never have organised by myself.
I now appreciate just how important the Year Abroad is for language students, and although you must be prepared for both good and bad days, it is a truly unforgettable experience!
Julie Scrivens
Rennes
L’année en France est jusqu’ici la meilleure année de ma vie. J’ai habité en cite universitaire à Rennes. Au fur et à mesure, j’ai trouvé les étudiants très gentils et chaleureux. Ils venaient de pays divers tels que le Canada, le Maroc, la Guadeloupe et, bien sûr, la France elle-même. J’ai alors appris à danser le zouk et la danse bretonne, des danses qui n’existent malheureusement pas en Grande-Bretagne. J’ai eu, également, l’occasion de passer trois semaines au Maroc, chez une copine. C’était une expérience inoubliable qui m’a appris beaucoup de choses.
Coté études, j’ai étudié le droit européen et la science politique é Rennes 1. Ces cours m’ont donné non seulement plus de connaissances dans ces domaines mais également un aperçu sur la mentalité française. Je trouve que ma maîtrise de la langue s’est améliorée à force de parler en français tout le temps. Quant à la grammaire, certains mystères se sont éclaircis. Le fait d’habiter en France a approfondi ma compréhension de la culture française. Le plus beau, c’est que tout cela s’est passé naturellement grâce aux sorties en boites, cinémas et bars. Les loisirs ne manquaient pas. Comme je l’ai dit, c’est la meilleure année de ma vie.
Anna McIver
Québec - Canada
Philip Ellis by the Niagra Falls, Canada 2007/8
I spent my year abroad working as a language assistant in a secondary school in Québec. I lived in a lovely small town called Joliette, which was about an hour outside of Montreal, possibly my favourite city in the world. By the end of my first week in Canada I had stood on a stage at parent’s evening, introducing myself in French, and I had been on a tiny dinghy in the middle of a bay, whale-watching; both equally intimidating experiences! I soon discovered that Joliette, while small, is a great place to live. Local history is abundant. Every October the many bars and cafés play host to an annual jazz and blues festival, plus the local art gallery boasts its very own original Rodin sculpture. In terms of my language skills, I found that a “sink or swim” environment can be incredibly motivating. While close to Montreal, where English is spoken freely, the community in Joliette was much keener to speak.
Philip Ellis
Chambéry - Rhône Alpes, France
I spent the second part of my year abroad in a small town called Chambéry in the French Alps. I studied at
French language school for 2 months, during the summer. The course was great and I couldn’t have chosen a better setting in which to study French.
The scenery was breathtaking and there
were plenty of outdoor activities to choose from. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire year
abroad and feel it has been a very worthwhile experience.
Claire Richards
Brittany
The year abroad is a year of growing, learning and new experiences, it is unlikely you will ever experience anything like it again; you are thrown in to the deep end, whether that be with the language, standing on your own two feet or teaching. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet new friends from all over the world, and advance in your chosen language. There are times when living abroad is hard, you will be there without your friends, family and boyfriends/girlfriends, but it is worth the struggle at the end of it for the memories that you build will be with you forever, as well as the skills that you learn.
In September during the second part of my year abroad, I moved to Le Mans a commuter town in between Paris and Nantes. It was here that I lived for 8 months whilst commuting to a tiny village named Mamers where I worked as a language assistant. Commuting was hard as it often meant 6am starts, with the earliest return home at 6pm, sometimes this was frustrating as I commuted the hour drive with teachers who were much older than me, and occasionally this meant that I was often very quiet. However it was worth the long commute and even longer hours to be able to live in a town where there were many other assistants and ERASMUS students to be friends with. I finished my year abroad by doing a 2 month language course in Malaga, followed by returning to au pair in Mallorca, three months of sunshine, hard work and very good times.
If I was to do my year abroad again, I would hope to be placed in a bigger town because the commute really took its toll sometimes, but other than that I would not change anything. I have made some wonderful friends, had some amazing opportunities that I grasped with two hands.
My only advice would be to make as many friends as possible, speak the language as much as you can, and if doing two languages try to keep up the second one as much as possible when in another country as they are easily lost.
Heather Rees
Lyon
Lyon is a great place to live and it’s so easy to get around the city unless there’s a strike of course! One of the best nights I had in Lyon was the Fête des Lumières which is in early December and is not to be missed. The light shows they put on are amazing especially around the Hôtel de Ville. Lyon is also well situated if you want to travel as it is within easy reach of Paris via the TGV and Switzerland isn’t too far either.
I was teaching in two schools in Lyon and at both I found the teachers welcoming and happy to help me with any queries that I may have had about the profession. Through talking to staff, my students, my flat mates and their friends, I feel my conversational French has improved, I’d recommend you take every opportunity to immerse yourself in the language; it’s by far the best way to learn.
Daniel Eastham
Strasbourg
For my year abroad I chose to go to the beautiful town Strasbourg which lies in the North-East of France. There, I studied in the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Strasbourg (IEP) taking up a various selection of modules ranging from Law courses, History, Sociology, Religion, German and Politics. It was very interesting for me to take that vast range of subjects as I learned so much beyond just improving my French language skills. Even though it was quite intimidating at first to go to these courses, having difficulties understanding everything and thinking about how you have to take exams in these subjects at the end of each term. However, most French students sitting with me in those classes were very helpful in explaining things I had not understand or generously sharing notes as in France it is common to take notes during class of everything the professor says and with the help of those notes you had to study for the exams. Obviously, for us exchange students taking notes during class was actually quite difficult if not impossible, so French students and professors being so helpful was very much appreciated.
Apart from going to lectures and studying for exams, we exchange students had a lot of free time for socializing and travelling.
This year in Strasbourg was honestly one of the best years of my life! |
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I met so many great, interesting people from all over the world, from Australia, USA, South America, European countries and Asia. Strasbourg as a town, even though being small had a lot to offer from different cultural events to a lively though a more sophisticated nightlife.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to travel a lot within France as it was more expensive to travel to the South of France for example than it was to travel outside of France, however I greatly enjoyed various trips to Rome (Italy), Basel (Switzerland) and Berlin (Germany) together with my exchange friends and also one trip within France to the beautiful French city Lyon. I did plan on travelling to Paris as well, as I think everyone must have done that when living in France, but time and money didn’t allow it in the end, which is a shame but a trip to Paris will definitely happen soon to make up for it. All in all, I recommend everyone to do a year abroad and take the opportunity to travel lots within the country they are staying and outside, as the chance to have so much free time and not many responsibilities in the university will never come again. It was a great year and I would love to experience it all over again.
Melina Koumides
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is a medieval city, built on the banks of the Rhine, placed equal distance from the wine growing areas of the Vosges Mountains and the German Black Forest. It was to be my city for a year whilst I studied political science at one of France's best political schools, 'L’Institut des Études Politiques'. The city offered a diverse mix of people from the 60,000 students of the various universities to the politicos of the Council of Europe and European Parliament. With a rich tapestry of history, Strasbourg has been 'ping ponged' around between the French and Germans for hundreds of years, and this is clearly seen in both the architecture and the cultural atmosphere of the city.
Today, Strasbourg has aimed itself at becoming the capital of Europe as a centre of European institutions and as a symbol of peace placed directly on the border of two former enemies. I was lucky enough to work in the European Parliament when it made its monthly exodus to Strasbourg. I worked for the Conservative whips' office, and played a role in directing MEPs on how they should vote.
I found the experience of living in a French city exhilarating because of the huge cultural and linguistic divides between the small Welsh seaside town of Aberystwyth and a vibrant European city. My language skills are hugely improved simply by the saturation of French that I was exposed to. It was the most exciting and worthwhile experience of my life and I would recommend it to anyone.
Anthony Pickles
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is a medium-size town in the east of France, close to the German and Swiss borders. The Europe Bridge connects Strasbourg to the German town Kehl. As the town is situated in the heart of Europe it becomes particularly easy to travel to other European destinations. Paris is about two hours away and Basel around half an hour. Strasbourg has got a lovely historic centre with a beautiful cathedral which has been the highest building for almost 200 years.
The actual city centre is quiet and small but it has many restaurants and bars, which tend to be very busy on the weekends. There are all the shopping possibilities you could need, from small independent shops to shopping malls, while everything is at short distance. Every part of the city is easily accessible by public transport or by bike. There are theatres, an opera, museums, galleries, libraries, cinemas and concert halls. As a student, you get free or reduced entry to all of the cultural attractions in town.
The University has several campuses and a range of sport, art and other societies. Most of them are free of charge or very reasonably priced. Taking part surely makes contact with the French students much easier than just studying at the university.
The university offers accommodation for which it is advisable to apply as early as possible. It is cheap but one usually needs to share the kitchen with about 30 people. It is great to live in halls to get to know people and avoid the added hassle of finding somewhere to live in the private sector. However, the rooms are often very small and it is difficult to have guests. Strasbourg is particularly attractive to students interested in the European Union, as it is the
capital of Europe. The European Parliament, the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights are all situated in this city and they offer internship opportunities. Do apply early though, if you are eager to gain work experience.
Julia Höffmann
Strasbourg
I spent my Year Abroad in Strasbourg in Alsace which is a well known city in Europe thanks to a multitude of international organisations like European Parliament or Council of Europe.
I studied there at the Institut d’Études Politiques which is a very prestigious department of political science in France. It must be emphasized that it was a challenging but highly productive time in my life. Once I arrived in Strasbourg, my life changed. I was happy to live in a foreign country and live among foreigners who were extremely helpful.
Obviously, you may face some language difficulties in the beginning but thanks to gentle people you will overcome them easily! It will be so exciting to be able to speak various languages in addition to having many friends from all around the world with different cultures. Strasbourg is also a great place for students learning German as it is located on the border with Germany where you could practice it easily.
It is certain that you will be enjoying Alsatian and French food which is probably the best in the world. Remember to visit restaurants located in the centre of Strasbourg! France is also well-known for producing wines. In Alsace you will be able to choose from a variety of wines from which Sylvaner I found the best.
I am sure that once you return to Aberystwyth, you will have a tolerant understanding of the world around you. It can also have an influence on your self-motivation and self-confidence in your future work. All in all, you will have a possibility to experience something new and exciting, so you cannot afford to miss it!
Michal Karas
Strasbourg
I spent a year studying at l’Institut d’Études Politiques in Strasbourg and being an MEP stagiaire in the European Parliament.
I would strongly recommend Strasbourg to anyone interested in politics, history and culture. It is beautifully located in the Rhine valley so I enjoyed trips to picturesque towns on the Rhine Wine Route as well as nearby German and Swiss locations with a cheap rail ticket for groups. Another good idea to integrate well and make new friends is to use the Strasbourg University sporty card offering a wide range of activities, courses and walking trips.
The ancient etymology of the “town at the crossing of roads” is still true in the modern times. In its most literal sense, Strasbourg, as a rather green city, is very pleasant to walk, cycle and watch from a comfortable tram. Secondly, it is a place hosting international organizations and events. It was an incomparable experience as well as a boost for my CV to work in the European Parliament and participate in the NATO summit, including listening to Obama’s speech. Finally, the cultural life is vibrant and can satisfy various tastes. I was delighted to have a chance to meet one of my favourite authors who was invited to Librairie Kleber and to listen to live music ranging from orchestra through jazz sessions in local pubs to a Bat for Lashes concert.
On the less positive side, I had to adjust to the French system of examinations and prepare despite almost all of the second semester paralyzed by strikes. I also found the bureaucracy overwhelming in certain cases, but generally the “Erasmus” label makes people smile and find patience to explain slowly again.
In the end all the trouble was nothing compared to the marvelous year I have spent. It is not something to be missed by a languages student.
Olga Sierocinska
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I spent a year studying at l’Institut d’Études Politiques in Strasbourg and being an MEP stagiaire in the European Parliament.
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