Student Stories

I came into this term really excited to be immersed in French and to be able to travel more and simply do more from my new host university and city of Lille in Northeastern France. Located right on the Belgian border, it is a mix for several different cultures in the area (French, Flemish, etc.). Famous for waffles (des gaufres), Lille is (about) the 10th largest city in France. It’s also a major rail and transportation hub located between London, Paris, and Brussels, with links to other major Western European cities like Amsterdam (this is wonderful for travel options).I’ve found it hard to discuss travel while writing on this blog. I want to talk about my travels (and I primarily do, as it’s often much more exciting than writing about the essays I’ve been working on or my reading lists), but I don’t want to make it sound like I’m just here to travel and not go to school at all. It’s a tough balance to strike, especially when reflecting on the experience. I’m here to study abroad (key word there being study) but how to approach this is tough, as the abroad is what makes it something truly special. I think that what I’ve decided as of now is that it’s about learning and growth (which, I understand sounds fairly generic so I’ll explain). I go to university here to learn academically – often similar to the US (English lit. classes) and French language, etc. But there’s also so much more to learn. I don’t think that school can teach you everything in life and the pure world experience that you get from everything outside of the academic world while studying abroad is just as important because it’s learning – just a different type. You learn how to cook and shop in different countries, perhaps how to barter and about cultural differences. You learn how to deal with stressful situations and work through  them in a foreign environment and how to be more independent. You learn how to overcome language barriers and how to do so, so much more. Everyone has skills and abilities that they will learn or improve with travel experience (simply put: the abroad part of study abroad) and I think that it’s extremely important (as opposed to studying abroad by just going back and forth to school and your room, albeit in a different country). I’m still consolidating my thoughts on the matter so this might not be worded or phrased as elegantly as I’d like but I think it gets my point across reasonably well.

I mentioned cooking because this has been one of my biggest challenges so far. I’m currently in my second year of university. Before leaving home I knew how to make basic food: noodles, wraps, etc. and last year I ate primarily at the dining hall or pre-made/cooked foods). In the UK I received a stipend to help pay for cost of living but it would be really hard to stretch I had decided to dine out all the time. This meant that I had to start doing a lot more of my own cooking. I’m not a chef by any stretch of the imagination, but I was getting better at it and was consistently having meals that were getting healthier and better for me. Then I moved to France, and my kitchen situation changed entirely. This was one of the hardest things for me when I changed schools and countries: I went from a UK kitchen with an oven, stove, microwave and even a toaster to a French kitchen that consists of: a sink and a stove with four burners. I found this really tough because I’d gotten into a good routine with oven-cooked meals and using the microwaves for fast, pre-made heated meals. Changing to use just a stovetop has been hard but I feel like I’m learning more and cooking more with the stove (meat is still a bit of a struggle and I only have a 1.5L pan for water so I have to borrow my friends’ shallower pans for most other things…)

The language barrier hasn’t been too big of a struggle so far (for me personally). I had a period over winter break with family in France where I was able to get my brain going in French gear, which definitely helped. I was also able to take some French language classes at the uni that are great. Interestingly enough however, is that most of the international students speak English when we’re together because it’s the common language that everyone feels most comfortable in. Thus it’s hard to get in spaces of full immersion, but it is also nice when I want to speak English.

I’m loving the dual placement option, as I’m able to be at two different universities for my year abroad and have so many incredible, unique experiences. It is hard however, because I miss my friends from home and also my friends at Essex. Missing friends and family is totally normal, but it hasn’t got me less excited for this coming term when I’ve got a lot of cool plans lined up. Overall, this term I’m excited for my classes (masters seminars!), meeting new people from all over the world, and seeing more around Europe (and potentially farther…) – so basically everything, again.