Business Erasmus
Alice Smith
207 Comments
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I am writing this blog post from my french apartment with the sun shining through the window and a glass of wine at hand. My year here in Toulouse, France is soon to come to a close and it is fair to say that the decision to come here has been the best one I have ever made.

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This year I have been studying business at Toulouse Business School (TBS) as part of my International Marketing Course. My experience at TBS has been great and I have met so many people from all over the world that I am sure I will keep in contact with in the future! The only thing I certainly won’t miss will be the 3 hour lectures (after coming from a world where 1 hour 30 minutes were sac-religious you can imagine my horror)and the commute every day on the bus where you often felt you might one day get squished to death from the volume of people on it.

Overall life in Toulouse is amazing – the city, the food, the culture and the people have all made my experience here unforgettable. With the added funding from the Erasmus grant this year I have certainly taken full advantage of the various restaurants around the city, not forgetting the beautiful shops (girls, if you love shopping and food, live in France for a year, you won’t be disappointed!)

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There are definitely a few things that I will not miss when I leave France, for example..

  • French Admin – never before have I experienced such unnecessary paperwork as I have since moving to France. A simple trip to the bank can turn into an awful headache.
  • The dreaded ‘beep’ as the doors close on the metro – My best friend learnt this the hard way when her head was caught between the doors on the metro as they shut (not going to lie, hilarious moment).
  • French opening hours – Hungry at 9pm at night? Good luck finding anywhere open. Oh it’s lunch time I will pop the bank.. Banks close for 2 hours at lunchtime duuuh.

To pick a few, some highlights of my year here so far – 

  • Exploring a new city – I have truly enjoyed exploring Toulouse and its surroundings, it makes such a refreshing change to Southampton and England in general.
  • The nightlife – I have had some unforgettable nights since arriving here in September, from Mexican themed Erasmus nights to pre-drinking at sunset by the Garonne River. Toulouse is has the second largest student population in France so you never get short of new people to meet.
  • Visiting Paris – Me and my best friend visited the city of love for a weekend, it was great to be a tourist visiting the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe.
  • Visiting Barcelonaaa (twice!) – This was the first time visiting Barca and it is an amazing city! City, shops, clubs and a beach – what’s not to love.
  • Skiing for the first time in Andorra – I am so so glad I did this finally – even-though my legs hurt for days afterwards I absolutely loved skiing in the adorable little country of Andorra.

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My French language is pretty basic and due to my laziness it hasn’t improved great amounts but I can get by which is the main thing. However I have to say, living in another country has taught me much more than just language and if you are reading this because you are considering a year abroad then all I can say is DO IT. You won’t regret it!

Thanks for Reading!

Alice x

Beaucoup de baguettes, fromages, et bien sûr, le vin.

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207 thoughts on “Beaucoup de baguettes, fromages, et bien sûr, le vin.”

  1. Hi Alice ,had to google Tolouse as I got it mixed up with Toulon ( its an age thing!!) but now I,m sorted out.
    Cool blog ,take care
    Pad

  2. Good for you Alice I am sure that your French has improved and that you are speaking like a local.

  3. couldn’t agree more with this same experience!! and you’re welcome in barcelona anytime 😉

  8. I’ve been having a look through your France pictures and I am so jealous- looks amazing!! Great article as well x

  10. What a fab blog Alice, so glad you had such a lush time out in Toulouse – sounds like it was just perfect for you! xxx

  16. Love the blog! Sounds like you have had an amazing year! Hope you enjoy the rest of your time in Toulouse!! 😀

  17. This is really great , it’s inspiring to read about a french city from a foreigners perspective , keep it going . xx 🙂

  18. Lovely blog Alice! Great to here all about what you’ve been up to. Also, i’m super jealous, i wanna go to Toulouse now!

  21. Couldn’t have been put better! Definitely feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to study at TBS. Setting aside the minor drawbacks, Toulouse is a fantastic place to study!

  22. Sounds like you have had an amazing year, Alice. The time you’ve spent in Toulouse may be coming to a close faster than you can imagine but the experiences and lessons learned will last a life time!

  23. Hey Alice,

    Great blog!
    sounds like you had an absolutely amazing time in Toulouse! I know exactly what you mean about French opening times, so annoying!

    Hope you’re well,

  24. Really great blog Alice! Sounds like you’ve had an amazing year abroad! Certainly loved Toulouse when I visited 🙂 xxx

  26. It sounds like you’ve had an amazing time Al 🙂 I can’t wait to have you back though! Missing you

  28. Sounds like you’ve had an amazing time out there but I miss you smithy and can’t wait till your home! Love you

  29. Lovely blog Alice, I’m glad you’ve made the most of your year abroad. Not particularly jealous of the three hour lectures though haha xxx

  31. Perfect summary of the year, glad I had a chance to share it with you all! 😀

  32. Great post about your year abroad! I’m happy I had the opportunity to visit you a few weeks ago and see how you live 🙂 lots of love

  33. Fab blog Alice, sounds lke you´ve really enjoyed Toulouse and had a great experience :)!

  35. Making me glad I’ve still got 6 months erasmus left! (Sorry to rub that in Pal haha). Take me to toulouse one day?
    xxx

  41. Well done Al mc Nal. Such a good blog. Glad you went for it and had such a good year. Xxx

  43. Well done Al! Great review!! So glad to call you and Hy good friends now! A year I will never forget! #nothingToulouse ❤️

  44. Well done Al, great review! So happy to call you and Hy my good friends now… A year I will never forget! #nothingToulouse ❤️

  47. Lovely blog Alice! One more benefit… You get lots of friends from home visiting you too! 😉 xxx

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