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.
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!)
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.
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
lovely read dearieee x
Brilliant 😉
Fab
Well done alice, great post 🙂 Lots of love xxx
Well done Alice
Haha such a good read very funny xxx
good luck alice
LOVE THIS 😀
Amazing 🙂 xx
Good luck Alice! xx
Love this, great stuff 🙂
Great read! Good luck Alice 🙂 xxxxx
Looooove <3
Brilliant read 🙂 xxx Dom
Good luck lovely <3
Amazing read!
Go Al! 😀
Fab x
Love it Al! Great blog 🙂
Wow looks like such an adventure! 😀 xx
good experience it seems you are lucky !
Looks fun!! 🙂
All I can say about france and you is 🙂 🙂 🙂 :))))
Looks great Al
was sent this and had a good read, nice writing and enjoyable trip summary, thankyou!
I remember you saying how the biscuits were bad lol no mention of biscuits here!!
Well done ! This remembers me my last year in Erasmus in Ireland, so many things done and places visited, it is just a crazy and unforgettable experience !
I’m glad to have had the luck to met you and wish you all the best Alice !
Fab
Hi alice! Very nice to read esp the skiing!
luv it! x
I have read lots of blogs on spending time abroad when I was deciding whether I wanted to or not and all I can say is this is by far one of the most honest, interesting and most encouraging blogs I have come across! Definitely would recommend reading this to someone if they were undecided about taking part in the Erasmus scheme 🙂
Love this 🙂 😉
Fantastic work Al, keep it up
Some great insights into your time in France, Alice, and very entertaining! You have great writing skills – good to nurture!
Janet
I wish I had had the chance to do something like this! xx
sounds like fun
Hi Alice!!!!!!!! GOOD BLOG!
i enjoyed readin about the food, is french food good?
Linked to this, very nice
im sure youre french is better than mine lol
Which was the best city in France you lived in? I’m looking to study there but cant decide what city
I like a lot, write another one where u go next!!!
Sounds like you have had a lovely time. A great experience for you! I would love to visit France again, Toulouse in particular! 😀
Miss you Alice, great blog!
Lovely post, Alice! It was such a treat to meet you and experience all of those great adventures in Toulouse 🙂 keep writing!!
Interesting read!
It looks like you had a really good time, tres bien 🙂
I bet you had some delicious wine when you were there!
-Liz
Fantastic! 😀
Sounds like you really made the most of your Erasmus year! I have also visited Barcelona, its an amazing city.
xxxx
Toulouse is a beautiful city! Good read x