My French Adventure

Sorting out my year abroad has been a turbulent process to say the least. However, a lot of emails, multiple changed plans and a few near-breakdowns later, I finally know what I’m doing with my life (well, for next year at least).

I am so excited to say that I will be moving to the French City of Toulouse and spending the year studying at the Université Toulouse- Jean Jaurès!!

Admittedly, this was not originally my plan and I was actually dead-set against studying at first. After reading online about a girl who secured an internship for ELLE magazine during her year abroad, I had envisioned (perhaps naively) myself spending the year in Paris and doing a similar thing. Long story short, after being met with perpetual silence after sending out a billion cover letters, CVs and job applications, my deadline was approaching quickly and so I accepted defeat. Without a doubt, working for a company such as ELLE would have been a dream, however as the days went by and I applied to more jobs out of stress, I realised that I was straying increasingly far away from my original plans, applying internships that I actually wouldn’t even enjoy.

So, I don’t view it as giving up per se, I actually see this change of heart as lifting a weight off my shoulders. I still firmly believe in the cliché that everything happens for a reason and so I suppose it wasn’t meant to be, and hopefully there’s something wonderful waiting for me in Toulouse. Despite my former aversion to studying, I am actually more excited for my year abroad now than I have ever been and I can’t wait to see what the year holds for me!

These are 5 reasons why I’m super excited for my French adventure

1. Toulouse is currently one of the BEST cities for studying in France, with 40,000 students and great nightlife.
2. I will have free time to travel. Toulouse is right next to the Pyrenees mountain range and you can travel to Mediterranean beaches in just an hour!
3. I’m going with my best friend! By a happy coincidence, my housemate is also going to study at Toulouse and it feels amazing to know that I will have one of my closest friends with me for the year.
4. I will FINALLY be able to say that I’m fluent in French.
5. I can escape the morbid English weather in exchange for a city known for its sunshine and long summer season- I might actually be able to dedicate myself to getting a banging tan.

So, plans have changed, and hopefully one day I will still be able to get that dream internship, but for now I have a great feeling about what’s in store for me next year. I’m pleased to say that I feel more positive than ever at the moment and I can’t wait to share all my year abroad experiences on here with you!