Semester abroad at La Martinière Diderot - Communication Design (B.A.)

The decision

I already knew at the beginning of my studies that I wanted to spend a semester abroad. I had a basic knowledge of French from secondary school and hoped that a stay abroad would be the quickest way to improve my language skills. Due to the pandemic, I got into a bit of an uninspired rut and so I wanted to broaden my design horizons in a different way - in a different country, with a different system, and so on. I love travelling, so I wanted to take on this challenge.

At first I really wanted to go to Toulouse, but unfortunately that didn't work out and I was pretty downhearted. Unfortunately, I had only applied to this one partner university, which was a mistake. It can happen that interests don't match and unfortunately it was the case here that they didn't like my portfolio and direction. I later learnt that the university is probably relatively strict and has a reputation for making it more difficult to be accepted. Very spontaneously, however, I was informed that the UAS had signed a new contract and so I applied very quickly and within a week I suddenly had a place in Lyon for my dream semester abroad.

Preparations

The application process was full of emotional highs and lows, as I have already described. When I sent off my application documents in January 2022, I had booked a French A2 language course at the adult education centre in Berlin Schöneberg. The whole thing ran for about 2 months in the summer, twice a week in the evening and was also very cheap for students (I think it was 60 euros). This course wasn't my breakthrough, but it helped me to get back into the language mentally and to speak a little. I also practised with Duolingo almost every day, which is quite cool and fun for vocabulary, but when it comes to grammar and conversation, unfortunately you can't get that far with the app. In general, I didn't have to organise much else, we just took out health insurance abroad just in case. Fortunately, I didn't have to go to the doctor or anything like that. Because Lyon is not very well connected, I chose a flight via Paris, where I then spent a week on holiday with a friend. Then I booked a train very cheaply and travelled from Paris to Lyon with my gigantic suitcase.

The accommodation

Luckily, I was able to connect with a friend of a friend who was living in Lyon at the time via social media. I actually just contacted her to answer a few questions about living in Lyon, the neighbourhoods and finding accommodation. She recommended Facebook and "lacartedescoloc.fr", so I searched there first. But we quickly found out that it would be perfect because she was moving out in September and I wanted to move in somewhere in September. After talking to her flatmate in the 4-bed flat share, the matter was settled and I was very relieved. The landlord was also very straightforward and simply happy that someone new would pay the rent for the furnished room without any problems. He just asked for my bank details and a deposit of two months' rent and we signed a contract. I would therefore say that I was very lucky, especially because the flat was really great and also had a great location in the 1st arrondissement. There were lots of cafés and bars within walking distance, everything was very cosy and cute.

Studying at the university

Beforehand, I was given a map of the courses and was a bit confused: there was Philosophy, English and Economics. At first I thought I would be able to choose my courses, but at this university it's more of a timetable system. The week was full of courses from 8/9 am to 4/5 pm. In Potsdam, things are a bit more relaxed and you can follow your own interests. As I suspected that some courses might be too difficult because everything was in French, I was able to negotiate a little with the professors. I only needed 20 ETCS and was therefore able to cancel the theoretical courses in order to have a bit more free time. On the first day, everyone - around 50 students from the design degree programmes - met in one room. Then we started in French and I concentrated to understand everything. The professors introduced what was going to happen over the next few weeks: a seminar called "Studio Nursery", where we could quickly socialise in interdisciplinary groups and design our own agency. I really enjoyed the beginning of the semester. But then we had a somewhat larger project that dealt with data visualisation. Unfortunately, this project took up a lot of space and I didn't really like it from the start, which is why my motivation waned a little. However, I was generally well advised and always treated well, especially by our graphics professor and Erasmus officer David Pilloix.

Everyday life and free time

I was very happy to get on very well with most of the class and a group quickly formed to which I belonged and in which I felt comfortable. One of my flatmates also became a very close friend. That's why I didn't attend any Erasmus events organised by ESNLyon. I only went to one such event once, which didn't really enrich me. The costs in France are generally a bit more expensive than in Germany - beer, going out and shopping - you have to expect that. I recommend applying for the Alpes-Rhônes region pass for cultural discounts and free entry. I also signed up to a gym for €30/month and always spent €25 on a monthly pass. My rent was €415 (+€100 utilities) for a room in a shared flat. Lyon is a relatively small city that is pedestrian-friendly and where you can also use city bikes cheaply. I generally got to know a lot of cafés and bars in Lyon and also travelled to Marseille, Chambéry, Paris and Barcelona (all by train and bus). In France, the train is much less complicated and there is a low-cost train line (OUIGo) that I often used. During my time there, I practised with analogue photography and development. I often went jogging in autumn and went to the Parc de la Tête d'Or, which I can recommend. Lyon has two rivers and we always spent a lot of time in the sun on the quays. The weather was great until November and much better than in Germany.

Conclusion and tips

I have to be honest and say that I had some very tough moments when I felt very lonely due to the language gap - especially because I didn't know anyone at the beginning. I would have liked to have someone else at the school who was also doing Erasmus so that we could talk about the same situation. But living in a shared flat helped me and I can highly recommend it. Learning the language wasn't as smooth as I thought it would be. I did get better, but for a long time I was very blocked from really trying to speak in French. Unfortunately, the school is not as well equipped as the UAS, which is a bit of a shame. I wouldn't say that I've made much progress in my studies. Nevertheless, I am very happy to have built up a dear circle of friends and proud to have mastered many of the challenges. I particularly recommend travelling a bit by train and visiting many corners of France. I will be back in the summer and it will feel like visiting a little home again. Lyon is a quiet, friendly city where people seem a bit friendlier than in Paris, for example. There are always events, second-hand pop-ups, etc. In October there was the Festival Lumière and in December the famous Lyon Festival of Lights. If you already have a basic knowledge of French, you can have a very good time there.