Adam (Sem 1 + Sem 2, 2023)

My Exchange at Jean Moulin – Lyon 3 University

If I could describe my year-long 360 exchange in one sentence, it would be “hands down the best year of my life.” As a French major who had studied French for the last 7 years, I came on exchange for the sole purpose of getting my language level to work proficiency, but to say I got a whole lot more than that would be understatement. I will be leaving France in two weeks having made life-long friendships with people from all corners of the globe, and having had the most life-changing experiences.

Firstly, I could not possibly recommend Lyon any more as a city for exchange. It has the perfect balance of exciting things going on, being liveable and easy to get around, while not being as stressful, overwhelming and expensive as Paris. You can get to pretty much anywhere in the city within 30 minutes on the metro and trams, which is such a refreshing experience after living in Auckland. Not to mention that for those wanting to speak French, Lyon is a much more authentic city where less people are inclined to speak English. Lyon is also in the perfect location, 2 hours on the train from Paris, 4 hours from the beaches of the South of France, a few hours drive from the French Alps and the Swiss border, and within 2 hours flight from pretty much everywhere you could possibly want to visit in Europe.

In terms of university life at Lyon 3, be prepared for a very different way of doing things, though that doesn’t have to be a bad thing! I participated in the DEUF program which meant all my classes were taught in French (often I was the only non-French student in the class), which was definitely a challenge to begin with but it meant my language ability improved unbelievably fast. Often my classes were assessed with a 100% final exam, meaning there were no graded assignments throughout the semester. Though this was different to what I was used to, it really allowed me to focus on the content in class and my French ability. All in all, I would definitely recommend doing the French program as opposed to the English one, even if it means throwing yourself into the deep end!

In terms of accommodation, I decided to go through the international association at the host university who have a certain number of rooms reserved for exchange students in university residences. This meant my rent was noticeably cheaper than my friends who found rooms in flatshares independently (€340 per month vs around €600). I ended up in a 3 bedroom apartment in a residence located 20 meters from a metro station and 10 minutes from the university with two incredible flatmates who were also exchange students. Apart from rent, which I found to be roughly similar to flatting in Auckland, if not slightly cheaper, the cost of living in Lyon is very similar to that in Auckland. Groceries are on average around the same price, however I found eating out to be a bit more expensive than at home.

All things considered, if you’re on the fence about going on a 360 exchange or you’re considering Lyon, DO IT! You won’t regret it for one second.

Q&A

What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?

I would say the biggest highlight was studying in French. Taking all your classes in a foreign language means taking notes in that language, doing readings in that language, doing tests and exams in that language, even giving presentations in that language, it allows you to really become immersed. I can’t express how much this helped me gain proficiency in a language I had been trying for so many years to become proficient in. Though it requires being thrown into the deep end, such as having professors that don’t speak a word of English, you’ll start to see improvement even after the first week of classes.

Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?

Something unique to Lyon is La Fête des Lumières which takes place in early December. It’s a city-wide festival which includes enormous light shows and projections on buildings, statues and in parks. It’s definitely something to see!

I was also in France for Bastille Day on the 14th July, which is France’s national holiday. This includes amazing fireworks in most major cities and huge street parties.

What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?

1. Just go with the flow. The administrative processes in France can be a nightmare in every sense of the word. From applying for your visa, to moving into your accomodation and enrolling in classes it may seem like one impossible hurdle after another, all while carrying around a stack of 30 documents because for some reason everything is always done on paper in France. After a year of experiencing French bureaucracy, one thing I can tell you is that is always works out! Try not to stress to much about all the admin, because even when someone tells you “non, c’est pas possible”, it is in fact possible you just have to keep asking!

2. Get the SNCF Carte Avantage Jeune. If you plan on travelling by train within France, which is for many inevitable, I highly recommend getting this card. It usually costs €49 for the year and will make all trains you book 30% cheaper! I only got the card in the last 3 months of my year in France, and it still more than paid itself off, so if you have it for your entire exchange you could save a lot on trains!

3. Start every conversation with “Bonjour”. Whether you’re greeting your professor, entering a store, being served at the supermarket or asking someone for directions, ALWAYS start with Bonjour, even if only to ask if they speak English afterwards. Something that I and many of my friends didn’t know, even after studying French for 7 years, is that it is considered extremely rude to start a conversation with a stranger without properly greeting them first. French people are often portrayed as being rude, but in reality they just have very strict social and language norms which foreigners often ignore or simply don’t know, so start off on the right foot!

How much did you budget for your exchange? Was this enough? Were there any lessons learned that would help future students budget for their own exchange?

Budgeting was something that was very difficult for me as I came on exchange for an entire year with summer break in the middle, so I didn’t really know what I was getting into in terms of what everyday life would be like. Nonetheless, I budgeted $2000NZD per month all expenses included (Rent, food, phone plan, transport, and a little extra for travel and activities). It goes without saying that this is different for everyone, however I found that for me this was about right, granted I did do a fair amount of travel outside of my host city.

Keeping track of expenses also became quite difficult as I opened both a French bank account and a foreign travel card account, meaning I often had three different bank accounts being used, along with physical cash which is still quite common to use in France. That would definitely be my biggest lesson, to try and stick to one or two payment forms and accounts so that its easier for you to keep track of your expenses. Whether that means opening a French bank account and exclusively using that, or exclusively using a travel card such as Wise.

What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?

Experiences are everything, and I mean everything. I, along with most of my exchange friends I have made here, will be returning to home with little to no money to my name. The absolute best advice I was given before I left was by one of my lecturers at UOA, who said that if there was an experience I really wanted to do, I should do it, because in 10 years I won’t think about the money I once had as a 20 year-old but rather the amazing experiences I had abroad. Because of that, this year I experienced things I never would have dreamed of before, such as swimming in the Dead Sea in Israel-Palestine, hiking the Swiss Alps, or watching the sun set over the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul.

I am capable of a lot more than I had thought. If you had told me two years ago that I would leave behind everyone and everything I know to study on the other side of the world for an entire year, I would have laughed it off. After having spent the last year in France I’ve realised that I’m capable of pretty much anything that I put my mind to, it just takes a little courage.

Do you want to share anything about travels you did outside your host city/country?

I was fortunate enough to do quite a lot of travel outside of Lyon throughout my year exchange. The central location of Lyon within both France and Europe allowed me to travel to a lot of places for relatively cheap, not to mention the fact I had European summer break between my two exchange semesters, allowing plenty of time to do so. Other than the countries nearby to France, such as Spain, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the UK and Ireland, I notably took two trips further abroad during my exchange. The first of which was a week-long trip to Israel-Palestine, which would become one the most amazing experiences of my life thus far. Sadly, this is no longer a trip I can recommend to those going on exchange, for obvious reasons. The second incredible trip I went on was a 5-day trip to Istanbul, Turkey.

Final Comments

Don’t let the time away or distance scare you off. Don’t get me wrong, I was definitely scared in the weeks leading up to my departure. Moving to a foreign country on the other side of the world where you don’t know anyone, knowing that you won’t get to come home for a whole year is definitely daunting, but you’re not alone, there will be so many other people just like you at your host university. At the end of the day, what’s 6 months or a year from your life in the grand scheme of things? It’s an experience that will change your life in all the right ways.