Victoria (Sem 2, 2024)

My Exchange Jean Moulin – Lyon 3 University

I decided to partake on an exchange during my last full semester of university because I wanted to benefit from this opportunity on present for university students, as well as improve my French, a language I have been studying since four years old. I found out about 360 international through various university emails, their presence on university and through my friends who had already been on exchange. I spent one semester at Université Jean Moulin Lyon Trois in Lyon, with my first impressions of Lyon being it was really hot, but also incredibly beautiful with the old village as well as the big Cathedral de Fourviere on the hill. I quickly settled into my accomodation which I found through the International Student Association. I stayed in a studio organised by CROUS, a partially government funded organisation. My accomodation was not too far from uni, about 20 minutes from door to door, and was really close to the metro and tram. The studio itself was spacious with all the necessary appliances and in really good condition as well as cheap, only 415 euros a month. During my first week, I partook in a SIM program which was an orientation week put on by the international association. We had various events such as a boat ride down the river Saône and a soirée at a local pub. We also have hours of intensive French language classes to prepare us for our first couple weeks at university. I really enjoyed this program and found it to be a good way to settle into French and uni life. It is also where I made my core group of friends with whom I would later go on many trips and do many activities with.

I took 9 courses at university, totalling to 31,5 ECTS. These courses were all in the faculty of Arts, humanities and civilisations which meant I did a lot of French literature, history and culture papers. I found these papers difficult to begin with as I had not taken many literature nor history papers while at UoA. But I soon grew an appreciation for French literature as well as the culture. I found the level of the classes a little easier compared to UoA but I believe most of this to be attributed to their lenient nature with international students. For example, we were not allowed to attend tutorials as they were considered too hard for us and subsequently, we did not do the same exams as the French students. Instead, the lecturers made a separate exam paper for us which for some classes consisted as an essay, a report or even an oral exam. While at university, I also partook in some yoga. The university had a really good sports department in which you just had to pay 36 euros a year and you were able to participate in four sport sessions a week. There was also the option to be marked on the sport you did, but this option was not available for exchange students. Outside of university, I did a lot of travelling with my group of friends. Together, we went to Dijon, Annecy, Chamonix, Paris, Pérouges and Geneva in Switzerland. I also did some solo travelling which I was initially nervous about, but soon grew to love. I went to Grenoble, Vienne, Montpellier, England and Germany by myself.

I found travelling to be really cheap with some bus tickets going for only 15 New Zealand dollars. There was also the option of the TGV which was more expensive but if you booked in advance, you could get reasonably priced tickets and you could get to places faster. The core necessities were also cheaper in Lyon such as accomodation which cost me around 750 NZD a month for my own studio, a public transport which was only 50 NZD a month as oppose to a week which is what I was paying back home. Things like food and eating out was roughly the same in Lyon compared to NZ but the low euro value did make things look cheaper.

I definitely enjoyed my exchange and was incredibly sad to leave Lyon and France in general. I made the most amazing friends I got to share this journey with and grew a deeper appreciation for the French culture and the French language which I have been learning nearly all my life. Besides the friends I made, the best part was the accessibility of travelling anywhere and everywhere anytime I wanted which is pretty difficult to do in NZ. So my main piece of advice, is if you’re contemplating buying that train, bus or plane ticket to do a little trip, do it! you won’t get the chance to do it again when you’re back home.

Q&A

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

The highlight of my academic experience was having all my classes be taught in French. This was definitely a bit tiring the first week of classes where my brain had to get used to processing information in another language. But by my last week, I was able to understand everything the professors were saying and even miss hearing French on a daily basis.

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

I would recommend indulging in all the food especially the boulangeries (bakeries). We have many bakeries in New Zealand, but none compare to the ones in France that serve gourmet desserts as well as freshly made and baked sandwiches.

I also did a macaroon cooking class through the company Chef Atelier. This was a company I had heard off when I was in Aix en Provence for a French course two years ago, but never got to do any classes with them. So this time, I really wanted to learn how to cook something French and this 3 hour cooking class was on sale for only 79 euros. We learnt how to make different flavours of macaroons, Strawberry, chocolate and lemon. I would also recommend attending the festival de Lumière which is put on every 8th of December in Lyon to commemorate Mary who had saved the city from the romans and the flu during the 17th century.

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

1) Save as much money as you can because you don’t want to be telling yourself no, du to being money restricted.

2) subscribe to all the exchange groups and activities especially during the first week. This is where you will make the majority of your friends.

3) Don’t be scared to talk to the locals. I made some French friends in my classes who were incredibly nice and gave me some advice on what I should do in France.

4) Bonus tip, pack light because you’re going to be bringing a lot back home, and you don’t want to restrict yourself weight-wise

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?

When I left NZ, I had $15,000. This was enough for one semester. I was worried I was going to run out of money especially since I was going to come back home and not have a job for two months. But with accomodation and public transport being so cheap, I managed to underspend by about 2000 NZD. In saying so, your exchange is an experience so while it is important to be money conscious, don’t restrict yourself on what you can do or buy because you are worried about money.

What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?

To put myself out there. I was so incredibly nervous the last few weeks leading up to my exchange, worried something bad was going to happen to be overseas, or I wasn’t going to like it or make friends. But I experienced the complete opposite, I loved my exchange so much I didn’t want to come back. So don’t let fear stop you because you might experience the best journey ever.

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

I traveled to England and Germany and Switzerland outside my host country. I loved these countries especially England and Germany was I got to visit some of my high school friends. I had a great time experiencing different cultures and of course the food. I did have a few delayed and disrupted transport so keep in mind to be flexible and not book connecting trains or activities too close to your train times as trains especially in England can be terribly unreliable and there may not always be people there who want to help you.

Is there any advice you could share about accommodation options at your host university and/or in the local area?

I applied for CROUS accomodation through the international association which was part of the university. This accomodation was public so it was very cheap but was in good condition. I would recommend applying straight away as this housing option fills up instantly and you will miss out if you’re a day late. All the resources necessary to choose the best accommodation are on the international association website which you will get a link emailed to you.

Do you have any advice on what mobile phone apps and/or phone plans that were useful in your host country?

I used Wise for payment as it had the best exchange rate. It was also just good in terms of budgeting as IK would only transfer a certain amount from my NZ bank account a week.

I used the TCL app for travelling inside of Lyon and the Trainline app and Flixbus to book trains and buses outside of Lyon

For the university, I used UnivLyon3 for the student website, Moodle to access my class notes (they use this instead of Canvas and Evelity to get the university map. I also used Washonline to pay for my washing at the accomodation which was also be done through the izly app which they also used at the university to pay for meals although I couldn’t load money onto it for some reason (you may need a French bank account.

I bought a SIM card from the Fnac store which is a book store. I was with the company Free and just got a monthly plan costing 19,99 euros. This was a good plan as I had sufficient data and could use it travelling around Europe.