Having now passed the halfway mark of my year abroad in the city of love, I felt inclined to
offer some advice to those now contemplating their year abroad, or even just a placement away from Bath. Here are a few gems for you lucky second years about to embark on what may well be best year of your university experience...
Don't expect things to be as easy as they are in Bath, and don't be too optimistic about the first month or so of your trip - be prepared for things to be hard.
Finding a place to live particularly can prove a nightmare. Try and get your accommodation sorted before you leave if at all possible. Don't panic if it doesn't work out straight away. Do your best not to shy away from taking on more – ok, so you might not need to go to that lecture on a Friday morning and it seems much wiser to stay in bed and watch How I Met Your Mother instead. You will regret this when you realise you've spent a whole semester watching English programmes and only speak your host language when you get your weekly baguette. Do have wild nights out - you may not have much money, you may not know where you're going or who you're with but go with the flow - now and again embrace the randomness. Having said that... don't say yes to everything – there are some seriously dodgy people out there: don't be naïve.
Do work on your languages more than you would at home - just because you're abroad doesn't mean you will speak the host language. Trust me, it doesn't work like that. Make some effort, listen to Howard and get your grammar books out every now and then, you won't regret it.
Don't worry if you don't tick every box - ok so you don't work in the centre of town, and maybe you've ended up living with a family instead of the bohemian student pad you imagined. It's ok, make the most of whatever experience you have and try not to regret things - when you get home you'll be so nostalgic you'll be begging that old German lady to take you back in!
Do expect to get things wrong, and be brave when people shout at you. You will make some embarrassing errors (and if you don't you're not using your language enough!), you will almost get run over and you may well get shouted out by the police a little bit (apparently it's also illegal to cycle in Paris whilst on the phone..who'd have thought? Oh and here's another one – don't get too cocky, you are a foreigner - know your place!)
Do get a bike - this might not be practical for everyone, but if you can, cycling is a great way to figure out your way around town; you'll know your neighbourhood, and maybe even your city, much better than if you just use public transport. Plus it's free.
Don't go home - this is a schoolboy error. If you go home too soon you'll have serious blues when you get back to your host country. Be brave, get your boy/girlfriend to visit you and make a home for yourself in your new country - this is your life now, Bath will be waiting when you get back, I promise!
Do remember to savour a special moment - you might never live abroad again, and even if you do you probably won't be a student the next time it happens. Don't let the year pass you by.
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