I am now home, and reflecting on my time in Paris. It has been the most amazing year full of stories and memories I will cherish for the rest of my life. I am leaving feeling a changed person ready to return to Glasgow and see everyone again.
I thought for this blog I would just tell some stories that have happened to me and perhaps offer bits of advice within.
Firstly, I have been locked out twice from my accommodation, saved only by my reception having a spare key which I had to wait a few days to get. So, my first advice would be to make sure you have a spare key somewhere or with a close friend. In Paris, it is thought to be a bit of a right of passage to lock yourself out however the 200-300 euros it costs to get back in is not ideal for a student budget in one of the most expensive cities in the world. So, try and get a spare key, or make sure your landlord has one etc.
If I could go back, I would also try and learn more French before I left. I thought my GCSE French was going to carry me through but honestly, I had forgotten a lot, and learning in school is much different from actual French people talking at normal speed, quickly and over each other. If you can do a short course before you go abroad (if you are going somewhere with a different language), then I definitely would. I am hoping to continue my French studies when I come back but I think you would probably get more out of the language side of the study abroad, the more you know when you go out.
One of the best reflections I have on my year is how much more independent I feel. Going abroad alone obviously forces you to become more independent.
I think I had become a bit complacent in Glasgow and got used to having the same friends and the same familiar faces, however, going away to Paris forced me out of my comfort zone. I became extremely chatty and made so many lifelong friends from around the world. I also got used to doing things alone. As in Paris there is always something to see or something happening, I would leave class and usually go to a museum or try a new coffee shop that I had been wanting to try. Once you get used to doing it, it doesn’t feel that strange and actually is super enjoyable. This independence is something I want to maintain in Glasgow.
I would also say it can be really beneficial to make sure you stay in contact with all your Glasgow friends. I would call my flatmates probably once a week if not more. It is really nice because it helps you stay in touch with your friends as well as Glasgow itself e.g. what is going on that week, flats coming on the market, pubs closing down. Everything you can imagine, really! It does help you feel like you are in the loop and that when you come back you are coming back in knowing what is going on, not like you have dropped off the face of the earth for a year.
Overall, studying abroad is genuinely one of the best opportunities and experiences you can have and I am so grateful that I got to experience it. It can sometimes be challenging, but honestly, I would say the hard bits are lost amongst the scale of the positive aspects of studying abroad.
~ Niamh (Go Abroad Ambassador 2023/24)
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