Mi Experiencia Erasmus en Francia

My last week in France is starting to feel a bit sad. I have already said goodbye to the Spanish students from Almería, Valladolid, and Logroño, and now I am the only Spaniard left at the school. I am starting to realize that this experience is coming to an end and that I will have to say goodbye to all the people I have met. But as I always say, it’s not a “goodbye,” but a “see you soon.” Lilie’s family, her friends, and her classmates have treated me amazingly well. I have made many friends, and I know that I now have a third home in France. As an anecdote, I have to mention that this Thursday, I was a bit scared because there was a bomb threat at three schools in the city. We were told to pack our bags and place them in another room in case we needed to evacuate. Fortunately, nothing happened.

Today, I will talk about French cuisine. In France, most foods are cooked with butter—even fried eggs are made with butter. During meals, you’ll notice that the first and second courses are served together on the same plate. Also, cheese is widely used, either as a snack between the main course and dessert or as the main ingredient in dishes like fondue au fromage . On the other hand, there are many delicious desserts, such as crêpes and macarons. In general, French food is amazing, but sometimes I miss croquettes or Iberian ham.

Today, I am going to talk about the city of Angers, where my school is located. Angers is a city about the same size as Logroño. It has a tram that connects all parts of the city, making transportation easier. In the city center, there is a beautiful Christmas market located next to Galeries Lafayette , a well-known French department store similar to El Corte Inglés , where you can find all kinds of brand-name clothing and accessories. In another square nearby, there is a second part of the Christmas market, which features a giant Ferris wheel and numerous food stalls. I bought a macaron, a crêpe, and a pretzel. A few streets away, there is a beautiful park where you can see various animals such as goats, ducks, and rabbits. Something that really surprised me is that there are no drinking fountains anywhere in the city.

I have now passed the halfway point of my stay here, and I’m going to talk about the activities I have been doing. One day, Lilie’s family and I went to a Christmas market that was inside caves. Inside, you could see both Christmas decorations and artisan markets selling all kinds of products. It was amazing how beautiful it was and the atmosphere there. At the end of the day, we went to a restaurant inside a cave. There, they served all kinds of food that had to be eaten with freshly baked bread, made in-house. In the middle of the meal, we could take a tour of the cave to aid digestion and see how the bread was made. Another day, Lilie, her boyfriend, and I visited the city center of Angers and an old castle known for its city views and a well beneath the bridge connecting the street to the castle. We had a great time together.

Today, I am going to talk about my third weekend in France. On Saturday morning, Lilie and I went shopping and looked at perfumes because I wanted to buy one. In the afternoon, we went to watch a basketball game to support Théo, a French Erasmus student. Fortunately, he won the match, and afterward, all the Spanish and French Erasmus students went to Théo and Adèle's house for dinner. We had an amazing night full of laughter and jokes, and when it got late, Lilie and I went to Juliette and Laura’s house to sleep. In the morning, Juliette and I woke up early, so we decided to go for a run around the town. The scenery was beautiful, and the people we passed were very friendly. However, I couldn’t keep up with Juliette’s pace since she does athletics, and I hadn’t exercised in a long time. Without a doubt, it was an incredible weekend.

After two weeks here, I am going to talk about the general differences I have noticed between both countries. First of all, I have realized that most people live in townhouses in villages with several pets. Inside the houses, there are two bathrooms—one with a shower and another with a toilet, but they are not in the same place. Regarding daily life, since everyone lives in different towns, people don’t usually meet up during the week or even on weekends. Another surprising thing was how birthdays are celebrated. Here, birthdays are like parties that take place at the birthday person's house, where all the guests stay overnight. Lastly, something that surprised me was that when you enter a store with a backpack, they either make you leave it at the entrance or secure it with a zip tie so you can't open it.