Erasmus in Toulouse: first impressions

Left to right: View from the big wheel, Capitole square, lock on the boat tour, Picasso, Capitole on the inside

After months of apprehension, planning and dreaming of la ville rose I’ve finally made it to Toulouse! I’ve been here now for just over two weeks – week one was spent avec maman, settling in, buying homeware, opening a bank account, sightseeing etc. During the second week I attended introductory lectures and have been getting to know my fellow ERASMUS law cohort who hail from all over the world! In the week to come, there will be presentations on a variety of topics including using the library, which law courses are available, and (perhaps most importantly!) how to register at the uni (I find it very strange that even though we’ve been attending UT1 for a week none of us can use the library/wifi/intranet yet…the French are so laid back and sometimes ça me frustre (see below)). 

So far every day has bought a new experience, with some undoubtedly more enjoyable than others! So for my first blog post in Toulouse I thought I’d give you an idea of what I’ve been up to, grouped into good and bad experiences:

GOOD: 

Touristing

Toulouse is such a beautiful, historic city! Everything is super photogenic – great for lovers of Instagram comme moi. (There’s even not one but two official Toulouse hashtags – #visiteztoulouse; #bytoulouse – so all the more Instaspam for you!) So far I’ve visited Capitole (the incredibly grand town hall, which even has its own Opera!), been on a boat trip on the Garonne, took in the amazing view from the big wheel (twice), visited the botanical gardens (Jardin des Plantes), seen my first Picasso and some other thought-provoking modern art in the Les Abattoirs, and generally mooched around the city.

Meeting new people 

The brilliant thing about the introductory week is that I’ve already got to know fellow international law students before the (hard???) work commences. From those I’ve met so far, students from Ireland and Germany seem to be particularly abundant. And I’ve learned there is truly nothing like being around a group of international students to make you acutely aware of your Englishness (Fave quote: “your English is really good!” “that’s because I am English”. Though, before I open my mouth everyone assumes I’m Irish – do you think it’s the hair…? ;)).

My apartment 

Before arriving in Toulouse I didn’t realise how fortunate I was to have already found an apartment. For many people this has not been the case, meaning they have to balance apartment hunting with lessons and socialising – can’t be fun. I also didn’t quite realise how well located I am – just a 15/20 minute walk from the main campus, and very near to both the metro station and bus stops. The best part of my apartment so far though is the amazing panoramic view – from one side you can see all across Toulouse city centre, and from the other on a clear day you can see all the way to the Pyrenees. Definitely beats my skylight-framed view of suburban Nottingham!

NOT SO GOOD:

The slowness of things! 

Normally, I wouldn’t be too fussed about things taking a while (have you seen how slowly I eat?). But when that thing is sorting a bank account, which I need for doing basically anything involving money, it gets a little frustrating. A combination of oodles of paperwork, the fact that Toulouse is the third largest student city in France and the generally slower pace of life here means simple things like opening an account seem to drag on far longer than they should.

Basically every international student is fluent in English!

This is most certainly a cadeau empoisonné. On the one hand, it’s great because it means us international students can all get to know each other really easily. On the other hand, it means I’ve had relatively few chances to converse in French whilst I’ve been here. This is also doubly worse for native English speakers; at least for the others they get to practice a foreign language! Hopefully when I start to meet French people this will change! 

So as you can see, I’ve been busy busy and I’ll probably be even more so once lectures properly start – but I’ll try my best to keep you updated. That’s it for now! À bientôt!

Finding student accommodation in France: what Toulouse has taught me…

Basically my life for the past month. Thank goodness for espresso

Now my second year of uni is finished, I’ve got a ton of free time on my hands. So, what have I been doing with it? Going on exciting travels around Europe? Nope. Partying out with friends every night? Definitely not. Sunbathing? Kind of (if you count sitting in the garden…). Actually, so far I’ve spent most of my summer holiday trawling the web for accommodation in Toulouse. I can’t help thinking that the process would have been less stressful and time-consuming if I’d have had a handy bunch of hints and tips at my disposal to guide me through the process– so I hope you find my version of this of some help! (and if you’re reading this without the intention of setting up home in Toulouse, then you can have a good laugh at all the things you haven’t had to do this summer, whilst you’re lying on some sunny Mediterranean beach thinking about the amazing night out you had a few hours before…)

1.      Start early, but not too early! AND know what you want

In Nottingham, I started searching for private rented accommodation after my January exams, but I know some people who had signed even before the Christmas holidays! In France, it would be highly unlikely you’d find somewhere this early – the landlords are much more relaxed about finding next academic year’s tenants. Instead, use your time to decide what kind of accommodation you want. For me, four options appealed: university halls, private halls, flat-sharing (or colocation in French) or renting a studio apartment.

As I’d applied to the university very near to the deadline, it was almost a given I’d not be allocated university halls accommodation, as there are not many spaces available.

At first, private halls looked attractive – the ease, simplicity and certainty of reserving a room appealed to me, but after doing further research (tips explained below) I decided against – from what I read/heard/saw, the rooms are tiny (some were only 8m2!) and expensive for what they are, the walls are thin, the inhabitants are mainly Erasmus/foreign students so the ‘universal’ language (that’s English!) is widely spoken, and the locations were not great regarding proximity to the Faculté de droit, centre ville, metro etc.

Many French students go to university in their home town, and so will still be surrounded by friends they’ve grown up with. There’s no need for most of them to move away from the family home as they can easily commute to university. If they do want to live independently, from my research it seems the majority opt for a T1 (studio apartment) in the centre of town. This has many advantages; close to shops, bars, restaurants etc., all of which appealed to me, too. What’s more, the rent is normally slightly cheaper than halls and the same price as a flat-share. However, I’ve never lived on my own in England before, so doing so for the first time in a foreign country would be a bit daunting! Also, living on my own would give me lots of control over how much French I spoke, which is not necessarily a good thing…

So, in the end I decided to go for colocation, preferably with at least one French person. This will (hopefully) force me to speak French, and works out as the most economical option. Also I'm used to this way of living, after having spent my second year in Nottingham in a shared house.

Of course, everyone is different and one of the other accommodation options may suit you more. I suggest doing as much independent research as possible so you can make your own informed decision about where to live.

2.       If you don’t ask, you don’t get

Cliché, I know, but it really applies here! Make use of all existing contacts who might know of accommodation – even if there’s only a slim chance, there is absolutely no harm in asking. I’ve contacted French friends, whether in Toulouse or not, friends of friends, Nottingham students currently on their year abroad in Toulouse, even my old French teacher! I avoided much trawling by being directed to several websites advertising flat shares (see links below) and Facebook groups (which are more active than you might initially think). I also found out which quartiers (areas) to look in and which to avoid, and was given the contact details of several landlords. Overall, this was probably the least time-consuming and most productive thing I did during my search for accommodation.

3.       Don’t be afraid to make contact – in French!

If you are going to France to improve your French but you email landlords/post ‘wanted’ adverts in English, you are: a) narrowing your search to only those who understand English; b) coming across as rude; and c) missing a brilliant opportunity to get used to communicating in French. I know it’s easier said than done, but do try to see your accommodation search not as a daunting test of your conversational abilities but rather as a warm-up to your year abroad. I’ve learned a ton of vocabulary, got to grips with writing formal emails and become much more confident in my French verbal communication abilities. From my experience, if you do make a few errors ce n’est pas grave! The landlords understand you’re not French and will be patient with you. (After all, you are a potential source of income for them, whatever your native language is…)

4.       Be aware of any financial help you are entitled to

Most UK students who are studying/working abroad at a participating Erasmus institution are entitled to a grant – yes, a grant! That’s money you never have to pay back, which from my experience of being a student is a somewhat rare occurrence nowadays! What’s more, EU students may also be entitled to housing benefit from the French Government, which can reduce your rent by a substantial amount. This takes two forms: APL (l'Aide Personnalisée au Logement) or ALS (l’Allocation Logement Social). More information can be found by following the links below.

Useful websites:

www.leboncoin.fr/ - France’s answer to Gumtree – very useful for finding apartments to rent/flat-shares

www.lacartedescolocs.fr/ - create a free profile and get contacting landlords/colocataires!

www.appartager.com/ - very similar to La carte des colocs

www.crous-toulouse.fr – Toulouse specific website for Government funded halls of residence. Very reasonably priced (for halls) but in high demand – apply early!

www.adele.org/ - useful website to find private halls across France, also contains some practical advice about searching for accommodation/living as a student in France

www.thirdyearabroad.com/before-you-go/money-matters/item/1020-erasmus-funding.html - a useful guide to the Erasmus + grant

www.caf.fr – more information about APL and ALS

Facebook groups (correct and greatly used as of time of writing):

Toulouse location/colocation de bouche à oreille – by far the most popular group

Colocation sur Toulouse

Colocation Toulouse | La Carte des Colocs – a sister Facebook page to the website of the same name, but there are some different colocations advertised to what’s on the website

TOULOUSE: Location appartement, Colocation, Sous-location

Toulouse Location  / Colocations // les murs et leurs oreilles – a very new group, not many members or posts yet

There may be other Facebook groups I’m unaware of – if anyone knows of any more, feel free to comment below!

That’s all for now, hope you've found this post useful!

Goodbyes

Going away party

Huge card!

This week marks the end of a significant chapter. It is the last week of my second year as a Nottingham undergraduate. Granted, that’s not the most ground-breaking event ever. However the real importance for me is that because the majority of people on my course do not go abroad for a year, it is truly the last time I will see some of my coursemates for the foreseeable future - they’ll have graduated by the time I return from France. What’s more, I probably won’t even see those who are going abroad to far-flung corners of the world like Hong Kong, Austin and Canberra for a whole year. Therefore, as soon as exams ended right up to results day I’ve been making the most of my precious time with these people – activities have included a Eurovision Evening, visiting Nottingham Castle and Caves, eating out (tip: when in Nottingham one must visit ‘Sarangchae’ restaurant, declared authentic by my Korean friend!), a classical concert,  the results day River Cruise, nights in nattering with friends, nights out (including my first Ocean – I know, shocking that it’s taken a Nottingham student so long to visit the ‘Big O’), and generally having a fun-filled time.

The most unexpected and touching event however, was a going away party organised for me and four others, which had been craftily disguised as one of my friends’ early birthday party. It was so well hidden that when everyone shouted ‘surprise’ I was convinced it was a joke! What’s more terrible is that I was considering not even going; on texting my friend this I received a very pushy reply saying it would be “massively appreciated if I could come!” A slideshow of uni life so far containing some hilarious photographic gems, snacks, drinks and friends made the evening a great success. The people going abroad were all presented with ginormous cards, signed by everyone staying at Nottingham next year. The evening was definitely a highlight of my time at uni so far!

In all honesty, it’s still not sunk in that I’ll be spending an entire year away from Nottingham very, very soon. At the party, one of my friends who is also heading off to Europe said he thinks it will only really hit him when he leaves the UK. I think the same is true for me – I’m so glad my friends have seen the truth of the situation and have organised celebrations like the going away party, making sure us ‘year-abroaders’ get a proper send-off!

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