Year Abroad: "An irreplaceable experience"

Reims

When people talked about personal growth or changing after their year abroad, I never really understood what they meant – until this year.

Nina

Looking back on her third year abroad

I started an internship at a Europe Direct centre on the 1^st of September in Reims (45 minutes away from Paris). I worked as a paid intern with this centre to promote the activities of the EU and to go into local sixth forms and universities to talk about what the EU does and how it could benefit their future mobility projects. Originally, the internship was agreed for four months, from the beginning of September until the end of December. When I first arrived in the office in Reims, I was terrified. I realised I hadn’t really spoken French with real French people for ages, let alone in an office environment, not knowing anyone. As it turns out, everyone feels the exact same way. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my life in Reims: the summer had lasted until the end of October, and the city was big enough that it was interesting on the weekends but not so big I felt anonymous and lost. I loved living in a little studio all to myself, only a 15-minute walk from work and the various projects run by the centre took me to Strasbourg and a handful of towns across the Grand Est and Champagne-Ardenne region. I found some lovely people through work who were volunteering (the Europe Direct Centre also welcomed European Solidarity Corps volunteers) and studying (there was also a SciencesPo campus there) in Reims. Fast forward to the end of December, I had been to every wonderful bakery in Reims (this is where the delicious bread comes in) and I was so happy there, my boss and I talked about extending my internship! The Europe direct centre have been taking on interns for over 20 years (these centres are all over France, so well worth looking up if this sounds interesting to you!), but this was the first time one was extended.

I was over the moon to be going back to Reims after Christmas (already planning my weekly Saturday trips to Paris and to see my friends again) and to be continuing my work there. The job was incredibly diverse and invaluable in giving me an insight into the French work environment, all whilst improving my French and my knowledge of the French culture. By the end, I really didn’t want to leave Reims, the French markets, the trips to Paris, the network of friends I’d made. 

Heidelberg

With a lovely outdoor Biergarten-style seating right in the heart of the town centre (a 2-10 minute walk away from most uni buildings), the Mensa became a daily meeting spot for my friends and I.

Nina 

On her time spent in Heidelberg, Germany

As January and my time in Reims drew to a close, I was lucky enough to travel a little and visited friends in Amsterdam, Warsaw and Kraków, before I was due to move to Germany. Having enjoyed France so much, and ready to live there after my final year in Sheffield, I was absolutely dreading going to Heidelberg. I was no longer really in the studying-headspace after having enjoyed working so much and had convinced myself that nothing could beat France and the French lifestyle. 

Nonetheless, I moved to Germany at the beginning of March and my time in Heidelberg started with a language course which lasted the whole of March, with the term starting at the end of April. It was online, I knew nobody in my accommodation building and I felt I had left a whole little life behind in Reims. But as soon as the course started and I discovered the city for the first time, I fell in love. In all honestly, every day I was there just got better and better. Heidelberg is stunning, it’s filled with beautiful cafés, gardens and outdoor spaces, places to walk and the best little university centre. Then to top it all off, it turns out that Germany also has excellent bread.

Student life in Heidelberg was the dream. It certainly helped that from mid-April summer came early and stayed throughout the remaining 4 months of my stay. The city is really walkable and beautiful wherever you go – I could walk easily from my friends’ homes right into the Mensa for lunch. The Mensa was the flagship of the Heidelberg uni experience. This is the German answer to a university cafeteria. Except – erase that image of soggy fish fingers and 3-day-old peas which has inevitably been conjured up in your mind, because this was the dining experience to end all dining experiences. With a lovely outdoor Biergarten-style seating right in the heart of the town centre (a 2-10 minute walk away from most uni buildings), the Mensa became a daily meeting spot for my friends and I. Alongside our beloved Mensa, the town is framed by a stunning castle (the best spot for sunsets) on one side and a picturesque river on the other, with the beautiful oldtown nestled in the middle. There are various walks and possible viewing spots afforded by valley which hugs Heidelberg, and an amazing outdoor swimming pool. During my time in Germany, I was also lucky enough to visit Prague, Copenhagen, Basque Country and many German towns. 

What I was dreading became the highlight of my year abroad and I couldn’t be more grateful for the people I met and things I experienced there. There’s nothing quite like moving abroad and starting a new life – not to mention doing this twice! Of course, I have also managed to get fluent in French and German, a long-term goal. When people talked about personal growth or changing after their year abroad, I never really understood what they meant – until this year. The combination of coping with unpredictable uncertainty; establishing yourself in a new culture and environment and creating a network of people from all over the world shapes you in an irreplaceable way. I’ve come back with new perspectives and outlooks on life and a newfound appreciation of what I have. I really couldn’t recommend a year abroad enough.