First week - please, end!

Asking for help - Improving my social skills

After the first day it didn't improve so much during my first week at the new university. I didn't get to know anybody in the lectures (as I already explained, they were all quite "cool") and I was too tired to do anything after university. Additionally, to that I had to find one person in each lecture who would give me the notes digitally - because I wasn't able to understand the handwritten abbreviations. And for a person that is a bit shy, especially if the persons seem to hate me, that was really something bothering me. But I wanted to do that experience abroad in order to improve my personal and social skills, so I would have to do that.

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The Politics Lecture

In one lecture, the only one I had of the faculty of politics, there were only about 20 students, which was not usual because usually there were about 100, spread in one large room. But politics was different. And that made me feel even more uncomfortable because they seemed to know each other quite well. I went to the professor as usual to tell him that I was an Erasmus student and couldn't be there the week before and he told me that it's the first time there is an Erasmus student in his course. That didn't help comforting me at all as you can imagine. And then - that was the worst thing and the most helpful thing at the same time - he started the lesson by introducing me and telling the others that I am from Germany and that I would not understand everything properly, so it would be very nice if someone could provide me his notes. I felt embarrassed and happy at the same time, because that was the first course in which I didn't have to find someone giving me his notes myself. So, the lesson started, I tried to understand some sentences as usual and at the end a nice girl gave me her email address and told me I should just contact her, and she would send me the notes every week.

So at least the second day was quite okay for me, the second lecture in the afternoon was also quite okay even if I really had problems understanding the professor because she wasn't using the microphone (and she was speaking French) but she seemed to be very nice and was the first one asking if the things were okay like she did them. The first caring professor I met until then.

Help from Germany

The day after that, Wednesday, another girl from my university in Germany arrived, she would study at the same university. Before France I didn't have a lot of contact to her, just one language course we had together and the fight against the application bureaucracy. But of course, we met in the evening and talked a bit, I explained her what I found out so far and she asked some questions. But as she came by car, too, she was quite tired, so we agreed on meeting the next day after she had finished all the inscriptions and things like that. I had some "nice" texts about economic politics to read from my course and as not-native speaker it took me hours because the vocabulary was very technical and specific and I had never ever heard of these words and had to look up almost every word. But with every page I improved and that was something very motivating for me - for the first time after Monday I thought that I could really do that - improving my French, following what the professors were talking about and passing the exams. Fortunately, I didn't have to do any presentations or papers, only exams at the end of the semester. I didn't know if I could have done things like that. Especially with these kind of people - cool, rejecting and not so friendly.

Language course - I'm not a beginner

The next day I didn't have any course until 2 p. m. which was quite relaxing. I slept in, cooked something (in the disgusting kitchen at the end of the floor) and discovered the laundry room which was okay. At 2 I had the first session of my language course, so that was at least one of two courses I didn't have to worry that I would not understand anything. The professor was very nice, but the course was definitely NOT my language level. At the beginning there was a big discussion if the Beginners should come to that course or to another, it was a big chaos and in the end my course was declared the beginners’ course. And I was no beginner. I had had French during 5 years in school and was quite good, it was just that I forgot a lot of things. But I could speak. But because I had scheduled all my courses in regard to the language course, I couldn't go to another one and I decided to stay. At least one course which would be easy and without challenge. I thought that the other courses would be difficult enough so no need to have more challenging courses. I met two nice girls which were also Erasmus students (as everyone in the course) and felt better immediately. I usually don't have to meet my friends every single day and be surrounded by other people but totally alone in the new city I felt a bit alone and wanted to do more things with others. Fortunately, I already knew the nice English girls from my first evening which I would meet Sunday and I was invited to about 1000 Erasmus events from the organisation there. That's the good site of Erasmus - there's always a lot of Events to meet people so you don't start to miss home and have a really good time.

But first - finishing the week and meet the last professors that I didn't know yet. When I met the other German girl in the afternoon, we found out that we chose the same Marketing course which took place that evening, so we took the bus together. Without knowing which disaster would be waiting for us...

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