An exciting multicultural experience in France

I have been an Erasmus student at the university of Orleans La Source, France, from January 11th to May 27th, 2016.

Even if my journey by train from Bucharest to Orleans was a sort of a nightmare, or maybe because of that, my experience as a student and, more precisely, an Erasmus student in Orleans (even more precisely, a disabled student), has been extremely pleasant and culturally, intellectually and spiritually enriching.

First of all, before I arrived, I had been in contact with the Office for International Students, which had made the arrangements for me and my mother, who accompanied me, to be accommodated very close to my faculty and to be waited for at the railway station by volunteers who accompanied disabled students.

They also gave me a key to use the elevator and thought about ways to make my life as easy as possible in the campus, in the city and at the university.

The first week being an adaptation one, we were first invited at a French breakfast, followed by games and contests organised by Erasmus volunteers, where I met other Erasmus students, then shown around the campus and the city centre (we visited the cathedral and the Old City Hall, as well as a few shops and streets bordered by attractive buildings and nice restaurant), then I met the Erasmus responsible, who, from the very beginning until the end of my semester, was extremely helpful and understanding, knowing exactly how to tackle the issues a foreign student might encounter; then came our second gastronomic experience: la gallette des rois, a delicious French January tradition, consisting in eating a pie filled with almond or fruit cream and wearing the paper crown if you find it in the box and of course, meeting new Erasmus fellows.

Then, with the help of the Passerelle Handicap, I was shown around my first castle on the Loire Valley - the old castle where the university has administrative offices now, on the bank of Loiret, an affluent of Loire, at the edge of the amazing Parc Floral, populated by exotic animals, birds and butterflies, as well as by a very diversified range of plants species. Later on, as the Parc was very close to our student hostel, we visited it many, many times, as we could enter freely during springtime, to enjoy the blossoming period of various species of flowers and the orchid exhibition.

My next castle was that of Sully, where we had invitations provided by the International Student Office and we saw it at the beginning of February. We very quickly fell in love with the park in which the hostel was located, populated by squirrels and rabbits and full of beautiful flowers, which bloomed in turn, as well as with the Japanese cherry trees scattered all over the campus and with the city center, which was just 30 minutes away by tram, not to mention the wonderful people (colleagues students, volunteers and clerks) and the great organisation of the Letters Collegium. Everywhere I went, my mother had access too. We got advice on how to fill in our demands for financial help on accommodation, how to get an appointment to a doctor, how to subscribe to the university, where to eat, how to use my student card (a great system allowed you to use it as a bank card in the campus, at the library, the restaurants and the coffee machine), how to pay for tram tickets and get around in the hostel and the campus.

The Erasmus office, as well as several student associations, organised very cheap trips around, to the castles on the Loire Valley and to Paris (100km away from Orleans), as well as Bordeaux, Mont `saint Michel and Saint Malo, which allowed us to visit a lot more than we had previously planned to, and at very affordable prices.

Briefly, I would like to return to this university and in this city as soon as possible and warmly recommend them to any student, whether they have an Erasmus grant or not. The culture is amazing, the people are great, helpful and friendly, the country is beautiful and very easy to visit - it`s obvious that the mayor cares about his citizens, because it is very easy to travel by public transport and young people can enter for free to tourist locations. Last, but not least, I took part in the Jeanne d`Arc festivities, between April 29th and May 8th, which was another great experience for me.

I would go back to Orleans tomorrow if I could, would you join me?

Just take a look at these amazing pictures and tell me!

Oh, and I forgot to mention the great parties organised by the Erasmus office, in the downtown bars at the ground floor of wonderful antique buildings or in nearby chateaux (the Hollywood Gala took place there), because I am rather a travelling fan - I visited Versailles, Paris (main tourist attractions), Mont saint Michel - a UNESCO heritage site, like the whole Loire Valley - saint Malo, a port on the English channel, all that with the Erasmus office in 4 months, and on my own, starting from Blois - only 50 minutes away by train, the castles of Blois and Chambord. An amazing and unforgettable experience that I would warmly recommend to anybody, student or no student, as my 60-year-old mom had a great time too, taking French lessons and learning French recipes and local traditions.