Cody's Study Abroad/French Adventure Blog

A more professional blog for my studies of French and other languages

[cjzimmerman]

Reminisce

Well, I want to say thanks to everyone who made this semester in Lyon interesting for me. I have done so many things, and met so many people, and I honestly can say that I am a different and better person because of all of you. I can tell how much my French has improved ever since I got here, and there are certain things that I just get now, that I didn't before. Being a natural introvert, it was always nice when a native French speaker would compliment my French- no matter in how small of a detail. I had some amazing teachers, and I won't forget them or anyone I met here for as long as I will be able to remember. For those of you who don't know, I currently have between 1.5-2.5 years before I finish my degrees in French and English Education. After I graduate I plan on trying to find a position abroad; either in French Guyana or L'afrique francophone. But no matter where I end up, I will do my damndest to get back to my second home. 

[cjzimmerman]

Tu sais... quand on est tellement triste on aime les couchers de soleil...

Le Petit Prince

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what do we want? 
improved foreign language education in English speaking countries

when do we want it? 
when we’re younger and have better neuroplasticity

[cjzimmerman]

I normally don’t put gifs like this anywhere else besides my main blog, but I feel like this applicable here. In my 20 or so years of life I have done more, and seen more than a lot of people four times my age. So I challenge the few of you who follow this blog to just get out there, and do something. It doesn't have to be anything major, just something that you’ve always wanted to do and were afraid to take the chance.  

[cjzimmerman]

(via This Is Lyon - Lyon TimeLapse - YouTube)

[cjzimmerman]

[cjzimmerman]

I seriously can’t wait to have good internet again. My computer literally is dying trying to connect to the internet here, when the internet even works at all. The only time EVER that the fans have kicked on and my laptop gets warm, is when I’m using the internet in my apartment. It works fine back in the states, at my school (the internet there is terrible for a different reason), and at any of the cafés I’ve been to. I’ve tried doing a clean up and deleting excess files, but that has had no effect. 

[cjzimmerman]

Eiffel Tower pictures

[cjzimmerman]

View from my hôtel window. 

[cjzimmerman]

Street art I saw on my trip to Paris

[cjzimmerman]

OMG! So good to stumble onto your blog, I'm doing my year abroad in Lyon too! I'm moving in August but I'm so so nervous - currently trying to find a good area to stay in, do you have any recommendations? Thankyou☺️ X

I’m currently staying in a private student residence near Place du Prado, which is about a 3-minute walk to my université. My residence was found for me through the company I went through for my study abroad program. Do you know which université you will be at? I would try looking at residences near Place Bellecour because it is right next to Lyon 2 et Lyon 3, as well as being near a major shopping area and metro station.  If you google it you can find their websites with student reviews. Also, try checking into your universités website because they often times will have information for students. I hope I have given you some ideas, or places to start looking. I’ll always be happy to answer more questions. (P.s. I would have responded in French, but I didn’t know your level, so I just stuck with English.)

Also, here a few general tips for life in Lyon/in France generally

Wait about a week or two before you buy a monthly pass for the metro. Depending on where you live, a lot of things are within easy walking distance, and those that aren’t you won’t go to that often. My whole time here I’ve used about 10 métro tickets (mostly to get to the train station and back), or about 20€ whereas a monthly student pass is around 30€

There is a lot to do and see in Lyon, and don’t be afraid to wander. My favourite places to visit are the Irish Pub James Joyce and the Café Slika. 

Try to learn as much about cooking as you can before you come. I am an excellent cook, but there are several people in my group that couldn’t cook to save their lives, so they either eat out a lot or just ate the same thing over and over again.

Don’t be afraid to try new things. If you go to a restaurant ask what the servers like. And you are living in France so there is an abundance of wine for extremely good prices everywhere. 

There are 2 excellent train stations in Lyon, and the prices for short weekend trips are extremely reasonable and trains let you see a stunning view of the country. 

If you even think that you are going to be taking any SNCF (if you take a train in France, it will most likely be SNCF) sign up for their loyalty card. This card lets you earn free/reduced trips and your card works as your ticket, meaning that you do not need to print or validate your tickets at the station, which saves a lot of time. I would order this at least a week before you leave (to your french address) because it takes a while to arrive.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to go and do things by yourself. It’s great to be with a group, but some things are easier to appreciate alone.

Sorry I rambled on so much!, Hope this helped.

[cjzimmerman]

Travel Tip

Never be afraid to wander. Some of the best restaurants, museums, and experiences that I've had have been from walking around without a plan.

[cjzimmerman]

After having to use a single bed (my bed at home is a queen) it's nice to be able to stretch out.

[cjzimmerman]

My approach to cooking

Ok, normally I am an excellent cook, but do to my facilities here being...less than ideal,  I haven’t made anything truly spectacular recently. My approach to cooking has been to throw a poached egg onto everything. Ramen?-Really good, Tacos?-Equally as good, Fried eggs?-Why the hell not!

[zimmercj]

This is such a simple monument, but I think that it pays homage perfectly well.

The Antoine Saint-Exupéry monument in Lyon France. Before I studied abroad here, I never knew that Saint-Exupéry was from Lyon.

[cjzimmerman]

This place really has become like a second home to me, and I really will miss Europe’s Skies when I go back home.  I promise you all that I will be back!

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“THE WORLD CITIZEN” by Suzy Kassem Copyright 2010, SUZY KASSEM. All rights reserved.

Suzy Kassem Poetry