Hello, my name’s Melanie and I am spending my study abroad semester in Bordeaux, France. I’m in the BBA – Human Resource Management program at Camosun, but I am studying International Business Management at a business school called INSEEC in Bordeaux.
It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in Bordeaux for 2 months already. I’m feeling a bit melancholic as a write this— I know the next month and a half is going to fly by, and I truly don’t want my exchange to end! When I first arrived in Bordeaux, I instantly fell in love with the city. How can I describe Bordeaux? Just picture Parisian-style classical buildings, tons of patisseries and boulangeries, crazy drivers, and people walking in the streets with baguettes in their hands— Bordeaux is basically a ‘petit’ Paris.
My first Airbnb was right in the city center – about a 5-minute walk to the roman-style opera house, bustling restaurants & café’s, and the main shopping street called Rue St. Catherine. I was very lucky to have had a place right in the center; however, I wasn’t very lucky with my roommate situation, so I ended up having to search for a new place. Finding new accommodation in Bordeaux was quite complicated because I speak very little French and English-speakers aren’t as common as I thought, and most people do not rent out apartments or suites for less than 3 months. So, since February, I have had to move three separate times to temporary AirBnbs and will be moving one final time again in May. Having to move around hasn’t been ideal, however I was prepared to go through a few challenges while living abroad… it’s all a part of ‘adulting’.
My school INSEEC is quite different from Camosun. There are various buildings scattered around the city, but luckily all my classes are in the same building. I’m taking 10 different international business courses and 1 French course, which sounds like an outrageous amount of work, but the workload is actually comparable to 2 to 3 classes at Camosun. The classes also start and end at different points in the semester— we’ve already finished the curriculum for most of them.
My favourite thing about INSEEC is the international students. We are a small group of about 15 students but have all become very close. I have made amazing friends from Belgium, The Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Italy, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico – I honestly wish I could bring them all back to Victoria with me! Luckily, my Cost Rican friend lives in Vancouver so we’ll be able to visit each other when we’re back home. J
INSEEC recently had its spring break, so my friends and I jetted off to Belgium and the Netherlands. I also visited some family in Austria. Before I head back to Canada, I plan on visiting Paris for a few days and will also spend some time in Greece, Spain, and Denmark!
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog post. Check out some photos below of Bordeaux and my trips to Belgium, Amsterdam, and Austria!