A Year Abroad

It's been a long time since I've paid any attention to this blog, and I apologise for the neglect. Many things have changed since my last post, most noticeably that I've been living and studying in both France and Spain. There have been major developments in my social and private life as well, leading to regular trips across Europe. New towns and countries have been visited, traditions discovered and tasted (often quite literally), my linguistic skills have been put to the test, and I've even started learning some words of a new language. It would be too much for me to condense everything from about seven months' worth of living abroad into a few short paragraphs, but I hope over the next few posts on this blog to give you a bit of a flavour of what I have been experiencing, discovering, unearthing and enjoying recently.

My time in France began in September 2012, and its beginning was inauspicious. I'd heard horror stories of foreign students struggling to find accommodation and still sleeping on friend's floors two months into their stay. My bold and possibly conceited attitude of believing I'd arrive and easily find accommodation within two weeks was quickly proven to be misplaced. Five weeks after stepping off the TGV at Lyon Part-Dieu train station, I was finally able to unpack my suitcase for one last time after having slept in a hotel, a youth hostel, a friend's rented room in a student residence and another apartment in the 3rd Arrondissement.

The trials and tribulations of five unsettling weeks of settling into a new city whilst juggling university studies in a foreign language had taken their toll on me, and I spent a few days recovering from a nasty cold and sore throat. However, that wasn't to get me down, and the whole experience helped me to make a great group of friends, uncover many interesting parts of Lyon, drastically improve my level of French and even meet the girl of my dreams.