By Nina Decuignierre (Lille 3 University, France)
I arrived in Manchester on 8th September, coming from Paris Beauvais airport. I will have to be honest, the goodbyes were emotional! However, I just had to remind myself I was incredibly lucky to fly to another country to study for a year, which was so overwhelming but equally exciting!
The flight was really quick, less than an hour, and there I was, taking a taxi to my new place. The trip and the fact I was dragging four bags really tired me, by the time I got to my house I was both mentally and physically exhausted, but so happy to be here!
Fairly quickly I decided I had to do something to make my new room as homely as possible, as I am more of an indoor person and I’ll be spending a lot of time in my bedroom. I had planned everything out, and transferred the photos of my wall back home in a folder and wanted to try and recreate it here. I think it works quite well!
It was then time to face the multiple responsibilities that entail moving out of the family house… And I would say that rather than a culture shock, moving out and living on my own, sharing a house with strangers was the biggest shock of all!
As I had about a week before Welcome Week, I decided to explore the campus and the centre on my own, and just getting used to the pace of the city I guess… To my surprise, I realised I would need some time to get used to the Mancunian accent! I was a bit put off at first because I am used to Southern accents, but I have to say I love it now! I’ve been to the UK quite a few times so the place doesn’t feel too “foreign”, which is quite comforting!
After the great fun that was Welcome Week (so many things to do, and Pangaea festival was insane! See pictures above for a glimpse on my Willy Wonka themed outfit…), it was time to start 1st term. I’m studying English Language, Literature and Civilisation, which means I had to choose my modules a bit everywhere. And honestly, the lectures are so interesting, the teaching staff is great and although it’s a lot of work compared to my uni back home, I feel so happy I’m learning so many new things!
It’s been almost 2 months since I’ve arrived now, and I am so happy about my life in Manchester: I’ve met great people thanks to different socials organised by societies (see below a picture of the delicious Indian food I had with the Vegan society… Still dreaming of it!), I love my course and I feel so lucky to live in such an interesting and hectic city… I’ve been exploring a bit more, and I will probably talk about my favourite places in Manchester in one of my next entries!
