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I spent my Erasmus+ stay in the southern part of Brittany, in the countryside, somewhere between the town of Ploërmel and the port of Vannes. My mobility lasted 6 weeks and the longest part of it took place in May 2024.
My journey was quite difficult due to the distance and it was an experience in itself. I took a direct flight from Prague to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris and took the city's RER train line to the centre of Paris, where I needed to get to for the next part of my journey. I then walked to one of the main train stations in Paris - Gare Montparnasse. The journey took a little longer, but I still made it to the westbound TGV train with time to spare.
After about 3 hours on the road, I met for the first time a family with whom I had only corresponded by email. I won't say that I wasn't worried about going to live with a strange family on the other side of Europe for a month and a half, but in the end everything went smoothly and the family that applied for me was probably the best I could get. Both my parents worked in education, my dad was a primary school principal and my mum taught first grade. She was therefore used to communicating quickly and explaining things step by step in a simple way, which, especially at the beginning, helped me a lot to get used to life in French. Both of their children attended the same high school as me, but neither of them were in the same year. I was a bit worried about this, but everyone, both in and out of school, was very helpful and kind, and I was able to integrate myself at school. Uko the husky and Titti the cat were also part of my famille d'accueil.
At school, I was placed in class TG03, which was one of the classes in the third and therefore, for the French, final year of high school. I think this class was chosen deliberately because Molly, a student from Mexico, was also in it and spent the whole school year there. Molly helped me a lot throughout my stay, and thanks to her and her friends, I was never alone. I made new friends and made a lot of great memories.
I still didn't experience that many school days. The French had a period of time that included a lot of days off, and thus I spent a lot of time among my large extended family and relatives. They introduced me to just about everyone they could, and I was always received with nothing but smiles and interest. Many times I described life in the Czech Republic, our customs and traditions, food or school. We often went on trips with my family (and even the extended one), among the more famous places I can highlight the famous Mont-Saint-Michel or the city of Nantes, but as it happens, the locals always know a lot of extra places, so I got to know the Morbihan area much more deeply than I expected. Brittany is an absolutely unique part of France with different customs and an interesting history, and I am so grateful to my second family for being willing to bring their culture so close to me.
As a result, I can say that my Erasmus+ stay went smoothly and pleasantly. The month in France taught me a lot of new things and I will definitely love to go back in the future.
We asked...
01
Why would you recommend your classmates to participate in the Erasmus+ programme and what advice would you have for them?
I'd recommend taking part in the Erasmus programme to anyone who has ever thought they'd like to know what life is like elsewhere in Europe. Whether in high school or university it is a great opportunity to gain a lot of experience, a broader overview and most importantly new friends and memories for life. I would advise really trying to talk to people, interact, even though it may not seem like it, you will gain an awful lot from it.
02
What experiences and highlights from your stay are worth mentioning?
I would highlight the French version of the prom that my classmates invited me to. It was far from our prom, it was more about having fun and letting off steam among my classmates. It included a dance floor with music, small treats and then dinner. The evening ended with fireworks. I met new people there and we all enjoyed the evening.
03
How would you describe your typical day?
In the morning, I took the school bus to school with the children of my family. The ride took about 40 minutes and after it was over we walked through town. The school day in my senior year was always divided into two parts, alternating days. One part of the day was always devoted to electives, which I also had to choose on the first day. They worked on the principle of our seminars. This was followed by lunch in the school canteen. The second was always with the whole class together and was about subjects common to all. Classes ended classically at 4:30 or 5:30 and once a week we had a short day where I was done before 12. This was followed by a bus ride home. I spent my free hours preparing for school back in the Czech Republic or spending time with my family.