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David Vrzáň

Short-term individual mobility

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• BEL ORME • BORDEAUX • FRANCE • 

I did my Erasmus+ programme in Bordeaux, France. For three weeks I attended a semi-private school called Bel Orme. The correspondent, with whom I stayed during the programme, is studying management and economics. I attended these classes with him every day. Since my correspondent has divorced parents, we lived in different facilities each week. We spent two weeks in his father's family home and one week in his mother's apartment. His whole family treated me very well and were most helpful in everything. Whenever I needed something, I was always offered help or advice. During my stay I had the opportunity to get to know the city of Bordeaux and its surroundings. Plus we went to Paris for one full day at the weekend.

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During my stay, I was most surprised by how big the cultural differences are between different countries. I think people in France are much more friendly. During the three weeks I made a lot of new friends and met new people from whom I learned and gained new skills and experiences. Of course, I noticed a big difference in the school system, which is markedly different from ours. One lesson lasts 50 minutes and students study all day with only two 15 minute breaks, one in the morning and one in the afternoon (I didn't count the 50 minute lunch break). The teaching style is also completely different. During my study abroad, I noticed that the teachers do not use presentations during class and generally explain the material in an hour-long monologue, which rarely involves the students.

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Generally the environment of a foreign country is always different. In France, I had the opportunity to walk through many city parks and very well equipped sports grounds. The facilities and maintenance were at a much higher level than in the Czech Republic. Traveling on my own responsibility was definitely very rewarding and I became more independent overall during the program. These are experiences I am grateful for and I appreciate immensely that I was able to take advantage of such an opportunity to study.

We asked...

01

What were the biggest challenges you overcame during your stay? 

The hardest part of the whole program was definitely adapting to the new language. Now I am only writing about the lessons at school. The first week I honestly didn't understand much. I really struggled to keep my attention in order to understand better. This got much better in the second week and I slowly started to understand what was being discussed at that moment. By the third week I was "adapting". I didn't understand everything, no, but I really knew what the topic of discussion was and what was required of us at any given moment. I definitely improved my language (especially conversational skills). Unfortunately, I believe the shift could have been much more noticeable. During my entire time in France, I heard nothing but English from my classmates, my correspondent, and occasionally his family. Of course, I mentioned if it would be possible to speak French, but the vast majority chose to improve their English during my stay. But that was not the reason I went to France. The main reason I decided to go to Bordeaux to the Bel Orme School was because the school was very well respected in the area of science education. On my very first day, I proved to my coordinator if it would be possible to attend physics, chemistry,...Despite my repeated inquiries, I attended one physics class on my very last day in France. It was the best-run class I had the opportunity to attend in France and I was all the more sorry that I could not spend more time in such classes. 

02

How did this experience affect you in terms of personal development?

I think that Erasmus+ is not only an opportunity to improve your skills in a foreign language, but also a way to become independent, gain new experiences in terms of communicating with complete strangers and making new friends. I love travelling and I am glad that I could try travelling on my own responsibility again. I am a person who likes to communicate very much, so if there is any problem while travelling, it is important not to be afraid to be able to communicate. For example, on the way back I was carrying more substantial gifts for my family and I didn't meet the weight limit of my luggage. After a few minutes of interaction with an airline employee, I was allowed to load my luggage onto the plane at no extra charge:-) During my stay, I had to make my own schedule so I could balance all the things I needed and wanted to operate with adapting to the new environment. I also wanted to visit the sights in Bordeaux a couple of times, so I made a plan of what and where I was going to visit. After returning from France I am a much more independent unit, which is especially appreciated by my parents :-)

03

How would you describe your typical day?

My weekday started with preparing breakfast and snacks. Since the French are not used to having breakfast and lunch in the morning, I prepared everything myself every day. My family always provided me with the necessary ingredients to prepare the meals and then I was happily preparing eggs/flakes with fruit and yoghurt and a sandwich for breakfast every day. We usually left the house around 7am to catch the bus that took us to Bordeaux (we lived about 20 minutes from Bordeaux). We spent about 7-9 hours at school. We had lunch in the school cafeteria. I was surprised how much one lunch costs in France. Each student had to pay 170-200Kč for an appetizer, main course and dessert (apple/yogurt). The quality and quantity was the same as in the Czech Republic. The main reason was probably that we studied at a private school. After returning from school, I snacked and went for a workout at a fitness center not far from both correspondent's homes. After returning from the workout, we did not have dinner together. I spent about 30-40 minutes each day communicating with my parents. We mostly discussed what had happened during that day. At the end of the day, I focused on my homework and correspondence from school in the Czech Republic. Then all I had to do was get ready for the next day and go to bed.

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