Adapting to life in Nantes

I moved to Nantes a little over a week ago now and it’s slowly starting to feel more like home, a foreign, temporary home, but home all the same. Without wishing to jinx it, I think I’ve pretty much overcome the homesickness that got me down when I arrived, and so I can really start to enjoy my time here. Living here is certainly very different to being in Cardiff. One of the things that I’ve found the most difficult to adapt to is right here in my halls of residence. My room is fairly similar to the one I had in Senghennydd where the size of the room and ensuite are concerned, but the kitchen arrangement here is a bit bizarre to say the least. It’s shared between around 25 people and consists of a hob, microwave and oven combi grill with a tall table and a few bar stools to eat at, and you have to keep all your food and utensils in your room, which is something odd for me as I’m used to sharing with housemates back home. The location of my halls is great- not too far from town or campus giving me optimum opportunity to explore.

The city is beautiful and very lively (except on Sundays when you feel like you’re wandering around a ghost town) and has lots to offer both tourists and residents alike. I’ve already got a favourite crêperie, and although I’m trying to be good with money and not eat out too often, it’s hard to resist! I had my first taste of the nightlife here last weekend at an Erasmus event where we went to a very cool and quirky, yet annoyingly expensive bar. I also spent an evening beside the river with one of my friends from Chanzy where we tried a few new beers (raspberry is my favourite) and chatted away to ourselves in French, surrounded by locals who we were sadly too shy to introduce ourselves too, but hey it’s cultural and linguistic exposure nonetheless.

I’m really enjoying it here now and really look forward to get into the swing of uni next week. Roll on Monday!