{"id":4415,"date":"2020-01-15T12:15:39","date_gmt":"2020-01-15T12:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/?p=4415"},"modified":"2022-04-13T15:42:19","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T15:42:19","slug":"tomos-morris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/tomos-morris\/","title":{"rendered":"Tomos Morris"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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School of Law and Politics<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Erasmus+ study placement<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Where did you go?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I studied French Law in Toulouse, France for a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What motivated you to take up a Global Opportunity?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I wanted to experience something new and having lived in\nWales my whole life I wanted to leave my comfort zone. I chose the Law and\nFrench course knowing that a year abroad was an obligatory part of the course\nand it\u2019s fair to say I\u2019m glad I made that call now. I also wanted to improve my\nFrench language skills, something that isn\u2019t easy to do unless you\u2019re living\nand breathing the language in the country itself. In addition to this, a chance\nto meet people from all over world and learn about new cultures was definitely\na reason I took up a Global Opportunity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What were your top three highlights from your year abroad?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

There were numerous unforgettable experiences on my year abroad and it\u2019s very hard to narrow it down to 3 highlights. However here goes\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    1. Meeting people from all over the world<\/strong>: Like many people at Cardiff University I tend to stick to my own group of friends who are all very similar to me in terms of their interests and hobbies. However, the community of international students abroad allows you to meet people from all over the world that have different interests, habits and humour. I found this extremely enriching and it has definitely allowed me to develop as a person and see the world differently. It\u2019s also very handy having contacts for free accommodation across the world!  <\/li>
    2. The opportunity to explore a new region\/ country<\/strong>: Although I was based in Toulouse, the year abroad gave me a chance to see parts of France (and Spain) that I\u2019d never seen before. The cheap yet efficient transport links in Toulouse allowed me to explore San Sebastian, Bordeaux, Castres, and Montpellier amongst other places! The lovely sun made this travelling all the better. Being close to the Pyrenees, I was also able to go for ski day or weekend trips, something that isn\u2019t possible in the UK! <\/li>
    3. Being a sports fan there\u2019s nothing I like more than exploring a new sporting culture<\/strong>. As well as being able to play football for a local team, I was also able to add to my growing list of football and rugby stadiums! I thought us Welsh were obsessed with rugby but the people of the South West of France definitely give us a run for our money. The atmosphere there was amazing and I have some incredible memories of watching sport during my year abroad. It was made even better by the fact that Stade Toulousain (the local team) won the French league. A big party of 50,000 people followed on the main square\u2026 quite a night!

      Of course being in France, the wine food and weather wasn\u2019t bad either!! <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      How has your placement benefitted your studies or your future career? <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

      Naturally as a Law and French student it has allowed to me to be more confident in oral French classes whilst my French grammar skills have improved too. However it has also been beneficial in numerous other ways as I begin to look for jobs. The fact that I have lived abroad, showcasing my resilience, problem solving skills, my ability to adapt to new surroundings and cultural awareness, is highly attractive for future employers and it\u2019s definitely something that stands out on a CV. Having already contacted certain companies regarding future employment I know that this year abroad is one of the things that they found most appealing. There\u2019s no doubt that the confidence and communication skills developed on your time abroad will stand you in good stead in all aspects of every day life whether it\u2019s at work or just in a social setting.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        What is the one thing you wish you\u2019d known before you left? <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

        I woud have loved to have known how much I would enjoy myself to calm the pre-year abroad nerves! Whilst there are of course certain practicalities I would have loved to have known about, such as how difficult it is to set up wifi in France, I think it was all part of the experience and knowing everything beforehand would have taken away from the experience. Not knowing what to expect was part of the adventure and it was the necessity to adapt and find stuff out yourself allowed me to develop as a person.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        What would you say to a student who was unsure about spending a period abroad at university? <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

        I can understand that moving to a different country, be it\nfor 3 weeks for 12 months, is a very scary thought (it is for everyone) but it\nwill 100% be an unforgettable time whatever happens. The opportunity to travel\nto these different places, being supported by a bursary, is not likely to arise\nin the future due to work commitments and lack of financial support so I would\ncertainly encourage you to grasp the opportunity. It really is a once in a\nlifetime experience, go make the most of it, go explore the world! I am not however\nna\u00efve enough to think it suits everyone and I would defiitely recommend\nspeaking to as many people as possible that have been abroad (preferably to the\nplace you\u2019re planning on going) to see whether you think it would suit you.\nSpeaking to others and living their experiences can give you a real sense of\nwhether it is the right opportunity for you. But ultimately I would say that\nboth short-term and long-term advantages of spending time abroad considerably\noutweigh any problems you might have and I would recommend embracing any\nopportunties with a positive mindset: think of what you could achieve from the\nexperience instead of what might go wrong. \n <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        What are the top 3 things to do in Toulouse? <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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        Rugby, rugby, rugby! No, in all seriousness there\u2019s a wide\nvariety of things to do including: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        1. Visit Place du Capitole, its surrounding streets and the river<\/strong>. The city\u2019s main square and the surrounding area is very impressive. Steeped in history the Capitole building itself is extremely interesting and dates back several centuries- a visit inside is recommended. The surrounding area, that leads to the Garonne river, has been renovated recently as Toulouse aims to become a UNESCO world heritiage centre but it also manages to maintain its chic, French charm. Visiting the area of La Ville Rose towards the river is definitely recommended particualry for sunset when there are spectacular views. As you sip a nice glass of red wine at La Daurade, on the bank of the Garonne, the pink sunset will reflect on the river- you\u2019ll find it hard to beat a sunset in Toulouse. There are several bars along the river (including Chez TonTon which is a famous local bar) or on the main square.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        2. Visit Toulouse\u2019s Airbus factory:<\/strong> This city is synonymous with the aviation industry and Airbus recently celebreated the 50th<\/sup> anniversary of its plant in Toulouse. There are several tours available at the Aerospacia museum, whatever your knowledge of interest in the aviation industry. It would be a shame to visit Toulouse and not see how Airbus works!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        3. Travel the region<\/strong>: Toulouse is located in the south west of France and is surrounded by beautiful areas. The north of Spain, the Basque Country, Andorra and the Pyrenees are all nearby making weekend trips away extremely doable. In addition there are several quaint towns and cities worth visiting in the Occitane region such as Castres, Albi, Bordeaux and Montauban, whilst bigger coastal cities such as Montpellier, Biarritz are also within a few hours drive away. Being a major city there are also cheap flights from Tououse to most European cities whilst the TGV runs to Paris too. Exploring is made easy by Toulouse! You may however want to make sure that you don\u2019t arrange a weekend away the same time as a big rugby game for Stade Toulousain. Whether you\u2019re a fan of rugby or not I thoroughly recommend you going to watch a game at the stadium. From the pre-match build up (there are usually several brass bands playing outside at the stadium as the home and away fans mingle together) to the final whistle the atmosphere is unique. I\u2019ve been lucky enough to have been to games across the world but it\u2019s hard to rival the Toulousains passion (and knowledge) for rugby! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"School of Law and Politics Erasmus+ study placement Where did you go? I studied French Law in Toulouse, France for a year. What motivated you to take up a Global […]","protected":false},"author":1042,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[268,475],"tags":[42,75,464,309,215],"class_list":["post-4415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-europe","category-go-student-ambassadors","tag-erasmus","tag-france","tag-student-ambassador","tag-study-abroad","tag-toulouse"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4QQbz-19d","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1581,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/ma-ville-rose\/","url_meta":{"origin":4415,"position":0},"title":"Ma Ville Rose!","author":"Melissa Tavares","date":"December 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Hello everyone! 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I was interested in being able to study and live in another country for a certain period of time and a year abroad\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "European Placements"","block_context":{"text":"European Placements","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/category\/europe\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2019\/12\/IMG_1822.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2019\/12\/IMG_1822.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2019\/12\/IMG_1822.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2019\/12\/IMG_1822.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2244,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/lingomap-erasmus-over-what-next\/","url_meta":{"origin":4415,"position":4},"title":"Lingomap: Erasmus over…What next?","author":"Melissa Tavares","date":"June 25, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Hola a todos! 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My year abroad is over and I could not be sadder, I have had such great time both in Toulouse and Granada, I have gained amazing friends (whom I cannot wait to visit already), I\u2019ve seen amazing places and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "European Placements"","block_context":{"text":"European Placements","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/category\/europe\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2017\/06\/19441845_1883760528502587_127669481800644521_o-450x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4445,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/globetrotters\/finding-accommodation-after-spending-a-semester-abroad\/","url_meta":{"origin":4415,"position":5},"title":"Finding accommodation after spending a semester abroad","author":"Tammy-Louise Wilkins","date":"January 4, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"When I first spoke about finding accommodation, I stated that I would not be paying for a property at my home institution due to the additional cost of accommodation and living in Norway. 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