{"id":15099,"date":"2017-06-07T12:46:07","date_gmt":"2017-06-07T16:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.studyabroad101.com\/?p=15099"},"modified":"2022-07-13T10:32:34","modified_gmt":"2022-07-13T14:32:34","slug":"i-went-to-study-abroad-for-1-semester-and-stayed-for-more-than-4-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.studyabroad101.com\/blog\/2017\/06\/i-went-to-study-abroad-for-1-semester-and-stayed-for-more-than-4-years\/","title":{"rendered":"I Went To Study Abroad For 1 Semester And Stayed For More Than 4 Years!"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Lewi Blake – <\/span>MoveYourLifeAbroad.com<\/span><\/p>\n

Studying abroad changed my life.<\/p>\n

In 2011 I took a <\/span>GAP year<\/span> to Bordeaux, France so that I could learn how to speak French, travel around Europe and experience a new culture. This was one of the best decisions I ever made because the 1 semester I was meant to study abroad for turned into <\/span>4 years<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Studying French In Bordeaux<\/strong><\/p>\n

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I attended the University of Bordeaux III where I studied a French language course. This course gave me the ability to speak French fluently in less than 6 months. From that, I was able to take the B2 DELF exam (this is the diploma required to attend University in France). Originally only meaning to stay in Bordeaux for 1 semester, I decided to stay for a full year because I was having such a great time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Studying during the day, <\/span>working at a bar<\/span> in the evenings and traveling to neighboring countries on the weekend was the norm. I was really able to discover parts of the world that I hadn\u2019t even dreamed of visiting before. I was even lucky enough to go snowboarding in the French Alps for a week.<\/span><\/p>\n

After my amazing year in Bordeaux came to an end it was time to go home. The only problem was that I wasn\u2019t ready to leave yet. After a little research, I looked into studying a University Degree in France.<\/span><\/p>\n

Funnily enough, all that was really required for me to study a University Degree in Paris was the B2 DELF diploma that I had completed 6 months prior.<\/span><\/p>\n

University In Paris<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2012 I started my Bachelor of Business Administration degree at the <\/span>Paris Business College<\/span>. Living in Paris was quite different to living in Bordeaux. The people were different, the weather was a lot colder and everywhere I looked was covered in rich culture and history. It felt like living in a completely new country. I was spending a lot more time with French people as the majority of students at the University were French. This enabled me to experience what the French culture was like first hand and really cement my French speaking abilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Everyday on the way to University I would ride past the Eiffel Tower on my bicycle and wonder if I was dreaming. I was living in the \u201ccity of love\u201d and I was loving it!<\/span><\/p>\n

The Paris Business College offered me many opportunities to study abroad while I was there. I decided to study abroad for a semester in London and a semester at the <\/span>International University of Monaco<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Living The High Life In Monaco<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Moving to Monaco completely blew my mind. I was living in one of the most expensive and glamorous places on Earth.<\/span><\/p>\n

As you can probably guess, as a student that worked part-time in a bar and <\/span>writing articles online<\/span>, I wasn\u2019t able to afford to live in Monaco. Instead I lived in Nice which was only 30 minutes away. My day-to-day life in Monaco involved riding my motorbike along the French Riviera to University every morning, relaxing on the beach with friends in the afternoon and <\/span>working part-time at a crazy bar<\/span> in the evenings.<\/span><\/p>\n

To say life was great would be an understatement.<\/p>\n

I settled in so well that I ended up staying in Monaco and finished my degree over the next 2 years.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n