Ayaulym Sarybayeva
4th year student at KazUIR&WL named after Ablaikhan.
Participant of Erasmus+ at University of Poitiers
My success story: “Erasmus: Once and Forever”
Every student wants to have unforgettable experiences in their academic and social life. I’m grateful the Erasmus+ program became an unbeatable partner when planning a semester abroad. My curiosity to discover the entire world led me to learn foreign languages, and as a result I started to learn French. A person who learns another language learns a new way of thinking, a new world, and is no longer the same person they were before. At the end of January, I met several Erasmus students from France who came to study at our university. After spending some time with them and learning more about France, I began to want a semester in France more and more. I started to prepare for this call of Erasmus at that time: taking extra courses of French, learning about French culture, studying the French education system. The whole application process was a fun challenge: to research the country, I’d like to discover as well as finding out what I’d like to do at the prospective university. After a month of preparing my application, I waited for the response with crossed fingers. I didn’t think I had the highest chances in the last year of my bachelor’s, but a little dreamer inside me believed in the goal I wanted to achieve for so long. In the beginning of June, I received the acceptance letter I had hoped for from the University of Poitiers. I already knew it would be an exceptional part of my student life. Applying for studies abroad is not as simple as it may seem. I ended up applying for my visa twice in the USA. After the preparation of numerous documents, buying flight tickets, boosting my French language skills, I finally arrived in Paris. I visited the city two years ago while traveling with my friends, but this time it seemed so inviting because I knew I would be living in France long term.
Photo:“In Paris with my friends from the USA”
From the beginning I wanted to be integrated into French life, and I think I accomplished my mission very well. I had two friends from Poitiers I had met in Almaty who helped me with anything I asked for. When I arrived at the train station, my friend’s mother came to meet me and soon I saw my French family in which I would integrate throughout the semester.
Photo: “Our international family driving home”
My adventure in France started with being locked in the local supermarket. After spending a couple of days with my French family, I moved to the students’ residence. I went to the supermarket to get some food. While reading ingredients and learning products’ names I didn’t notice the time and the supermarket closed. Having paid, I decided to exit through the back door, but they were closed, every door was closed, and everyone had already left. After several attempts to open the doors, I got caught by security personnel; he checked my bags and the food I bought there. I was so frightened and instantly started to cry, but they recognized the situation and unexpectedly gave me a ride to the dormitory. At least I have something to tell my grandchildren in the future, and I know how to say in French: “I got lost. I’m a foreign student here in France. I came to buy some food.” I’ll remember that day forever, and it still makes me smile.
The university staff gave us a friendly welcome: we received welcome gifts and many guidelines and rules of the university. I had my student visa approved for 3 months by mistake, but the international office of the University of Poitiers aided me to extend my stay there. I was worried I would need to leave the country early, but they extended it until January!
Photo: “Meeting with the international students at City Hall of Poitiers”
At the end of September, my friend’s family decided to show me around France, and they took me to northern France: to Bretagne and Mont Saint Michel. It was my first road trip in Europe. I became acquainted with local people and the culture of life near the sea.
Photo: “Seafood dinner with French family in Saint-Lunaire”
Erasmus+ program encouraged me to become friends with many people from diverse backgrounds. With other Erasmus students, I went to travel around Europe, and I visited the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Austria, Portugal and Czech Republic during my stay in France. I discovered such charming cities like Bordeaux and Paris, where I understood the importance of knowing the local culture and language. I could communicate with local people and become more intimately connected with French life.
Photo: “Travel mates from South Korea and Russia in Sevilla”
Photo: “Celebrating Sabrina’s birthday with my French family”
The most important and impressive thing about my semester in Poitiers was that I could take all the classes I was interested in. I chose classes in four different languages that were available at the university. I studied with students from different specialties like political science, foreign language teaching, arts, and also I could take bachelor’s as well as master’s degree classes. I learned to think like a European when I studied there. Learning the methods of my groupmates helped me to understand more about the topics we covered. I tried my best to be at the same level as my groupmates: we had presentations and projects together. I discovered I was interested in politics, and I took classes in politics there. I knew a teacher from Russia who taught Russian language there, so I helped her with her classes doing presentations about Kazakhstan, helping the students to practice their Russian with me and also to have a language exchange in Russian and French. I tried a new type of translation: Russian-French bilateral translations. At the University of Poitiers, there were plenty of cultural events, language exchanges, info sessions, entertaining festivals, marathons. I enjoyed every single event organized by students and teachers.
Photo: “Slavic dinner”
The Erasmus + program helped me to break stereotypes I held about other cultures. I became familiar with different cultures, and tried to show them the hospitality of Kazakh culture. Before, I believed it was difficult to live together with people from another background. My experience proved me wrong. I lived for a couple of weeks with some French students, and we all became an international family. Thanks to them I improved my French language skills and learned how to cook French food like raclette, crêpes, tartiflette. We used to have late dinners with our friends and French electro music nights. We shared not only a common apartment but also our interests in music, films, pop culture, etc.
Photo: “Cozy evenings and home parties with tea”
The most exciting part of my semester was the end of it when we had Christmas preparation. Since in Kazakhstan we don’t have big celebrations for Christmas, I was excited to spend Christmas in Europe. As soon as the Christmas holidays started, we were invited to my French friend’s family to spend Christmas holidays there. For about a week I tried all types of French food, learned French traditions for Christmas, received gifts and played intellectual games. I felt so happy and I had people to support and care about me there.
Photo: “Celebrating Christmas with my French family and friends from Colombia, Ivory Coast, Chile and Togo”
I could spend hours talking about my Erasmus+ exchange in France: I had a productive semester full of adventures and professional experience. It was my honor to be part of the University of Poitiers through Erasmus+ program. I hope that other students can also have a marvelous experience as mine.
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