So I left my host family today and moved into the residence for the ILA French Language School. I was sad to be leaving this family as they had helped a huge amount and made the start of my adventure to learn French in France an incredible one. I was however excited to start the new chapter and live with other students doing a French immersion course in Montpellier. I knew it would be slightly different and I was interested to see the difference and how my French studies would grow in this new environment.
Where is the Residence For French Immersion Students in Montpellier
The first positive that made me excited to get set up in the student residence was the fantastic part of Montpellier it is. It is right in the heart of the historic part of the city and surrounded by awesome architecture. The other French students who I met were quick to tell me about all the great things nearby. First of all the French language school itself! It is just a 10 minute walk away and what a walk it is. The first street you walk along is next to the ‘Promenade de Peyrou’ which is a lovely little park that is centred around a couple of old monuments and a lovely pond. I will go into further detail about this lovely area in more detail in a later article as there is lots to see but it’s very pretty and a great hang out spot that offers a great 360 degree view of the city.
Just opposite that is the ‘Arc de Triomphe’ which every student learning French in Montpellier will have heard about on day 1. This miniature of the colossal Parisian structure is a gorgeous piece of architecture in its own right and is nestled in between some of the oldest official buildings in the city. This combined with the cobble streets make for a very pleasant sight.
I get to see this sight in the pale morning light every day as it is right on my route to the French language school. I get to pass both the park and the arc and it really makes me realise how lucky I am to be able to do a French immersion course in Montpellier and makes me very glad I chose this city for my language studies.
My Room For My Residential French Course
So I was driven to my new residence in by Baptiste; the son of my previous host family and he helped me inside the residence which was so easy. I was sent the code to the front door and my bedroom which are both secured by very modern number pad locks. So I didn’t have to check in or meet anyone. I could just turn up whenever I wanted and get in quick and easy which was great as I was a lot later than intended as I was having such a good time practicing my French with the natives.
The room itself was lovely and spacious with modern furniture and it was sparkling clean. The size of the room was the first thing to strike me as well as there were tons off space for me to enjoy and a massive desk which I could work at too. I quickly got unpacked and settled in and made use of all the storage space.
So although I was sad to have left my French host family I was excited to get involved at the student residence. Although I had just stomped straight up to my massive room with all my luggage I could hear there was lots going on in the common areas and couldn’t wait to go and meet everyone. After all they are all learning French in France as well at the same immersion school so I was sure we were going to share great stories and experience about our language studies. Also I was excited to have a pool of people to explore the beautiful city of Montpellier and practice my French with. It is another chapter of the wonderful experience of doing an immersion language stay in France.