Université Toulouse II - Le Mirail

At first, I wasn't at all confident speaking french. I had learnt the language at school and university but didn't feel prepared for real, lengthy converstaions with real people! I made the effort to make french friends and to not spend too much time with other anglophone students and also starting going out with a french man so little by little my confidnce increased and my spoken french greatly improved. At the university, I found it difficult to concentrate in lectures when I couldn't understand all of what was being said but it was a case of tuning my ear to french and persevering and now I can sit for two or three hours and get the jist of what is being said. The french students here have often been very helpful and friendly which has made university life more interesting and fruitful.

I enjoyed a bar called Eirich Coffee which had great live music and a good atmosphere. The Ragtime was good for dancing. A daily haunt was Café Des Couleurs at 18.00 for coffee and chats, it is really relaxed and the bar staff are friendly. An excursion to the mountains is a great day out and offered by the university during the winter months and any of the cafés or parks by the river are beautiful on a sunny day. There are countless churches and cathedrals to look round, not to mention all the art galleries. My favourite was Les Abattoires in St Cyprien which put on a brilliant modern art exhibition in March.