Brittany

The year abroad is a year of growing, learning and new experiences, it is unlikely you will ever experience anything like it again; you are thrown in to the deep end, whether that be with the language, standing on your own two feet or teaching. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet new friends from all over the world, and advance in your chosen language. There are times when living abroad is hard, you will be there without your friends, family and boyfriends/girlfriends, but it is worth the struggle at the end of it for the memories that you build will be with you forever, as well as the skills that you learn.
In September during the second part of my year abroad, I moved to Le Mans a commuter town in between Paris and Nantes. It was here that I lived for 8 months whilst commuting to a tiny village named Mamers where I worked as a language assistant. Commuting was hard as it often meant 6am starts, with the earliest return home at 6pm, sometimes this was frustrating as I commuted the hour drive with teachers who were much older than me, and occasionally this meant that I was often very quiet. However it was worth the long commute and even longer hours to be able to live in a town where there were many other assistants and ERASMUS students to be friends with. I finished my year abroad by doing a 2 month language course in Malaga, followed by returning to au pair in Mallorca, three months of sunshine, hard work and very good times.
If I was to do my year abroad again, I would hope to be placed in a bigger town because the commute really took its toll sometimes, but other than that I would not change anything. I have made some wonderful friends, had some amazing opportunities that I grasped with two hands.
My only advice would be to make as many friends as possible, speak the language as much as you can, and if doing two languages try to keep up the second one as much as possible when in another country as they are easily lost.

Heather Rees