Julee during her internship in Montpellier, France

Julee in Montpellier: “If you find it hard to make new friends, take a language course!”

My first thought: HOT! So hot. I was dressed for bad Dutch September weather, and when I stepped off the plane in Montpellier, it felt like I had walked into a sauna. After dealing with the heat (and sweat), I had to find my host for the first few days. That went wrong. I was a little nervous before boarding the plane, so I had already had four beers before getting on board. In the end, it turned out to be a shorter flight than I expected, so when I found my host, I was a bit tipsy. She tried to laugh it off. I still acted a bit weird and panicky, couldn’t really communicate with her AND was sweaty. But I calmed down when we arrived at her place and was then able to take everything in. Even though the heat was still a problem!

Differences within the country

I can’t remember any shocking differences. Since I was a baby, I’ve gone on holiday to France almost every year, so I was used to the typical French bluntness towards foreigners. Usually, I found small differences within the country itself shocking. In Montpellier, they are much more used to foreigners because there are many Erasmus students, so in my experience, they were unusually friendly towards me. I also quickly made a French friend, but... she lived with her boyfriend who is from Paris. He didn’t like me because I wasn’t French and because I’m Dutch, but don’t like weed and hash. I think neither of us liked each other’s stereotypes.

Food culture

A big difference for me was the food. I love that it’s so normal here to have lunch at a restaurant with a glass of wine. Nothing happens in Montpellier without food. I’m a big foodie, so I love that.

It’s also very normal to go eat or drink alone. In the Netherlands, people might still feel sorry for you, as if you don’t have any friends.

They have a restaurant chain called l'Entrecote, and the steak there is so popular that there’s a big queue even before it opens. So my new friend and I HAD to try it once. Then I got food poisoning. Give me escargots and it’s fine, but apparently that steak didn’t want to stay in my stomach.

Everything closes at midnight

I also felt homesick. In Amsterdam, I worked at an event agency and there was always something going on at night. I love always having a place to go. But in Montpellier, everything in the city center closes at midnight. So after clubbing, you either went to a house party or home. After midnight, the city really becomes spooky and very quiet. I always felt safe in Amsterdam; the time of night didn’t really matter there. I really felt weird experiencing it so differently now, which also made me feel less safe and start missing home. When I made more friends, it got better because we did a lot together and organized our own parties, but the feeling never really went away.

Relaxed atmosphere

In the end, I felt very much at home. I think I had gotten used to the spooky nights. I really like the relaxed atmosphere in the south of France. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but every time I’m back in Montpellier, it just feels like home.

Latin Americans and Australians

I met a lot of Latin Americans while living in Montpellier. You can make friends with them very quickly, so that’s great. But they can also be a bit lazy. For example, when they live just around the corner, they ask you to pick them up on your bike because they’re too tired to walk.

I also found it very easy to make friends with Australians. Very laid-back, up for anything, and funny. If you meet Australians while living abroad, definitely keep them close. Also fun to date!

If you find it hard to make new friends, take a language course. New people arrive every week and everyone is looking for friends. An easy way to make them!

Having fun by myself

Even when things scare me, I can still get through them—that’s what I learned. And that I can be completely alone and still have fun. I really enjoyed the experience and made some very good friends too.

I really fell in love with some quirky bars they have, the beaches, paella for 4 euros on the beach at sunset, amazing vintage clothes, and goooood wine.

Oh, and: they have a Turkish pizza with shoarma and fries inside. And pain American: baguette with sausage and fries. Both amazing and disgusting, still my favorite late-night food.

The French in three words:

Arrogant, cigarettes, curious