The Student Room Group

Year Abroad and COVID 19 : help and advice

Hello All!
I understand a lot of modern languages students (as well as other subject areas offering placements abroad) would be in the same boat as me this year , especially if you’re due to start your third year abroad next academic year. Before the pandemic, I was due to study one semester in Lyon , France and the second semester in China as part of my Chinese and French degree. However , due to the pandemic, I have just heard that the uni I was due to go to have ( quite understandably but unfortunately) cancelled all exchange programs the first semester in 2020-21 . In addition, I’m still awaiting for my university’s decision on whether studying abroad placements should go ahead in September or not. My year Abroad coordinator said that if the uni decides yes, I could study at another partner uni (although she warned other unis could make the same decision) or study in China first (I doubt that’ll likely happen for multiple reasons) and France second.
Sorry for the long intro, but I’m not sure what to do and as I said , a lot of people are in the same boat. I’m considering suspending my studies (due to COVID19 and personal situations) and continuing in 21-22 but don’t want to make a hasty decision . Plus I’m not sure if my uni would offer the right to delay a year . But I do think the year Abroad is crucial (it’s obligatory for my degree) especially when I struggle in speaking in both. I feel the best way to learn and improve is exposure in the countries where the target languages are spoken. But I understand why I can’t go for safety reasons .

Any sound advice
Sympathy, as friends lost their French uni semester (Bordeaux) in February term. Stage was dumped très rapidement.

France is still just about surviving, reluctant to unlockdown, especially Paris/Isle-de-France, after quite a bad time, quite poor preparations, quite bad decisions & a gov that is struggling. I’m going to try a 2 day visit next week, see how life is. Someone has to do it, Nice is a few hours away.

I, seriously, would think that the Middle Kingdom (or Taiwan?) might open up for year-/term-abroad before France. They have an autocratic command economy, and might have done more things right? ( more SARS experience anyway, that’s probably the most important factor rather than UK & EU treating it as a ‘flu)

For France, Consider to live there virtually? €120 for a eutelsat Fransat decoder ( I have a couple, one spare ) this link is just the first I found on AMZN.fr/Servimat-Sirius-R%C3%A9cepteur-Satellite-FRANSAT/dp/B07VFH542Z/ ( I even like the singing programmes, after a while ) it has the important TNTsat decoder card, valid for about a decade, but you would need the small 60cm dish to point towards the strange French tv satellite.

Set FR3 region to Lyon, and teach yourself how to make quenelles out of pike, whilst drinking Beaujolais? We manage about an hour a day of French news, so refreshing after UK strife & made-up nudges.

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