Study Abroad and Domestic Study Away

Salut! My name is Oratile Matome, I’m a Data Science and French minor student currently studying abroad at the Université de Lille in Lille, France. This past semester has been an incredible opportunity and a huge learning experience. Alongside being able to really hone my french language skills, my highlight has been experimenting with French and European cuisine. Baguettes, good butter and strong cheeses have found a place in my heart forever.

Lille’s Pierre Stade Murray stadium was a short walk from my room on campus and I had the pleasure of watching my first Premier League game there. Unfortunately, Lille lost to Chelsea but the crowd was electric and it was so much fun to echo popular french chants with the fiery Lille home crowd.

Lille's close proximity to Paris made visits into the “city of love” seamless by train. Since I am originally from Botswana, I was also able to use my experience here to put the global west into perspective. I appreciated the walkable cities and amazing public transport throughout Europe. This was a great and easy way to see new places and feel like a local.

In addition to keeping up with my studies, improving my French and experiencing Lille, during the semester I've done quite a bit of traveling too. I described my approach as “eating my way through Europe” with the goal to curate my personal list of foods, restaurants and café must-sees in each city I visited. In my free time I explored hagelslag in the Amsterdam, mussels in Brussels, paella in Barcelona, pasta alla carbonara in Rome and of course so much more in France. Eating my way through different cities has really inspired the inner chef in me, and I can’t wait to recreate some of the foods I tried for my friends and family.

I’ve grown a lot mentally, made great friends from all over the world and of course, had the pleasure of improving my French. The experience was unforgettable and I am thankful to have had this semester in France. I would like to extend my gratitude to Alexandra (Allie) Olson who helped me maneuver the move and the journey throughout.

Paella in Barcelona:

In front of the Eiffel Tower: