A Year in France or a Globe-Trotting Adventure?

I have just been watching some of the video essays that students who participate in the ISEP Program (International Student Exchange Programs) have made in previous years. While I find it all very compelling, some of the essays have given me the impression that a lot of the students spend more of their time travelling than going to uni.

This is something I am a bit confused about. I know for a fact that I want to take advantage of the opportunity to travel around, but I also have this desire to stay in France and pick up the language. It is a bit of a conundrum. I am sure I will be able to do both, I just thought it was amazing that these students found the time and the money to go to several different countries when the academic year is actually quite short. That being said, I was really impressed with the essays, I thought they were really interesting.

One of the great things about Amiens, is that it is very near Paris, which in turn, means that it will be easy to travel. Amiens is in the North of France, almost right between Paris and Lille. I, as many other francophiles I know, love Paris. I am sure that I will be spending a lot of time there. A new experience for me will be travelling up through Nord-Pas-de-Calais, and seeing Lille, along with getting the chance to see Belgium. This of course, will only feed my love, and slight obsession with 'les bandes-dessinées', otherwise known as French comic books. Tin Tin and other famous titles have originated from Belgium and the northern part of France.

Speaking of Bandes-Dessinées, and totally off topic, Luc Besson, legendary director of 'Nikita' and other films from the 'Cinéma du Look' genre, has recently put out a new film in France. I saw the trailer for it in Paris, and it looks absolutely fantastic. The film is called 'Les aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec' and is based on the famous French bandes-dessinée of the same name. I desperately hope I can see it on the big screen, but if not, I will probably buy it at the start of next year.