Université de Bourgogne

I thoroughly enjoyed my language experience In Dijon. My favorite activity was le jeu de piste. We went downtown with a list of questions and the objective was to ask the locals about their town and to become more familiar with the town by communicating with the local people. All of the teachers were very friendly and patient, and were interested to teach foreign students. The Dijonnais are fairly used to the city being full of foreign students, so they too were quite friendly It was difficult to meet other French students during the summer. I really was impressed with the over-all program.

I found that to commute between Dijon and Lyon on the weekends, it was much cheaper to buy the tickets in France than to use a RailPass. Reserve the RailPass for long journeys, otherwise the normal train is much cheaper.

Pack light with only the basics. It does rain and it a can be chillier than in regions of the US during the summer.

Rue de la République becomes very familiar in no time. I frequented a little bar across from Cathédral St. Benigne. Le marché around Place François Rude is most enjoyable. There are a couple of really cute little crèperies and bistros behind the Place. L'Atmosphère is totally over rated if you're over 27 years old. There is a charming Irish pub across the street though.

The accommodation was not really that bad except for the noise levels in the evenings. I found it very difficult and frustrating to try to study and sleep at the dorm. Otherwise, I found it to be fairly comfortable. Although the food in the cafeteria was not exceptional, at least there was something available.