My Journey in France started in Perpignan with all the Indian students together from 4 march 2023. Under the guidance of our coordinators Christophe Groell and Chantal Desperats, we were briefed about the upcoming events and we went to some places also. In the beginning, the food was a little bit of a challenge but I got used to it. The luckiest part is we were able to celebrate Holi with all the coordinators of different institutions and all the students and it was a really enjoyable moment for us.

On 9 March 2023, I along with my friend Nimisha went to Yvetot along with our coordinators. The first moment when we arrived in the region of Normandy it was so cold and windy and rainy. But we are so lucky because we got one of the best coordinators Danuta Rzewuski, Laurence Cedeno and Isabelle Menandand they prepared everything very well for us starting from the rooms to all the programs that are scheduled.

We experienced a variety of things from exchanging our knowledge and culture with different French students, interaction with them, working with the students in different laboratories, visits to industries and farms, visit to a University, acquainted with different laboratory equipments, visits in some tourist places, tasting the French food along with the cheese and wine and lastly the best part is spending time with different families. We stayed in Lycee Agricole Yvetot and we were welcomed by the teachers, staff and the students there and we were provided with all the needs and requirements. We met with the family of Danuta and it all started with a blast, talking about agriculture with his son, Robin and the work culture of the youths which really catches my interest. We made some Indian dishes on the first day and ate together and on the second day we ate French cuisine and spent time with their family. We also went to watch a Handball Match and visit Abbey Jumieges. Then the week starts with visiting the farm in the school and getting acquainted with equipment in the food technology laboratory. Then we visited an industry which produces Gum Acacia named Nexira

and later we got to attend a practical class for making ice cream , apple juice, cocoa powder etc. We also attended a laboratory class in microbiology. From time to time we have interaction and cultural exchange programmes with different batches of students. The weekday concludes with a dinner at Isabelle's home with her family and we talk a lot about French culture and everything. Then came the second weekend which is the start of visiting various places with Marie Pierre and her family. We visited Rouen, Etretat, Honfleur and saw the Pont de Normandie and we played different games in Auzebosc and had lunch and dinner together with her family.

Her husband helped us to understand the French system of administration and a lot more things about France. The next week it starts with meeting with the little ones from the primary school in Auzebosc. It was a different experience with all kinds of lovely questions from them. Later we visited an organic farm which specialized in milk products and breads and got to know about the scope of organic farming in France.The next day we met with some students from Saint Aignan University and we talked about places, foods and the culture of France.

Then, we have a laboratory class on insects and it was nice to see the high school students having that much knowledge about insects as I am doing my Masters in Entomology. The next day it started with a practical in Microbiology and we learned how to weld with Guillaume Lenoir and it was one of the best practical experiences we got. We even had the pleasure to ride a tractor with him. In the evening, we were invited for dinner by a teacher of primary school, Fleur and we spent a good quality time with her family. We had also visited a cooperative called Terre de lin which specialised in flax production. On the next day, we worked on Move Agri and updated about us. The week days ended, having lunch and dinner with Isabelle , visiting St. Valery En Caux and playing games with Isabelle's family and Elodie's family, who is also a teacher of the Lycee. And the next day came with the most exciting part of the trip, i.e. visit to Paris. We went with our two coordinators to Paris and visited various places including the Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, Arch de Triomphe at the western end of the Champs-Élysées, Obelisk and many more.

We returned back from Paris and stayed for 3 nights and 2 days in Brimontiere. Here we stayed in the school of Merval campus and also visited the other campus in Neufchatel and had interactions with the students and also visited the distillery which specialised in apple juice, cider, Pommeau and Calvados and also came to know about the famous cheese of Neufchatel.

During this, we also met a Turkish Group which came to the school under the Erasmus programme and had interaction with them also. After returning back, we visited the town of Le Havre with Emilie and an American student, Trevin who was working as an intern in Rouen. We went to a middle school and had some interaction sessions with the students on the upcoming day. On the next day, we went to UniLaSalle and met with a professor of Plant pathology, Adren Gauthier and got to know about the works in the university.

We also met some international students and attended a lecture session on Entomology by Andre Fougeroux, a retired professor. Then in the afternoon, we had a session with Charles, a teacher from the Lycee regarding French Agriculture. Later, we had dinner at the home of Laurence Cedeno and we spent quality time with her family talking about various aspects. Next day, we visited one of the famous landmarks of France, i.e; Mont Saint Michel with the teachers from Auzebosc Primary School and their families. It was really a different experience in terms of everything and we also tasted the famous specialised Crepe of the place. The weekend ends by spending time with our coordinators and Danuta's family.

It was an unforgettable day since it is the last time to see Danuta since she won't be able to attend our valedictory ceremony due to her work. In the evening, we visited the farm of Robin where he was planting different vegetables. The next day we visited Chêne chapelle in Allouville-Bellefosse with Robin. The last day ended with studying the working principle of GC-MS and HPLC. After, we had a valedictory session with the director, Nicholas Nouail and a small farewell party was organised by our coordinators along with some other faculty members.

In the evening, we spent our last time with our coordinators and it was a really good quality time with them. The next day we bid farewell to Yvetot and it was an emotional moment for us and we came back to Perpignan via train. We were lucky enough to have a travelling experience in the train as well as in the Metro in Paris. We departed from Perpignan for our flight from Barcelona Airport and it was the end of the wonderful journey.

I am really glad to be a part of this programme and I would like to extend my heartiest thanks to my coordinators. They made us feel homely throughout our stay and also all the people involved in the programme are really kind and generous and the families we visited are very welcoming.

We have a really wholesome experience starting from learning a bit of French language, tasting different foods, getting to know about the French Education system, experiential learning in some laboratories, acquainted with new technologies, understanding about the geography of France more, future aspects with regards to study and research and many more. Overall, it was a memorable time here and I will miss everyone who helped me and acquainted with me throughout the journey. It is not easy to express the feelings and emotions I felt in words but it will reflect forever in my heart. Merci à tous!
VIVE LA FRANCE