Week 1 Discussion topic: Expectations of Angouleme

Before I've got accepted for my master's degree in Angoulême , I didn't know the city at all but a lot of people told me that it was a city famous for comics. I have done some research before moving to Angoulême on the internet and I thought that it was a cute city , especially because of the river called "Charente". I didn't really have specific expectations of the city, except a lot of nature but i knew that it was going to be really different from my city.
When I arrived in Angoulême , at first I was a little scared because the houses were all the same and it looked like it was a deserted town with nothing to do . But now , I think that there are few activities and events and not only on the week-end, but when you don't have a car it is really difficult because the hours of the buses are very limited. I have also realised that there were less green spaces than I thought.

I was born in Paris so there are infinite places to visit. For the basics, you can go on the Eiffel Tower , to the "Louvre" or to the "Champs Elysées" . But I recommend you to go to "Galeries Lafayette" especially during Christmas time with the huge Christmas tree , to the "atelier des lumières" or to go to the street called "Crémieux".

Before arriving at Angoulême, I had no idea where the city was located. I looked it up on Google and saw some pictures just to know if the city looks great or not. I knew this was going to be a small city and that I will get bored in it, I thought that it would be full of old people only. But it did not matter to me that much since all I cared about was my education.
When I arrived here, I realised that I was right about the fact that Angoulême is a small city, I got a bit bored but I had a lot of paper work to do. I ended up making friends and finding out that I was wrong, it is actually full of teenagers and young people. I do not like the city that much but I think that it has its own charm. I ended up having a lot of fun with my classmates. The people are nice and I do not regret comming here.

Before I arrived in Angouleme, I had an idea of a "big" country town above Bordeaux whose main attraction was the world of comics, especially the comic book festival. My arrival in Angouleme confirmed the fact that it is a small town in expansion but that the world of comics is not the only interest of the city.
However Bordeaux, the city where I did my higher education before, is a much livelier city with more activities such as the dock and the water mirror for example.

All I knew about Angoulême at first was that it was far from my home.
On one side I was exited to start a new page, to learn other things than law, on the other side, I was a little bit sad because I left my life in Montpellier. Moreover, I knew that in Angouleme, the weather will not be the same and I was afraid to be affected by that. I knew Angoulême was a small city, it wasn’t a big problem for me but I thought the city would be like « dead » with few bars or restaurants, and not a lot of possibilities to go out with friends.

When I moved to Angoulême, I was surprised to discover an « active city », with a lot of people in the evening in the bars and restaurants. The weather wasn’t so bad… Ok it’s raining more often than in Montpellier but the sun always come back quickly (not like in Lyon). The center of the city is really nice, with a lot of shops (thanks god I can go shopping sometimes).

Finally, you should visit Montpellier because it is in the south of France. Not a good argument, but the city is really close to the sea and the streets in the center are very nice in the evening. It’s the perfect city for holidays during summer but it is also the perfect city in winter, because of the wonderful weather: the sun is always shining there.

I wasn’t expecting much from Angoulême because I was already familiar to the city. I was born in Périgueux which is quite near from here, then I went to Limoges and Poitiers. Therefore, I’ve been around here for quite a long time. Furthermore, my boyfriend was born in Angoulême too so, for the time I’ve been in Poitiers, I’ve done many round trips between Poitiers and this city.
Though, I kind of like Angoulême even though it’s a tiny city, I’ve never had the chance to live in a metropolis so I don’t really know what it’s like. Moreover, there’s a lot of cultural exchanges and events in this town such as the Comics Festival (world event) or the French Movie Festival. Another good point is that Angoulême is the crossroads between Poitiers (I’ve made some friends there so it’s important), my home town (Périgueux) and a city that I’m crazy about, Bordeaux. It’s a very well placed city and rents are quite affordable!

I did not know much about the city of Angouleme before applying for the master here, it was only when I was accepted that I was able to do some research and learn about the characteristics of the city. When I arrived, it therefore confirmed the idea that I had in mind, that it is a city on a human scale, with a history and also a peculiarity that makes it possible to love it or hate it, with the Hills. For my part, I am rather in the first category, because it reminds me a little of my region and allows to have in certain places of the city pretty points of view.

I studied in Annecy, so you have two options. Either you come in summer and enjoy the lake, for water skiing, sunbathing, boating, ... or come in winter and take advantage of the proximity of ski resorts to have fun on the ski slopes.

I was born in a small city called Niort, which is not so far from Angoulême, so I already knew this town and where it was situated. Also, because two of my friends did their DUT in Angoulême, I was already expecting some things about this city. I was thinking Angoulême is a bit like Niort, but bigger and with more shops. Moreover, I already was aware that Angoulême was known for comics. So, when I arrived in Angoulême, it was just as I imagined, expect for one thing. Indeed, I did not expect that the city would have this configuration, with so much streets to climb in order to get to the center town. To solve that problem, I have my car but I discovered that this is also difficult to park in the city of Angoulême. I guess I have to get used to walking.
I did my Bachelor’s degree in the beautiful city of Toulouse. It is a sunny place and the people are warm. There are many things to visit in Toulouse. The first thing that comes into my mind is obviously Capitole Square (La Place du Capitole). It is the most famous place in the city, right in the city center. If you like to have a drink while admiring a nice view, I will recommend to you Saint-Pierre Square (La Place Saint-Pierre). The three years that I have spent in Toulouse were amazing and I wish I went to this city again.

Before arriving in Angoulême I was rather happy to come to this city, knowing that I did my DUT in Castres which is a city of the same size, and my cognac license which is a city of 18,000 inhabitants, and I am not disappointed, it offers everything a city of this size can offer, it is original and quite creative, it does not pose any problem to me, I feel good there even if I know that I will not pass it not my life