Can you briefly introduce yourself?

My name is Camia DENNE, I am 21 years old and I come from the University of Pavia in Italy. For my first year of master in Economy, I made my mobility at the University of Poitiers in France from September 2020 to January 2021.

Why did you choose this city and this partner university?

It was mainly in relation to the language: I had made progress in French, so I came there. It also allowed me to be away from home and to have various experiences.

How did your mobility unfold?

Concerning the studies, it was different from what we had in Pavia: there was a lot of practices, group works and presentations.

Apart from that, I went to the cities near Poitiers such as Angoulême and La Rochelle. I also visited Poitiers during the Heritage Day, during which I saw all the buildings and edifices that are normally closed to public during the year, like the Law Courts, the Town Hall…

Could you speak the local language?

I could already speak French because I have studied it during the secondary school. In addition, my parents and my aunt speak French, so I had the opportunity to practice the language before coming to Poitiers.

What has this experience brought you?

On the university side, I learnt to do several things at the same time, in a minimum of time. I learnt to do many presentations and group works as I was not used to before. I also improved my French level by talking to French people.

On the human side, meeting many people from different countries allowed me to discover some cultures, some ways to do things, like Italian, French and Spanish ones. Moreover, I have learnt to take care of myself and become independent and autonomous.

Can you tell an anecdote about your stay?

Once, I went to the downtown with a friend. When we got home, we took a bus, but not the right one. We arrived far away, in a place I did not know. Therefore, we had to walk to go home because it was 8pm and there were no more buses.

A word to describe your mobility?

I would say “crazy”. I met many people, I did a lot of things that I have never done before. For example in Italy, I did not taste several meals; but there, I knew many types of pasta.

Do you have any advice for students who want to study abroad?

I think that studying abroad is a really useful experience, not only for the studies, but for yourself. This experience will make you a different person. You are going to grow up; you are going to know a lot of people having different lifestyles; you are going to question yourself and rely on yourself because if you have difficulties, you will have to find the solution by yourself.

What do you think of the EC2U project?

I appreciate this agreement because it will strengthen the links between universities and cities.