As a law lecturer in Normandy

Which country and university did you visit?

I went to EM Normandie University in France for the second time, this time to the Le Havre campus. I first travelled there in April last year, when I visited all three campuses (Paris, Caen and Le Havre) and met my colleagues. It was then that I was invited to teach a 30-hour business law course in English to undergraduate students at the Le Havre campus during the spring semester.

What experiences did you gain during your time there?

The course itself is very similar to the business law course that our students take in Hungary. The only difference is that there were only twenty students, so I prepared seminar-style material and shorter sessions as their lessons are only 60 minutes long. I delivered  half of the course in mid-January and will return at the beginning of April for another week to teach the remaining classes and prepare for the exams. Teaching 15 hours of business law in one week was quite a challenge!

I came home with some very positive experiences. The students were very cooperative and engaged — most of them were international students — and I also managed to establish good relationships with my colleagues there. At the end of this semester, one of my lawyer colleagues will be joining our English-language business law course as a guest lecturer.

How did you feel overall?

The university is very modern and is located in a brand-new building in the harbour area. This means that you have a view of the ships and the open sea, which I found to be quite unique.

The city itself is also extremely interesting. It was completely bombed at the end of the Second World War, and as it was rebuilt on the ruins it now lies about two metres higher than the original city. The reconstruction was based on unified  plans which still define  the city's appearance today: it consists of neighbourhoods of houses that are almost identical to each other.

During my trip last April, I had some time to explore outside Le Havre, which I would recommend to everyone as Normandy has many natural, cultural and historical attractions. I went hiking and visited the well-preserved town of Honfleur and I also made it to Mont Saint-Michel, which is about two hours from Le Havre, but easily accessible by bus. My January trip was mostly focused on teaching, as the weather was cold, rainy and windy the whole time and I also found it strange to wake up at 8 a.m. to complete darkness. I hope I'll be able to do some sightseeing during my April visit.

Why would you recommend participating in the Erasmus programme?

Because it allowed me to visit places that I might not otherwise have been able to visit, and it would have been a shame to miss out on these experiences. I also got to know people on a deeper level thanks to Erasmus+. For example, I often had lunch and dinner with my French colleagues, and allowed me to see how helpful and welcoming they are outside of work. I would wholeheartedly recommend this experience to anyone, whether they are a student or a colleague!

Photos: Dr Éva Fazekas