After graduating from ESI in July 2025, I was already preparing for a new experience abroad. Like many of my classmates, I was looking for opportunities outside Algeria, whether for another degree, a PhD, or simply a different environment. France seemed like the straight forward option, and everyone seemed to be doing so.
I started by taking the TCF and got a B2 (499), then applying to universities. I was eventually accepted at the University of Montpellier.
I spent around a year in Montpellier: one semester studying, followed by a six-month internship. Looking back, I really value this experience. I learned a lot on a professional and personal level.
This is my attempt to document some of the things I took from that year. Opinions are my own, and this is my unique point of view on this expereience.
Student Again 👨🏻🎓
I went back to school (not cool), but with much less energy for the usual study routine. The system felt familiar, with group projects, deadlines and exams for one last time.
I lived in a student residence in a small 9m² room with a shared kitchen. I tried to cook more often, mostly pasta and rice at first, then slowly tried new recipes. in addition to CROUS €1 meals .
One of the nicest parts of university was meeting people from different backgrounds. There were Arabs, Europeans, Africans and many other nationalities. However, there were so many Algerians in the classroom that sometimes it barely felt like I had left Algeria.
Montpellier is not a huge city, which made daily life easy. Most places I needed could be reached by tram, including the university and grocery stores. Public transport was also free for residents, which was a nice bonus.
There is also a large Maghreb community in France, so Halal markets were easy to find, but I everything you buy you have to check before!
Ironically, despite living next to an athletics stadium, I did not run as much as I used to. I still took part in the Montpellier Run Festival’s Ekiden Marathon and Montpellier Reine, both 5 km races in the city center with the CROUS team.
Internship Experience 🧑💻
After the university semester, I started looking for a six-month software engineering internship. I did not send hundreds of applications. I mainly applied to positions where I was comfortable with the tech stack and where the work looked interesting. After several interviews, technical tests, ghostings and rejections, I eventually got an offer from Sim&Cure, a medical software startup in Montpellier.
Most of my previous experiences had been remote, so I really admired the job to be onsite , not far from where I lived and to be in a medical field.
I joined the software development team, mainly working on the web development side , the main topic was about software monitoring and collection of software logs. The team also included senior software engineers, DevOps engineers and a development manager.The team was flexible and there was not much unnecessary bureaucracy, which made the environment comfortable.
I took part in weekly meetings, we discussed progress and upcoming tasks. I got to other engineers technical decision on producition software.
Another unexpected benefit was improving my French. I had to communicate with people every day, so I naturally became more comfortable speaking it. I did my report in english though!
Outside of work, I played football during lunch breaks (we never won) and visited the Wednesday cheese market. The World Cup period was probably one of the most enjoyable parts of the internship. The company organized a prediction game with a leaderboard, and I really enjoyed the post-match discussions and cheering with everyone.
I also had to cook almost every day to bring lunch with me. Preparing food, bringing it to work and having lunch with colleagues became part of the routine I appreciated.
Life Abroad 🧢
Being abroad did not make me feel particularly far from my family. I called them almost every day, usually just to share what happened during the day. It became part of my routine.
I was also lucky to have good friends around me. From my first days in France, when Kenniche, Guerfi and Kaddour hosted me, to university days with Malik, Nadir and Youcef, to my CROUS friends Asser and Ibrahim, and to Ammi Said, Amine, Islam and Ahmed, I met many people who made the year easier and more enjoyable. I spent some of my best moments of the year with you, and I am very grateful that you were part of it.
The one-hour summer time difference is a big hack. You get longer evenings, can stay outside later and somehow feel like you have more time in the day. Although sometimes it feels strange when you look at the clock.
I also never had a haircut in France. I always used my trimmer or got help from a friend. Maybe I actually prefer medium long hair.
I spent Ramadan during my internship. Interestingly, I felt that fasting sometimes made me more productive. The atmosphere was obviously different from Ramadan in Algeria, though. We even went to Iftar in Consulat and did gather many times for iftare , but it still could not replace Ramadan back home.
I also spent Eid Al-Fitr during my internship. I went to the Algerian consulate, where there were Algerian sweets and a more familiar atmosphere.
For Eid Al-Adha, I was again at work. We had breakfast together in the morning before starting the day and later organized a barbecue. It was a different way of celebrating Eid, but a great experience.
Living in France also gave me the opportunity to travel around Europe. During my internship, I mostly did what I like to call “city-maxing”: short weekend trips where I tried to see as much as possible in a limited amount of time. After finishing my studies and internship, I also did a longer European trip. Beside hikes and mountains , most european capitals feel the same in architecture and vibes ! Best part was trying local food and doing unique expereineces , I attended two football matches and did few hikes in nature,
I prefered solo traveloing. It gave me complete freedom over my time and plans, which I really enjoyed. But sometimes having someone with you makes the experience better.
I explored with my friends many places around Occitanie, the region where Montpellier is located, as well as other French cities such as Paris and Grenoble.
Self Reflections 🧠
Living abroad can feel easier because of better infrastructure, transport and opportunities, but it also comes with its own challenges. I learned that adapting to a place is not always the same as feeling that you truly belong there. It made me think more about identity, culture and where I want to live.
I still want to become a better software engineer, but AI has made me think about how I want to work in this field. It makes development faster, but sometimes I feel it takes away some of the joy of programming. I am still trying to find a good balance between using AI and keeping the learning and thinking part that I enjoy.
I don’t really have a clear plan for the future, and maybe that is fine. I wanted to do this experience because I was curious and didn’t want to spend years wondering what life abroad would have been like. I could end up doing military service, struggling to find a job, building something , continuing as a software engineer, or even doing a carrer switch. For now, I have other priorities to focus on, and I am taking things one step at a time. Whatever comes next, I don’t regret taking this opportunity. thank you everyone who was part of this journey !