Exchanges abroad: Let's go to Canada and Mexico!

International travel is back! After a two-year wait, we are delighted to see nine of our Master 1 students embark on their studies in a new country. Canada was the most popular destination this year, with eight of them settling in Montreal and Quebec City at partner universities within our network. Flavie Le Pape and Altaïr Truphème went on exchange to the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), right in the heart of downtown, while Jade Haegel, Estelle Reverreau, Caroline Lambert, and Solène Villemain joined the ranks of Université Laval , the very first French-language higher education institution founded in North America. Juliette Mercier and Éva Héry , for their part, began their internships in these two French-speaking cities at the digital advertising agency MiniMal . The climate will be quite different for Clotilde Cester, who went on exchange to Mexico , to UNARTE in Puebla.

To allow us to follow their adventures, our students each created an Instagram account to share their discoveries. Before heading to Quebec, Jade, Estelle, Solène, and Caroline stopped in Montreal, visiting its Museum of Fine Arts, exploring art galleries, and browsing antique shops and thrift stores. Arriving in the port city at the end of July, Flavie shared a video showcasing the surrounding nature, including Montmorency Falls, the Saint-Charles River (the city's main waterway), as well as its streets and architecture. Juliette, who was interning in Montreal, explored the city center (Downtown), including the Latin Quarter, Chinatown, and the Plateau-Mont-Royal.

Open your eyes to the world

In Mexico since the end of July, Clothilde is sharing the country's culture with us through her visits and encounters. She went to the Guelaguetza in Oaxaca, a traditional festival, and to the small village of Teotitlan del Valle , "known for its textile crafts and chocolate." In this country where religion plays a significant role, she tells us, she discovered the village of San Juan Chamula, where the inhabitants speak Tzotzil, an indigenous language descended from Mayan. But alongside the magnificent landscapes, Clothilde also observes the darker side of things: pollution and overconsumption . Standing before the Sumidero Canyon, she was saddened by the large amount of plastic and the constant passage of tourist boats, with their lack of respect for the environment. Becoming aware of what is happening in our world is also part of traveling. Clothilde also tells us that the Coca-Cola company dominates Chiapas. In this southern Mexican state, home to numerous archaeological sites bearing witness to the Mayan civilization and magnificent natural landscapes within the rainforest, this American beverage is sold for less than drinking water thanks to its control of the region's water supply! Rising diabetes-related deaths and pollution are the unfortunate consequences of this dominance.

While Coca-Cola is known to everyone, our student also sampled local specialties : the very acidic fruit of the starfruit tree, chocolate pozol (a drink made from corn and pure chocolate), chapulines (roasted insects), and pulque (a drink made from the fermented sap of various agave plants with a viscous texture). Enjoy! After her many discoveries, Clothilde began her courses at UNARTE in mid-August, where she attended workshops in woodworking, 3D printing, and also learned how to make ceramics.

Follow their travels on Instagram: @allo_flavie @de_la_bas @sunxmoon_canada @estelle_a_dos_de_caribou @graphi_quebec @carnetdevoyagemexicain @montreal.studio @erable.fr

Intuit Lab offers campuses in France and abroad, providing an exceptional experience to discover design professions while traveling. Whether you're at a design school in Marseille , elsewhere in France, or you'd like to travel to India or Brazil, Intuit Lab invites you to embark on an unforgettable immersive adventure. Don't miss this opportunity and start this exciting experience now.