Odessa M (’25) Is Studying At The Université de Lyon

Odessa (’25) shares this update with us in October 2025:

My first semester at the University of Lyon has been wonderful, and I’ve made progress with my French! Engaging with the language through classes and daily interactions is proving beneficial, even if understanding lectures is more straightforward than conversing with classmates.

My curent courses (all in French) cover Semiotics, French and General Linguistics, Creative Writing, Researching, Nordic Walking, Spanish, Reading for Understanding, World Literature, and Literature and Society. My first class for this last subject was about American book banning, and the conceived dangers of reading in American society.

I have also started a three year “Parcours Mohammed Arkoun” course at Université Catholique de Lyon on the history, art, and culture of Islam.

I’m sharing here two photos from when I first arrived. I am also very much looking forward to seeing the next edition of Gristle Butter.