From Malaysia to France: Danish’s journey at ESPOL

International Interviews

Danish Adha recently completed his degree in International Relations at ESPOL. Thanks to the Campus France Malaysia programme, he was able to study in France — an experience he describes as overwhelmingly positive. In this interview, he shares his journey.

Can you introduce yourself?

My name is Danish Adha, I am from Malaysia. I’m a third-year student at ESPOL, doing my international relations degree here. Before that, I did one year of French and preparation classes in Malaysia, just to equip myself with the knowledge of political science, social science, etc. to come and do my studies here.

What were your first impressions of living in Lille?

As someone who had never been to Europe, I admit Lille really lived up to my expectations of what a European city should be like. Here we can see the patrimonial buildings and all the old-style architectures. That is impressive to see, as a student coming from Southeast Asia, where mostly the buildings were constructed according to the brutalist structure, British style.

In terms of lifestyle, at the beginning I had some cultural shocks as well. For instance, one of the things I was shocked about was the idea of having bars and soirées, because in Malaysia, we don’t have that kind of lifestyle at all. All we do when we go out at night is to eat at a restaurant, for example. Apart from that, I find the cultural differences interesting, because you can see the difference between a country that is not as well integrated and a EU country.

How was your integration at ESPOL?

I only did one year of French before coming here. So, I’ll be honest, I didn’t really speak French that well at the beginning. But the students here, they really welcomed me, and they tried speaking English with me — okay, one thing I admit is that I don’t like it when I try to speak French and someone speaks English to me (laughs). But the students here, they really accommodated to that. For instance, if I’m speaking French to them, they’ll speak to me slowly so that I can understand better. It’s always a learning process, and I really appreciate that.

What about the courses and programme?

Throughout ESPOL, I was more interested in literature courses and environmental courses. When I was in first and second year, I took literature courses such as European literature and literature and drama. I think that really helped a lot because it helped me in being more interested in the degree in general. Because pursuing what I like and seeing its relations at the international level especially, like how do states interact with each other, we can see that through different literatures. So, I really appreciated what ESPOL had to offer. I also had the opportunity to write a thesis on the topic “Climate, colonialism and injustice: the systemic oppression of global South by the global North”.

This is your last year at ESPOL — what’s next?

I got accepted to do my Master’s at two schools. The first one is a Master of science in Culture, Justice and Environment at the London School of Economics (LSE), and the second one is a Master of science in Global Environment, Politics and Society at the University of Edinburgh. I have yet to choose which one, so we’ll see!

Do you have any advice for international students coming to ESPOL?

The most general advice I would give is just to be brave and start doing what you want to do in the beginning. For instance, if you feel like going out and trying to practice French with your friends, going out to parties, then go ahead and do it. Because it will be really helpful later, as it helps you build more character and build more of your social skills. So, I think that was one big advice, other than bringing an umbrella everywhere!

Anything you would like to add to conclude this interview?

At ESPOL especially, we have such a great international team. They are really helpful in the sense that, they would be able to guide you throughout your daily life. You can come and talk about anything with them. Apart from that, there’s also student associations that will be able to help you integrate more into your life here.

At Université Catholique de Lille, they have different programmes that aim to include international students as well. It helps them feel more included into doing activities offered by the university.