My name is Martin and I am from France.
I arrived in Colombia two weeks ago and will be staying in Medellín until the end of July. I am teaching French classes at the CENSA institute. In Medellín, I am meeting many friendly people, discovering lots of culture and I love the constant hot climate.
The town I come from is called Grenoble, in South-East France near the border with Italy. It is situated in a glacial valley and is surrounded by mountains, the French Alps. Unlike Medellin where it is warm every day, the climate is very variable. In the winter it gets very cold and it snows regularly. In my opinion, this is great because it means I am able to go skiing or snowboarding as much as I want. There are many resorts near the city in which you can ski; the closest one to my house is only 20 minutes away!
In the summer however, the air becomes very hot( sometimes 35-40 ° C). Luckily we have many lakes around the city where we can relax, swim or do watersports. It is also easy to escape into the surrounding countryside to hike, mountain bike or climb via ferratas( climbing routes made out of metal steps)
Grenoble became famous around the world when it hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 1968. Since then, it has gained a reputation as a center for biotechnology, telecommunications and nuclear and microelectronic engineering. It is a great place if you want to study engineering, marketing or medicine as it has several excellent engineering faculties, one of the best business schools in France and an enormous medical school. We have a large student population, including many from foreign countries. The city center is very lively especially in the summer when the streets, squares and parks are full of people eating out, drinking beers or just having coffee.
Grenoble has a rich culture and has many museums, theatres and concert halls. Historically, it is known as the town where the French Revolution began in 1788 and for being a important place for the Resistance against the Germans from 1941-1945.
After living in Grenoble for 18 years, I left to study pharmacy in England and spent 4 years there. After my experience in Colombia I will return to England to study for a PhD. I will be working in a laboratory, trying to understand how brain cancer develops and how we can treat it.
In my free time I enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, climbing, cycling and especially snowboarding. I also like to play the clarinet and I participate in a many orchestras. I love travelling to discover new cultures, local foods and new landscapes.
Martin Cusack