Ana VILLARES – Spain

INRAE

« MCE did not only offer me an apartment totally equipped (internet, daily press, etc.) but also gave me the opportunity to get in touch with the city and the surroundings and to meet other people in the same situation as me. »

Ana VILLARES – Spain

When I was thinking about performing a research stay in a foreign country, I would have never imagined that I would choose Nantes as my receiving city. However, when I started to search for scientific groups working in polysaccharides and their characterization, the INRA-Nantes attracted my attention because of the quality, dynamism and efficiency of researchers working in this unit.

Hopefully, I was successfully granted with an AgreenSkills fellowship to be developed during one year in Nantes, so I packed my suitcases and headed to Nantes.

Before arriving to Nantes, my supervisor arranged my accommodation at the Maison des Chercheurs Etrangers but, apart from the facilities of a residence, I couldn’t imagine the role of MCE in foreign researcher’s life.

MCE did not only offer me an apartment totally equipped (internet, daily press, etc.) but also gave me the opportunity to get in touch with the city and the surroundings and to meet other people in the same situation as me. When I arrived in Nantes, I didn’t know much about the city and the region, just a little bit of “les châteaux de la Loire”. Now, thanks to the activities organized by MCE, I know the inimitable environment of Nantes, and its attractions in the city and within a few kilometers (castles, coast, Brittany…).

I think that the best way to describe how I feel in Nantes is the fact that I have already been here for almost two years and I have obtained a permanent position so I will settle in Nantes.