Welcome Days
The Welcome Days, integration days for international students, take place twice a year: in September and in January. During this period, the University offers a program rich in discovery and conviviality. Freemovers and exchange students can take advantage of these days to discover the University, the city of Lille, and the French culture.

In 2023, the Welcome Days will take place during the months of January and February. On the program: cultural visits (exhibitions, museums, Lille...), workshops, parties and festive moments... for international students, but to which everyone is welcome! Discover what the Maison Internationale and its partners have prepared for you...
Welcome Days - January 2023
On Epiphany, the French revive the pagan custom of the Galette des rois, a cake made with frangipane, apple or almond cream, in which is hidden a bean, a small figurine whose lucky recipient will be designated the King (or Queen).
To celebrate this important tradition, we invite you to share the galette des rois that will open the Welcome Days! Meet at the Maison Internationale on Friday, January 6, at 5:00 pm.
To participate, subscribe: https://enquetes.univ-lille.fr/index.php/693886?lang=fr
On Monday January 9th, come meet us at Café Ulysse (Pont de Bois) where Maxime will prepare a welcome drink for the international students! A friendly and intercultural moment of tasting to start the year well. Free entrance !
Nothing better to start the day on the right foot!
Come and share a free breakfast on Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 January at Café Ulysse.
[Registration-only – 06 63 74 86 15 or Ulysse association social media]
You have just arrived, you don't know Lille? Or you already know the city, but you never get tired of (re)discovering it?
Then don't miss this opportunity!
Three students are organizing for you, as part of the Welcome Days, tours of the city in several languages (French, English, Spanish, Italian). Each tour will last about 1h30, will start in front of the restaurant "Les 3 Brasseurs" near the Lille Flandres train station, and will end at the Place de la République.
To participate, you will have to register on the Evento on the date of your choice: https://evento.renater.fr/survey/lille-free-walking-tour-tic22k2f
Keep your eyes open: other dates will be added!
PhD, Welcome !
To welcome new international PhD students, the Collège Doctoral invited the Maison Internationale to be part of their Welcome Days.
On the program: presentation of the Maison Internationale, quizzes and games to get to know each other, workshops and discussions about interculturality (difference, inclusion, rejection)... But also an activity focused on the experience of doctoral students and their relations with the different actors who will supervise their thesis work.
An afternoon of exchange and sharing!
Let's go on a treasure hunt!
On Saturday, January 14 at 3PM, we invite you to the LaM (Museum of Modern Art, Contemporary Art and Art Brut), a must-see in Lille, for a guided tour of the exhibition "Searching for the Gold of Time".
"Through nearly 400 artworks and documents, Searching for the Gold of Time looks at how artists and intellectuals, as well as self-taught creators linked to these two major artistic adventures, have profoundly redefined aesthetic categories by looking at natural objects, works of art and anonymous people with the same sense of wonder."
To join this tour, you must sign up: we only have 15 tickets to offer! https://enquetes.univ-lille.fr/index.php/747156?lang=fr
Do you feel like going to the movies?
To celebrate the Chinese New Year which is coming soon, we invite you to discover the movie "Suzhou River".
"In Shanghai, Mardar is involved in the kidnapping of the young Moudan, with whom he falls in love, and vice versa. When she discovers who he really is, Moudan throws himself into the Suzhou River. After several years in prison for his failed extortion attempt, Mardar decides to look for Moudan. This is how he meets Meimei, a perfect look-alike of Moudan... "
Watch the trailer here : https://www.kino-cine.com/film/suzhou-river-2000/video/19365116/
The movie is on Tuesday, January 17th at 6pm, at the Kino Ciné (Pont de Bois). To get free tickets offered by the Maison Internationale, register here: https://enquetes.univ-lille.fr/index.php/822659?lang=fr
Whether you haven't tried French cheeses yet, or you already know and love them, this event is for you!
On Wednesday, January 18th at 6pm, Café Ulysse (Pont de Bois) offers you a cheese tasting evening, in a friendly atmosphere.
To participate, register with the association, either via their social networks (Facebook / Instagram), or at 06 63 74 86 15. Bon appétit!
This year, China will celebrate the beginning of the new year 2023, year of the water rabbit, on Sunday January 22nd!
A few days earlier, on Thursday 19th, “Young Vision” association will offer you an evening about the Chinese New Year and Chinese culture. Calligraphy workshop, games, quizzes, Chinese snacks... There will be something for everyone!
No need to register : see you at the Maison Internationale, on January 19th from 4.30pm.
On Tuesday January 24th, at 4.30PM, the Maison Internationale invites you to the Institut du Monde Arabe (Tourcoing) !
The exhibition "Les Sentinelles" invites the spectator to a journey through its photographic and audiovisual collections, represented here by 21 artists. This exhibition deals with questions of society, identity and origins.
To join this tour, sign up here - we only have 20 spots available! https://enquetes.univ-lille.fr/index.php/668888?lang=fr
On Wednesday, January 25th, at 8PM, come enjoy an interactive show in Mons-en-Baroeul: "Influences" by Thierry Collet.
Thierry Collet, mentalist, is a master of messing with our thoughts, of creating with well-chosen words a reality we can only agree with. An exercise that reminds us of certain political speeches or marketing... This is precisely the purpose of this interactive and theatrical show: to deconstruct the manipulation mechanisms of our societies.
To know more about this show: https://www.larose.fr/saison/spectacle/influences-.htm
The Maison International is offering you 15 tickets for this visit: don't forget to register! https://enquetes.univ-lille.fr/index.php/255352?lang=fr
A time for sharing and exchanging around a film screening, board games and good soups. See you at the Maison Internationale on January 26 from 5:30 pm to share the warmth of soups and warmth of the hearts!
Another little movie screening to end the month!
We invite you to discover the movie "Les Huit Montagnes".
"Pietro is a city boy, Bruno is the last child to live in a remote village in the Aosta Valley. They become friends in this remote corner of the Alps that they consider their kingdom. Life takes them apart without separating them completely. While Bruno sticks to his mountain, Pietro travels the world. This journey will lead them to experience love and loss, their origins and their destinies, but above all, a life and death friendship."
The screening is on Friday, January 27 at 3.15PM, at the Kino Ciné (Pont de Bois). To get free tickets offered by the International House, register here: https://enquetes.univ-lille.fr/index.php/754863?lang=fr
Welcome Days - February 2023
Would you like to meet and exchange with other students while practicing one or more languages?
Then here's the event for you!
The Café-Langues is a time for exchange and conviviality between French and international students around discussions, debates, cultural exchanges, games,...
We invite you to the Café-Langues on the theme "Gaufrettes et Cie" on Wednesday, February 1st from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at the Maison des étudiants, Cité scientifique. No registration necessary!
To know more : clil.univ-lille.fr/actualites/actu/
On February 1st, let's meet at the Palais des Beaux Arts.
You are invited to live an extraordinary experience: you can, for once, touch works of art in the museum!
This exhibition gives blind people the opportunity to discover sculpture in friendly conditions, while allowing people without any visual impairment to live the unusual experience of touching. Discovering the artworks is very different from the usual experience of simply looking : the other senses are fully alert. Please touch!
To join this tour, you must register : we have 15 tickets to offer! https://enquetes.univ-lille.fr/index.php/853234?lang=fr
Japan, a fascinating country! Customs and traditions, art, food, culture...
The Young Vision association invites you to an afternoon of discovery, exchanges and games around the Japanese culture. With a friendly atmosphere guaranteed, of course!
See you on Thursday, February 2nd, from 4pm to 6:30pm, at the International House: no registration necessary!
"Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being invited to dance."
You can view this quote from Verna Myers as our invitation: come dance with us!
On Friday, February 3rd, Pangea invites you to the Maison Internationale for an evening dedicated to diversity, in all its colorfulness, richness and beauty.
On the program: discussion spaces around our differences and similarities, intercultural workshops, games... but also a participative playlist and a "auberge espagnole"(potluck dinner)!
To enjoy this evening, meet at the Maison Internationale from 6pm. You don't need to register but, if you wish, you can participate to our playlist and/or to the "auberge espagnole" : https://enquetes.univ-lille.fr/index.php/582795?lang=fr
Would you like to meet and exchange with other students while practicing one or more languages?
Then here's the event for you!
The Café-Langues is a time for exchange and conviviality between French and international students around discussions, debates, cultural exchanges, games,...
We invite you to the Café-Langues on the theme "Board Games" on Monday, February 2nd from 2PM to 4PM at the CRL Pont de Bois. No registration necessary!
To know more : clil.univ-lille.fr/actualites/actu/
The associations L.I.S.A (Lille International Students Association) and Campus Market are joining forces again!
Following the great success of the "Winter" session, the clothing sale is back for a "new year" version.
It will be on Wednesday, February 8th, from 12pm to 6:30pm at the Maison Internationale: come and enjoy great deals on all kinds of clothes, as well as everyday items from the Ressourcerie at free prices!
And as a bonus: the thrift shop "Fripeur le Dauphin" will be there again to offer you its vintage goodies.
If you wish to make donations, go directly to the Maison Internationale, between Monday and Friday from 8:45 am to 4:30 pm!
Carnivals are coming soon... Come and decorate with us!
The association Contact'Art invites you to an artistic workshop based on Latin American culture, in order to make masks and other colorful and festive decorations: through painting, drawing, cutting, collage...
See you on Thursday, February 9th from 4:30 pm at the Maison Internationale for this moment of sharing and cohesion around the artistic practice!
Lights, camera, action... then production!
We invite you to discover the backstage of the cinema through a guided tour of the exhibition "Special effects: break the screen" proposed by the Forum Départemental des Sciences.
Pre-production, set, editing studio... several interactive workshops will give you the opportunity to participate in the conception of a film and to discover the secrets behind our screens! You will be able to create your own special effects using motion capture, make a dragon fly or defy the laws of weightlessness.
To join this tour, please register: we have 20 tickets to offer! https://enquetes.univ-lille.fr/index.php/481825?lang=fr
And after the studies... What's next?!
The Maison Internationale and the Bureau d'Aide à l'Insertion Professionnelle invite you to the event "STUDENTS + ALUMNI: COFFEE, PLAY & CONNECT" on February 15, 2023 from 11:30 am to 6:30 pm at the Maison Internationale.
Former international students will share their experience about what it's like to be a post-student: job search, professional experiences in France, tips and tricks...
But many other surprises await you! Job search game, BAIP booth for personalized advice on your CV or your job search, "professional photos" workshop, mini-sale for clothes adapted to your interviews, Lilagora booth...
Lunch and pancakes will be offered to participants!
An appointment not to be missed...
Let's close the Welcome Days with a "BANG"!
On Thursday, February 16th, from 6pm on, come to the Maison Internationale for a party! Come and enjoy a colorful, glittery and musical costume party.
On the program: music, costumes, games...
Everything you need for an unforgettable moment in celebration of these two months!