What's in My Bag? Law Student in France

In this blog post, I'm going to show you "what's in my bag"! I'm currently studying in France at a French university. And I'm majoring in law. It's very hard to study law in a foreign country and in a foreign language but I'm thriving! (for now at least...)

Here are the things I have in my bag. Enjoy!

Bag

My backpack from MUJI

I use a backpack from MUJI. It's pretty big and it has two side pockets to put my water bottle and umbrella. The largest compartment is divided into two parts: one for putting a laptop and another for putting larger things. It has built-in laptop protection so you can put your laptop without using any other protective case.

 

The bigger side is large enough to put multiple books and codes (statutes books). I usually keep several textbooks, a notebook, my journals, etc. that will be shown later in this article. It also has a zipper on the side that allows you to access the laptop compartment without opening the bag from the top.

 

On the front side, it has two smaller pockets. They are plain pockets without any key or pen holder. I usually keep my tissue paper, hanky and hand cream in the smallest pocket and my eco-bag and wallet in the other pocket. If I were traveling, I wouldn't keep my wallet in an outer pocket but since my university is a 5-minute walk from my dorm apartment, I don't mind keeping it there.

There is a small pocket on the top. I don't usually use it but I sometimes keep my pens or USB stick if I need to.

Laptop

I use MacBook Air 11 inches. I got it about 4 years ago. At that time, MacBook Air was out but I got an older model because I still wanted to use the USB 2.0 ports instead of USB-C...

It's light enough to carry around with me. If you are thinking of getting a laptop for your college life, I recommend you get a light one that is easy to carry around and that has a long-lasting battery. 

I'm thinking of getting a hard protective cover for my laptop someday... but I might get a new computer by then so, let's see.

If I have a long day ahead and when I know that I don't have the time to go home and charge my laptop, I'll bring my charger. This little pouch was offered to me by the mother of my professor that I used to work with (and still do) back in Japan. I keep my earphones in there as well (Yes, I still use earphones with cords). If I have money, I shall get AirPods Pro someday.

I don't have a photo of it but I also carry an iPad Pro. I have all of my readings (downloaded articles, notes, assignments...) in it and it also helps me to take notes if the laptop battery runs out and I don't have access to plugs in the classroom.

In the Side Pockets...

I keep my umbrella and my water bottle in the side pockets of my backpack.

My umbrella is from UNIQLO. I think Japanese companies make pretty sturdy umbrellas (although they are most likely to be made in China or in Southeast Asia...). If you buy one in Europe it will be less sturdy and more expensive, so I usually get one in Japan. 

Then I carry it with a huge paper clip like the one in the photo. 

Why? It's because it's useful to clip the wet umbrella onto a table or the back of a chair while you're in class. I don't want to put it on the floor nor in my bag. Also, I could clip it onto my bag so that I don't forget it somewhere.

The small bag that is next to the umbrella is a waterproof bag cover. When it's raining outside, I usually put it to cover my bag so that it protects my laptop and books inside it. If you use a bike to get around, I'd recommend you get a cover with reflectors on it so that you know you are noticed by drivers.

On the other side of my bag, I keep my stainless water bottle. 

I often brew tea before going to school and this bottle keeps hot beverage hot and cold one cold. The temperature lasts for a whole day and I never had a problem with it since I got it in my high school days (now you know that it endures, too!). 

Inside my bag, I keep...

All of my notes are now digital but I still keep quite a few things in my bag.

Journals and notebooks

I use two journals to keep track of my work. 

The one on the right is a monthly and weekly journal from MUJI (the model which starts in September). I have a pen clip that I got separately to keep a MUJI gel pen attached to it. In this journal, I keep track of what I need to do in the month and the week. For example, all of my assignments and their due dates as well as exam dates. In the weeklies, I list out all the tasks that I need to do that week including what I'm going to cook or when I'm going to grocery shopping.

The one on the left is my Moleskine softcover journal (plain).

I break down my tasks into smaller steps in this journal. I make a to-do list for the day or per class so that I know how much work I have and how much time I need in order to accomplish those steps. 

Another notebook I keep in my bag is an A5 size small notebook. I have it "for just in case": although I take all the notes with my laptop, professors might draw charts or schema on the board and there are times where I need to note that quickly by hand. I usually include that into my notes later in the day.

My pen case

Of course, I need something to write with. I have a pen case which keeps my appel pencil, 4 colored pens, and my fountain pen (LAMY 2000 Stainless Steel). 

I also have earplugs for the times where I study in the library and a mini-stapler from MUJI. It's essential, as a law student, to have a stapler because we need to hand in papers in tutorial style classes and sometimes we print out notes in the library.

Here, I do not keep my markers and highlighters in my bag when I go to classes. I usually keep them in a separate pen case that I put in my book bag. When I go to classes, I don't usually plan to go to the library to study because I live so close to the university (in fact I live on campus). If I want to go to the university library, I would bring my book bag with me which keeps my another pen case. 

Books

And, of course, I have several textbooks and codes with me... but only ones that I need to reference during the class. As I said above, if I were studying, I would bring another book bag with me to the library.

When reading the textbooks, I often use post-its to indicate chapters, sections, or articles in the codes. I use all sorts of index notes and post-its so I keep all of them in a little pouch so that I'm always organized and I don't lose any of them.

Other useful things...

I have glasses that cut blue light from my screens (laptop and iPad). Blue light makes you awake and hurts your eyes. If I stare at screens for long hours, I would have a hard time falling asleep at night, therefore, I use a pair of glasses that helps to reduce my "blue light intake". 

Another essential is my electronic dictionary. As a foreign student, I always need a dictionary with me although I'm not allowed to use one during an exam (or maybe I could, but I never asked).

This dictionary was given to me by my aunt when I first came to France. Until then,  I used a paper dictionary. I still think the paper version is better for learning languages but my electronic one has many dictionaries inside (French-French, Japanese-French, French-Japanese, English-French, French-English, and many other). So, it's very useful for my French classes as well as other courses in English.

In the pockets...

I keep my wallet and a shopping bag in the pockets of my backpack.

My wallet and coin case 

I have a shopping bag for just-in-case occasions. I might have to do a quick grocery shopping on my way home or I might borrow books from the university library. 

In such cases, this bag is so useful. I fold them and use a paper clip to hold it small and tight for the sake of being organized.

Lastly, I have my lipstick, hand cream, and my handkerchief. Having a handkerchief is such a Japanese thing to do and it reminds me of my elementary school education but I still carry them.

My lipstick is from Avène and hand cream from L'Occitane.

I hope you enjoyed this post on What's in My Bag! Please share what's in your bag!

I have not been going out due to the confinement in France, but I'm cleaning and taking care of my bag and my belongings for the day I'm going to school again! 

I hope you are all well and healthy. Take very good care of yourself!

See you again soon.