To sum it up in one word, interesting. My experience abroad was unlike any other travel or college experience. I traveled to places you only dream of seeing. I studied in a location made famous by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. I drank wine that you cannot find in the United States. I took a course that I wouldn’t have been able to at Rollins.
The transition from America to France was pretty easy, it really felt like I was in a different state in America, they just don’t speak english in this state. Aix really felt like home when you would take the bus back from the TGV or the airport. After I successfully found my coffee shop to frequent and become friends with the baristas, that’s when i felt like I belonged in Aix. I only had one or two really bad encounters with French people. French people do not live up to the stereotype that Americans pin to them.
I really enjoyed how slow they lived their lives and how much higher the quality of life is in Europe. In America, you don’t get to enjoy time with the family as much as you should. Not everything was money driven.
My time in France was peaceful more than anything. I had to teach myself to be leisurely and to relax. It was very hard to sit in a park and do nothing but sit there. Americans are always on the go. I learned the most from my time abroad to enjoy life. When your schooling and work consume your life, you don’t get to enjoy what is in front of you. Do that thing you always wanted to do because you never know when you will ever have the chance.
I look forward to the day when I get to return to Aix-en-Provence.