A semester abroad, in a country where you may not speak the language, may seem like a daunting adventure. Sure, it was certainly stressful at times, yet along with outrageous fees, the stress was certainly worth it. Fortunately, I am a French speaker, so the culture shock was not significant to me. Rollins’s faculty will tell you that there are different stages of your experience, labeled by how they tell you that you will feel. Ranging from the honeymoon phase to culture frustration, I would be remiss if I did not mention these were arbitrary labels; an institution shouldn’t tell you how to feel, especially when it is fundamentally a subjective experience unique to the individual, that you are told is objective. My point being, that my experience was missing the negative aspects that I was told I would experience. From the moment I arrived in Aix-en-Provence, I was in love. There was no culture frustration, but culture fascination. The food was delectable, and the architecture was profoundly timeless. My morning consisted of an espresso and an almond croissant from the same local bakery, where I would sit outside and watch the early morning pass me by, as I hand rolled cigarettes. I was a big fan of the “French Breakfast.” IAU is a competent university, where American students from all parts of the USA gathered in a unified effort to learn about French culture and language. To conclude, if you are a student with enough resources to embark on this adventure, I implore you to consider this program. You will learn a significant amount about yourself, and be able to indulge in one of the most sumptuous and splendid cultures, and learn about the perspectives of different people in different countries.
