The month has gone by so fast. And yet I feel like I have felt so many different things in such a short period of time. Mostly relief, excitement, and a bit of confusion. However, Aix had been very kind to me and helped me throughout all my ups and downs so far. I have…
Category: France: IAU College
Salut! Aix-en-Provence
I barely had time to get used to speaking and hearing Portuguese after I traveled to Brazil from the US for summer break. And in 3 days I will be going to France; a place of which I do not know the language at all. I am used to cultural differences, language shocks, and awkward…
Return to America!
I have now been back in the states for a little over a month, and, honestly, not a day goes by that I don’t think about my time in France. I had such an incredible time. I miss the friends that I made, the town that I called home, and my wonderful host family….
My Birthday in Paris
This past week was my fall break from IAU, and I must say it was incredible. I not only got to travel to some of my favorite places in France, but I got to do it all with my parents and I got to see some old friends. There will be more to come about…
It’s not that easy
Most people believe that study abroad is just a way to skip the hard school work and relax. It’s the common expectation you know. You just want to be able to travel, and meet new people, learn about new cultures. You create this idea in your mind that it will all be easier because it…
1 Month In
When I got in the plane to go to France I felt a weird sense of nostalgia, of fear. I started thinking about how it would be like, how I would feel, if I would be able to communicate. I started to stress about living with a host family, I thought “What if they outright…
The Markets of Aix-en-Provence
Last week for my Cross Cultural Studies in Food and Culture (French 306) class, we were required to walk around the market and observe what makes the markets of Aix famous. After making our observations we were to write an article that encapsulates the entire experience of going to the market. I thought that sharing…
Packing and Re-Packing
Tetris. That’s what packing everything felt like this morning as I prepare for my French adventure. I had finally gotten everything zipped into my suitcase (something that proved to be far from easy). I was finally packed and ready to go…or so I thought. I thought it would be a good idea to weigh my…
Before I leave
Since I was a little kid i love to travel. I live going to new places and seeing new things. Obviously I have never traveled with the purpose of studying. It is a new experience for me, something I have never done before but something I always wanted to do. Studying abroad in France. Now…
Saint-Cyr-Sur-Mer, Montpellier, and Avignon.
Last week all IAU students were on vacation, giving us the opportunity to travel before the school year is over. My cousins from Germany drove down to AIX to spend some time with me, including Easter, which was nice. Having a car made traveling on the coast convenient, and each day we traveled to a…