Bonjour! It’s been a crazy week here in Aix so far, but what an incredible adventure! The first 24 hours are simply a blur, remembering moments of sprinting between customs and my gate, but thankfully the flight from Paris to Marseille was short and easy. Walking outside of the airport with my excessive amounts of luggage and seeing the mountains lining the sky was nothing short of breathtaking. 

We got on the bus and took a drive through Aix, and wow!, the before pictures are nothing compared to the actual view. The town opens onto an extravagant fountain and leads you to the Cours Mirabeau, which is the main drag with several smaller fountains and a plethora of French cafés. Every corner you turn has a boulangerie. When we finally arrived to our apartment, I was absolutely shocked at how large it was. Each of the five girls has her own room, and the kitchen is spacious and looks out over Aix. How much better can it get?

Within the first few days of orientation, I am already so thankful for CEA. We are attending the Institute for American Universities (IAU) in Aix, and there are other students attending IAU who went directly through them, but going with CEA has been an extra level of comfort that I didn’t know I needed. The CEA students are all so welcoming, and within just a few hours it felt like I had known these people for years. Not one person came with a friend, and that allowed all of us to get to know each other super quick. There are café hours each week at Café Carrefour, and the first night we made ourselves at home with the “CEA Approved” beverages. We were already becoming regulars.

The IAU buildings are strategically placed throughout Aix, and all of the professors have such interesting and unique backgrounds, and are extremely knowledgeable in their subjects. Since I am filling some electives this semester, I am taking very different classes than what I’m used to with my business major. A recurring theme throughout the classes though is Muslim presence in Europe, and in the time that we are currently living in, it will be incredibly fascinating to see this topic told through a European perspective.

After orientation, IAU already sent us out on our first study tour to the towns of La Ciotat and Cassis. La Ciotat is the home of the Eden Theatre, the oldest living theatre in the world, and the location where the Lumière brothers showed several of their short films. La Ciotat was absolutely gorgeous, there were boats lining the shores under a mountainous backdrop. We all fell in love with the city on a cloudy day, so I can’t even imagine its beauty during the summer months. We got food for lunch from the local market and ate a park that overlooked the water. I caught myself thinking “Is this real?”

We drove through the mountains after lunch and stopped in another small town of Cassis. Cassis was incredible, and had a pulse and vibe that La Ciotat lacked. Cassis was like walking on a movie set of what a stereotypical French town should look like. There were families dining outside, smokers glancing out their windows, and shopmakers giving out samples in the streets. We ate at a cute café where I had my first savory crepe, made of chicken, cheese and potatoes. Although it didn’t look appetizing at first, the incredible blend of seasoned chicken and thick melted cheese over diced potatoes was something only the French knew how to do. That was one of the most amazing dinners I’ve had yet.

The nightlife here is incredibly different than Miami, but I think it will be more my speed. It is definitely a bar town, and as Aix is a university city, there are students flocking through the streets. Everyone knows about O’Shannon because it’s supposedly the place that Americans go to be “loud Americans.” Naturally we made that our first stop, and we recognized several people from our IAU program. The playlist consisted of American pop hits from at least 5 years ago, on repeat. It was a fun first night out, and after walking to a few other locations, we made our way home to get a good nights sleep.

This first week has been a whirlwind, but has also been such an eye opening experience in such a small time period. I know that I will have my ups and downs, but I am already so appreciative of this semester. Throughout some awkward store experiences I’ve learned that my French is much better than I thought, and I’ve learned that I know my way around somewhat. I’m hoping this week is just the beginning of many more incredible adventures. And it has to be, I mean, I’m writing this from the French Alps!