Falling for Paris, by Victoria Sankey

  Paris is truly the city of love, and I’ve never fallen harder. Romance is all over this beautiful city, you just have to look at someone’s expression and you can see it. I’m not talking about the man looking lovingly as his new wife as I took their picture a top Le Tour Eiffel. I’m…

How to constantly feel lost (and sort of love it), by Andrea Sherwood

Just under a week into studying abroad, I started to feel confident and comfortable in Aix. I was on my walk home from campus for the third time.  Everything seemed to be going great – I was in France, I had bought my first pain au chocolat that morning, and I was starting to feel…

Study abroad: not just for studying, by Katie McCall

Though an important part of studying abroad is the classes you take and the things you learn in the classroom, much of the learning done while abroad is through experiences and travel. Living here in the South of France has given me incredible experiences to travel around whether it is just for a day or…

Adventures with IAU, by Shakhnoza Nasriddinova

IAU students checking out the view on their trip to La Ciotat and Cassis. We came across a rock climber… The beautiful city of Cassis. Vars was a hidden gem between the beautiful mountains. Daniel was definitely enjoying skiing in Vars! Breathtaking views in Vars!

Standing out: Why it is easy to spot Americans in France, by Hunter Levy

Walking through throngs of thousands of people at a parade for the Carnaval in Nice, I find myself peering above the crowd. At six feet three inches, heads above the average French person, I can survey the amalgam of people and floats and confetti all around me. As my friend Vaughn and I turn a…

M(aix)ed feelings, by Ravina Hingorani

Sit down children, because this may be shocking to hear. I’ve been here a month. Yes, that’s right, I have been LIVING in FRANCE for a month. It’s funny because I don’t think that it has hit me yet. Right after ESP, classes started. I know when you hear “study abroad” what you really hear…

Adventure around the corner, by Erica Schaumberg

Around the corner When I first came to Aix, I did not know anyone, did not know the language, and did not know the city. I decided that I had two options. One: run and hide from everything; or two: explore a new world that I have only been dreaming of. I know there is…

The unplanned plan, by Emily Henderson

At the beginning of week two, friends and acquaintances told me their plans for the weekend and I felt panicked. I had next to no plans for the weekend. Was I doing something wrong? How could it be that it was only week two and I was already wasting time? After a conversation with a…

Tips, tricks, and what I’ve been up to so far, by Michele Gerardi

  A few Tips and Tricks… As a student looking to study abroad or have already decided to, it can be a little daunting. Here are some things that I learned over my past semester here, and what I’ve changed to help me in my second semester: MONEY MANAGEMENT Although this seems like an obvious…

Oh, the places you’ll go…eventually, by Kelli Kyle

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about trying to plan travel, it is that it’s NOT easy. A few nights ago, my friend and I decided to get together and establish a definitive travel itinerary for the first “winter break” in March. After inhaling a pizza and speculoos-infused tiramisu, we fired up our Macs and…

Early to start, early to rise, by Ravina Hingorani

I am officially done with the Early Start Program- for those of you who don’t know what it is, it’s a program that begins a week before classes start. In the mornings there are French classes that you take based on your level, where you relearn some of the basics and more applicable phrases in…

Aix, I’ll be seeing you soon, by Hunter Levy

I’m sipping my iced coffee watching the passersby of my small Idaho home town, cherishing the delicacy that I’ve been told will not be available to me in France. In just three short days, I will be snatched up and transported across the world to begin my spring adventure in Aix-En Provence, an experience that…