Aix-en-Provence: You'll Fall in Love Past Review
By Mariah K (Nutrition, Colorado State University) for
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Aix-en-Provence, France
This experience (and my subsequent fluency in French) was truly invaluable. The cultural wisdom I learned will be crucial to my ability to work internationally as a physician in public health and medicine. Already, my lingual abilities allowed me to live and complete a medical internship in West Africa this past summer. Study abroad solidified in me a hunger to travel - For me, I started and never looked back. I have now lived in over 5 cities on 3 different continents in just the past three years. Study abroad with CEA also convinced me how much I need international elements in my career and really led my decision to pursue a dual medical/masters in public health degree with an emphasis on global populations.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The program, a special French-as-a-second-language division of the Universite Paul-Cezanne Aix-Marseille III, is excellent for those wanting to greater improve their fluency in the French language. Taught by native professors, the grading system usually relies on just one or two exams throughout the semester with homework assigned rarely. The teaching method is complete immersion but each student is given an entrance exam to ensure they are placed in the appropriate level. Courses in France are not harder than those in the United States, just different. Professors are not as accessible but they are also very concerned with teaching you how to speak and write French like a native, including all aspects like accent, grammer, pronunciation, expressions, cultural references, etc. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
|
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My housing was compeltely arranged through CEA and my study abroad advisor there. I specifically asked for a host family that spoke no English and they gave me exactly what I asked for, which overall led to me being fluent by the time I left 5 months later. The elderly couple were the most welcoming, kind people and provided me with my own bedroom in their apartment located less than a 10 minute walk from the university and all night life activities that take place in the "centre ville." I did not have to buy any item, bring bedding, or provide amenities. My sweet host parents even offered to share shampoo. :-) I was treated as my host parent's daughter who to this day call me "la petite" and have welcomed back twice already when I went to visit. |
| * Food: |
Aix offers many, many eating options, in case you don't cook, don't want to cook, or are not blessed with a host family who cooks amazing food. My host family provided all meals for me, but I occassionally would eat out with friends as a social thing. The best crepes in the world (no, seriously, I've tried a lot of crepes) can be found at Crepes A Go-Go, located just off the Cours Mirabeau near La Rotonde. The specialty of course is Provencal type dishes but also dishes from Nice, Lyon, and surrounding areas can be found as well as other ethnically-leaning restaurants (like Mexican and Japonese). |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
|
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
|
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
|
Finances
|
* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
|
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Between an amazing host family and a 16-credit semester entirely in French, CEA ensured that I was perfectly placed for making the most improvement in my language skills. CEA also set up conversation groups, cultural visits to chocolate factories, Monaco, bullfights, and more Southern French towns. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | If to live in France but also to travel and see Western Europe is your goal, Aix-en-Provence is a great home base and courses provide the flexibility to do so. If becoming fluent in French is your goal, request a French-only host family, work hard in your classes, and I promise you will improve more than you ever imagined. Aix truly provides all the opportunity in the world if you are willing to give a little, get out of your comfort zone, and pursue what you really want. |
