CEA in Aix: The Best Summer of My Life Past Review
By Lingerr S (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., Carleton College) for
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Aix-en-Provence, France
It was the most stimulating thing I've ever done- I truly had to be independent a lot and I loved it.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
We had four hours of French class every day, and our teacher did a great job of keeping it interesting and changing the routine frequently. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The director was one of the very best parts about the program. She checked in with us daily to make sure we were fine, but also let us each experience Aix in our own way. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We lived very near the school and in the main part of Aix, very safe and fun. |
| * Food: |
Amazingly delicious food. France is not super vegetarian friendly, but as a meat-eater I was more than satisfied! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There were TONS of trips. We went to Marseille, saw a concert in Nimes, went on a wine-tasting, had a cheese-tasting, climbed a mountain, and many more. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Aix is incredibly safe, but is still a city so I'd advise just not being silly. Don't walk home really late and alone, don't take shortcuts at night, things like that. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | About 150-200 dollars, depending on what we did. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Budget! And try not to eat out too much, or find ways to eat out cheaply. You can get good bread, cheese, and wine for less than 10E, the beauty of living in France! |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | My one regret is that my group spoke too much English- make your group practice French with each other! |
