Aix-en-Provence: La vie charmant Past Review
By Emily R (Child Adult and Family Services, Iowa State University) for
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Aix-en-Provence, France
Studying abroad put a whole new emphasis on perspective and patience. Being in Aix for five months (I stayed longer after my program ended :)) was eye-opening and insightful. I learned to appreciate buying fresh produce daily (and to like vegetables!), to slow life down and take it in, and to be willing to see things from a different perspective. I think about Aix often and would love to go back.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
My initial commentary about my French educational experience is that it was challenging. I tested into the highest level of French my university offered and found the first few weeks to be quite difficult. I was assigned much more homework than I anticipated and found that my professors were intense and had high expectations. The grading system didn't surprise me much; I was familiar with the 1-20 scale before attending French university. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
CEA in Aix-en-Provence was wonderful. They met us at the airport and took us to our apartments/host families/dorms and had all kinds of information prepared for us for our orientation week. They had maps of the city marked with important places, information about where and when we would be meeting to explore the city or to take our placement exam, etc. Our CEA coordinators were incredibly helpful with arranging our visits to complete our VISAs, helping us make appointments with doctors, giving advice about where to travel to and how to get there, etc. Generally I found that our advisers were a wealth of knowledge and indispensable. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Our apartment was, for lack of a better word, charming. We lived in an 18th building that that had been subdivided into apartments; there was a theater on the main level as well as a painting room in the courtyard. Our landlady was wonderful and great to talk with. Our neighborhood was very safe and only a two or three minute walk from school, about a five or six minute walk to city-centre, and about five or six minutes to the local nightlife. We did bring our own sheets and towels, but everything else was provided. |
| * Food: |
How can one go to France and be dissatisfied with the food? I don't have any dietary restrictions, but our program coordinators did make sure to ask and communicate with any students who did. Pasta Cosy is one of my favorite restaurants in Aix in addition to Juste en Face. You can't go wrong with either of them! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Our program strongly encouraged us to get involved with university clubs and sports teams not only to have fun but also to meet French students and get to know them. Our program coordinated several wine tastings (YUM!) and arranged for us to cook traditional French food in a professional setting. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Based on my experience, Aix is very safe. A student from abroad must absolutely follow the safety rules and guidelines given at the beginning of the program and use common sense, but that was more than enough to be safe in Aix. The only health care issue I had was a battle with allergies in the spring, I think in April; the pollen in France is different from in the US, so maybe bring along your best allergy medicine and have it on hand if necessary. My parents ended up shipping me Claritin and it was a lifesaver! |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
The university I attended is a university for students who are foreign to France and I had classes with students from Japan, Australia, Russia, Afghanistan, and many other places; often our only common language was French. I spoke French with my professors, classmates, sometimes my roommates (though we are all American), people at the market and in shops, and with my landlady. I did use French every day, especially at the market buying fruits and vegetables. Many French people were able to identify me as a foreigner and, if they could, spoke English with me verbatim (very frustrating at times) or would use a few English words to help me understand. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | I got the impression that Aix was advertised most often as a small and bustling French town; don't let this phase you! Aix is certainly smaller than Paris and other famous French cities, but that doesn't mean there's any less to do or see. Hanging out in city-centre for an afternoon was more than enough fun. If you're adventurous, you'll like Aix. A large part of my attitude while I was abroad was, "Be willing to try anything once". If you're willing to find the nooks and crannies (in addition to the wide open busy spaces) of Aix that you like the most, you'll learn Aix is a perfect blend between big city life and cozy quaint village life. I can't describe how charming I think Aix is; it absolutely has to be experienced. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Written Comprehension |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Madame Calvet and Monsieur Chapus |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | Written comprehension was easily my most difficult course. In addition to reading texts and writing papers we also dug into grammar and I found that to be challenging. Madame Calvet covered material very quickly and had high expectations that we learn the information quickly. Monsieur Chapus was a bit more forgiving and willing to work with us, but he also had high expectations. It's important to have a really solid foundation in French grammar before taking a written comprehension course at a high level. Because I found it to be so challenging and overwhelming, I feel it was less effective than it may have been at a slower pace. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Phonetics |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Madame Mercier |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | Phonetics was the course I enjoyed most. Madame Mercier was very instructive and had a warm personality as well as a good understanding that she, with students from various countries and backgrounds, might have to reiterate certain points or explain specific pronunciations. It was helpful to have both lecture and lab; I know my French improved greatly just from having phonetics (vowels are everything!) |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Oral Comprehension |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Madame Calvet and Monsieur Chapus |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | Oral comprehension, though sometimes difficult, was enjoyable. It was interesting to have that class with students from other countries because I got to hear and learn their accents. Monsieur Chapus and Madame Calvet (especially Madame Calvet) were intense about instruction and often guided conversation with pointed questions or thoughts. Monsieur Chapus was more casual in guiding conversation and was more willing to help when I struggled for a word or verb tense. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Translation |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Madame Woringer |
| Instruction Language: | French and English |
| Comments: | Though enjoyable, I don't feel this course was particularly helpful in teaching me French. We focused on vocabulary words my classmates and I didn't know, fun articles, and song lyrics and often worked in pairs or as a class to translate the given material. I didn't feel that was particularly instructive as I can easily use a dictionary to look up a word. Class was often in English and a bit unorganized or irrelevant. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
