A great experience Past Review
By Shannon C (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) - abroad from 05/29/2012 to 06/30/2012 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Aix-en-Provence, France
it was worthwhile. I improved my language skills and learned a lot of things you can't learn in a classroom in America. I loved experiencing a new culture.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I didn't really like the way the school was set up. The courses were not as challenging/exciting as I had hoped. However, I loved the "ateliers" that we did each week, they were pretty interesting. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program was awesome. Vivienne was so helpful and there were so many things included included in the program that I didn't know would be ahead of time. It was a pleasant surprise. The program director always had something planned for us to do whether it be museum visits, trips to other cities/towns, or just group dinners. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was in a homestay. My family was so nice. It was hard adjusting for the first week since they didn't speak any english, but that's what I wanted since I wanted to improve my language skills. I definitely think I did especially after living with them. They were always really helpful and made dinner for me at least 5 times a week and they even let me have a friend over sometimes too. The home stays are a good choice if you want to improve your language skills. Don't worry about not being able to be around people your age- I still hung out with the people in the program every single day too. The houses are not too far from the school or the Cours Mirabeau either. |
| * Food: |
Food was amazing, of course- it's France! We even did some cooking classes which were not that expensive, only 15 euros! and you get to eat the meal and learn how to cook some French cuisine. The meals my family made me were very large, with a lot of courses, you sure would not ever go hungry over there. I bought my lunch each day- if you want a large lunch and a beverage you can get it for around 7-10 euros, depending on what it is. Love the boulangeries. The dinners on the weekend were my favorite though. It was really fun to go out with the other kids in the program, drink wine, and each delicious food. Make sure you actually try to speak French when you go to a restaurant though, it makes a huge difference and you'll get much better service and they will be a lot nicer to you. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
When I was doing things with the program group, I felt like a tourist. People are going to know you're not French, so just get over it and embrace it. On the other hand, don't act like a typical American. According to them, we're all very loud, obnoxious, and culturally naive. I didn't really feel very integrated in the culture because I spent too much time with the other Americans there. However, if your goal is to make French friends- do it. It's possible and if you want it enough you can integrate yourself into the culture. Especially in a homestay |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't have any health issues while over there, but everything was explained at the beginning of the program as far as what to do, who to call, etc, if something were to happen. |
| * Safety: |
I felt pretty safe the whole time except walking home late at night. Guys call out to you and sometimes will start to follow you. Make sure you're never alone. Most of the time they're just drunk and feel the need to make a comment especially cause they know you're not French. Don't get too drunk if you're going to be walking home either. Overall, though, it was safe there. |
| 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) |
At least 100 bucks a week for me. I wasn't very conservative with my money though. The excursions on the weekends are usually 25 euros and there are two each weekend. The food/drinks take up the rest, probably more. It depends if you go out to fancy restaurants or not. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't order a drink with every meal, whether it be alcohol or not. just stick with the water for most of the time. Don't shop in the town unless it's at the market. It's really expensive. There are a lot of really nice stores they have in Paris too and it's tempting to go in and look. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
My program I think was a little different because a lot of the people on the trip didn't have a high language skill level, so english was used a lot. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I was taking French since high school. Before going I've taken every grammar course and french history and literature classes. |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | go in stores/bars/cafes and talk to people. i made a great friend who worked at this cafe i went to every morning for my coffee. it was right across the street from the school. when you go out for a night on the town, don't just talk with your group, talk to the French people your age. They all are willing to talk and want to. They're really curious about American culture. A lot of the time they'll speak English to you but if you want to practice your French just tell them that and they'll switch back. |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
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? | French people are not mean. They're much more accepting than people say. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
