Finally orientation day! We all met at the schools main hall were we had a folder complete with information and a itinerary for the day. We got introduced to all of the professors and faculty. There are 119 kids in the program 27 boys and 91 girls. Out of the 47 universities represented, New Haven is number 3 with 8 people! There are two schools within IAU, the "Aix center" and "Marchutz. Marchutz is for the art students, but our group of interior designers is in both kind of. The dean of the Marchutz school is very inspiring to all because of his outlook on study abroad. He wants to teach us to not just look with our eyes but to see with our eyes. There is so much to take in its almost overwhelming. He told us that our homework assignment this week is to try all the different bakeries and decide which one has the best chocolate. With so many orientation sessions, this was an extremely tiring day. They told us where to go, and where not to go in aix in terms of bars, clubs, and restaurants. They informed us all the ways to stay safe, and warned us that even though Aix is a VERY safe city, you still need to be smart especially because the language barrier can be difficult. Most kids speak french in the Aix center, but the Marchutz school does not have many kids that speak french. Today I ordered my own food in french for lunch which was very exciting! When I told my host mom at home she was very excited for me as well. At the dinner table we laughed about how in english you say cheese when you take a picture. Fromage is cheese in french and it does not work quite the same way lol.
Today was the first day of classes! Today I had French 101 at 8:30 and Painting at 11. In my french class we learned how to introduce ourselves which i already knew and how to count, ask how much money something costs, proper pronunciation of letters and numbers. I think I will learn pretty quickly in this class because I learn SO much at home. Dinner is easily my favorite part of my day. The food is absolutely delicious and its so much fun to sit down and talk while we eat. My host moms are so funny. Last night they tried to teach me the alphabet. Today in painting we got a little tour of Aix on our way to our studio. It's a hike away to say the least. But it's absolutely beautiful. I really like the professors outlook on class. I already said that kind of because our professor is the dean of marchutz but it's so amazing. We have two painting professors and both of them actually were students of IAU on the 60s and basically never left. I don't think I am ever going to leave either. It's just so beautiful here!! After class we went to the craft store which is so exciting!! I love art supplies!! After we went to the store I walked around a little and then I was really tired so I went home to relax. Anddd that's about it!
Today was the first day of classes! Today I had French 101 at 8:30 and Painting at 11. In my french class we learned how to introduce ourselves which i already knew and how to count, ask how much money something costs, proper pronunciation of letters and numbers. I think I will learn pretty quickly in this class because I learn SO much at home. Dinner is easily my favorite part of my day. The food is absolutely delicious and its so much fun to sit down and talk while we eat. My host moms are so funny. Last night they tried to teach me the alphabet. Today in painting we got a little tour of Aix on our way to our studio. It's a hike away to say the least. But it's absolutely beautiful. I really like the professors outlook on class. I already said that kind of because our professor is the dean of marchutz but it's so amazing. We have two painting professors and both of them actually were students of IAU on the 60s and basically never left. I don't think I am ever going to leave either. It's just so beautiful here!! After class we went to the craft store which is so exciting!! I love art supplies!! After we went to the store I walked around a little and then I was really tired so I went home to relax. Anddd that's about it!