It's almost a month now since I arrived in France and I wanted to allow myself to feel the benefits of getting and the extra week to adjust to my new home in Aix-en-Provence.
It didn't take me very long to start tallying up the amount of benefits I received but here is a few that I immediately noticed after a few days:
1. Practicing French
I knew long before I landed in France that speaking French after not practicing it for a while would be difficult but I think I underestimated how difficult it would be. The morning classes we had during the Early Start Program allowed me to delve into what I had been missing out on in an American classroom...... colloquial French.
After a week of revision with a French professor who was...... well French I definitely picked up a lot of useful terms as well the best way to order lunch without coming of as the rude American. The best part of it all is having a bunch of people in the same boat as you, c'etait vraiment top :).
2. Becoming a true Aixoise.... or at least learning my way around town.
I think I hate getting lost as much as..... everyone actually. As a native New Yorker I am used to streets looking like a grid and being number. I realized how much I took it for granted when I tried to navigate the first time I got lost and I realized that a lot of streets in between the Cours Mirabeau and 2 Bis (IAU building) are pretty curvy and not grid-ish. It wasn't at all distressing though, because the first day I got lost and every time after that I found something new and exciting to love about Aix.... like savory crepes at Crepe-a-Go-Go and Baguettes with Tapenades at the market.
I enjoyed getting lost because I had the time too, but I couldn't imagine having this much love for getting lost if it had been the first week of classes.
3. Aix-cursions (haha funny right?)
Part of the fun of being in a new place is doing new things. There was so many new things to do during the first week, like visiting the different markets in town, hiking up Mt. Sainte Victoire, Wine tasting at Chateau la Coste and visiting Chateau Picasso (Picture above).
4. Building a Relationship with ma mère d'accueil
Maybe I'm alone in this, and I doubt that I am, but moving in with a family after living on my own at college worried me a little. Having a week to figure out the appropriate way to interact with my host mother was a gift. What was also nice about this was having people to talk to about the initial weirdness and mis-translations. Throughout it all I built a really great relationship with my Madame.
Pro Tip: If you want to say that you're going off to bed it's "Je vais me coucher".... don't forget the "me", trust me I've been there.
These are only four of the things I felt like I received from getting to Aix a week early but there is really so much more. I've finally settled in and all the jet-lag is gone, so I'm ready to start my adventure.....
.... à plus tard...... xoxo Kay
It didn't take me very long to start tallying up the amount of benefits I received but here is a few that I immediately noticed after a few days:
1. Practicing French
I knew long before I landed in France that speaking French after not practicing it for a while would be difficult but I think I underestimated how difficult it would be. The morning classes we had during the Early Start Program allowed me to delve into what I had been missing out on in an American classroom...... colloquial French.
After a week of revision with a French professor who was...... well French I definitely picked up a lot of useful terms as well the best way to order lunch without coming of as the rude American. The best part of it all is having a bunch of people in the same boat as you, c'etait vraiment top :).
2. Becoming a true Aixoise.... or at least learning my way around town.
I think I hate getting lost as much as..... everyone actually. As a native New Yorker I am used to streets looking like a grid and being number. I realized how much I took it for granted when I tried to navigate the first time I got lost and I realized that a lot of streets in between the Cours Mirabeau and 2 Bis (IAU building) are pretty curvy and not grid-ish. It wasn't at all distressing though, because the first day I got lost and every time after that I found something new and exciting to love about Aix.... like savory crepes at Crepe-a-Go-Go and Baguettes with Tapenades at the market.
I enjoyed getting lost because I had the time too, but I couldn't imagine having this much love for getting lost if it had been the first week of classes.
3. Aix-cursions (haha funny right?)
Part of the fun of being in a new place is doing new things. There was so many new things to do during the first week, like visiting the different markets in town, hiking up Mt. Sainte Victoire, Wine tasting at Chateau la Coste and visiting Chateau Picasso (Picture above).
4. Building a Relationship with ma mère d'accueil
Maybe I'm alone in this, and I doubt that I am, but moving in with a family after living on my own at college worried me a little. Having a week to figure out the appropriate way to interact with my host mother was a gift. What was also nice about this was having people to talk to about the initial weirdness and mis-translations. Throughout it all I built a really great relationship with my Madame.
Pro Tip: If you want to say that you're going off to bed it's "Je vais me coucher".... don't forget the "me", trust me I've been there.
These are only four of the things I felt like I received from getting to Aix a week early but there is really so much more. I've finally settled in and all the jet-lag is gone, so I'm ready to start my adventure.....
.... à plus tard...... xoxo Kay