Things I Didn't Appreciate About Studying Abroad in France Until Later

Now that I’ve been home for a couple months, I’ve had time to reflect about things that I didn’t or couldn’t appreciate about studying abroad in Aix-en-Provence, until now. While I was in Aix, especially toward the end of my program, I became very homesick and didn’t think there was anything that I wouldn’t be able to do at home in the States. Now that I’m back, here are a couple things I miss about Aix:

1. Being able to walk everywhere!

Sometimes driving can be a drag, so having the ability to walk everywhere made things a lot quicker and more efficient.

2. The farmers market!

Sure, we have farmers markets in the States, but not nearly as seriously as the Aix markets! Every other day, there was a consistent schedule for what type of markets were going on, which sold fresh flowers, produce, fish, spices, bread, and much more! There were even little carts with baby goats to pet!

3. Beautiful views regardless of where you are.

My 40-minute walk to the Marchutz School of Fine Arts never grew boring with the multiple sights we could pass on the way there. One thing I found to be true for France was that no matter where you were, the scenery was somehow stunning, and different from the American settings I was used to.

4. Learning from making mistakes.

One super valuable lesson I experienced while studying abroad was learning from my mistakes. This included making mistakes culturally and in speaking the language -- which helped me to learn and grow. Had I not made mistakes, I wouldn’t have been able to adapt and learn from culture. This lesson also can be applied to anything in life, and therefore helped me in my transition back to America.

After you come back from being abroad, there will be things you’re going to miss. But that just makes the experience all the more worthwhile! And, that’s how you know you’ve enjoyed your experience abroad.