Heading off to Aix

Following a lengthy and stressful period of paperwork which still isn’t quite yet over, I am packed in preparation to begin the journey down to Aix-en-Provence. I’ve been warned about kettles and their lack of existence in this coffee-driven country, and as someone able to take (almost) full advantage of a car boot, my beloved £5 Argos kettle has jumped to the top of my priority list. After all, am I really a Brit if I can’t drink a cup of tea at 4pm each day?

Why not go to the city of sunshine? When looking up options of places to go in France for my year abroad, the two main things on my mind were to go somewhere southern, and somewhere I could carry on dancing. This was the university which fit both those criteria. As anyone who knows me will be able to testify, my life has been taken over by ballroom and Latin American dancing since going to university and joining BALADS, our wonderful dance society. This is a skill I’m looking forward to further developing while overseas! I first contacted AUC Dancesport in April with a very detailed email asking about their society, but received the very French reply of ‘we start again in September’. Here’s hoping I can get more information from them later this month.

The journey begins

Tomorrow morning my family and I set off at the crack of dawn to begin our drive down to the south of France. They have taken it upon themselves to escort me there, and of course to turn it into a vineyard visiting holiday. My university welcome week is from 2nd September which leaves plenty of time to visit the surrounding villages in Provence.

Our route

• Meursault
• Vers Pont du Gard
• Gigondas
• Orange
• Violes
• Aix-en-Provence!

On arrival

When I finally reach my destination I’ll be living in the French equivalent of halls, les CROUS. My 9m² room has to be paid upfront when I move in. Although the idea of sharing a kitchen with 40 odd people is frightening, I’m looking at it as an opportunity to socialise and make new acquaintances. If all goes disastrously, I can live on rice cooker rice+veg meals all year.

People have asked if I’ll be studying only literature there, as the equivalent of my course at Birmingham. The truth is I have very little idea. Despite having had to submit a learning agreement as part of the application to Aix-Marseille, they failed to put the semester 1 modules on their website. This meant that various ones I selected for the LA were rejected as not suitable and I will inevitably have to rechoose modules when I register in person, as well as do the timetable dance of wandering between rooms to create myself a timetable. However

The main thing is I know that these things will happen. Unknown stresses are far scarier than known ones and while I don’t doubt there will be plenty of the former, they are likely to be lower level. Besides, nothing could be as stress-inducing as receiving an email in June from the Erasmus office at Aix telling me I hadn’t submitted my application on time and would therefore be rejected from their programme. Thankfully the administrator sent an apology email with confirmation of my place two hours later. Erasmus students manage to successfully navigate their way through paperwork each year and I am determined to be one of them (she says, leaving for Europe without a student EHIC)!

À plus,

Zoe x