In a city of fountains and sunshine, Anna spent a semester mastering fluency in French. Read how she lived, learned, and traveled.
Through the Aix-en-Provence-IU program, junior Anna Groover just wrapped up a semester in Aix-en-Provence, France. Anna is an English, religious studies, and geography major, while also minoring in French. “Aix is located in the region of Provence, which is known for its wonderful food, 300 days of sunshine during the year, and moderate climate; Aix itself is known for the fountains that are ubiquitous throughout the city,” she says. Anna’s program focused on language immersion, so she did a homestay with a host mother while she studied geography and other disciplines at Aix-Marseille University.
Anna’s schedule gave her plenty of time to get work done and explore her new city: “A typical day for me started with classes in the morning, a few hours of homework either at our program office or a coffee shop, and then dinner with my host mom. I spent about half of my weekends in Aix, and half of my weekends traveling. I enjoyed both of these different weekend experiences because Aix is always lively during the weekends – on Saturday mornings a huge food, clothing, and antique market fills the city streets, making it a lovely place to wander throughout. But nothing beat exploring a new city or place either.”