Bienvenue à Aix-en-Provence! 2 Sept. 2018

Jessop Tiedeken
Sep 2, 2018 · 7 min read

The Journey Before The Journey

After many many weeks of stress and uncertainty I have made it to France. Although I just arrived, I started my study broad journey more than a year ago. Just weeks after my first classes at San Francisco State University, I went to my first study abroad information meeting. The following months consisted of many more meetings, advising sessions, and my eventual acceptance into California State University International Programs (CSU IP). In May of 2018, later in the same academic year, I went to the Northern California CSU IP orientation at Sonoma State. It was a long and tiring day that consisted of eight hours of lecture. As you can imagine, we covered a lot of material — the most highlighted topic: Visas!

Getting a visa to live in a foreign country can sometimes be difficult; little did I know that I would be one of the students that faced some extra difficulties when applying. At Orientation, CSU IP staff stressed the importance of moving quickly once our window to apply for our visas opened. At this point, the only thing stopping us from getting to the countries we would be studying in was a visa. Now, you need to apply for a visa between 90 and 14 days before your departure. I was advised to apply as soon as possible because France is a popular destination and students sometimes have issues scheduling visa appointments at the French consulate.

Each country has its own application requirements but the French require that you send in your official letter of acceptance from your French university (in my case Aix-Marseille Université or AMU) with your application. It is not until you have sent in your application that you can schedule your application appointment at the French consulate that serves your residence. My application period started the first week of May, 2018 and ended the last week of July, 2018 with a scheduled departure date of August 10th. I did not expect to receive my acceptance letter the second week of may but I expected to have it somewhere around late May or early June. I unfortunately did not receive my acceptance until late in the second week of June. I promptly sent in my application and letter and began the process of booking an appointment at the French consulate in San Francisco.

Because of my letters tardiness, when I attempted to schedule an appointment, the consulate was booked for the entire summer — through August 31st. Long story short, after troubleshooting over many phone calls and emails with both CSU IP advisors and the consulate and checking the consulate website every hour, every day, multiple weeks in a row for appointment openings, I was able to make an appointment that opened for the 13th of August (Yes, three days after I needed to leave). It takes 2-to-15 business days to process your visa after your consulate appointment. On the tenth day, I received the notification that my visa was processed. I immediately drove to San Francisco, picked it up, and then bought a plane ticket to France later that night. Within 48 hours I left the United States. Wow.

Ok, Now France!

Aix-en-Provence marked in red

I will be spending my year in Aix-en-Provence. A small city just North of Marseille in the very South of France. It’s beautiful. The weather is warm, the sun is shining, the air is pure. I love it. That being said, I was fortunate enough to spend the last ten years of my life growing up in California (my first 10 were spent on the East Coast) so honestly, the surrounding geography does not impress me like I thought it would. Don’t get me wrong, it is gorgeous; and the Mediterranean is unlike anything I’ve ever seen! I have just been spoiled with beautiful landscapes my whole life preceding so it didn’t strike me like I thought it would. On the contrary, the architecture and infrastructure here is surreal. Once again, I am spoiled in the sense that I now live in San Francisco, one of the best cities in the world and a city that I consider very picturesque. Southern France, however, I’m pretty sure tops it. Most of the buildings are a warm yellow color that just make you feel happy inside. This coupled with their uniquely European look as well as the narrow cobblestone roads present an amazing ambiance. While the geography itself is beautiful but not breathtaking, the infrastructure completes what is missing for me. It and the surrounding landscape compliment each other perfectly — it is stunning.

Aix (as it is known colloquially) is a charming city. The streets are vibrant and bustling filled with people, markets, and locally owned storefronts. The main avenues host restaurants and cafés, all open-air with outdoor seating. I experienced night life in Aix for the first time last night. It was a great time! Late into the evening people are out and about enjoying a drink or tasteful snack. The atmosphere is young and lively; you can feel the energy in the air. The people are great too. It is a great environment to practice my French language skills. Most everyone I have come across has been patient and welcoming with me as I try and speak with them. I do not think I could be in a better place to continue my French education.

The view outside of my bedroom window

I particularly like Marseille. Yesterday, I spent the day in Marseille with the other students from CSU IP. Marseille has the charm of Aix but with a little bit of a, “chip on its shoulder.” Our guide, a professor at AMU, said that Marseille is sometimes talked down upon by other French people. It is even seen as an embarrassment to some. I don’t understand why. First of all, it is beautiful. Winding, narrow streets that lead to amazing views of the Mediterranean interlock the different parts of the city. Like any big city, it has some dirty, run down looking places but it seems a lot cleaner than most big cities in the United States. Granted, I think I saw more graffiti in Marseille than I have in my whole life; it was everywhere. I understand why some people would be put off by it but I in fact liked the graffiti. The dirty allies and graffitied streets along with the people give Marseille character — some flava! I liked the people in Marseille a lot. It was interesting to learn that people that are from Marseille tend to refer to themselves as, “Marseillaise” rather than French. The people of Marseille have a no-nonsense hustle about them that reminds me of San Francisco or New York but also have that candid charm I mentioned earlier. They are proud to be Marseillaise and I understand why.

View overlooking Marseille from the Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde

Before I wrap up, I want to talk briefly about my living situation. Because I was so late getting to Aix, I had to figure out my living from the United States. First of all, I want to say thank you to the staff at CSU IP. Julie, Luda, and Caroline were very supportive as I worked out my visa situation and helped make my transition a smooth one. Caroline helped me secure a great place to live. I am renting a room from a wonderful women named Michèle. It is right in the heart of Aix, centre-ville. My room overlooks one of the main streets, walking distance to everything— I cannot ask for a better location. And as I said, Michèle is wonderful. She speaks almost exclusively in French to me. That is beyond helpful. I can already tell that my French is improving. She is also just a sweet and kind person. She has hosted study abroad students in the past and it is easy to tell that she knows how to help make a students experience great.

So…I am here! My childhood fantasy of one day studying abroad has become a reality. I am so grateful for this opportunity and beyond excited for what the future holds. Classes start tomorrow, (even though technically I have missed three weeks of prep classes because I was late lol) wish me luck. I am not sure how often I am going to post these blogs; I think I am going to shoot for once-a-week. À bientôt.

More Pictures Below!

My bedroom
Bedroom window
A quiet corner in Aix
My first French meal. Cliché, I know
Inside the Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde — Marseille
A steep street in Marseille
Graffiti in Marseille

Jessop Tiedeken

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Welcome to my study abroad blog! Here I will document my experience in France. (Posts before 09/02/2018 concern internet/technology privacy and surveillance)

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