Week 3 in Aix En Provence

This past week was one of my most stressful weeks yet while abroad but I learned to appreciate how fast time flies as we are approaching the end of the program which I am very sad about.

The week started off with a guest speaker from Marseille who came in to talk about the cultural diversity of the city and the historic importance. It was a very interesting lecture as it went into the architecture, food influences, and history of the city. The rest of the week was pretty chaotic as our midterm was in the middle of the week, so we had to do some preparation. I personally felt okay about the midterm, but I was not at all confident going in to it. It ended up going great though and I was extremely relieved afterwards. 

For our excursion at the end of the week, we travelled to Marseille where we met up with our guide who was also the guest speaker from the beginning of the week. He was born and raised and Marseille and emphasized his deep appreciation for his home and the cultural diversity that created his identity. The city reminded me so much of San Francisco which I loved because I felt extremely comfortable and at home, it was as if I had previously already been there. After the tour, my class and I went on a three hour boat ride along the coast of the South of France which was beautiful. We stopped at a few of the beaches where we had the chance to swim and take photos, and I took lots of photos. After we got back to shore, a few of us rushed back to our apartment to get some rest as we had an early train to catch. Over our long weekend, some of us decided to travel to Paris and it was a weekend full of fun, but it was exhausting because we barely got sleep. Over the course of the two nights we were in Paris, we were averaging around three hours of sleep per night which was absolutely torturous. It was worth it though since I got to go to the Louvre, which was huge, and a Monet exhibit! I would say this past week wasn't too busy, it was just chaotic.

(Monet Exhibit)                                                            (One of my favorite pieces from the Louvre)