- You expect les bisous at every greeting and good-bye
- Saying hello to complete and total strangers as you pass them in the street? Non merci
- Food anywhere else just does not taste very good
- Second-hand cigarette smoke no longer makes you feel like your lungs are about to cave in
- 1h30 minutes for a washing machine cycle seems normal
- Dryer? What dryer?
- You buy everything Bensimon, Les Tropeziennes, Zara, H&M, NafNaf, Kookaï...
- You mock those obnoxious American tourists. And the Italians. And the Spanish, the Germans, the Portuguese, the Japanese...
- Your refrigerator smells of strong French cheese
- When angry, you start yelling expletives in French. Zut alors!
- Ouaich, z'y vas
- You expect to pay no more than 7 euros for a fabulous bottle of wine at Monoprix
- You do not understand the foreign obsession with le Tour Eiffel or le Tour Montparnasse
- La grève, c'est la vie
- You no longer have to stare at the Parisian Métro map for hours to figure out where you need to go
- You make the French facial expressions, gestures, and conversational sounds without thinking
- You understand why Parisians leave Paris in August
- Pariscope becomes your best friend
- The pigeons start to recognize you at your favorite park and/or garden
- You never ever want to leave France!
You know you have become French (and Parisian!) when...
I have been selected to be an ambassador next year to the Vanderbilt-in-France program, which is an honor I do not take lightly. Already, I am planning out what I will say to wide-eyed freshman, hopeful sophomores, and burnt-out juniors. The most common questions? A) What was your favorite thing about Aix, B) What was your least favorite thing about Aix, and C) What do you regret the most? Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.
A. Some people love the parties. Some people love free champagne Tuesdays at O'Neils. Some people love spending the night studying. Some people love the markets. Some people love going to La Provence at 8:30am. And still, some people love Jacob's sandwiches and PAUL's pastries. Then there is me. What do I love the most about Aix? I love sitting at a café on the Cours Mirabeau and playing 'Guess the Tourist.' I adore meandering through alleyways searching for hole-in-the-wall restaurants. But truly, overall, I love exploring the cobblestone streets and reliving history first-hand. Especially in April when everything is in bloom.
B. The weather we suffered through.
C. The only thing I truly regret is not spending my entire year abroad in Aix. Simple as that. If I could have changed anything, I would have studied abroad longer. As they say, hindsight is 20-20. If I could turn back time...
Aix really was the most amazing city to study abroad in. I could not have asked for a more wonderful experience. The memories I made I will cherish forever. I still cannot believe that it is actually over. Unfortunately, one cannot stop time, for time continues on. Thus, I must continue on my path to wherever it leads me. Luckily, in my case, it led me to Paris for 6 weeks!
..To be continued!
As I sit here writing this blog post, I am filled with an infinite amount of complicated emotions. Tomorrow is my last day in France. After 6 full months of living abroad, I will be coming home to Washington DC, but I will be leaving my heart in Paris in addition to the part I already left in Aix-en-Provence. I feel complete, yet strangely lost. There are so many things that I have done in France, yet so many more that I have yet to accomplish. I know that I will be back one day, but when, how, where, and why have yet to be determined. In the next couple of posts, I will finally end my Aix blog, and try to tell the story of my experiences in Paris. I hate leaving projects unfinished, and I am determined to complete l'histoire of my life abroad. Thus begins the beginning of the end of Dani's Aix (and Paris)-capades. Enjoy.
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