A Unique Start to Life in Aix

Bonjour à tous!

My name is Emma Libby and I am a current Junior double major in Wine and Journalism at Linfield. I began my journey abroad a little differently than most this semester. Originally I was set to leave during the early start program departing on the 15th of January, however, Covid-19 had other plans in store for me. I contracted the virus over the holidays and my mom contracted it after me. This resulted in my delay to the regular start which was set to depart January 21st. Once again, Covid-19 had other plans in store. Due to further complications in the prolonged exposure to the virus I had to make a decision to show up after classes had begun or choose to study abroad in the fall. I thought to myself, “I have worked too hard to give up now!” So, I decided I would arrive late and leave January 30th.

With that set in stone, I left on the first plane headed to Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris with a connecting flight from there to Marseille. However the connecting flight left an hour after my first one was set to arrive, leaving very little wiggle room for error. Turns out my first flight was delayed almost an hour, and once we arrived I had 30 minutes to catch my next one. This would have been doable if there weren’t 9 other flights set to leave at that same exact time causing the customs line to be backed up for 20 minutes. With some panic I realized I missed my flight, luckily I had amazing help in rescheduling on the next available flight a couple hours later.

Once I had finally arrived that Monday, a friend of mine was available to pick me up at the airport in Marseille and officially give me a warm welcome to France.  I was happily greeted by my host mom and thus, my life in Aix was about to begin!

I fought the jetlag the following morning as I took the 30 minute walk to class through town. The walk was brisk but beautiful as the bright blue morning sky contrasted against the rustic tan and aged buildings lining the cobblestone street. Pigeons scattered the sky as equally as they crowded the roads. The streets were lined with shop after shop, smells of freshly baked breads and pastries filled the air and I knew I made the right decision despite all the challenges, this was where I was meant to be.

The moral of this start to my journey is:  don’t be afraid to take that adventure no matter how many times the plan may change because you never know what stories you will find along the way!

Emma

(Click here for original posting on Linfield Journals From Abroad)