Student Journals: AIFS in Cannes, France

Laura Van Iwaarden
University of California, Los Angeles
Collège International de Cannes, France

Six weeks in Cannes was the best study abroad experience I could have asked for. Little did I know that in six weeks the culture of southern France would become natural to me, I would make friends from all over the world through the College, and my French would improve by leaps and bounds. Not wanting to miss out on part of a year at my own University, six weeks was the perfect length of time to get everything I wanted out of studying abroad.

The experience begins in London and includes a stop in Paris in the middle, so we were able to get a taste of the big cities complete with private tours of some of the most famous tourist sites. However, visiting other places made me appreciate Cannes even more; it is packed with exciting things to do and see, and it sits right on the edge of perfect Mediterranean beaches: it is both easy to be adventurous and easy to relax in Cannes. After a few weeks I could point out the intricacies of how a life in France is different from America, and came to appreciate those daily French details that I could bring back to improve the American way of life. Day trips to local islands, medieval sites, and nearby Provencal cities were also well organized and a delight. AIFS students are given every opportunity they could ask for, including plenty of free time after classes to travel and enjoy shopping down La Croisette, seeing odes to the Cannes Film Festival, snacking on crepes, hiking in the mountains, and so much more. The College is pleasant and right on the ocean, and teachers keep classes small and interesting with a mix of students from other countries. Some of the best friends I made there were students who were learning French as a third or fourth language and gave me an idea of an entirely different world view from my own, which I never expected to have the impact on me that it did in just six weeks. Not only was I learning French and French culture, I got a taste of Swedish, German, Suiss and Spanish as well.

This program is incredibly valuable and my time in Cannes will stay with me forever as one of the best experiences I have had and far better than I ever would have expected.

Collège International de Cannes