I’m not in my usual sit spot again today – it’s raining, and I’ve finally caught the cold that’s been going around. This is the first time it’s rained in weeks, maybe even months. Being from DC and going to school in New England, I’m used to a lot more rain, especially in the fall, but autumn in Aix is all clear skies and sun, which has been a pleasant adjustment (thank you, mistral!). I was in Paris this weekend and I was surprised to see how different the weather was despite it not being so far from Aix – it felt much colder and gloomier, and the trees were all orange and yellow, with some fallen leaves blanketing the ground and crunching as I walked. I’m a big fan of in-between weather – not too hot and not too cold, enough so you can bundle up and be cozy but not freeze or overheat. While I love the sunshine in Aix, Paris was a welcome in-between.

I’ve been traveling a lot recently, as we just had our fall break and then a three-day weekend for Armistice Day. Most of my travel at the beginning of the semester was local, around towns nearby with other program members, or organized through my architecture class. The region is quite accessible by bus and train, and most buses in Aix are electric. The TGV also boasts its accessibility efforts – according to the SNCF website, traveling long-distance by train in France instead of by car or plane means an average of 95% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Most people in Aix don’t drive regularly – my host parents usually bike to work, and since the city is very walkable and has reliable public transport, there aren’t a lot of cars compared to the US. Aix’s historic city center is also pedestrianized, meaning cars can’t drive through unless they have special authorization. This makes the old, windy streets much more pleasant to stroll, without the noise or traffic of cars.

As I have traveled more by plane in the past few weeks compared to the beginning of the semester, I have been thinking more about my carbon footprint and ways to offset it. Aix has a culture centered around sustainability; with local markets multiple times a week, a large bus network, and pedestrian-friendly roads, it’s pretty easy to incorporate small changes into my daily routine. However, this does put into perspective how much more difficult it can be to practice sustainable habits in larger cities without infrastructure to facilitate them.