Today marks my 26th day here in Aix-en-Provence, and it’s almost difficult to believe. Time has been moving differently here and I often find myself consulting my calendar to know what day it is. Like the Aix-goers before me (namely the wonderful Caroline who was here last semester), I have found the wonderful front garden of the Pavillon de Vendôme. It is right by the Wellesley-in-Aix center which makes it an easy spot to return to when you want to enjoy a little bit of nature. I have found myself here on a number of different occasions at this point on my own and with friends.

Today in this front garden, the flowers are blooming and green spiraling topiaries remind me of those you can spot across the lake at Wellesley. In a space where so much is new, it can be nice sometimes to see things that are familiar. In fact, as I wrote this, I realized that I didn’t know what the French word for topiary is (upon further research, I learned it is topiaire). This front garden is small and carefully designed with a large grassy center that boasts some lovely white flowers in bloom. I can only hope as the semester goes on more will follow. I have always loved flowers. 

Today, the garden is not so quiet. There are the birds chirping and singing in the trees and the soft crunching of gravel as people make their way towards the main area of the Pavillon that boasts the grand house that is now a museum. Next to me, a two pigeons poke around gravel, perhaps looking for an afternoon snack. Nearby a neighbor of the garden opens his shutters and windows as he prepares lunch. In the distance children shriek and shout as they play at recess. 

As I look around and enjoy the crisp January air, I feel more grounded than usual. There are many new things here and it can be hard to speak in French all the time. Still, I am feeling very lucky to be here. I am excited to see how this landscape changes just as I am excited to see how I change over the months to come.