The sit spot I decided on is on my way to class, Parco della Montagnola. Italian cities are pretty paved over – there is very little greenery – and so this is the most natural space I was able to find. From my dormitory, the walk is shaped like an L, with the park at […]
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6: Art, Literature, & Media
I ended up climbing a tree while my friends were visiting – a tree perfect for climbing, horizontal and with a trunk almost flat over the water. My friend ended up climbing way high into the tree, while I stayed back, looking at the roots and the water pooling around the edge. I started to […]
Week 6: Cézanne
The memory of Paul Cézanne looms omnipresent in Aix-en-Provence. The impressionist and cubist painter was born and raised in Aix and died in his studio here. The city is infinitely proud to have been the lifelong-home of this much celebrated painter, and they continue to admire him. He represented the landscape, the light, and the […]
3: Roots and Energy!
It was very rainy and very chilly. However, being able to stand and hear the rain was a really lovely experience. My roots encounter: cold ground on a physical level, a bit wet, the chill leaking through my soles. I am wondering what the plants and trees are doing, rooted into the cold ground. Are […]
Prompt 4: Local & Climate Change
I’ll start with some unfortunate news… construction has gotten a little too busy right next to my sit spot, and I’m forced to find another. I’ve been thinking about a place near a patch of bougainvillea trees on campus! It’s near the front of campus, so loads of students pass under them every day. I […]
Week 3: Roman Roots
Thinking about the subject of water in Aix-en-Provence is especially pertinent to the city’s history and the general history of modern civilization. In the first century BCE, modern-day Aix was under the control of the Roman Empire. They founded a city here named Aquae Sextiae, which is where the word “Aix” comes from in the […]
Final Post-Op Ed: The Transformative Power of Studying Abroad: Embracing Cultural Immersion
If I were to summarize the past four months of my life, twenty flights, eighteen buses, ten trains, ten countries, and a multitude of cherished memories; I would do so in three words: immersion drives change. From this experience, I have come to a profound realization: “Stepping out of your life,” even for a brief […]
Final Blog Post
I feel incredibly fortunate to have studied abroad in Paris for a semester. I was able to learn so much about the culture, the people, and the environment in Paris and beyond. In Paris, I developed a new hobby of going to museums, and I thought it would be nice to have my final project […]
Activism
It has been an emotional week as I returned to my sit spot, knowing that it will be my last time there. I have noticed how the trees were leafless when I was there, and now they are filled with loads of green leaves. The flowers, on the other hand, are covering the entire green […]
Final Blog Post
Kalispera! My courses are officially over, and all I have left are finals. In three weeks, I will be home again, except I won’t be returning alone. The day after my last post, I rescued a kitten and she has been with me since. Her name is Venus and she’s only three months old. Venus […]