Student Journals: AIFS in Cannes, France

Christina Watkins
University of Evansville
Collège International de Cannes, France

Wow. Where do I even begin? I haven’t completely finished my stay here in Cannes, but I can honestly say that it is an experience that I could never forget and has made me grown in ways I am not sure I am even aware of yet.

I actually came to Europe two weeks before the Cannes program began and backpacked across Europe with one of my best friends, Laura. We got a Eurail Pass and went to German, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy before arriving at the Nice airport to meet the others. We had a magnificent time, and I would suggest that, if you want to travel a lot, do so before Cannes…by the end you will have more stuff to drag around, will probably be ready to see home, and may not have any money left! You can travel on weekends here, but you aren’t supposed to miss more than three days of class, so it can be difficult to get to know a place in only two days or so. People make it work though; it’s very possible…The college also offers lots of excursions to France and a few to Italy, and AIFS will take you to Florence and Paris…so even if you don’t travel on your own, you can still see quite a bit…

Cannes is beautiful. Just beautiful. The college occupies a comfy place situated directly across from the Mediterranean Sea. It is literally a two-minute walk from our dorm and when you’re in you room, you can hear the waves crashing against the shore. Not to mention watching the amazing sunrises and sunsets over the sea right next to the mountains…it’s breathtaking. Cannes also has pretty spectacular weather…It’s December, and people are still going swimming! The people who are actually from Cannes usually don’t go in after November, but it is only about 50 to 60 degrees. The town has a very safe feeling to it as well, which makes life less stressful.

The staff is composed of wonderful people; the teachers are so friendly and really want to help you learn their language; friendly maids clean your room every day, and the ladies on the kitchen staff are so nice and accommodating to specific people’s needs; they even have a vegetarian table! And Sandrine, the AIFS coordinator, has simply made my stay in Cannes the best it could possibly be. She is always there to answer questions, help you make travel arrangements, listen to any problems you are having (she studied abroad in a foreign country as well, so she can really understand where you are coming from), arranges excursions in and out of town, takes us to dinner, laughs with us, and always has goodies in her office to make your day extra bright.
Study abroad is something you simply must do if you have the opportunity. I have grown a lot of ways I am sure I wont even fully realize until I return home and met some of greatest people from all over the world. I now have friends from Massachusetts, Minnesota, Spain, Ghana, Nigeria, and France just to name a few places .

My advice? Don’t have expectations. Standards? Yes. Expectations, no. There’s no way you can even imagine what these 4 months (or a year if you are so inclined) will do for your life. So, bring an open mind, an open heart and lots of sunscreen and antibacterial hand wash and get ready to have the time of your life. It’s pretty magical.

Collège International de Cannes