It was 2 a.m. and I couldn’t sleep. A sense of anxiety, excitement, fear, and uncertainty was palpable in the hotel room. As I brushed my teeth and closed my luggage, I thought of how eagerly I had waited for the moment to come. I had planned this study abroad experience for so long that it felt unreal the day had finally come. I was now in San Antonio waiting for my 7 a.m. flight to France, and I could do nothing else but want to fast-forward time to the moment I arrived in Marseille.

I had never lived away from my parents. Although I moved to Laredo and left behind my extended family in Mexico City some years ago, I had never truly experienced living by myself. I was very happy and looking forward to overcome any challenge life would present to me. I was taking a change at everything: the school, the country, the language, and the overall abroad experience. I felt overwhelmed by these feelings, and not long after I waved my parents goodbye at the airport, I found myself in Frankfurt, Germany, missing my connecting flight. The adventure had started.  I spent around 25 hours either running around at the airport or reading books on the plane. After missing my flight in Germany, I had to get an alternative ticket to France. I waited for about another 4 hours until I was finally booked to go to Munich and then to Marseille. I arrived extremely tired and with no luggage, which had of course being lost during the chaotic transition. From the airport, I had to take a shuttle to St. Charles, the main train station in Marseille. InterAct, the student organization in charge of welcoming international students, picked me up alongside other internationals. They took us to our rooms and the next day showed us around the city.

It took me about a week to adapt to the new time zone. Three days later after I arrived, Orientation Week started, where I met students from all over the world: Australia, Chile, Spain, Italy, France, India, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Mexico, Venezuela, Norway, Netherlands, Germany, UK, Brazil, Colombia, Canada, Ecuador, Ireland, Egypt, Africa, Turkey, and the United States. During this first week, they showed us around school, Euromed School of Management, and gave us a short tour of Marseille and its main sights. We also had a welcoming party organized by InterAct and we registered for classes.

Left to right: lunch at Aix-en-Provence, International Students on Bus 21 to school, my room (How I miss those chocolate croissants!).

Marseille is a beautiful city in southern France by the Mediterranean Sea. It has a very diverse population and most people speak very little English. In comparison to other European countries, I found France to be a little more expensive. Transportation from Euromed to the Vieux Port (downtown) costs about 1.50 euros a single way. I purchased the monthly student bus/metro pass for 38 euros. The ride from Luminy, the area where the school is located, to the Prado Beach is around 20 minutes; and from Luminy to the Vieux Port is about 40 minutes if you take the bus first and then the metro. The weather was nice although when I got there in January it was very cold. It didn’t warm up until mid March, beginning of April. 

Euromed is a top business school in France. It is smaller than TAMIU and has a cafeteria, a virtual library, and a game room. There are Master and Bachelor courses and you do not need to be a business student to enroll. I took 5 courses: Entrepreneurship, E-Business, Intercultural Management, MIS, and French as a Foreign Language. My favorite class was, by far, Intercultural Management. I got to work on diverse teams and share different view points about business etiquette. I also took the free language course provided by InterAct, in which a more informal lecture was given by French students. All my courses were bachelor courses in English, but you can also take Master courses or courses in French, depending on your French level. 

I chose Alotra as my housing option. There are two other options at Euromed: Estudines, located inside the school, and apartment sharing in downtown Vieux Port. Alotra is a student residence located about 20 minutes away from campus by foot, or 5 minutes away by bus. Here I was able to socialize with a lot of international students as this is the housing option most exchange students pick because it’s a lot less expensive than Estudines and a lot more convenient than living downtown. I had my own room with a private shower, but you could also choose a shared bedroom or a single room with no shower. The cost was 400 euros per month with internet and electricity included.

As time passed by, I got to truly befriend many people. Most of us, exchange students, would spend a lot of time traveling together, at the beach, in downtown, or at the Foyer –the student bar inside the school. Yes, we had a bar/game room on campus. We would also make short trips to close-by cities and towns like Cassis, Aix-en-Provence, Nice, Toulon, Bandol, and Avignon, city of lavender.  The first group travel I experienced was organized by InterAct and took place in Venice, Italy, during the St. Valentine’s carnival. It was an amazing experience. About 50 students, both French and exchange, traveled on a shuttle bus from Marseille to Venice and spent 4 days in this amazing city. We wore masks and walked around San Marco’s square as it is traditional for this holiday.  

As time passed by, I made many more trips and visited countries like Portugal, Italy, Spain, Germany, the Check Republic, Netherlands, Austria, Brussels, and the UK. I also traveled a lot around France. My personal favorite cities were Barcelona, Venice, Paris, Berlin, Prague, Rome, and London. Traveling around was very easy and affordable. Some round-trip plane tickets cost around 60 euros, and hostels can be as low as 8 euros a night. I back-packed most of the time and traveled usually in small groups. Madrid, Venice, Amsterdam, and Barcelona were the only cities I visited with more than 10 people. I visited Holland for Queen’s Day and it was incredible; in Barcelona I went to a soccer match, and in Vienna I spent my 21st birthday! Every city had its own smell, its own vibe, its own style, and its own essence. I learned a lot about history, geography, and tradition. And of course…. I ate a lot of food!

Left to right:  Venice, Barcelona, Paris

I would be lying if I told you I felt really home sick while I was in Europe. Truth is, I had set my mind to enjoy every second of my study abroad experience since I left the U.S. I was also very busy and didn’t have time to miss home. Nevertheless, this experience allowed me to value what I have here at home and truly opened my horizons. I came back and experienced a culture shock as I had gotten used to living alone and being more independent. However, I felt very welcomed and eager to open myself to new opportunities. I realized the world is too big and too great for me to settle for the average. I now have become a more ambitious person and a better human being. I learned a lot about diversity, cultures, and ideologies. Most importantly, I learned to become more tolerant, more attentive, and a better listener. I now have a passion for reading and traveling. More than ever, I have a real appetite for knowledge and discovery.

In the end, studying abroad in Marseille meant a lot more than passing my courses and tourist around Europe. It symbolized a period of self discovery and an experience of a lifetime that left me with friends all around the world. When people inquiry about my experience abroad, I have so much to tell that I do not even know how to start. From the walks around small, medieval towns, to trying out food that I never imagined eating (frog legs anyone?); from engaging in deep conversations with students from around the globe, to feeling every emotion imaginable in a period of 24 hours (laughter, anxiety, anger, worry….); and from learning a different language, to flooding my room on the first day (yes, it happened); I came back with a totally different perspective towards life. Euromed’s CESEMED Exchange Program is a great opportunity to give your degree an international focus. The overall experience in Marseille was very enriching and overwhelmingly fun. If I could, I would repeat it all over again.