I have been here studying abroad in the French Riviera for only a week but it already feels so long! I've decided to give  you a brief introduction to my new life here in Antibes, France.

CEA is so helpful! The local CEA employee, Kristin organized two orientation days just for CEA students to help us get used to living in a new culture upside down inside out from what we are used to!

A handstand in Antibes

Our very first weekend, Kristin took us to Monaco! We went to Monte Carlo and had a tour of the city. Monaco is very small and expensive, so it is difficult to love there.  A studio apartment goes for about 1 million dollars. My school, SKEMA costs money, and public universities in France are free so a lot of the wealthy kids who live in Nice, Cannes, or Monaco attend my school.

Monte Carlo

Have to Snapchat in Manaco

Monaco

There are a lot of yachts and buildings in Monaco!

Our first Friday here, five of us girls from CEA went together to eat at the cutest little restaurant in Antibes and we explored the nightlife culture.

French restaurant in Antibes

I did not realize this when I signed up through CEA but the program includes finding us our apartments. It is difficult for other international students to book an apartment for only four months and to find roommates! My apartment is a convenient three-minute walk to the bus stop that takes me to SKEMA and five minutes to the beach. Even luckier, I love my roommates.

I have skateboarded down to the beach and met some French people playing on slack lines. They invited Celina, my roommate, and I to join which was amazing.

Me on a slackline

The streets in Antibes are so tiny and cute! I walk to the center square in town and take the public bus to SKEMA. Other than that, I walk everywhere. I think I will become a much faster walker in a few months.

A little street in Antibes

One of my goals was to cliff jump into the Mediterranean, which I have already accomplished. We took the bus from SKEMA to this little cove and went swimming and jumped into the clear water! The water is so clear is actually looks much more shallow than it is because you can see straight to the bottom. While we were jumping, a boat came by that had ice cream, so instead of an ice cream truck it was an ice cream boat!

One of the rocks we jumped from

The French Riviera, Côte d'azur is such a beautiful place. I really like the relaxed, happy culture.

The classes at school change a lot. I had Micro Economics that was on Monday, and then was switched to Wednesday, and then I waited for it last Wednesday to find out it started this week, only to find out today it is only in French so I need to chose a new course! We woke up this morning to find out there was a protest so the public buses didn’t run this morning. They were closed from 6-9am so we missed the first half of the morning class that started at 8am. I do think this miscommunication and adventures are one of the main reasons you decide to study abroad: to learn to go with the flow and think on your feet!

Me, happy to be in France at the ocean

I feel incredibly lucky that I am living such an independent life in another country with a whole new language and culture.

Jamie CM is the Fall 2017 MOJO Blogger in the French Riviera, France.  She is currently a Junior studying Communication & Business at Westminster College.