February 5th, 2017
Hello from Nice!? I arrived here on the 5th of January and have been here for one month now.? I am studying finance at EDHEC Business School and will be here for roughly five months.
The first day I arrived here in Nice, I definitely experienced culture shock.? Everyone was speaking a completely new language and the city/architecture was completely different from anything I had ever seen before. The culture shock slowly wore off over the first two weeks as I got comfortable with the new environment. I slowly began to orient myself in the city and learn how to get around.? I use lots of public transportation to get around Nice via tram, train, city bus, and city bike.
I quickly met new friends at EDHEC, most all of them are international students and not the French students.? It has been an incredible experience to hear everyone?s perspective from their different countries and to compare experiences. It has also been a challenge learning to communicate with everyone because not everyone speaks great English.? We have a strong group of friends and have already planned to take some trips together.
School has been great so far.? The facility itself is nice and modern and it is located directly behind the airport on the beach.? Every class I have a view of the sea and private jets landing in the airport.? The content of the material has been somewhat difficult.? Several of my classes are very challenging while others are a breeze.? All of my classes are finance courses except for a French language course and Researching France which is specific for international students.? EDHEC functions on a very different schedule than A&M, however.? Some classes will be intense for 2-3 weeks and be finished.? Other classes will meet for three hours one day and will not meet again for several weeks.? This schedule has its pros and cons.? Often times it leaves large gaps in my schedule which leaves time to travel which is great.? On the down side, though, it is difficult to keep up with classes because they are not on a routine basis.
So far this semester has been an incredible adventure. ?I have already traveled to Amsterdam and I plan to make many more trips throughout the semester.? I am excited to dive more into the French culture and gain perspective throughout the rest of my exchange.
