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A Day of History

Wednesday was a day of history…

We went to a former Deportation Camp that was active during World War II. It was amazing to learn how the people held inside the camp entertained themselves. They would put on plays and concerts and make sculptures. Also, many of them left pieces of their stories behind in artwork on the walls. The Camp des Milles wasn’t actually a concentration camp, but many of the people of different groups held there were later transported to labor camps, such as the infamous Auschwitz.

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After our lunch break, we had our last elective class. It was a very interactive French conversation class, but I was sad to see the teacher leave. Later, we had Iron Chef, Aix Edition. It was so funny to see how everyone tried to impress the counselors in the presentation. The most difficult constraint, however, was definitely the time. The art class prepared an exposition of their work for us to enjoy after dinner. It was a very sophisticated set of landscape paintings accompanied by sparkling apple juice – a great end to the night.

Thursday, we had morning class again, but after lunch, we went on a field trip to Paul Cezanne’s Atelier. It is a house he designed where he could be in his element and paint freely, surrounded only by nature.

That night, we had a stipend dinner and free time. What more could we ask for? My roommates and I went to an Italian Pizzeria just off the Cour Mirabeau, the main street of Aix. After that, we walked on the Coeur Mirabeau to see the night market. We made a few simple purchases and then decided to retire early.

Today marked the last day of morning class, and I have to say I’m both excited and sad. I’m excited because it’s the weekend, and we are going to enjoy the rest of the stay without class; but I’m sad because the class was when we got the hardest core practice, especially when we were one on one with our teachers’ help. (I also don’t want to face the fact that it’s the last weekend…)

After lunch, we prepared for the Aix Talent Show. We were split into groups, and each group had to prepare a French song, dance, and skit. It was a quite entertaining show after dinner! The acts were very funny! Although it is shameful to say, the winning prize went to our counselors. They only did a skit, but they went all out! I’m really going to miss this city and the people I have gotten to know.

-Ana Victoria

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