Feature: Eye on Aix-en-Provence
The International Academic Program in Aix-en-Provence, France will celebrate its 45th anniversary next year. Aix is one of IAP’s largest and oldest programs. Since its inception, 850 UW–Madison students have studied in Aix, once the seat of the Kingdom of Provence and now a lively as well as beautiful city of 120,000 inhabitants. This fall, twenty UW–Madison students will journey to Aix for a formative and unforgettable study-abroad experience. Below are two perspectives that capture the essence of Aix, and the important role the IAP program has played over the decades.
UW–Madison alumna, Martha Florey (BA French, ’68, JD ‘83), Assistant Director of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Safety, studied in Aix-en-Provence during her junior year.
It’s difficult to pick out the highlights; the whole year was a highlight. Perhaps the first weeks of immersion in French language and culture, because of the intensity of the experience. We seemed to go through phases in language acquisition. I remember when I began thinking partially in both languages and speaking both poorly.
Aix was a gathering place for students from all over the world. A friend from California had a red VW bug and we spent a lot of time driving around the countryside, to Nîmes and Arles, and to what became one of my favorites – Les Baux de Provence. 
In Aix we shopped for our food daily, which was unheard of back in the U.S., and visited the specialty fruit and flower markets. We had favorite boulangeries and patisseries. Aix also had a café culture. I always went to the Deux Garçons (we called it “Les 2-G’s”) where fellow students and I would discuss what we would do that evening – go to the ciné, boite de nuit, or nightclub, but not study, oh please no.
All these high points remain part of my way of experiencing the world. The year in France didn’t directly affect my career path since I knew that I didn’t want to be a French teacher, but it changed my understanding of the “speed” of life, and encouraged me to take advantage of new opportunities. We were basically on our own. We had to reach out to strangers – French, American, South African, Moroccan, and more. I sent lots of letters and postcards home, but believe I called the U.S. just twice the whole year.
1966-1967
UW–Madison alumna, Martha Florey (BA French, ’68, JD ‘83), Assistant Director of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Safety, studied in Aix-en-Provence during her junior year.
It’s difficult to pick out the highlights; the whole year was a highlight. Perhaps the first weeks of immersion in French language and culture, because of the intensity of the experience. We seemed to go through phases in language acquisition. I remember when I began thinking partially in both languages and speaking both poorly.
Aix was a gathering place for students from all over the world. A friend from California had a red VW bug and we spent a lot of time driving around the countryside, to Nîmes and Arles, and to what became one of my favorites – Les Baux de Provence. In Aix we shopped for our food daily, which was unheard of back in the U.S., and visited the specialty fruit and flower markets. We had favorite boulangeries and patisseries. Aix also had a café culture. I always went to the Deux Garçons (we called it “Les 2-G’s”) where fellow students and I would discuss what we would do that evening – go to the ciné, boite de nuit, or nightclub, but not study, oh please no.
All these high points remain part of my way of experiencing the world. The year in France didn’t directly affect my career path since I knew that I didn’t want to be a French teacher, but it changed my understanding of the “speed” of life, and encouraged me to take advantage of new opportunities. We were basically on our own. We had to reach out to strangers – French, American, South African, Moroccan, and more. I sent lots of letters and postcards home, but believe I called the U.S. just twice the whole year.