An hour before leaving for the airport, I set up my camera on my desk chair, sat on the floor in front of my bed, hit record, and started talking.

I talked to my future self, who, four months later, would have just returned from the most incredible semester abroad in the south of France. I talked about my hopes and fears, worrying about classes, making friends, and whether I had packed the right things.

On the plane ride, I wondered what my dorm would look like and who my friends would be. I’m a planner; I like to know things in advance. But when I tried to picture what the first half of 2024 would look like, it was a big question mark. I would be in France for a semester, and that’s all I knew.

Thanks to Chapman’s summer travel course, I was already familiar with the French Riviera when I landed in Nice’s airport to begin my semester abroad. The previous summer, I had spent three weeks living with a host family in Nice. Two Chapman French professors had been our guides on several fun, culturally immersive excursions.

But Nice would not be my home for the next four months. I would be living in Cannes, a thirty-minute train ride west, with the AIFS Cannes program.

When preparing to go to Nice, we had to read a French Riviera travel guide by Rick Steves. I remember reading that there wasn’t much to do in Cannes besides visiting the beaches. I wondered if I would ever come to love the city as much as I’d grown fond of Nice the summer before.

Little did I know: Cannes would come to have the most special place in my heart, through new experiences that became familiar routines. Trying new restaurants with people who became my family. Spending every morning with a sweet, sharp-witted French professor who cared deeply for her students. Memorizing the mountains’ outlines while lounging on the most beautiful beach that felt like it was all our own. Visiting the family-owned cafe during our breaks for what were arguably the best croissants in France.

And of course, watching the city come alive for its biggest event of the year: the Cannes Film Festival.

Cannes is not a diverse city, but when the population quadrupled in size for the festival, there were suddenly people from all over the world crowding the previously tranquil streets. Large black cars with blacked-out windows inched by throngs of well-dressed people, and you never knew which celebrity could be inside. The Palais de Festival became impossible to walk past, the entire block

crowded with onlookers hoping for a glimpse of the stars on the red carpet. I’ve never seen such a vibrant celebration of film, and as a Creative Producing major, it was inspiring.

Even more incredible was the sense of being a part of it, as an intern at the Cannes Film Market. Listening to films get bought and sold, using my cinephile badge to get into screenings—it was a hint of what it felt like to truly be in the film industry.

When I returned in June, I sat down in front of my camera, watched my past video, hit record, and responded to my past self. I talked about how all the students in the program had sobbed when we said goodbye to each other a few days before. I talked about the dozen cities and four countries I visited, how much my French had improved, and how much I would miss the gelato.

When people ask me about my semester abroad, I tell them the big things. Seeing the Sagrada Família in Barcelona. The tulips in Amsterdam. The David in Florence. The Parthenon in Athens. The film festival.

But it’s the little things that made Cannes home. Spouting our opinions on the films we watched in French Cinema class while loitering in the courtyard during our breaks, the weather perfect and the gravel crunching under our feet. Buying a train ticket in the app while already on the bus ride to the station, casually embarking on yet another spontaneous adventure. Complaining about the cafeteria food. Making small talk—in French—with the campus receptionists and waiters at restaurants. Brushing sand off the pages of our books as we sunbathed, the gentle rush of the waves a constant companion, even as we slept in our dorms.

As I finished editing my “conversation with my past self” video, I realized that the girl who had just returned in June still didn’t know how much France had impacted her. She had gained self-efficacy that she had yet to put to use in the States. She was still thinking half in French and could only hope she would stay in touch with the friends she’d met abroad.

The only piece of advice I have is to treasure every moment. Take pictures, keep a journal, and don’t plan too far in advance. Don’t bother being homesick, because one day you’ll be homesick for the enchanting, cinephile beach town you called home for four months.

Also, feel free to watch the video (I have an entire study abroad playlist with vlogs as well): https://youtu.be/b6EAovi2McI?si=lHci51UQT2vv4C6e

Hannah Etienne

Creative Producing

Cannes, France

Spring 2024 AIFS Cannes