I have traveled abroad in a limited capacity starting in childhood visiting family in Canada. IAU was my first study aboard experience and first time traveling overseas by myself. I came across the the program through my school's study abroad program search portal while I was looking for an opportunity to spend a semester in London. 

 

I stumbled upon the IAU J-Term Seminar: Wine, Gastronomy & Sustainability of the Mediterranean and with little other information applied. Once the fall semester began I was notified that I had been accepted into the program and after some paperwork, found myself on a flight over the Atlantic Ocean a few day after Christmas. 

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I traveled alone to Aix-en-Provance, France. The last of the students arrived and I recall being exhausted, irritable, and unexcited to have to present a first impression in such a state. Luckly for me there we plenty warm welcomes from the rest of my cohort to make the process easy. By the time we were given the dessert menu during the welcome dinner it was clear to me that I was in for a quality experience and outstanding opportunity to learn, explore, and grow.

 

Although it may be presented as all wining and dining the program was still a 300-level college course and we had much to cover in a very short period of time. The first few days asked a lot of us as students, personally I had come in with no prior familiarity with wine, how it was made, or the culture surrounding it. I was presented with a very steep learning curve and a quickly diminishing zeal to spend time in my room studying. But the benefits of being surrounded by studious peers and knowledgeable instructors and guides rapidly rubbed off on me.

 

What I am most proud of is that I can confidently say that I have the knowledge base necessary to feel part of the conversation around wine. I may not yet know the difference between the aromas of violet and lavender but I am sure when I smell a red fruit vs a green one. I fully believed in the stigma surrounding wine that it was snooty and unsympathetic to newcomers. I hail from circles that do not partake in wine as a hobby nor did it accompany meals. My preconceptions were methodically and consistently dispelled over the 16 days. What had been presented to me as snootiness in my limited exposure to wine, mostly through television and movies, was actually passion for a product that has uniqueness and history far beyond any like it. The entire trip I never felt less than for not knowing or stupid for taking a chance or making a, usually mistaken, assertion about the wine we were tasting. Instead, we were met with enthusiasm as our instructors and wine stewards challenged our pallets and senses.

 

Beyond the wine we took tours of beautiful coastal towns, storied cites, sprawling vineyards, cathedrals, markets, factories, and farms. All in an attempt to better understand where our food and drink came from. I was able to forge a deeper connection with how I felt and what I ate by taking time to discover where I came from. Fish tastes a lot different when you see it pulled out of the ocean rather than ripped out of cold plastic. And of course, you don’t need me to tell you that but consider this a stern reminder, without understanding what you consume you lose parts of yourself. Where you come from, what is important to you, and what you value can been seen on a plate. Taking time to reflect on what’s in front of you at dinner is a great way to reflect on yourself.

 

I still think about the plates I enjoyed during the trip, trying new foods was my favorite part of the experience until I discovered that octopus is in fact capable of triggering a shellfish allergy. Thankfully, I am not severely allergic and our guide, who was very fluent in Spanish, was able to locate the “Antihistamínicos.” One of the more jarring differences between American culture and the many cultures I experienced in Europe was the time dedicated to enjoying meals and the company you consumed them with. We ate together for just about every meal and although it seemed simply a result of not knowing many people outside of the group, we were traveling with I must say taking on average 2 hours to eat lunch is something I sorely miss.

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I could go on about the eye-opening readings like the Third Plate and or Half Earth. I could muse about the calcotada on a seemly fated picturesque day. I could even tell you a little bit about how to butcher a chicken or age parmesan but I believe that if you have made it this far from reading my experience you should do everything in your power to set out and have one of your own. I do have some advice that I believe helped me through:

 

Be a gracious guest, try everything, take tons of pictures, connect with your classmates, stay up late, take your time getting from point A to point B, have little fear of being wrong, and always have a joke ready for mealtime.

 

Special shout out to my classmates, guides, and instructors turned friends. Sharing the experience with you all enriched the journey beyond measure. Keep a page blank in your wine journals for us to fill when we meet again.