Ciao ciao Marseille!!

So the end has come. My evaluation was a few days ago, which went alright. It basically consisted of a casual discussion about my work, art in general, art in the modern world in England (they obviously picked on me being English to ask me what I thought about Damien Hirst..of course) etc with two official people from the art school. It did end up in one of the critics saying my work was dated, which I thought was a bit of a silly thing to say. Apparently I need to be more 'modern' and am 'too inspired by artists of the past' and not of the present, which peeved me off a bit. But you have to take criticism and I realised I shouldn't always take it so seriously, in art everything is so subjective and it's all just an opinion really, everyone has theirs.
I spent the last few days after my evaluation just strolling around the city, the weather has been fantastic (i've probably taken the weather here for granted i will be a big moaning minnie when I return to London I can sense it already). I went to Aix-en-Provence today, just a 30 min bus ride away, to walk around the market, bought myself some beaufort cheese (the best cheese in the world), apricot jam, honey, herbs de provence, lots of french chocolate and of course, wine!! So i nicely broke my bank account and am stocked up with tasty french delights for the next year. My mum is coming tomorrow, I need to pack up my room and monday morning we start our two day drive back to London town, stopping off in the city of Dijon for a night on the way.
All in all I am looking forward to being back in London. I feel four months here was the perfect time. I know that many other erasmus students have extended their stay to a whole year because they've had 'the best time ever'. I've had a great experience here but it wasn't always the best time ever.
What have I taken out of this exchange?
My french has definitely improved! I am lucky to be fluent in the first place, having been to a french school, but my french had deteriorated a lot over the years and now I have had to speak french to every one, every day, including my four french flatmates who yap in french slag like there's no end.
Marseille is definitely a city to visit! Yes it is grotty, dirty and a bit on the dodgy side, but you realise that's part of it's charm. It doesn't even feel like you're in France, it is so multi-cultural and there's a huge vibrant north african commmunity, sometimes it feels you're walking the streets of Alger (..perhaps not quite..). I feel I have discovered a whole new city and its stunning surrounding (the Calanques are definitely one of the wonders of France, and I highly reccommend any one to come here just to go for a walk along the Calanques coast line and witness literally breath taking views!!)
I found it very interesting experiencing a french art school system! I have to say, the art school in Marseille has made me appreciate Camberwell much more for merely having an online time table, and being more organised and structured and having tutors that do come in on a regular basis to check up on your work and progress..something which is rather limited at the art school in Marseille.
Even though I have produced some interesting work here, I do feel that this exchange has made me more motivated to produce lots of work in the Camberwell studios, I can feel ideas coming and now appreciate the space to work in the studios as well.

I would definitely recommend this exchange to every one! Any study placement abroad makes you so much more independent and it's great to have the possibility in the middle of a long dragging

degree to be able to step out of your routine and be plonked in a completely different one! You come back more motivated with whole new experiences up your sleeve and ready to finish your degree with more determination and ideas! Go for erasmus, go for it!!