Salut from Marseille, France! My name is Ryan Bullett and I’m a junior studying marketing and business information systems. I am currently in France doing a one-semester exchange at KEDGE Business School. I have very diverse hobbies and enjoy trying as many new things as I can. Growing up, I played several different sports so to this day I am a big fan of all sports. Since I’ve been here, I’ve been following soccer, or “football,” more closely because it is massive here. Yesterday was a big day in Marseille sports history because the local team upset Messi, Neymar, an injured Mbappé, and PSG. Professionally, I’m not sure exactly what I want to do but I know I want to work somewhere in the marketing field. I’m interested in the travel industry so I’m strongly considering working for an airline or another travel-related business. In terms of academics, I’ve always taken my studies seriously and part of the reason I chose this program is that I wanted to gain exposure to a foreign approach to school. Another reason I chose this program is that I wanted to improve my French. I have been taking French classes for many years now and I know being exposed to it every day will help me significantly.

Since I’ve been in France for over a month, I’ve had plenty of time to settle in. Honestly, everything has gone smoothly thus far, and I haven’t had any major issues. One thing I noticed immediately was that my host institution KEDGE is very different from what I’m used to at Pitt. KEDGE is one large building located in a national park called the Calanques, and it feels more like an American high school than a college. There is a single cafeteria-like dining hall and the student population is small, so it seems like everyone knows everyone. The classes are also different because they are all 3 hours and 15 minutes. Fortunately, I only have classes Tuesday through Thursday, so the long classes have been manageable. 

Regarding my living situation, I am incredibly happy with how it turned out. I live near the major bus lines and right next to one of the main metro stations, so I have no trouble getting around the city. I live in a beautiful 3-bedroom apartment with an amazing view of Marseille. As of now, I have one French Canadian roommate who is also a student at KEDGE, and we get along well. The third room is currently unoccupied which is a nice bonus.

Today I am in an especially good mood because I just had my last class before a two-week break. As I mentioned, I love traveling, and one of my goals is to take advantage of cheap train tickets and flights and visit as many new places as I can. So far, I have been on one trip, and it was a school-organized ski trip for exchanges in the French Alps. 

During this break, I plan to visit at least two new countries. A few other exchanges and I booked a €30 flight to Morocco, and then a €9 flight to Portugal, so we are busy finalizing plans for those trips.