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Eight students’ accounts of their experiences abroad Students at Aix-Marseille, as elsewhere, are strongly encouraged to apply for exchanges abroad. But what is really behind this presumably enriching and colourful experience—an experience that has become became a rite of passage for students committed to the study of English? In the French academic system, a year abroad is not compulsory when you study Modern Languages, so the decision to leave is entirely personal.What are the reasons why some students choose to leave in the first place? Is the process of leaving as easy as it sounds, and is coming back as natural as one thinks?If “difficult” and “unique” seem to be two recurrent words when a student is asked to summarize her/his experience abroad, how do these two terms co-exist in the making of such a journey?Over the next few months, EN-globe’s editorial team will attempt to answer these questions, and to measure the impact of what is, for most, a unique and authentic academic adventure. We will provide eight genuine records of students’ experiences in various English-speaking countries, from Britain and Ireland to the US and Canada.