Harvesting Olives in Provence, France

By Elias Veran
From UC Santa Barbara to Paris to Thanksgiving on an olive farm in Provence

Introduction by Thomas Seale

I spent a year studying abroad at St Andrews University in Scotland, and it changed my life. There are so many connections between my life and that year abroad. When my French wife (who I met at St Andrews) and I started the olive farm in 2004, we couldn’t have imagined where we’d be today. We created a company called Les Templiers de Provence, and it’s given us the opportunity to involve family and friends.

Each November, after harvesting the green and purple olives with nets and rakes, we gather as a family to celebrate the harvest with gratitude. As a way of giving back, we invite UC students who are studying abroad to spend the weekend with us. This is their story …

Elias Veran’s story

I had missed the early train and arrived late at the tiny station in a rural French village named Pertuis. It had taken five different trains and buses to finally reach the station, and I waited for the last stage of the journey—Thomas’ truck—to take myself and the other UCEAP students to his olive farm.

I was prepared for a weekend of fieldwork and harvesting. I was longing for an escape from the loud noises of Paris and looking forward to some time in nature. The weekend was completely different from what I was expecting and quickly became a unique experience I’ll never forget.

The farm where we were to stay for the weekend is aptly named Piégros, for the mud that sticks to the boots, but I soon realized it was much more than a farm. More accurately, it is a perfectly situated estate that immediately inspired a feeling of comfort and homeliness even among its vast landscape.

Piégros is a large swatch of land with the freedom to roam away from the constant hum of cars and screech of sirens, with air so clean that any lucky visitor can pinpoint every constellation in the night sky. It is perched on top of a hill so the expanse of picturesque Provence is visible from nearly every room.

Accustomed to the incessant noise and movement in Paris, Piégros reminded me of the nature I had missed so much. Here, there were one hundred trees for every person rather than one hundred persons for every tree.

The silence at Piégros is rarely broken; however, this crisp November weekend was an exception. It was a gathering place for friends from all over the world on an annual tradition of celebrating friendship, food, and family for Thanksgiving. The main event was the Saturday afternoon feast with guests from all over France, including the crew of lodgers already staying at the house.

We began the day by exploring the grounds, watching the professionals harvest olives, and even helping out with the harvest ourselves. Later, at the dining table, I sat next to a Frenchman who had driven four hours to attend the event. We engaged in a long conversation as we made our way through the delicious and plentiful salad, main, and dessert courses.

I would have been happy to do any amount of farm work in this environment, but rather than spending hours harvesting, our hosts preferred to give their guests a relaxing getaway.

While we watched and learned about the olive harvest and worked with the machines, we spent most of our time on other activities—drinking champagne by the fire, taking long walks through the French wilderness, attending morning yoga sessions, and plunging in the frigid pond. Watching the sun set behind the far-away mountains felt like a scene from a movie. As the days crept slowly by, we were completely alleviated from any stress or anxiety.

Most memorable for me were the enlightening discussions with the various guests who came from all walks of life, each with different experiences to recount and advice for the younger generation—a unique study abroad experience.

I sometimes feel that time flies, but on this weekend, time slowed down. My few paradise-like days in Provence felt much longer. On the drive back to the train station, I couldn’t ignore the feeling of wanting to stay forever. I didn’t want to think about rainy Paris, the essays that were due, or the six-floor staircase to my apartment.

 

As soon as I returned to daily life, my perspective unexpectedly shifted. I became extremely grateful that I had spent the weekend living in the moment, surrounded by amazing people, nature, and food—it was an experience I never could have predicted. It reminded me that my problems, however big they seem, are but fleeting moments in a constantly changing and incredibly unpredictable life that any student studying abroad is lucky enough to live!

Learn more about personal revelations with these stories

• Elena reminds everyone that studying abroad has a period of adjustment
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• Your first time abroad? Here’s the best programs for first-time travelers