Wrap-up Reflection

I truly cannot believe that it has been almost two months since I departed for the trip of a lifetime to France with the Abbey Road Summer Program.  I will never forget how I felt at the airport, waiting to have the best time of my life.  I was scared, nervous, excited, and ready to learn about and experience French living all at the same time.  Although it probably sounds extremely cliché, the month truly did go by in the blink of an eye, and I find myself wishing that I was back in France quite often.  Although I did miss my family and some of my accommodations in America, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience!

            The amazing trip could not have been made possible if it wasn’t for the fun, intelligent, and mature Abbey Road staff.  In France we had a great staff that definitely enhanced the trip.  They would accompany us on our day trips and activities, making sure that we were always safe and having a great time.  I found myself able to relate to the staff members and it definitely helped that almost all of them were native French speakers, since I was able to practice my conversational French with them.  

            My favorite parts of my trip to France were the daytrips and activities that we did on a weekly basis.  The staff had many daytrips to other cities in France planned, which gave us a chance to experience what different parts of the country had to offer.  I don’t think I can say that I didn’t like any of the daytrips, but if I had to choose a favorite, I would have to say that I really loved Nice.  We were able to visit Nice quite a few times over the month because of how close it is to St. Laurent-du-Var, and each time I found myself admiring a new piece of architecture or discovering different boutiques and cafés.  I was also really happy to visit Nice, yet stay in St. Laurent because I was able to experience both a large city in France and a smaller, quieter town.  I also really enjoyed the activities that we did.  They were fun, yet always incorporated some aspect of French or French culture.  My favorite activity was definitely the cooking class that we did.  I love to cook, and this was especially fun because we were able to practice our French in the kitchen.

            Although my language skills improved a lot by just living in France, I also learned a lot through the classes that we had each day.  I was placed in the most advanced French group, which I felt was perfect for me, but was also challenging enough that I was never bored.  I thought the experiential learning was both fun and helpful and I never felt as if I was in summer school.  I was also really glad that I took the conversation elective because it helped my conversational French a lot and was very interesting. 

            Of course, this program would not have been complete without the homestay experience.  Staying in a French home was something that I had always wanted to experience and it definitely lived up to my expectations.  My host family was helpful, welcoming, and so sweet! I loved conversing in French with them and comparing French and American culture.  They truly treated my roommate and I as if we were their own children and they could not have been more hospitable! I am so glad that I chose to do a homestay program because I was forced to speak French with them, which greatly improved my speaking and I got to experience French culture in its most raw form. 

            I cannot explain how glad I am that I embarked on this journey.  My experience was one that introduced me to friends I will never forget, improved my confidence, and most of all, brought my French skills to a whole new level.  I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to go on this trip and I want to thank Abbey Road for making it so unforgettable!

Last day!

Today, Sunday, July 29th is our last full day of our month-long stay in St. Laurent-du-Var.  I can hardly believe that my stay here has already come to an end and that I will not see every one of the Abbey Road students and teachers, as well as my loving homestay family each day.  I have learned and enjoyed so much during these four short weeks.  I've immersed myself in the French language and culture, while making lifelong friends and having an amazing time.  Although I am excited to see my family in the US, I know that each day I will miss my newfound friends, homestay family, amazing instructors, as well as the French food, lifestyle, and culture.  This trip has definitely deepened my love of everything French and has made me realize how much simpler the French lifestyle truly is.  Throughout this month, I have lived this simpler lifestyle while greatly improving my French.  I feel so much more prepared for my French class next year than I did four short weeks ago, which was my main goal.  While learning the French language and culture, I have also made friends who I truly believe will be friends for life and who I share special inside jokes and bonds with.  I don't think I'm going to be able to say goodbye tomorrow without shedding a few tears! Lastly, I want to thank my parents for giving me such an amazing opportunity, as well as the Abbey Road staff for making this trip more than I ever could have imagined! Here are a few random photos for your enjoyment!

Rachael and I in Monaco!

Beautiful beach in Nice!

My roommate Nicki and Delaney!

Group photo at the movies!

Le spectacle!

Tonight we had "le spectacle," which was basically a show that all of the St. Laurent-du-Var Abbey Road students put on for our homestay families.  It was compiled of many different acts, including dance numbers, singing performances, skits, and what I made, which was a video compiling videos and photos of our stay here in St. Laurent.  Tonight was so fun - we all enjoyed some wonderful food, company, and performances and if I do say so myself, I think that the video was a really nice way to end the night, despite the fact that it made everyone a bit sad to remember that we will only be together as a group for three more days! I truly cannot believe how quickly this month has flew by and I can't even begin to describe how sad I will be when it comes time to leave! Anyways, here's the link to the video : enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EDZU1EginI&feature=plcp

Trip to St. Tropez!

This weekend, we were given a three day weekend and headed to St. Tropez for the day on Monday instead of classes.  We met at the train station, where a bus picked us up for an hour drive to the cute town of St. Maxime, where we then took a boat ride filled with gorgeous sights to St. Tropez.  Upon arrival, we were greeted by the huge yachts, delicious smells from the restaurants, and gorgeous view of the French coastline. We were given around 3 hours of free time, and my friends and I's first stop was the famous macaron shop, L'adurée.  I fell in love with the macarons from L'adurée last spring when I traveled to Paris, and when I found out that a new store had opened up in St. Tropez, I was so excited! I only bought a few because they can get really pricey, but they were still absolutely gorgeous and delicious as I remember! For the rest of the free time I just walked around, exploring the city and shopping.  Unfortunately, most of the shops were really pricey, but it was still really fun to go in and look around.  I did get to buy a magazine of classic French recipes, though, which I'll use to make my family a French meal when I get home.  We then headed back to St. Maxime for some more free time before our dinner.  I again chose to get some shopping done.  I ended up buying a nice pair of earrings for my grandmother.  Although I didn't find anything for myself, my friend Laurie and I did stumble upon this cool little secondhand shop, where they had tons of designer clothes for a lot cheaper than their normal prices.  They had tons of clothes, handbags, shoes, and accessories, which we looked through quickly, but it seemed as if you would need an entire day just to sort through everything.  We headed back to meet up with the rest of the group before we headed to dinner at a restaurant called Le Wafou.  The fixed menu meal was steak filet, but since I don't eat red meat, I opted for a salad with chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and egg. It was delicious and it was really fun to enjoy a dinner with my friends at a nice restaurant! I'll definitely never forget our trip to St. Tropez and I hope to be able to return!

L'adurée!

Me in St. Tropez!

Gorgeous sunset on our way home!

Highlights of my trip so far!

Salut! Just for a quick recap, today we drove an hour to go to San Remo, Italy! It was super fun, although very relaxed, so I pretty much just hung on the beach and shopped around! Tomorrow we are headed to Antibes and Monday's trip is to St. Tropez, so I'm sure I'll be blogging about those trips sometime soon and therefore, I figured I'd give you a quick list of what some of my highlights of this trip have been so far!

1.  Walking to school every weekday morning: I know this sounds cheesy, but I have truly enjoyed walking to school every weekday morning with my roommate and the other students who live in our same apartment complex.  We have about a 15 minute walk to the school, and it's really nice to be able to get some exercise in the morning, as well as to catch up with my friends for a bit.  We take the same route each morning, and I'll never forget the first day when our host mom showed us the way and I felt completely lost! Now, I feel as if I've lived here my whole life and I think it'll be weird going back home and not taking the same route each morning!

2.  Conversation class: To tell you the truth, I wasn't so sure if I was going to like the Conversation elective that I signed up for at first.  Since the 3 other electives (sports, photography, and drawing) are a bit less centered around the French language, I felt as if I might get a bit bored with the combination of the morning class and the Conversation elective 3 times a week. Boy, was I wrong! I have really come to look forward to Conversation because our teacher, Syrine is super fun and we basically spend 3 hours having a conversation in French about cool topics like beauty, fashion, and cooking, just to name a few. On top of how fun it is, I also feel as if I learn so much in Conversation just by speaking!

3.  Excursions: Between Italy, Cannes, Villefrance, St. Paul de Vence, and so many other amazing places, all the excursions have been an absolute blast! Each place we have visited has had it's own European charm, adorable stores, and has been completely different from the last place.  I really enjoy these trips because we get to see different parts of Europe and France while doing fun activities! I have definitely looked forward to each day trip and I don't think I've been disappointed once yet!

That's it for now, although I'll probably add a few more over the next week! Bonne nuit!

Snorkeling in Villefranche!

After lunch on Thursday, we traveled by train to the little town of Villefranche, located right on the French Riviera. There, we separated into two groups to go snorkeling in the Mediterranean Sea! Considering I had only been snorkeling once before for about 10 minutes, I was pretty excited to do it again with some real instruction.  I was in the first group, so we got onto the boat and headed out into the deeper waters of the sea in order to see some cool sights.  After struggling into our awkward wetsuits, goggles, and flippers, we anchored the boat and jumped in.  At first, it was actually really uncomfortable because saltwater kept getting into my goggles, nose, and mouth, (NOT comfortable!) but after a little while I got the hang of it and was able to see how beautiful it was underwater. The water was so blue and clear and above water was an absolutely gorgeous view of the French landscape.  I still cannot believe that I actually got to snorkel while in France in the Mediterranean! I would definitely recommend experiencing it, even if it's just to say that you did it! Here's a picture from Villefranche:

Gorgeous, huh?

A look into the typical day!

Bonjour! I seriously cannot believe we are already halfway through the third week! I figured to give you a better look into the life here in St. Laurent, I would give a quick recap of a typical day.  Monday's class was really fun because we talked about pâtisseries and pastries!  We first read an excerpt that recalled a magnificent experience of savoring a Madeleine.  We talked (in French, of course) about why the author elaborated so much on such a small thing and what exactly he was trying to portray.  We also talked about how the 5 senses can trigger memories and what sights, smells, sounds, feelings, and tastes make us think of certain things.  It was really interesting, especially since it was entirely in French! We then split into pairs and headed to a gorgeous pâtisserie to try pastries that we had never eaten before.  My partner Lucie and I decided on a "Merveilleux," which consisted of meringue topped with chocolate creme, covered in chocolate shavings.  It was absolutely delicious! We then had to write about our own experience of trying this brand new pastry and describe it.  After our typical lunch, (our families usually pack sandwiches) we had electives, which meant conversation class for me.  I would definitely say that conversation is the elective that most resembles the morning class, because each day we have a different topic that we have a conversation in French about.  I definitely feel as if it really helps improve my French because I get a lot of chances to speak (there are only 7 kids in the class) and because the 3 hours of class are held entirely in French.  Monday's topic was fashion and clothing.  We learned some new vocab, described what each of us was wearing, and then read a cool article about the origin of women's hats.  We then had our usual two hours of free time, during which I went to the mall and the beach.  It was both fun and relaxing! We then headed back to our host family's house for dinner, which was melon, chicken, and pasta. Usually we talk with our family for a while, then relax in our room, but Monday was special because it was my friend Allie's last night with us, since she only stayed for 2 weeks.  We headed down to the St. Laurent port for some ice cream and had a great time taking pictures and remembering all the fun times we had over the past two weeks.  It was so hard to say goodbye at the end of the night, but I was so glad that we spent the night together! After a night of fun, we headed back home for a good night's rest.

Bastille Day weekend

Another weekend of fun has come and gone! This weekend was super special because Saturday was the national French holiday, Bastille Day, that takes place every July 14th.  Bastille Day is basically the French equivalent of the Americans' 4th of July - it celebrates the anniversary of the storming of the old French prison, the Bastille, that occurred during the French Revolution.  Before I came to France, I had heard that Bastille Day is a huge celebration in France, but in St. Laurent, I didn't experience as much celebrating as I was expecting.  Nevertheless, it was still a great day! We basically had the entire day to do whatever we wanted with our family, so we went to Nice for the day! We took a bus into Nice at around 11:45 and got there around noon.  We shopped for a bit, grabbed some lunch, and then headed over to our new favorite ice cream shop in the "vielle ville" (old village), Fenocchio.  Fenocchio has 94 different ice cream flavors, including the classics like chocolate and vanilla, plus some crazy ones like cactus, chewing gum, and avocado! It is absolutely delicious! We then had some more time and decided to do a bit more shopping, so we headed to Galerie Lafayette, where a couple of my friends bought some really cute dresses! We headed back home for a delicious celebration dinner of the classic French crêpes: ham and cheese ones for dinner, followed by Nutella ones for dessert! We were planning to go see fireworks after our meal, but by the time we were ready to go, it was really late and we all just wanted to hang out, so my roommate and I slept over at our neighbor's apartment, which 3 other Abbey Road girls are staying in.  We had a really great time and the entire day was so relaxing and fun! This morning we headed to meet the rest of the St. Laurent group to take the bus to Monaco.  We were a bit more touristy today and headed to the Palais Princier, as well as the aquarium.  The palace was absolutely beautiful and I learned a lot from the audio tour, and the aquarium had some pretty cool fish! Then we headed to the small village of Eze, where we took a tour of the Fragonard parfumerie.  It was so cool to see where and how they make all the different types of perfumes! We had some free time in the village afterwards, during which I wandered around.  Eze was so adorable! We then returned to St. Laurent, where I am now sitting on my bed before dinner.  We also got the schedule for the next week today, which was so exciting! In the plans for this week is a trip to San Remo, Italy (!!!), dinner at a sailing club in St. Laurent, and the movies! I'm so excited, and I'll be sure to update with lots of pictures later in the week.  For now, au revoir!

Cute clown fish at the aquarium!

Beautiful view from the top of the aquarium!

Me!

Friday fun!

Friday was an absolutely awesome day! It started out with a pretty relaxed morning class, during which we had to write about a made-up news article in French in groups of 2.  My partner Eileen and I made up a story about a grease fire at the "Mairie" or town hall.  Once we finished, we were able to write recaps of some of the activities we have participated in during our stay so far.  Eileen and I decided to write about the cooking class since we both agreed that we really enjoyed that.  I liked Friday's class a lot because it was very relaxed and we were able to practice writing and speaking to each other in French while still having fun.  After lunch, my conversation elective group went to Nice to visit the Confiserie Florian, where they make delicious candy! The tour of the candy-making facilities was very short, but it was still cool to see the machines and facilities, as well as to sample some of the delicious candies! We then headed through a crazy bout of wind to the "marché aux fleurs" or flower market to look around.  There were some really pretty flowers and we also learned how to say some of the more unique colors in French! We then had around 50 minutes of free time in Nice, during which I went for a run along the sidewalks overlooking the beach. Let me just say that Nice is absolutely GORGEOUS! It was then time to return to St. Laurent for dinner with our families, which was pasta carbonara at our house! Then came my favorite part of the day: fireworks! We headed to Cagnes-sur-Mer with the rest of the St. Laurent group to walk around and experience the pre-Bastille day celebrations- the streets were filled with people and there was even a live concert! Two of my friends and I stopped for ice cream and to sit down and enjoy the fireworks: they were short but really good! We were able to watch the concert for a little as well, which was really fun! It was then time to head back to St. Laurent after a tiring day! Here are some pictures:

Candy-making machines!

Fireworks!

La deuxième semaine!

Bonjour mes amis! It's hard to believe that we have already been in St. Laurent for over a week: it feels as if I have lived here all my life, but the days pass so quickly! My stay here has truly been living up to and exceeding my expectations.  Each day, whether I'm learning some new French vocab, laughing with my newfound "amies," sitting at a café, or shopping in Cannes, I am able to have a great time while appreciating the French culture.  I don't even want to start thinking about returning to the United States because I am having such a great time, so instead I'll give a recap of the past couple days.


Monday
We started off the week with a pretty regularly scheduled day consisting of class in the morning, during which we had to create a menu for an imaginary dinner party of 6 people.  We took our inspiration from the restaurants on the streets of St. Laurent, which allowed us to further our knowledge of the typical dishes in France and St. Laurent.  Our menu needed to be composed of l'apéritif (drinks before the meal), l'entrée (in France, this is like an appetizer - salad or soup), le plat principal (main dish), le fromage (cheese), le dessert, and le café. This is the menu my partner Emma and I came up with:

L'apéritif: le jus de fruits
L'entrée: la salade de chèvre avec jambon cru (goat cheese salad with raw ham)
Le plat principal: le veau avec des pommes sautées et ratatouille (veal with sautéed potatoes and ratatouille)
Le fromage: du brie
Le dessert: le crumble de banane avec sorbet à la mangue (banana crumble with mango sorbet)
Le café: café au lait

Sounds pretty good, huh? After we came up with this, we had to go to the supermarket and see how much food we would need if we were to actually prepare this meal and what it would cost.  In total, our meal had a final cost of 81,21 euros, which is about $99.  Not too bad for 6 people! I really enjoyed this exercise because it combined two of my favorite things: French and cooking! After class, we had our lunch and then had our electives.  I would usually have conversation, but since I was originally interested in the French film elective that got canceled, I was able to go see a French film with the Abbey Road Nice group, which meant that I needed to take the train to Monaco with the photography elective.  It was really nice to have a change and Monaco was absolutely stunning! I got to take a ton of pictures and I can't wait to go back this weekend! After photography, another girl from the St. Laurent group and I headed back to Nice with the Nice group for dinner.  We ate dinner with them at their residency and then got to hang out and exchange information about our respective programs. The Nice program sounds really fun, but I am still glad that I am able to be living in a homestay in order to truly immerse myself in the language.  The movie we saw was called "De rouille et d'os" (Of Rust and Bones) and starred Marion Cotillard. I really enjoyed the movie and it was also nice to spend a night in Nice!

Tuesday

Tuesday was a great day! During the morning class, we wrote postcards to our families in French, which was a really good way to practice since I had to figure out how to write what I usually would in English in French.  We then went to the post office to get "des beaux timbres" (nice stamps) for our postcards.  After lunch, we headed to St. Jean Cap Ferrat for some beautiful sights, a gorgeous beach, and a fun cooking session! I could not (and neither will you!) believe how stunning St. Jean was! I didn't really feel like going in the water during the time I had before my group had our turn to prepare the dessert, but I did put my feet in and it was amazing! The water was so clear and was the perfect temperature! For the cooking, my group made une tarte aux pommes (apple tarte), gâteau au chocolat (chocolate cake), and fruit kabobs.  It was really fun because I love to cook and bake, and we also learned some French cooking vocab in the process! After we finished the dessert, we had another hour until dinner, so we walked around St. Jean.  It was gorgeous, but there weren't too many shops so we also sat on the beach for a while and enjoyed the beautiful weather.  I'm pretty sure that after that, we were all ready and anxious to try the food we had prepared.  The meal consisted of a delicious salade niçoise, sausage curry with rice, and of course, dessert! The end results of our hard work was super yummy! The menu and setup was prepared by our amazing instructors, so thank you to them for all the work they put into the whole thing- it was by far my favorite activity so far! We then headed back to the train station, enjoying an absolutely breathtaking scenic route in the process- it made the 30 minute walk fly by! Back in St. Laurent we headed back to our homestays for a goodnight's sleep after a tiring, yet exciting day!

Well, that's all for now! À bientôt!

Monaco!

The view from St. Jean Cap Ferrat!

Me and my friends on the beach in St. Jean Cap Ferrat!

St. Laurent-du-Var: July 7, 2012

Today was our first weekend day in St. Laurent and it was great! We met the rest of the group at the train station at 11:30, so we were able to sleep until 10! Before we left we had a delicious breakfast of freshly baked "pain au chocolat" or chocolate croissants - they were amazing! We then walked to the train station and took the 30 minute train ride to Cannes.  When we got there, we had a picnic lunch for 30 minutes and then we had free time from 1:30 to 3:30, (check-in time) during which I opted to explore the city and do some shopping! I was able to have some delicious French pastries, look at some cool stores, all while practicing my French.  After the 3:30 check-in, we had free time until 6, so we went back out to continue our shopping.  I bought a cute little bracelet that says "merci". At 6, we met at the beach for pizza with the Nice group.  It was really fun! Afterward we had some more free time, so I got my hair wrapped and walked around a bit more.  We stumbled upon some really cool street performers who were dancing and doing gymnastics, which I included a video of below.  We then headed back home to St. Laurent for a good night's sleep.  Tomorrow we are headed to St. Paul-de-Vence to see a modern art museum! Bonne nuit!

The view from Cannes beach!

St. Laurent-du-Var : Day 2

Today was our second day in St. Laurent and our first full day! We arrived at the airport yesterday at around 10 A.M., where my host mom, Madame Cassar, met me.  We then waited for my roommate Nicki to arrive from Boston for about an hour and a half.  I unfortunately wasn't able to sleep on the plane, so yesterday was a bit rough and I fell asleep once my head hit the pillow last night! This morning we woke up to a breakfast of coffee and toast with Nutella : yum! We then headed to a placement "test" during which we had to give an introduction to one of our teachers in French.  After this we ate our lunch in the park near our school : mine consisted of a salad, a banana, and a little chocolate snack cake.  We then played some fun games until we headed to our electives, which was French conversation for me.  In conversation, we looked at French travel magazines and talked about French geography.  After this we headed to the beach for the first time and it was absolutely gorgeous! (I've included a photo below.) We sat on the beach for a while before it was time for dinner at a restaurant on the beach front.  I had a mozzarella salad, which was delicious, as well as a decaf coffee for dessert! I forgot how small the coffees are in France, (or rather, how big they are in the US) but it was the perfect ending to a wonderful meal enjoyed with all of the St. Laurent students.  Tomorrow I am planning to go for an early morning run, after which we have our first French class! We will then have lunch, take a tour of St. Laurent, have some free time, eat dinner with our host family, and then head to a concert with the group! I better get going in order to get some sleep for our busy day, but until then, au revoir! 

Morgan

La plage!

Le petit cafe!

Pre-Departure Reflection

Only one more week until I will be departing for St. Laurent-du-Var! Here is my pre-departure reflection, where I talk about how I decided to go on this trip and what I am most looking forward to!

           

           It is hard to believe that in just one short week, I will be living in France with a native family, speaking French 24/7, and having the time of my life with thirty-four newfound friends. The time before my departure has been and will be filled with excitement, nervousness, preparation, and goodbyes.  Over the last few days I have had mixed emotions regarding my trip.  A few times recently, I have begun to feel homesick already and have started to think about how much I will miss my family while away.  Despite this, more often than these times I have felt extremely excited for the adventure I am about to embark on.  When I start to think about what a wonderful opportunity this is and how much I will learn in just one month, I become very excited.  The fact that I will be able to not only live in France, but also experience their culture and improve my French language skills is amazing and I cannot wait to begin this learning experience!

           

            Before I made the final decision to go on the St. Laurent-du-Var trip with Abbey Road this summer, my parents and I had been thinking about similar trips for me for quite a while.  This summer seemed to be the perfect opportunity for me to go on one of these trips because I will be in a French Literature and Cinema class next year that will involve lots of conversational French.  A French immersion program seemed to be the best way to advance my conversational French skills.  When we started to look at programs, it was difficult to find trips that fit most of our criteria- I really wanted to fully immerse myself by living in a homestay for at least a month, while also having some formal French instruction.  When we narrowed our choices down, the Abbey Road St. Laurent-du-Var trip seemed to have everything I wanted in a program and seemed to be a program in which I would have a great time while learning.

            Looking ahead, I am truly looking forward to everything about this trip!  A few things that excite me the most are meeting the rest of the Abbey Road students as well as my host family, seeing different parts of France, and experiencing the French lifestyle.  Although I traveled to Paris with my class just last summer, I did not live with a French family and really get to experience the cultural aspects as if I was a native.  Therefore, I cannot wait to live the French lifestyle and hopefully become a francofile!

A beautiful view of St. Laurent!