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!
