I must say that this summer with Abbey Road has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. I absolutely loved every second of the program. Aix-en-Provence has got to be one of the most beautiful places in France because it was truly perfect. It had amazing restaurants, charming people and lots of sites to see! I've also become more independent because I was able to experience the "college life." The people who came with me on this trip are the most cultured, knowledgeable teens that I have met.
The classes in Aix-en-Provence were based on level (beginner, intermediate and advanced). I was in an advanced class with the lovely Sophie. Sophie was such a great teacher; she didn't only teach us nitty gritty grammar but she taught us french slang and showed us funny french films. The best film that we watched (out of the thousands) was "Les Choristes." Also, we went out to the streets of Aix for class a lot. We walked around town and Sophie would tell us what the best places to shop and eat were.
The elective French Conversation was awesome!! Again, Sophie was our teacher and we went to the local park, sat on the grass and conversed for three hours. Or one time we went to a local cafe and spoke about what we liked to do in our country and how living in different states affects us. The French Conversation class was a great way to get to know each other while at the same time; improve our French.
There are so many activities that we did throughout the course of the program. For example, for the Fourth of July; we had an "All-American" party. We ate Domino's pizza and listened to American music. Then we watched Date Night! It was a blast. Another day, we had "Spa Night." The lights were dimmed, the mollifying music was playing, etc. We had yoga mats scattered all over the floor. We also had nail polish and facial masks! It was really fun and our advisor Meg even did a special "relaxation" exercise with us. The last activity we did was a "dancing with natives" thing. It didn't go as planned because the dancers never showed up. BUT, we ended up sitting near La Rotonde in Aix and playing "Wha!", "Signs!", "Duck Duck Goose!", "Ninja!", and my fave; "MAFIA!"
The day trips were an excellent way and opportunity to get to know other towns just like Aix-en-Provence. My absolute favorite would have to be when we went to Cassis. It was during our last week in Aix and the beaches were absolutely BREATH-TAKING. The water was warm and crystal blue/green. We went on a cruise to check out the lagoons. It was pretty awesome. My other favorite day trio was when we went to La Ciotat. La Ciotat is another beach where three of us (Sophie, Elizabeth, and I) got to go paddle-surfing!!! It was a blast, to say the least.
I remember that I promised myself to never visit a restaurant twice because I wanted to try out as many new restaurants as possible. So here comes the best restaurant in Aix: Le Carrefour. The food was to die for and my favorite was the steak hachee. It was delicious. There is also an amazing gelato place on Cours Mirabeau. BUT IT WILL NEVER BEAT SHAVED ICE!!!
I improved my French a lot and I had the time of my life. I will never forget this fabulous adventure of mine and I can assure you that I'll have infinite stories to tell my friends.
