Looking out the window at the countryside full of sunflowers and lavender, it’s easy to drift away. To slow down, as so many of the French people are known for. Not only did I vastly improve my French and make a few life-long friends, but I learned to stop. An act that would be considered so elementary, so simple, and yet, it’s practically foreign to the American people. We’re fast-paced, we move constantly, and it seems that if you stop to take a breath, even for a moment, you’ll be lost. Of course, it’s effortless to stop and enjoy the moment when you’re sitting on the edge of a gorgeous fountain eating Callison (a specialty in Aix) or laying down in the garden of a striking old mansion watching the stars, or even browsing through the Marche aux Puces on Saturday morning talking with the locals. But here, sitting in front of my computer at home, or laying down in front of the TV after a few hours of tireless homework, it’s a little harder to stop. To slow down.To savor. Savor like we used to savor the pain au chocolate in the morning, or how it was almost impossible to take a bite of a homemade crepe without closing your eyes and letting out a blissful “mmm”. My trip to Aix has helped me in so many ways. From the first time I walked into French class this year and everyone’s jaw dropped as I had an effortless conversation with the teacher. Or being able to stop and look at the beautiful champs au lavande and pinpoint just the right artful moment to take a snapshot of, one of the many skills I learned in my digital photography class, taught by a wonderful local photographer. And, if it’s not these things that I took away from the entire experience, it’s the memories. Of going to cafés late in the day with friends, sitting, laughing, enjoying everything around us, of playing soccer in the park with a few children from the area, of walking into a crowded restaurant and screaming with everyone as we watched the World Cup, or even waking up every morning to the sound of an Opera singer belting it out across the apartment complex (of course, I look back more fondly on that now). If not for anything else, that’s what makes it all worth it. The little moments.The moments where you slow down.The moments that become unforgettable.

This was certainly achieved: living among locals and having to communicate with them personally in order to complete such errands as grocery shopping or eating dinner or withdrawing money was an introduction to all the colloquial expressions and uses of grammar that cannot be learned from a textbook. However, in retrospect, improvement in speaking French was not really the reward I appreciate most from Aix. The most valuable thing that I walked away with was, I think, a new appreciation and understanding of French culture: being a student and not a tourist in the country made a huge difference in my ability to see all the things that make the country special and beautiful. I met many kind natives who would help my classmates and I when we struggled to speak at the beginning of the program. I also saw a lot of local traditions that were very eye opening. I think beyond all else that is the most important thing to take away from an experience like this, because it is the most unique opportunity offered through living in the country semi-independently. Following this summer, I find I am a lot more willing to try new things. Doing something different in one’s own country suddenly feels a lot less intimidating when you’ve spent a month doing something new every day in a totally foreign country. I love having more courage to branch out and experiment with whatever it may be: a new hobby, a new food, etc. I was glad to come home at the end of July, but I really hope I can return to France soon and immerse myself again in all the aspects of the country that I love. These are the three rewards that my time in Aix gave me that I find most significant and that I can appreciate above all and I know they will stay with me for a very long time.

And now I also have experience living with a roommate, managing money, and spending my time well (things I will use in college and later in life). I didn’t really know what to expect when I arrived at the airport, but I had high hopes. I anticipated making amazing friends, speaking a whole lot of French, traveling to new and exciting places and leaving with memories I will cherish forever. I can confidently say I did all those things. 

To truly put my French to the test, my friends and I spoke only in French from nine to five with a break at lunch; that alone made me better. In addition, I spoke French with locals and to our group leaders. I practiced so much I believe I really improved my skills, which will help me as I begin French 4H. I was also able to travel to beautiful and interesting cities close to Aix like Avignon, Marseilles and Cassis. Going to these places really made me appreciate Provence and the Côte D’Azur as a whole, but probably the most special aspect was the people on the trip. The other teens that went with Abbey Road were just as determined to learn as me, not to mention they were the nicest and funniest people I’ve met! I just know I will stay in touch with them for a long time.

While abroad I actually felt like a local. After a short time I knew where everything was; if I needed food, clothes or I had to mail a letter, I knew exactly how to get there. In fact, my roommate and I went to the same bakery every morning and the owner got to know us. It really made us feel like regular Aixoise. I became a more open person while in Provence. Usually I don’t like trying new things, but there I rarely said “no” to a food, activity or idea, making my time in Aix more exciting and fun. I am so happy I chose to go to Aix-en-Provence with Abbey Road!

Through this program I learned countless amounts about France, the French language, relationships and myself. It was a whole different experience learning French not just in a classroom with handouts and vocabulary to memorize, but to actually communicate with people outside, whether it was ordering food, asking for directions and paying (good practice for numbers!). And we didn’t just learn about the language. Abbey Road made what would have been a classroom experience learning French, into a cultural immersion [experience] in a place that you could practice French everywhere! I’ve learned a bit about myself through friends from all over the States and the world. I’ve had the precious chance to communicate with them and make great connections. Learning with them and being immersed in another culture with them was just an amazing experience. We all went to France to learn French and experience France, and along the way we made friends with each other and together made the French experience even more unforgettable. 

I feel like I’ve become a more open person, to culture and to people. I hope that this will stick with me for the rest of my life and help me throughout my life. I’ve also learned that I’m a pretty good egg maker and not a bad cook! I really enjoyed everything that happened in Aix and I will never forget the memories, the friends and of course the city of Aix-en-Provence. Thank you Abbey Road for the wonderful memories and friendships!

What were your top three priorities for wanting to study abroad this summer to France? 

My first priority was to become more comfortable speaking to natives because it’s different when you are in a classroom speaking to your teacher rather than speaking to an actual French person. The second thing was getting to be able to experience being away from my parents and becoming more independent. The third thing would be fully immersing myself in the culture because I’ve lived in New York all my life and it was really different to change cultures. 


How did Abbey Road Summer Program help meet each of those goals?
Well for the interaction part, we had a lot of time in my French Conversation elective to get out there and speak to people and speak to the group and our teacher so I became really comfortable with speaking French. Living in a residence with two girls was definitely something different as well as taking care of my apartment. As for immersing myself in the culture, I lived there for a month! Going out in the neighborhood, talking and interacting with people, it was definitely very different. You can just tell by walking around that the culture is very different and that the people there are more open and warm than what I’ve experienced in New York. 


Now that you are back home for two months, what is it about this experience you feel changed you? (If anything.)

I feel like I’m actually more talkative now because over there I had to talk a lot. Before I left for Aix, I was usually really quiet, but when I got there I kind of opened up and now I’m more social and outgoing. I think that has changed the most. 


Do you notice a change in your French at school? 

Even though I’m not taking French this year I’m still using it. I am a teacher assistant for my French teacher this year and when I speak to her in French she is just amazed at how much I improved. She is just really impressed! 


In your view, how does the location of the program impact the experience? Does it matter “where” in France you go? 

I thought that being in Aix was perfect because it was definitely different from being in a city. It was such a small town and I felt like everyone was more of a family and people actually knew each other. The storeowners would take time to talk to you. It was just such a different environment and I feel like everyone in Aix was a family. In New York no one knows each other. You don’t speak to any one when you are walking you don’t say hi and over there everyone says hi even if they don’t know you and I thought that was pretty awesome as well as the whole small town county side town environment. 


In the same light, do you think it matters “who” you study abroad with? 

Yes. I chose Abbey Road because it’s priority is for you to speak French and not just to go around sightseeing and being a tourist. I wanted to choose a program that focused on academics more than anything else and that’s why I felt like Abbey Road was the most trusted because the language aspect and true immersion is a top priority. [At the same time] It wasn’t just hard work every single day. On the weekends we would have excursions and you get to take a break from classes and also sight see, but at the same time maintain the academic routine and incorporate learning into the fun activities. 


How do the activities offered outside of class time contribute to the experience?
There were a lot of activities during the week that were really fun. For example we had French movie night, Fashion Show, French Conversation classes, cooking classes and I just thought it was a great way to improve our French. We also had French only dinners, where we would only speak French while eating dinner. I thought that was the best choice because it forced us to speak with each other and even though it was really awkward at first, it really helped. One of my favorites was spa night. It was a good time to relax and we were able to just get away from all the excitement. We had yoga mats and nail polish and facials and we had a breathing exercise. I was a yoga teacher for five minutes. We listen to classical music and it was really nice and soothing. 


How was the group size? Does program size affected the program? 

We had 25 students. I feel like if there had been more students, our staff wouldn’t have been able to focus on us individually and they would have a harder time talking to you and relating to you one on one [outside of class]. There were three [French] class [levels] and I thought it was a good way for the teachers to get to know you based on your level and for them to give you individual attention as well. I think this was definitely a key in improving because I got one on one attention from my teacher. 


What made you decide to choose a residential immersion program versus a homestay immersion program? 

I chose Aix because I thought that a homestay would be something too drastic. I wanted to start out doing a residential program first because I didn’t feel comfortable with my French to be able to go to a homestay. Also, my parents really wanted me to be with a group of students and not just a family that I didn’t know. 


Describe the residence life experience
I loved my room! My room had two floors and we each had our own room. It was just the perfect apartment. We had a huge living room and a huge kitchen. Our apartment was usually the one chosen for cooking nights because it was so big. I loved the cooking groups because you get to make authentic French meals while also socializing with the other students and the food was amazing and so French. I also liked the sense of privacy of having your own room, but still sharing common spaces. The residence was in a great location. It was two blocks away from the Cours Mirabeau. I felt really safe because there was always someone at the front desk and we had to have a card to swipe in because the main door was always locked. The security was at a high level.


How were your daily French classes handled?

The classes actually challenged you and pushed you and taught you new words. I also liked that our teachers taught us French slang so we could communicate with the people of Aix without sounding too professional and a little bit more colloquial. The classes were more intensive and our teacher was a native of France and could actually teach us terms not just from a textbook. 


How did you like your instructors? Were they personable? 

Yes definitely. I thought my French teacher Sophie was very qualified. I think she speaks five languages! She really wanted to challenge us and not just teach us stuff that we knew and she wanted us to tell her what to teach us which was basically French slang and also intensive grammar. She wanted us to kind of dictate how we wanted the class to go and it wasn’t just her that was deciding everything. It was a collaborative effort and I think that way every student got the most out of the class. 


Do you think your experience has made you more independent?

Yes definitely. I have never had to wash dishes at home or do my own laundry so all that was really new to me and I feel like when I came back home I didn’t have to ask my parents to do it for me because I would just automatically do it myself because I was used to doing it over there. It helped me grow as a person and I feel like I’m more mature and independent now. 

What type of student do you think would really benefit from this type of program?

The type of student who I think would really benefit from this program would be a student that is studious, wants to work on their French or whatever language they are learning and while at the same time have fun and see the beautiful things that their host country has to offer. It has to be both. It can’t just be one or the other.

Had you ever participated on a study abroad program or sleep away camp before?
This was my first time studying abroad. I had done a sleep away camp for five years and I did a bike trip last summer, but this program was the most different thing I had ever done.
What prompted you to want to study abroad in France and then choose Abbey Road?
I take French in school and really like it. I also went to France on a family vacation two years ago and I wanted to go back with a group of students my age…I did look at a couple of other programs, but Abbey Road seemed the most legitimate and had the most to offer that I was interested in. 

You participated in Abbey Road’s residential immersion program in Aix-en-Provence.
what made you decide to apply to a residential program rather than a homestay? 

I didn’t choose the [the homestay program] because I wasn’t ready for a home stay. I would like to participate in one eventually, but not quite yet….I saw [other company’s] programs that offered Paris, but I think the city is too big. I thought Aix would be a good fit. It was like a mini Paris, without all the tourists. I thought it was perfect.
Do you think the residential living experience helped prepare you for that upcoming transition?

Yes. It was the first time I had lived with a roommate and the first time I had had to buy things for myself and do my own laundry and be more independent.
How was the location and quality of the residence?
We stayed in really nice apartments. I was with two other people and I shared a room with one of them. My roommate ended up becoming one of my best friends and it was really nice having a kitchen in the room. I thought it was just going to be dorms with a bathroom at the end of the hall, but every room had its own bathroom. Everyone also knew where everybody lived so you could go to your friend’s room and hang out. One of my friends had a balcony in her room so we would go and hang and sit outside. My closest friends and I from the trip still keep in touch! I thought the location of the apartments was perfect. It was only a three-minute walk to the center of town and we were close to anything we would ever need. I felt very safe living there.
Living in the center of the city is one of the best parts of studying abroad, were you able to interact with the people of Aix? What were they like? 

The people [of Aix] definitely knew we weren’t French, but they really were nice and would speak to us in French. [At] the bakery my friends and I went to every morning the lady who owned it got to know us and everyday she would ask us what we were doing and where we were going that day and we would respond to her in French. It was really good practice. I had an overall really good experience with them.
“Academic Summer Program” can mean a lot of different things. In your opinion, what does it mean to say Abbey Road has a structured academic or learning aspect to their programs?
Unlike the other summer programs, you do learn, but not in a school fashion. You are learning and you are having fun and sometimes you don’t even realize you are learning until you are talking about something and realize that you actually know a lot about it. You get so much out of the program, but you don’t spend the whole time in a classroom.
Did your French improve during the course of the program? Did you enjoy working with your Abbey Road instructors? 

Yes, definitely. I am in my fourth year of French at school and I would consider myself pretty proficient. The French program isn’t as strong as the Spanish program at my school, but I can get by all the same. Back home now my listening skills have especially improved. I can understand my French teacher and I know what she is saying and not many kids do. Also, my ability to speak French improved and my grammar got a lot better because of the activities we did in class….I am going to take the SAT II and listening for French; this program I think is really going to help. I thought they [the Abbey Road Instructors] all worked really well together. [Our coordinator] who lived in Marseille, really knew what to do and where to go. The other teachers spoke French really well. All the staff was very helpful and they really helped us improve our French and get around the city. They were all just really nice!
What advice would you give to a future Abbey Road Student?
I would say be open-minded and have fun. Really take advantage of the program and the city while you are there. Definitely use all the time you have to be in France and take advantage of the fact that you are there!

From the first day on the trip I was enchanted by the amazing city that is Barcelona, and I did as much as I would to explore it. Right after we unpacked in our rooms, my roommate and I set out to explore the city and ended up in Las Ramblas, one of the most interesting areas in the city. That was our first, but most definitely not our last excursion out into the city. We made an effort to try and go out into the city every day. On top of our individual explorations we often went out as a group. In the city we went places like the Picasso Museum, PobleEspanyol (an outdoors museum), a Flamenco show, an amusement park called Tibidabo, the famous architect Gaudi’s buildings around the city and much more. In addition to all of this, we went on a weekly day trip to another town. We visited a winery, the Dali museum, a monastery, lots of beaches, as well as many other places. For me, these were some of the highlights of the trip because our group got to see other places than just Barcelona, because although it is a great city there are many other areas with lots to offer as well. All of this, as well as daily classes kept us very busy the whole time we were in Spain. When I decided to go to Spain, my main goal was to improve my Spanish. I can proudly say that I achieved this goal. I am much more sure of myself when I speak Spanish now. When I first arrived in Spain I found it difficult to have conversations in Spanish and I often stumbled. Through my daily Spanish classes and being forced to speak Spanish with anyone out of the group I have been able to learn a lot of Spanish as well as gain confidence. It makes me ecstatic to be able to look back on my time in Spain and know that I accomplished the one thing that I wanted most to do while I was there. 

Making new friends and fully experiencing Spanish culture were also among my many goals when I set out on this adventure, however when I arrived in Spain they became far more important to me that they originally had been. When I met the rest of the group I knew immediately that I would make great friends on the trip. Everyone grew close very quickly and we all started to feel like one big family. This is when I realized how important it was to me to make friends on the trip, because I knew that there were people who I would keep in touch with after it was all over. Also, once I reached Spain I realized how interesting Spanish culture is. This made me want to experience it as much as I could. I was able to do this by dining at traditional restaurants, going to a bullfight, seeing the works of famous Spanish artists and more. None of this would have been possible without Abbey Road. I would never have been able to be a part of this amazing culture in the authentic way that I was if I hadn’t gone on this trip, nor would I have made the amazing friends that I did.

I left Barcelona, a better Spanish speaker and more culturally aware, and I brought with me the names and numbers of many new friends and memories that will last me a lifetime. Going to Barcelona was one of the best decisions that I ever made and I’m so glad that I got to experience this trip. Abbey Road was so much more than a few cliché words. There is no way to fully describe the experience, except for to say that I will remember it forever.

Your trip to Barcelona with Abbey Road was your first study abroad experience, what made you decide you wanted to study abroad? Why Barcelona?

I had been looking into it and talking about it with my family for about a year and we decided that I was old enough to go this year. Also, I’m talking Spanish and learning the language and thought it would be a great opportunity to improve my language skills. I was a bit nervous because I had never been away from home for so long and I was going to be in a different country than my family. I felt really reassured though that it was going to be a good experience. I had a lot of information about the program from the staff and the website. It was more of an excited nervous and not a bad kind of nervous! 

You chose the residential program to interact with and meet new people;
did the living situation help you accomplish this goal?

It was perfect! You had your own space, but you also have a roommate connected by the kitchen. It was really nice if you needed time to be by yourself and work on something or if you wanted to hang out with other kids. Also, I thought the apartment was a lot nicer than I expected. There was air conditioning and it was just really functional which I hadn’t quite expected. I thought the location was really good too. It was in walking distance of a lot the main areas. Or, there was a metro stop really close by if where you wanted to go wasn’t within walking distance. I felt completely safe during my stay. They had a security guard watching the door at all times and they had cameras set up as well.

Over the course of the program you took Spanish Language daily and Digital Photography three times a week, did you enjoy the classes? 

How did they compare to your classes back home?
I loved the [Abbey Road experiential] classroom environment. We got to go out into the city and weren’t stuck in the classroom all day long. I also liked that classroom learning incorporated site seeing. The program wasn’t study, study, study all day long. We got to go out into the city and see the different monuments and sites, which we learned a lot from. Spanish [class] was very different [from my class in school.] It was much more conversational than I was used to which I liked because for me a lot of times I can write well in Spanish and get my ideas out on paper, but then when I have to talk it’s a lot harder. I also liked that we got to go out into the city and do surveys and talk with native speakers. I really enjoyed photography as well because we had specific assignments, but we had a lot of freedom to be creative. I had never taken a photography class before and I thought the class was a good starting point for me. I thought the professors were all really knowledgeable and helpful. 


Did your Spanish improve during the program?

Yes. I definitely think it did. This year in Spanish class I’m already noticing that I’m more confident and am more able to speak up in class. I am more sure of what I’m saying than I have been in previous years. 


Are you glad you chose a program that incorporated daily learning over a purely travel program? What were the benefits for you?

Well there is definitely a lot of learning involved on the program. We had one or two classes’ everyday, which for me made it an academic program and not just a tourist program. I had heard of people who had gone on previous programs [through other companies] where they had just gone to site see and they weren’t there to specifically learn a new language or new skill like photography. You get so much more out of a program like this! Also, outside the classroom we learned so much about the different aspects of Spanish culture that also contribute to making it an academic program. 


You have mentioned the great group dynamic in Barcelona and that you made a lot of new friends. How would you describe a “typical student” on the program?

I thought that most of the students were enthusiastic about going to different sites and seeing new things. I found that everyone on the program was really nice and easy to get along with and fun to hang out with. There were definitely more girls than boys on the trip. I thought there was a good mix. We all hung out together and there wasn’t a separation or anything like that. There wasn’t anyone that I felt like I couldn’t hang out with if I wanted to.


Do you think it’s important for teenagers your age to study abroad? How did this experience impact you? 

I think it’s important to have cultural awareness and to be aware of other cultures and not just what you are used to. I think that studying abroad is the most effective way to gain that kind of awareness and to see how other people live and their values in life. It’s just such a great way to learn about others and yourself. I had an unforgettable experience and I made amazing friends that I’m still in touch with and plan on keeping in touch with them for a long time. It was such an amazing experience and it changed me so much as a person; [it] made me more aware and improved my Spanish. 


What advice would you give to a future Abbey Road student?
I would tell them to take every opportunity that they can. If they have the opportunity to do something cool and interesting to take it and just try to immerse yourself as much as possible. This program is so amazing and it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.

What were your main reasons for wanting to go abroad this summer. What were you looking for?

This was my first time participating in a study abroad program. I had heard about teen tours before, but my mom brought up the study abroad program with Abbey Road to help improve my Spanish. I was going to be taking AP and I wanted to be better prepared for the AP test at the end of the year. I had also never been to Spain before and I wanted to see what it was like. I also wanted the opportunity to meet other students. Living in the residence in Barcelona was similar to college life and I wanted to be able to experience that and get a feel for what college might be like. I wanted to stay with other students and I had heard Barcelona was a great city. 


Did you set any specific goals for yourself prior to your trip to Barcelona?

I had very few goals for myself before the trip. My main goal was to improve my Spanish, since I am taking an AP course this school year. I also wanted to experience the culture, since I had never been to Barcelona before. 


How was it to travel without knowing anyone before hand?

I was actually really nervous because I’m a bit shy when I first meet people. I was scared that other students on the program would already know each other before the trip. In reality a lot of people didn’t know anyone beforehand and we all got really close as the program went on. Most of the students were from the US, but some were from other countries like India and Iceland. I really liked the small group size because we all really got to know each other and could just hangout as a group. I’m actually going to see a few people from the Barcelona program in December! 


How did you like the staff?

I thought the teachers were great! They really encouraged us to speak more Spanish and helped us to understand more. My intermediate teacher didn’t speak any English at all so at first it was hard communicating with her, but eventually it became easier and my Spanish came more naturally. Our counselors were all younger and relatable and really easy to talk to. I thought that they all really worked well together. 


Did your Spanish improve during the program? Have you or anyone else noticed a difference since you’ve been back?

Yes definitely. My Spanish teacher has noticed an improvement in my Spanish. After I came back home, I was standing in line at the store and the woman in front of me was holding a baby and speaking in Spanish and we ended up having a conversation completely in Spanish. I was able to understand her and actually hold a conversation. 


Did you know what “experiential learning” was prior to your trip to Barcelona? How would you describe it?

I had an idea, but I had never experienced it until Abbey Road. I would describe it as not just sitting in a classroom repeating verbs or vocabulary over and over. You don’t stay in a classroom. You actually get out of the classroom and talk to local people and learn Spanish through living in the city and interacting with native Spanish speakers. 


Can you describe the residential life experience?

Living in a residence was very different from home. When I’m home I don’t always have to take out the trash or wash the dishes, but once you’re living in the residence, you have to cook for yourself, buy your own groceries, take out the trash, do your own laundry. You have to be very independent. I really liked that aspect. Every week the counselors gave us money for one trip to the grocery store. You would go to the store with the student that you shared your kitchen with. Together you would buy what food you wanted for the week. We did cooking every other night, which was really fun. Learning to cook new recipes and trying new foods was a completely new experience. My favorite recipe was tortilla, which is an egg, and potato dish that can be used for tapas or as a whole dish. 


Has anything changed about you since you’ve been back?

I’ve been told I have become more adventurous and more spontaneous. 

How valuable was your free time? Were you satisfied with the amount?
I loved the free time. At home I can’t drive and I live far from town and my friends house so my parents usually have to drive me. I really liked how I could walk anywhere in Barcelona and since all the students were good friends, we were always hanging out together. 


Did you like the length of the program?

When I was looking at Abbey Road, four weeks seemed like a long time and when I first got there I was really nervous. It just seemed like a really long time to be living with all these people I didn’t know, but by the end I really wish the program had been longer! 


Overall, did the program live up to your expectations?

Yes it did. I am definitely going to try and go on another study abroad trip during my next summer break or maybe my summer before college. I would definitely go to Spain again. 


What advice would you give to someone going on this program in 2013?
I would tell them to be open with new things and a little bit adventurous. To be friendly with everyone and try all these new things and really try to experience the culture, it will only enhance your experience.

What made you decide to look into study abroad this summer? What drew you to Abbey Road?

I knew I wanted to do something, but I wasn’t sure if I was going to be allowed to study abroad. I spoke about it with my parents and after some thorough research we thought that Abbey Road was perfect for me. They let me go and I’m so happy that I did it! There were five programs that we found, but we felt that Abbey Road would be the best. We didn’t want it to be the typical teen tour. I was going to be a senior in high school and I wanted to get more out of this experience than just what a teen tour would provide. It was really the safety aspect that made us choose Abbey Road. My parents were so happy about that. We also wanted it to be a cultural immersion experience. 


Did the program meet your expectations?

Yes it definitely did. I was expecting a lot from the program, but it went above and beyond my expectations. 


Did location matter? Why Barcelona?
Yes. I have always wanted to go to Barcelona. I love the fact that it’s a bigger city and there are a lot of beaches. I wanted to be somewhere where everyone spoke Spanish. The only downside of Barcelona was that they spoke Catalan, which is their version of Spanish, but everyone knows regular Spanish so it ended up working out just fine. I [also] chose the Barcelona program because I also wanted a pre-college experience over a homestay. For me personally, I was going to be more comfortable living in a residence with other students than living with a family I didn’t know. 


What goals did you set for yourself? How did Abbey Road help you meet each of those goals?

By the end of the program I wanted to be able to have conversations completely Spanish, no Spanglish and I really did accomplish this. I was able to communicate with the locals and the counselors. The Spanish classes that I took were really helpful because they weren’t your typical Spanish classroom classes. The class took your learning into the real world of Spain. We were able to go out and apply what we were learning and I really appreciated that over a regular classroom setting. I also wanted to be able to manage myself as I would in college like budgeting my expenses. I wanted to be able to provide for myself. 


How was the residential immersion aspect of the program?

The residence was perfect for what we were dealing with. The kitchen was really nice. There was even a bathroom in my room! I really appreciated having my own space and that’s another reason I chose this program. I’ve never lived in a dorm before, but when I showed my parents where I was living they told me it was the nicest dorm I would ever get to experience so I felt lucky. The location was good. It was close to two metro stations and there was a taxi station just down the road. I really liked the food! I ended up having a really big appreciation for Spanish food by the end of the program. I’m not a seafood person and by the end of the program, I ended up loving seafood. I think the staff took us to the right places to have lunch and dinner. When we had to find food for ourselves we were able to very easily. I also like how we got to cook for ourselves. I learned how to cook authentic Spanish cuisine. 


How would you describe the average student on the program?
The students on my program were all very intelligent. A lot of the [rising] seniors, we would talk about where we wanted to go to school and what we wanted to study. Everybody was really motivated and just above and beyond what you would expect for the average student. We all taught each other new things. We studied together and learned new study habits. Everyone was just really smart. 


Which elective class did you take? Did you have a favorite class activity?

My elective was photography. I had purchased a big digital Nikon camera a few years ago and I didn’t really know how to use it. My photography instructor Sarah ended up having the same exact camera. She taught me how to take wonderful pictures and I learned a lot in that class. One of my favorite activities in class was when we went to the market in Las Ramblas. We had to buy certain foods off a list we had been given for lunch that day. We had to communicate with people at the market. 


Have you or anyone else noticed an improvement in your Spanish?

My Spanish has definitely improved. I had been taking Spanish for so long and when I first got there I thought I knew a lot and that I would be able to communicate. However, I found it to be really difficult at first. To be able to find the right words in my head and be able to match them from English to Spanish, but by the end of the program it became almost effortless. I knew what to say and how to say it and I was able to read the menus and speak to waiters and people in the metro station. I was pretty much almost fluent in the language by the time I was done. There was a month in between the end of the program and the start of school and I didn’t really speak any Spanish. I thought it was going to be hard to go back to speaking Spanish, but as soon as I walked in to my classroom and my teacher was only speaking in Spanish, I understood everything she was saying. All of my friends were so impressed and really it’s because of the four weeks I spent in Barcelona. 


How did you like the staff? How do the instructors compare to those you’ve learned from in the past?

I loved all the staff on my program. They were all so nice and they liked to have fun with us and be safe. They taught us a lot and I really appreciated that. They were all wonderful. I think my instructors are obviously a little different than the instructors I have back home. They really took our learning outside the classroom and into the real world of Barcelona where I learned show much more compared to traditional teaching methods. 


Do you think it’s important for students your age to study abroad?

Yes I think it’s very important. I had never been to Europe before and it’s so different from the United States. I think it’s important to be educated about the rest of the world from first hand experience. It’s so important to know not only where you are from, but the rest of the world as well. 


Has anything about this experienced changed you?
I matured a lot when I was away for the four weeks. I was by myself. I learned how to make new friends and in fact I still talk with my friends from Barcelona every single day. I think that’s so neat that didn’t know anyone and I came home with twenty new really good friends. I grew up. I didn’t know anyone; I didn’t know how to use the currency. By the end of the program I really learned a lot about how to manage for myself, meet new people and be more confident. 


Did you have any major fears before the program? 

I think a major fear was the language barrier. It was hard for me to speak at first. Also the currency was a little scary. I have never been used to anything but the dollar bill. 


Does group size matter? How would the experience been affected if the program was double the size?

The size [25] was a great thing about the Abbey Road program. I think it was manageable and we all really got to know each other. In a bigger group I don’t think we would have been able to bond as well as we did. 


Do you have a favorite memory from the trip?

Montserrat. It was beautiful. The whole environment, being able to see the older parts of Barcelona and the markets. They had cheeses, candies and cured meats with this beautiful mountain in the background. It was really at that point that I realized how lucky I was to be there and be a part of this program. 


What advice would you give to someone going on the program in 2013?

I would tell them to be open-minded and not expect anything and just be surprised when you get there. If possible speak to some of the other kids going on the program before hand. I didn’t know any one and some of the students had talked before hand and I think had I done that it would have made the first few days more comfortable.

You went on the Western Civilization program through Abbey Road in 2010, what made you decide to travel abroad a second time with Abbey Road? 

It is just such an incredible program! I have heard of other students my age participating in different programs and I felt they didn’t get the same experience that I did [with Abbey Road.] The first year ÉI had never gone away from home before, but they made me love it. I knew I wanted to travel again because I had such a great experience with Abbey Road. I love the freedom that Abbey Road gives you and I knew that this was the program that I wanted to do for a second year in a row. The [Abbey Road] staff is also great. They know exactly what they are doing every day. This past summer, [before] I went on the Barcelona program I received an excel sheet of our schedule planned out with what activities we would be doing about twenty days before I even left home! 


Initially you were interested in participation on another traveling program through Abbey Road, what made you decide to sign up for the residential program in Barcelona?

Well, I take Spanish in school and I have been taking it for five years and I wanted to experience the Spanish culture. I have heard that Barcelona is an amazing city. When I went on Western Civ. there were about 25 students on the program and I thought that was the perfect number because I was able to bond with everyone and I still talk with them. I chose the Barcelona program because even though there were more students and you stayed in one city it, seemed to match up with Western Civ. the most. Looking back, I had just as good of an experience in Barcelona as I did on Western Civ., if not better. 


In Barcelona you lived in a student residence. How were the accommodations?

I was beyond happy with it [the residence]. There was full ac/heater. I had a room with a desk, my own bathroom and shower. There was a sliding door that led to the kitchen with a full sink and table and then another sliding door that led to my roommate’s room. It was way nicer than I was expecting. There was a pool on our roof and there was also a technology room. The set up was beyond incredible! 


You were one of the few students who did not take Spanish Language as your daily major. What classes did you take? 

I took digital photography [as my daily major] because I love photography and thought Barcelona would be an amazing place to take photos. I also took [Art History and] Architecture because Barcelona is world renowned for its architecture. 


By now you are an expert student of the Abbey Road Experiential Learning Method, what did you enjoy most about this learning style the instructors use?

The classes were incredible. We would wake up at a reasonable time and during photography instead of staying in the classroom the whole time and talking about the lens and the photo process, our teacher would take just a few minutes to tell us what she was expecting us to do that day and what we should be looking for and then send us out into the city. She would always encourage us if we saw something that wasn’t exactly what was assigned that day to still just go for it. Then we would meet back up a couple hours later and upload our photos and start the editing process, which was also really fun. The freedom that she gave us allowed us to be more creative, we were rarely in the classroom. Also, with architecture instead of learning about the place before we went there, our instructor would tell us where we were going and we would learn about it onsite as we were looking at it or even while we were taking a tour inside. The amount of time we put into the classes was the perfect. The classes put us more into the culture and we could explore more. I have never taken a photography class before. I take a lot of photos at home, but the teacher was really able to show me that you can have fun while learning. [She] showed me she really had a passion for learning and teaching which I had never really experienced in my classes back home. It made me want to learn more. 


So, I guess it is safe to say that you liked the Abbey Road staff? 

Yes, they were incredible and all of them were so knowledgeable about what they were teaching. They knew about the architecture, the history, and the culture. They didn’t take us to American touristy places, but to little shops and local restaurants and instead of getting the main things on the menu they would order us different things that we wouldn’t necessarily try on our own. Also, my photography teacher knew everything there was to know about photography. 


Even though you didn’t take Spanish, did your Spanish improve? 

Yes. I wasn’t that confident speaking Spanish the first week or so, but even if you don’t want to speak it you are forced into learning and without even knowing, you become near fluent in a month. I wasn’t even taking Spanish, but just by being there and going into the local cafes and beaches and asking people for directions and questions and just forcing yourself to learn with a bunch of people that want to learn too. The other students on the program who were fluent in Spanish really helped too. I could ask them how to conjugate certain verbs or how to ask someone a certain question; they were always willing to help. The local vendors were also really nice and willing to talk with you. They loved American tourists. I never had a bad interaction with any of the locals. Even if you bumped into someone on the street, they were really nice about it. 


How did the staff handle organization and the daily schedule? What about student “free time”?

I thought it [the program] was incredibly organized. The staff always knew what they were doing. There was never a time when they were wondering what our next activity should be, it was always planned. The staff had incredible communication. They were also always happy and really positive. They just had really good attitudes. The amount of free time differed from day to day depending on how many classes we had. We had plenty of time to rest, shop and explore. The days where we had almost no free time were some of the best days I had! I think our guides did a really good job of allowing us to have a lot of free time. They also asked for our advice and feedback. They would ask us how we thought the program was going and how they were doing and about what we wanted. They weren’t just set on one plan. They really wanted our input. 


Do you have a favorite memory from the trip?

Yes I do. It was the last week of the program and we were all by the beach and someone on our trip had been researching bullfights. There was actually no plan to go to a bullfight during the program. We started talking about it and we asked one of our counselors if we could go and we ended up going later that day. There were 13 of us that went and just by asking, the staff found one that was close by and got the tickets. Just being at an actual bullfight, in Spain, is a memory I will have forever. 


What advice would you give to a future Abbey Road Student?

Definitely be open to try all new things. Also, don’t be scared to ask a stranger for directions or try the duck at a random hole in the wall restaurant (it ended up being the best food I had ever had)!

Looking back, it feels fleeting – like it never happened. At first, I thought this was a little disturbing because, after all, it did happen. But eventually I came to terms with this because now I can always remember Spain as something beautiful. Almost from the start, I knew Abbey Road was a good choice. As early as the airport we saw several other group programs that were panicking and herding their kids, but Abbey Road kept us all together while allowing us enough freedom to explore on our own. Throughout the program, they continually gave us options on how to spend our time. Even though we were allowed to freely roam Old Cadiz, I never once felt unsafe; the city is perfect for foreigners trying to get a feel for Spanish life without the threat of theft or other annoyances. For the most part, we were treated as adults, and it was much appreciated. I enjoyed my Spanish language class much more than I thought I would. Going into the program, I thought of the class as something I would simply have to put up with in exchange for my time in Spain. But from the very first class, I was impressed by how fun and interactive it was. Our teacher Raquel spoke clearly about interesting topics and got us involved in the everyday life of Cadiz. Our daily trips to the market or La Caleta or other various parts of town were both educational and enjoyable. It’s a lot easier waking up for school in the morning when you know you have that to look forward to.

My home stay family was wonderful. They were the cutest couple and the mother was so talkative, so it was easy to pick up Spanish from her. They were welcoming, trusting, and respectful of our boundaries. They would show us around town and introduced us to their family and friends, all of whom were just as open as our family. If anything was disappointing about my home-stay experience, it would be that I didn’t get more time with them.

But by far, the best thing about Spain was the people. From the staff to the Spaniards to the friends I made, everyone was unforgettable. The staff, especially the assistants, were so down to earth and fun on an individual level. They would give us tips on everything from where to get the best food to where to find the best local hangouts. The Spaniards themselves were often very understanding of our sometimes lacking Spanish. Despite communication barriers, most people were receptive to our questions and tried to help us understand Andalusian culture. My favorite people were all my friends on the trip. It’s amazing how you can know someone for two weeks and be so close. By the end of the trip, everyone had become a sort of family away from home. The hardest part about leaving Spain was most definitely leaving the people.

Even though I’m back to everyday life again, I can still look back fondly on my Spanish dream. When I got home, someone asked me if I would do the trip again. I said “yes” without hesitation.

When I got to JFK, I was greeted by staff members that were nothing but excited to get on the plane and go to Spain! I knew that I was in the right hands. I stayed with a Spanish family, which might have been one of the most cultural experiences of my life. Our Señora was hospitable, welcoming and made sure that we not only tried every type of Spanish food under the Andalusian sun, but also made enough to feed all of Cadiz. Each morning, we would wake up and go to our morning Spanish class, where we learned how to speak proper grammatical Spanish as well as conversational and colloquial Spanish. During the afternoon, we had time on our own to hit up the beach, (which was a two minute walk from our house), eat lunch with our families and then maybe enjoy a coffee and croissant in a Spanish café with a group of friends. On the days that we didn’t have our electives (where I learned how to take and edit pictures,) we would spend our late afternoons doing a local activity with the group, like going to the top of the church tower to see a great panoramic view of Cadiz, or learning how to cook like a Spaniard in an authentic Spanish restaurant. Whatever the activities were, we always had the option of signing up for a variety of options each morning, so that if one option does not interest you, the other one most likely will. At night after eating enough delicious Spanish food with our family, we had a decent amount of time on our own where we would go improve our Spanish listening skills by going to the movies, eating ice cream in a square with friends or going to a local tea house where you can sit in a lounge like environment drinking an assortment of local and imported teas. 

This summer with Abbey Road was like no other. I met friends that I still continue to talk to and visit, I experienced a different culture in first person, I tasted delicious foods I had never even heard of and the best thing was that unfortunately no one else can experience, I witnessed Spain winning the world cup on live screens and watched as every single Spaniard celebrated their victory for weeks after. I was even on local Spanish television, three times! This summer was an amazing experience that I will never forget and I have Abbey Road to thank for that!

All of the other kids were extremely welcoming and they were all so interesting. I quickly forgot about my nervous parents standing behind me waiting for me to say goodbye; luckily the Abbey Road staff was extremely comforting to my anxious parents. Once we headed for the plane I knew I was about to have one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had.As soon as my exhausted traveler’s feet touched the ground of Cadiz, I fell in love. I say this like this is a rare occurrence, but it’s not; everyone falls in love with Cadiz! Who doesn’t want to live in such a historic, quaint, cultural town on the beautiful coast of Spain? Our next challenge or shall I say little fear was our homestay family. While my roommate and I waited anxiously amongst all of the other kids to receive our homestay family we were convinced that this would play a pivotal factor in our time here and, determine whether it would be a good or bad experience, so we were hoping for a welcoming family. As the trip went on we found out that every family was extremely welcoming and loving because it’s Cadiz and everyone here is extremely hospitable; it sure was not New York anymore! Once my roommate and I gave besos (kisses which is their customary greeting in Spain) to our homestay family we knew that we were at home. My experience with my homestay family was like no other. I absolutely fell in love with them! It was my second home away from home! There were two kids around our age in the family and they welcomed us with open arms. They showed us around Cadiz and gave us a taste of their teen life in this majestic city. The parents were extremely interesting and acted like our real mother and father. We had in depth conversations about the government, religion, culture, and even pop news with them. As a whole we also had conversations where we were all laughing so hard that we could not breathe. I always found this to be unbelievable because even though my roommate and I were not fluent in their language we were able to communicate with them and fully understand them. My fluency level in Spanish rose greatly because of the conversations with my homestay family; they were the ultimate teachers. Since I’ve been home I Skype with them at least once a week and my roommate and I are planning on visiting next summer! 

Not only did I have a great experience with the homestay aspects of the trip, I had an amazing experience with the Abbey Road group as well! I made such unbelievable friends on this trip and I talk to them everyday since I have been home. There were so many interesting and intuitive kids on the program that even talking for hours would never become boring. I loved meeting kids from all over the United States and learning about their lives in comparison to mine. Not only were the kids great, the staff was as well! They always kept a super close eye on us to make sure we were safe, but at the same time they gave us the right amount of freedom to let us show our independence as young adults. I always felt safe and comfortable. The staff didn’t just provide us with information and safety; we also had fun with them! I had great conversations with some of the staff members that I enjoyed a lot and I will never forget. Also, when we went on our excursions to other cities such as Conil and Arcos de la Frontera, we had fun with them on the beach, eating churros and gelato, and shopping. 

Additionally, in the classroom they were great teachers! I loved my Spanish class and my elective class (digital photography). The teachers were extremely helpful and I learned so much! I especially loved the learning environment. Instead of sitting in a hot stuffy classroom for hours, our teachers would have us experience Cadiz by having us go around La Plaza de Catedral and ask local Spaniards questions about their country or have us utilize our novel store vocabulary by buying a magazine in a local shop. Abbey Road also provided us with a myriad of fun activities everyday whether it be free time to walk around Playa Victoria, see a movie in Spanish, have some Chai tea at the local teteria (Arab tea house), or have the chance to experience a panoramic view of Cadiz from the top of the Cathedral. No matter what, there was always something for us to do! There was never a dull moment. Even if Abbey Road had scheduled beach time and you did not want to bake in the sun for hours, you had the chance to go to a local café with some Abbey Road staff members and have culture and conversation in the native language.

Abbey Road did a great job with making sure that we were all fully immersed in the Spanish culture and language that fills the breath-taking city of Cadiz. There were always fun cultural activities set up for us, but there was also a fair amount of free time to go to the beach with our friends or grab a gelato on those hot Cadiz days! Abbey Road made me feel extremely comfortable in this foreign city and I could not have asked for better staff, friends, or a homestay. I absolutely loved everyone that I met on my trip and I wouldn’t trade my amazing experience in Cadiz for the world!

What drew you to the Cadiz Homestay program? What were you looking for? 

I wanted to really soak up the culture of Spain, so I believed that actually living in Spain and with a homestay family was the best option. I also wanted to meet other kids and Abbey Road was a great tool in helping me achieve that. I [also] really wanted to immerse myself in another culture and truly learn about their different way of life. By going on Abbey Road I did just that. I had a few expectations going into [the program], but by the end… they were completely exceeded. I loved my homestay and am actually planning on visiting them next summer with my roommate from Abbey Road! I also left the program with amazing friends that I talk to almost everyday. 


What was the most unexpected thing you enjoyed about the Cadiz program? Did it live up to your expectations?

I really enjoyed the housing. I heard that Cadiz was hot and the houses very small, but I went with an open mind. The house I lived in was adorable and there were nights that we were freezing if the windows were left open. I told my mom that I would love to do another Abbey Road Program next summer. Before the summer, I was so immersed in my school year that I couldn’t wait for school to be over. When I got to Spain, I fell in love immediately with my roommate, my host family, and the other kids on the program, and of course Cadiz. …I loved every aspect of the program. 


Tell me something you know now after doing this program, about the Spanish Culture, the city of Cadiz or the people of Cadiz that the typical traveler would not know.

Everyone in Cadiz is extremely friendly. Anyone would be pleased to answer your questions or open a door for you. They are a very hospitable people and are extremely affectionate. Their customary greeting involves two besos (kisses) on your cheeks; far different from our American handshake. The people native to Spain are also very liberal and do not get so stressed as easily. They do not work as much and have breaks in the middle of every workday called siesta. They do no make as much money, however they are content with their lives and are very happy.


Who would you say is the “typical” teenager on this program? 

The teens in Cadiz were all people I could be friends with. There was such a wide variety. Everyone had something interesting about them and we all wanted to learn and explore the city of Cadiz. They were good people. We were all different and yet we were all the same. 


How valuable was your free time? How did your time management change from the first week to the end of the program? 

I loved my free time! We would go to the beach during siesta even if it was just for 1 or 2 hours. We would get paella and go shopping or we would stay home with our host families and talk. In the beginning my roommate and I went home during siesta and spent a lot of time resting and talking with our homestay family. As we got closer to the end of our trip we wanted to explore the city more and do as much as we could before out time was up in Cadiz. 


How was it as a teenager to travel with professional teachers/instructors? Were they personable? 

The staff was really nice and so much fun. They had their rules, but they gave us free time and reminded us to be cautious. One of my favorite places was the Teteria (Arab tea house) where we would go and have tea and great conversation with our teachers and friends. They were all so great and were able to explain and answer any questions that we had involving the Spanish culture. We were all able to connect with them on a friendship level as well as a teacher-student relationship. 


Describe your Spanish class. How was it different than or similar to studying in school?

The Spanish class in Cadiz was unlike no other Spanish class that I have ever taken. In my Spanish class in New Jersey we learned about the history of Spanish cultures and the geography of the countries. I was not so intrigued in this course because I wanted to learn information that was applicable to my everyday colloquial Spanish. However, in Spain we learned vocabulary that benefited us for a normal day in Cadiz. We also learned about the culture, however we were not sitting in a hot, stuffy classroom learning from textbooks. When we talked about culture and vocabulary, we would actually venture into the streets of Cadiz and speak with the local Spaniards about their everyday lives. The rest of class would be held outside on the Cathedral steps. It was a great learning environment and everyone was extremely intrigued because we did not feel forced to be there. 


What was your elective class?

My elective was Digital Photography and it was great. We went to plazas and photographed flowers and people where we utilized the many techniques that we just learned. Most students in the class had the big professional Nikon cameras while three other students and I had small canon point and shoots. Of course our cameras were not able to perform as many functions as the professional cameras, however our teacher made us feel very welcomed and took time to teach us the different aspects of our particular cameras. I got a great feel for photography. 


Did anything change significantly about you during the month in Cadiz?

Boy did I change. At first, when I came home, I was speaking in Spanish and thinking in Spanish. I know my Spanish is a lot stronger now because I had to speak Spanish to my homestay family and I did most of the talking because my roommate was shy. I also feel that I became more independent. I never traveled without my parents to a foreign country. I had butterflies before I left and once I got to Spain I wanted to stay there forever. My host family provided me with a whole different view of the culture. I feel like Cadiz is my second home. 


Do you feel the program met your expectations? Would you participate on another Abbey Road program or recommend it to a friend?

I loved every aspect of the program. I told my mom that I would love to do another Abbey Road Program next summer. Before the summer, I was so immersed in my school year that I couldn’t wait for school to be over. When I got to Spain, I fell in love immediately with my roommate, my host family, and the other kids on the program, and of course Cadiz. Yes, I would recommend this program. 


What advice would you give to someone about to participate in this program?

I would tell kids to go with an open mind and do not go with a friend or family member. This experience is about finding yourself and becoming independent. If you have a security blanket such as a friend or sibling you won’t test yourself as much and you won’t learn as much about yourself and the culture. It is your time to go and make your own friends and your own experiences.

Thanks to the Abbey Road staff and my homestay family, I came back to my American family not as a demure sponge, dictionary, or thesaurus, but as a more independent, intelligent, and interesting explorer, friend, roommate, daughter, swimmer, student, sister, and person. The Abbey Road staff members were a central part of my experience in Cádiz. Each of the staff members was unique and brought something special to the group, so as a whole the staff was dynamic and diverse. I probably came to know Staci, the program director, the most. She exemplified the staff’s great balance between being understanding, sweet, and fun, yet strict enough to keep us safe. I was surprised overall by how flexible the Abbey Road staff was and by how much they listened to us. They were constantly looking for feedback and traveling around with the suggestions box to find out what we were looking for in our trip, and once they knew, they strove to accommodate us. The teachers of my morning and afternoon classes showed me a ton about the Spanish language as well as the Spanish culture. Both classes were different from normal classes at school because they were experiential. We spent about half the class time in a room at the school, and then we left to explore Cádiz and apply what we had learned. Our teachers instructed us ask the people of Cádiz questions ranging from what they liked to eat to what they thought of tourists. If we had merely sat in a classroom for three hours a day memorizing vocabulary and doing grammar exercises, I do not think I would have learned nearly as much. 

Most nights and weekday afternoons we had group activities. We always had choices when we signed up, from baking desserts with Aitor to sports on the beach with James, to literature workshops with Gema. The variety of activities, workshops, and optional classes was incredible. Every Saturday we took a bus to a different town close to Cádiz. My personal favorites were Ronda and Los Toruños. In Ronda there were stunning views, trails for descending, and even a waterfall. And at Los Toruños we relaxed at the beach, went on a bike tour, and kayaked. 

But even more than the staff, classes, and excursions, my personal favorite part of my trip to Spain was my homestay family. We ate together every day, went to the beach together, and watched Encantada (Enchanted) as a family. For me there was a special kind of security in knowing that every day when I came home from my morning class Carmen, my host mother, would wave her green fan and comment on how hot it was all the time in Cádiz. She and Chano, my host father, would make a delicious lunch and Juanjo, my host brother, would complain about having to share his laptop with his two annoying sisters whom he loved anyway. 

There are a lot of things I miss about Cádiz. I miss the bells of the old cathedral that ring at 15-minute intervals, having ice cream pretty much every day (sometimes twice), and trudging up four flights of stairs to get home. I miss obsessing over where the keys that my roommate and I shared were, and I miss the custom of giving people air kisses when you meet them and when you say goodbye. But I know that I will visit and experience these things again someday. And when I do, I will think of Abbey Road and its fantastic staff, dinner stipends, and enforced curfews. I am more than grateful for my once in a lifetime experience in Cádiz with Abbey Road.

They always sought the opinions of the students to be sure that we had received the chance to attend any cultural events that we had hoped to witness during the program. My host family was very warm and immediately treated my roommate and I as if we were their children. Excursions really topped of the experience because those day trips that we ventured on during weekends allowed us to see cities near Cadiz, and the short trips gave us a better understanding of the region that the Abbey Road staff had taught us about during weekday classes. The staff members that embarked on the journey through Cadiz with us were extremely responsible yet friendly and talkative! [Our Program Directors,] Staci and Jose were always sure to explain what each day had in store for us at the daily morning meetings. They also encouraged us to submit suggestions to the staff so we could make the most of our time in Cadiz. Whenever there were local cultural events, the staff told us where they would take place and gave us the freedom to decide if we wanted to take advantage of the cultural experiences that Spain offered. Class was great. Our teachers taught us about the history of the places that we visited and gave us the chance to converse with locals, in Spanish of course. I think that was one of the most effective and valuable parts of the system in which Abbey Road improved our Spanish proficiency.

Besides simply conversing with the locals, Abbey Road travelers got a chance to totally immerse themselves in a different culture through evening activities conducted by the staff members. My favorite activities were a bullfight in San Fernando and a flamenco performance at a restaurant called La Cava. These activities awed my friends and I, and they brought us to respect traditions of different countries. On other nights, the staff offered more casual evening activities that allowed for the Abbey Road kids to bond with each other, such as playing soccer on a nearby beach or dining at delicious restaurants with the Abbey Road group which exposed us to traditional Spanish meals, besides the ones we had tried at our homestays. 

Our host families were carefully selected and made us feel at home even though we were far from our friends and families. Staying with a Spanish family was an amazing experience because it truly improved my Spanish as I communicated with my host parents, and it gave me a chance to understand Spanish customs. My roommate and I ate the majority of our meals with our host mom which was nice because we could share the events of our day with our host mother, as we would to an actual parent, and we could ask our host mom for advice about how to take advantage of our time in Cadiz and what we could do at the towns we went on excursions to visit.

Excursions were educational, and they kept our stay new and interesting by letting us discover cities in Spain aside from Cadiz. One of my favorite day trips was a visit to Los Torunos, a national park in which we all relaxed at the beach, kayaked, and biked. Another really wonderful excursion took us to Gibraltar, an English territory with many shops and little restaurants. At Gibraltar, we hiked up the world famous rock and even got to interact with the monkeys. My trip to Cadiz through the Abbey Road program was unbelievable. By living with a host family while being taught by knowledgeable instructors, I was able to become a more confident Spanish speaker. Highlights of my trip included evening activities and excursions with the whole group. Abbey Road opened my eyes to Spanish culture and led me to obtain a better understanding about traditions and language that I could not have received through sitting in a classroom in America.

If my family knew English, they did not reveal that and my roommate and I only spoke Spanish with them. This forced us to push the boundaries of our Spanish and my listening and speaking skills improved immensely because of the conversations and interactions with my host family. I enjoyed living in an authentic Spanish home and seeing the similarities and differences between my home in the United States and my host family’s home in Cádiz. We really got to know our family well and it was sad to say good-bye to them at the end of our trip. They cooked and ate meals with us, talked with us about our days, and opened up themselves and their home to us. The homestay experience not only improved my Spanish, specifically my conversational skills, but also provided another great opportunity to learn about the Spanish culture and people. Cádiz was the absolute perfect place to have this program. It is relatively small, so it is easy to find your way around and feel right at home, but the city is also quite interesting and offers a multitude of things to do. I felt comfortable in Cádiz very quickly and could find my way around easily. Furthermore, it is absolutely gorgeous and situated right on the water, offering many beautiful beaches.

It’s amazing that we were able to go to school in such an idyllic city, but the classes were engaging and the teachers made use of the wonderful city around us. Each day, in addition to normal classroom exercises, our teachers sent us out in Cádiz for various cultural and language activities. I really liked this because the city is an amazing resource and it was both helpful and fun to go out into the city for classroom exercises. I would recommend Abbey Road’s program in Cádiz to anyone who is learning Spanish and interested in going abroad. One of the best parts of the program is the great balance between free time and planned activities or excursions. There were many great planned program activities- including excursions to the cities Ronda and Gibraltar- but, for students who preferred to explore the city on their own, there were many opportunities for free time. Having several options was great and allowed students to do what they wanted to do and make decisions for themselves. In summary, my experience in Spain this summer was overwhelmingly positive and I am so happy that I decided to travel and stay in Cádiz.

They kept a good balance between being fun people to hang out with and being authority figures. They related to each of the students in the group while making sure we were all safe and doing what we were meant to be doing. The staff also did a nice job making sure we got the most out of our Spanish classes. The teachers were all exceptionally knowledgeable and willing to help, and they structured their classes so that our learning experience was enhanced through both a traditional classroom setting as well as opportunities to venture outside to practice our Spanish with the locals. For instance, we would be given a list of idiomatic expressions in Spanish and then go out in the street and ask the locals to explain the meanings to us. Or we would learn about the design of a traditional cathedral and then walk 50 feet outside to take a tour of an actual cathedral. Having so many resources at our disposal in Cadiz certainly made my learning experience one-of-a-kind and very memorable.

Abbey Road provided us with plenty of afternoon and evening activities to allow us to bond as a group and take advantage of everything Cadiz has to offer. Each Sunday as a group went to the beach to relax, hang out, and just enjoy the day. There was also the option of going to the beach at night to play fútbol and listen to some of the staff and students play the guitar. Students could also go to the movies, free open-air concerts, and Spanish workshops, just to name a few of the many activities we were offered. My personal favorite was the TeteríaÁrabe (tetería meaning “tea room”), which was unlike any other place I’ve ever been. Not only did it have the most amazing tea and outstanding crepes, but also the atmosphere of the place was so calming and comforting. It was a great place to relax at night with some friends and enjoy a nice pot of Pakistani tea. Every Saturday morning the group boarded a bus to go on a weekend excursion. The places we went were usually no more than an hour away and always well worth the bus ride over. We visited Conil and Arcos de la Frontera, which were both white cities, Ronda, a beautiful city in the hills, Gibraltar, which was a breath of fresh air for us English-speakers, and Los Toruños, a national park with a beach, a bike path, and a river for kayaking. Our weekend excursions were a nice way to get a taste of other surrounding Spanish towns and to spend time as a group.

One of the most important things to me when I was considering summer study abroad programs was that I would be living with a homestay family. I believed that a homestay program would be the most rewarding option as far as my Spanish conversational skills go. What I was not necessarily expecting, however, was to form such a strong bond with complete strangers over the course of a month. I still obviously practiced and learned a lot of Spanish, but much more importantly I made lasting connections, and that is what made my time spent in Spain so incredibly special. While I may over time forget some of the Spanish I learned, I will never forget the people I met and the time we spent together in a place that, in four short weeks, became my home.

Initially you were considering a study abroad/volunteering program in Latin America, what made you decide to travel to Spain with Abbey Road instead?

Initially I looked at the program [program name removed] because this was about Volunteering in Latin America. But I was attracted to Abbey Road’s program in Cadiz because of its safety and security. I [wanted] a program where I could increase my ability to speak Spanish and understand the Spanish family life. I was also looking forward to making new friends and meeting new people on the program. 


Who would you say is the “typical” teenager on this program?

I think the typical teenager that traveled on this program is dedicated and hard working. Everyone seemed to be focused in class even when there were outside distractions. We all wanted to have fun after class. Everyone was very easy to get along with! 


What surprised you the most about your new friends?
I was so surprised how quickly we became very good friends. Since I never went to sleep away camp, I was worried about that, but by the end of the program it was so hard to say goodbye. I tried my best not to cry at JFK [airport]. 


You mentioned that your main goal was to improve your Spanish. How did the daily Spanish class help you improve? 

The first part of the morning Spanish class was comparable to my Spanish class in Tucson. The second half of the class, however, was really unique. We would go outside and see the sights of what we had just learned about in class and we would speak to the locals. We really took advantage of being in the city. [In the afternoons] I had Spanish Conversation and Culture where I learned so much about Cadiz’s traditions. I learned about the Latin Church and we visited the cathedral. The class was conducted all in Spanish. We would ask locals questions. Even if I used strange vocabulary words in my conversations with the locals, they were always patient and willing to help. 


Did anything change significantly about you during the month in Cadiz?
Yes, I changed. I have a greater appreciation for the Spanish culture and my own culture. I have more confidence in myself as a learner and I am more adventurous now than I ever thought possible. I feel I can travel with no problem now. In my Spanish Class at school, my teacher has noticed that I speak Spanish with more confidence and I have retained the accent from Cadiz. I am going to college next year and my main interests are Spanish, other languages and Biology. I definitely want to study for a semester abroad and that is due to my month in Cadiz. 


Tell me something you know now after doing this program, about the Spanish Culture, City of Cadiz or people of Cadiz that the typical traveler would not know. 

I now know about the people of Cadiz and their accent. They take out the “S” altogether and they don’t pronounce the letter “D”. Like if you say the word: helado (ice cream), they will pronounce it: helaō. Another thing is that everything in Cadiz starts so late. Dinner is late and curfew is at a later time. Even little kids run around the city at midnight!

At home, I always felt at ease. My family was very religious. Pepe told me, “El Domingo tienenque verse guapapara la procession.” Señora Angeles was walking in the procession with a mantilla. I freshened up, after an excursion to Los Torruños and left for the procession with Pepe. Streets filled up with faithful spectators. All the Gaditanos, people from Cadiz, were in awe, gazing at the virgin. I saw señora Angeles brimming in pride. Pepe waved at her and she did the unthinkable, señora Angeles walked out of the line! She gave me a hug and told her friends, “Mira estaes mi hija,” “look, this is my daughter.” In that instant, I knew I was part of their family. Like religion, bullfights are an important part of Spanish culture. The idea of killing a bull seemed inhumane and silly. When we went, families were fanning themselves shouting for their favorite torero. A loud baseball stadium is the only thing I can compare the atmosphere to. The beaches in Cadiz are incredible. Never have I lived so near to a beach in my life! My friends and I loved running to Playa Victoria after a long day. We would sit on the boardwalk and let the wind cool us off; I understand now why so many people jog along the beach. A band played occasionally played jazz on the boardwalk. Until then, I had not noticed how beautifully endless the ocean is. Yoga on the beach was a personal favorite. The sounds of the waves really help you concentrate. Once, the sun was just setting and I was smiling on the inside. Beaches are incredibly relaxing. 

Carnivals are another staple of Cadiz. I luckily had a sample of the carnival spirit. Surrounding the cathedral, tractors carried groups of people singing spoof songs. Groups gathered in street corners sharing their take in politics, of course through song. One group, or cumple as they call them, was making fun of the beauty pageant process. They sang in pasty suits and flashy makeup. El jurado de las misses, their name, motioned us to dance with them. One of the songs, Spanglish, was even dedicated to my friends and me. At the end of their performance, they gave us a book with all their songs. The next day they recognized us and called us over again. Spaniards are just remarkably friendly. 

Cadiz is undoubtedly gorgeous. My sense of adventure and curiosity has matured after this trip. My month in Cadiz helped my Spanish tremendously, but more than that gave me a feel of the world. These memories make up a greater trip, something you cannot understand until you go. I am ready to see what else is out there now.

You have been studying Spanish for a number of years, what made you decide that you wanted to go abroad this summer?

Well, I have been outside the country before but I had never “studied abroad.” I loved the idea of living in another country and having the experience to see and live inside another culture for a period of time and then be able to come back and compare both of those experiences to how I live. I was looking at [program name removed] for a little bit and I also looked at [program name removed] and doing an actual year abroad, but I felt like Abbey Road had everything I was looking for in a program. The amount of time was long enough to be able to see and be part of another country and still be able to enjoy my summer. Also, the curriculum seemed really appealing versus some of the other programs I was looking at. I picked Cádiz specifically because I needed a homestay. 


What kind of green/community service activities are you involved in that qualified you to apply to the Green Ticket Community Service Scholarship?

Well right now I am at boarding school. I just started my junior year. I go to the White Mountain school and every year we have orientation trips where we go off and we do things like rafting, climbing, rock climbing and this year we are going backpacking and we live in the mountains. The trips are always based on just living in the environment and being really conscious about it. One of the things I was doing last year I was part of the Citizens of the world team. We brought awareness to other students and the outside community about events that are going on in the world which isn’t necessarily environmental, but it has a lot to do with the way we are taking care of our home, people and where we live. Also, this year I am part of the sustainability club. Just being environmentally conscious and helping people has been a big part of my high school experience. Last year, I also went to Bioneers by the Bay, a weekend convention in New Bedford, MA where the talked about the environment. Greg Mortenson actually came and spoke at the conventions last year about how important and necessary these changes for the environment are. 


What do think students should do to provide themselves with opportunities like this?

I think they should be very aware. There are a bunch of opportunities out there already and it’s a matter of taking time out of your schedule to go looking for them. Also, not being afraid and don’t put things off! Be proactive. If you want to do something, figure out how you can accomplish it. Don’t be afraid to get out there! 


Do you think it’s important for students your age to study abroad?

Very much so. I remember when I came back from the summer I didn’t feel like it had a huge impact on my life, but there hasn’t been someone who hasn’t said, “Bianca you have become so mature.” I have heard that from so many people. Being out of the country and having that experience gives you a whole new perspective and that’s important when you are still in high school because you are still trying to figure things out and being able to go abroad gives you another perspective and I think that experience grounds you more. 


As a fluent Spanish speaker you were in the advanced Spanish class. How did you like the conversation-based nature of the class?
I am fluent in Spanish and my Spanish class was largely based upon conversation and culture, which I loved. Being fluent in Spanish, it was really nice to live in Spain because you got the chance to practice Spanish all the time. My class was entirely in Spanish and it really pushed us to speak. Our class also gave us a really interesting reference to the things we were seeing outside in the community. One class I can remember that really stood out to me was when we were talking about the politics in Spain and the economical situation. It was really interesting to learn what was actually going on and how each party was this way and why a certain party was that way and why no one really liked the parliament right now. It was so enlightening because I had no idea. I went home that day and told my home stay family about the class and we continued to talk about it. It really opened my eyes to the idea that instead of just focusing on class and what your grade looks like you should focus on more on things, like what’s going on in the mews. It’s really important to have both perspectives. When I got back my parents really noticed that my grammar was a lot better. I loved my teacher and she was actually from Cadiz and had a really strong essence to her work. She was able to keep control in class while still being an impeccable teacher. 


You mentioned how much you liked your Spanish teacher, what is your overall opinion about the Abbey Road Spain staff?

The Abbey Road staff was really good about feeling out our group and figuring out how much time was too much and when we suggested things to them they were really accommodating. They always went back to the idea that this was our trip and so we got to make it our trip. [Also,] I thought they [the staff] all worked really well together, but like the students they were really different, which was fun. They had done these trips so many times before and they had so many stories to tell you about previous trips and it was so funny to hear all the different stories. 


One of your main priorities was a rewarding homestay experience, did you think you were matched well with your Spanish hosts? Describe the homestay experience.

I loved my home stay family. They were just wonderful and they still keep in touch. They actually just sent me a card the other day. They didn’t have a child, but I really got close with the mother and the father was so funny. He was quite at first, but then he would start telling all these stories and start showing you newspaper articles and want to talk with you about them. They really added so much to my experience. The people of Cadiz were super friendly too. One of the things that was really great about Cadiz was that I felt super safe. We would be walking around at 11 at night and I was so calm. I was glad to have that sense of security and just that feeling of safety was so nice. 


You are still in contact with your homestay family, what about the other students you met on the trip? 

I have a pen pal relationship with one of the closest friends that I made. We write in Spanish to each other. It’s a great way to practice our Spanish and keep in touch. I need more help with my writing in Spanish and she wanted to keep in touch because she also goes to boarding school. One of the things about being away is that you love getting mail because you don’t get a bunch of it, so we became pen pals. 


What type of student would you recommend this program to?

Students who aren’t afraid to just go out there and do it and look a little silly sometimes. You have to be open to going up to someone and start talking to them in Spanish, even if you don’t know all the words. You have to realize that you are in a foreign country and you can appreciate the language aspect, but you should also appreciate the culture aspect and have fun with it. 


What advice would you give to a future Abbey Road student?

I would tell them to realize that you are only there for a month. At first it feels like a long time, but it’s only a month. You should get to know all the abbey roaders. They are all really nice and there for the same reason you are. And the host families are essential to the entire trip. They are incredible people and you should try to spend as much time with them. They are a blast. They are someone you are going to stay in touch with. My host family is coming next year to New York and we are going to meet up!

what drew you to Abbey Road? Had you ever done study abroad before? 

This was my first time going to Europe or even out of the country! I have always had a passion for Spanish and I have been taking it since the second grade. I really wanted to do something this summer that would help me improve my Spanish especially since I was going to be taking AP this year. I have always wanted to go abroad, but Spain was my number one choice so I started looking at programs that offer classes in Spain. This summer I was looking to improve not only my conversational skills, but just improve my Spanish overall. I wanted to feel more confident holding conversations with people and also I wanted to experience a new culture and a new way of life. I was really trying to be open-minded and try new things and I definitely accomplished that. I tried a bunch of new foods and did new activities. 


What did you get out of this experience? Did it live up to your expectations?

My summer in Cadiz definitely lived up to my expectations. I would say I didn’t expect to learn as much as I did. I not only got to experience a new culture, but the fact that I got to actually live the way a Spanish family lives. You learn about the culture in school, but the fact that I actually got to live it made it so surreal and the experience very impactful. 


Have you or anyone else noticed a difference in your Spanish since you’ve been back? Noticed a difference in your Spanish?
My Spanish has improved hands down. I feel like my ability to speak Spanish improved the most, but there was also a general all around improvement in my ability and I’m really noticing it this year in AP. 


Aside from your Spanish, has this experience changed you in anyway?

I’m more open to new things and different types of culture. 


Was there a good balance between the classes, activities and free time?

One of the main reasons I chose Abbey road was because I loved the balance between the classes, group activities and free time. I like how we were in class for the morning and in the afternoon we got to choose how we would spend the rest of the day. I think the program as a whole was very well organized. 


How were your daily Spanish classes handled? What types of activities did you do?
I was in the advanced class. In the morning we would usually learn about the history, art, or culture of Cadiz. Sometimes we would learn different vocabulary and then we would go out in to the city and use the new vocabulary we had been learning that morning and incorporate them in to our conversations with the local people of Cadiz. We would sometimes have the task of interviewing locals. For example if our vocabulary topic of the day was leisure activities, we would ask locals what there favorite things to do are and what part of the city they recommend. This kind of learning is very different than what I’m used to back home. It’s a lot more interactive and we actually got to use what we were learning in a real life situation. 


How was your program staff?

I loved the Abbey Road staff! They were all very welcoming and open and down to earth. If any student had any questions or concerns they were always willing to help us out and I really appreciated that. They were very personable and kind and I felt like I could go to them for anything. 


Why did you choose a homestay program?

I knew that I staying in a homestay was the best way to improve my Spanish. I wanted to live in a house where only Spanish was spoken and I felt that if I did dorms I would only speak Spanish when I had to. My host mother didn’t know any English so I was forced to speak Spanish and I think that’s one of the major factors that helped me improve my Spanish skills. It was definitely a shock at first not to be able to speak any English, but after the first couple of days it just came naturally. 


Tell me about your homestay mother.

My homestay mom was Rosa and when we first arrived she was very excited that we were staying with her. She really wanted us to go out and experience the real Cadiz. She really tried to immerse us in the culture. She made us all these traditional meals. She always made sure we were accommodated and she was very nice. I loved that when we were eating dinner or eating lunch she would always blast Spanish music and start dancing. 


Do you have a favorite memory from the trip?

The evening activities were probably some of my favorite memories. Not the optional evening activities, but the planned group activities when we were all experiencing new things together as a group. I thought they just brought us all really close together. 


Tell me something you know now after doing this program, about the Spanish Culture, City of Cadiz or people of Cadiz that the typical traveler would not know.

Something that shocked me when I arrived there was a lot of times when we would be heading back home for curfew there were tons of kids still playing in the plazas and their parents would be there talking with each other. There weren’t even getting ready to say goodbye. It was very interesting to observe the change in culture. It’s not something I see here at home. 


What advice would you give to a student going on this program in 2013?

I would suggest to anyone interested in going that they be open-minded. By going to Cadiz you are stepping in to a completely different way of life. It’s an adjustment and can take a few days to get used to, but once you do it’s so hard to leave. It’s important that they don’t take anything for granted because it’s over in the blink of an eye. Also, take lots of pictures.

What drew you to Abbey Road? Had you ever done study abroad before? What were you looking to get out of this experience this summer? 

Well, this was my first time studying abroad. When I signed up to take AP Spanish I knew that I wanted to improve my Spanish speaking skills and I knew I wanted to go to Spain. I knew I didn’t want it to be one of those typical teen tours I had seen. I wanted it to be a real learning experience and really be immersed in the culture and learn the language and learn about where I was staying to really make everything worthwhile. It was my idea and my parents were really supportive and we did so much research! My friend Jessie and I we went together and our moms were really involved the search. They had this convention with all these different summer programs and they got a lot of different information. We wanted to find a program that offered a good balance of independence, learning, excursions, and a homestay. Abbey Road seemed to have everything that we were looking for. 


Have you or anyone else noticed a difference in your Spanish since you’ve been back? 

My Spanish has definitely improved. I haven’t noticed one specific thing, but in general it just comes more naturally. I understand more vocabulary than I did before. Ever since the 9th grade there hasn’t been any English spoken in my Spanish classes and my experience this summer being so exposed to Spanish has really helped a lot. This year my teacher speaks very fast and she doesn’t stop to ask us if we understand. In the south of Spain they have these tough hard accents and I think exposure to that has really helped. 


How were your daily Spanish classes handled? What types of activities did you do? How do they compare to your language classes back home?

The classes were definitely different and this is another reason why I chose to participate on Abbey Road. The learning experience wasn’t completely in the classroom. The experience was a complete language immersion class. So I would be able to spend an hour and a half in the classroom and an hour and a half to talk to people and find things and that was a more engaging way of learning. It was very different than spending 45 minutes in the classroom, even if it’s about culture, which is very interesting. When you’re actually exposed to what you are learning it’s a totally different experience. Our class size was great too. There were 10 or 11 of students and the teacher, who was awesome. 


Can you describe the Abbey Road staff and instructors?

I felt that all of them were amazing. Chris [the program Director] especially. On summer programs there are always certain situations that happen and I think he handled them really well. He always had a positive attitude and open to hearing suggestions where people wanted to go and what people wanted to do or eat. He was really fun and could relate to all of us. All the other directors and staff were great. They taught us that you can have so much fun by learning the language or about the culture. The whole experience was just so personal that anything that I felt I needed people were always there to help out or if I wanted to do a certain thing they would make time to do it. For example a few girls wanted to do belly dancing and they found a belly-dancing teacher in Cadiz and we had a class. The staff just made such an effort to respond to everyone’s personal needs. And it wasn’t just during the program that the staff was really great. Even before the program started the staff was helpful. There were a few times when my mom and I would get a little frantic about certain things like packing and I could immediately talk to Barbara Student [our Admissions Representative] or she would put me in touch with someone else who I could talk to. I could contact anyone in the program and they were willing to talk to me. 


Can you tell me about your homestay family and your roommate and how that experience was?

In the beginning Jessie and I were staying with an elderly couple and they were really nice and hospitable, but there were just these little problems and it wasn’t working out for us. We talked to our Director and the people who set up the homestay and they didn’t want our homestay to negatively affect our experience, which wasn’t a bad one at all, but they immediately got us a new family. We were placed with this woman, Rosa and she was amazing and such a typical Spanish mother. Rosa has three daughters and a granddaughter so there was always family around. It was never quiet which was perfect and exactly the experience we were looking for! We were having a good time before, but the switch [to Rosa] dramatically changed our experience. It was fantastic! It was such a great homestay experience. We always had the option to go out to eat, but we always ate at the house because we loved the food and we loved to hang out with the other girls at the house. Rosa mainly made Spanish food. Sometimes she would try to make something more American for us, but it never really tasted American, but the overall effort she made to make us feel comfortable was just incredible. 


Do you have a favorite memory from the Program?
I think probably the second night of the trip. We had a group dinner and then after we went to the Cathedral area and we were still getting to know our way around the city. We were wandering around a little bit and we found out way to the Cathedral and this huge plaza. It was only the second night so we were looking for things to do and there was this huge concert and it was so much fun. There was music and dancing and everybody in the city just seemed to have congregated to this plaza. It was a great start to the program. 


How did the staff handle student feedback?

The first time we did an evaluation [our first week], I remember writing I wanted more planned activities. Then, there were some students who [said they] wanted more free time. Our Director Chris definitely took everyone’s wants in to consideration and he came up with a lot of optional evening activities like runs along the beach, or there was this funky tea room a lot of kids liked to go to. He just really tried to come up with fun new ideas and make sure there was something for everyone. 

Did you understand what experiential learning was prior to your trip to Cadiz?
How did that approach to learning impact your experience?

Yes I think I did. I think (experiential learning) is something that Abbey Road really takes pride in. It’s a great thing because even though someone will sign up for classes they want to take in whatever summer program they are on when you finally arrive, you really just want to be spending time in the city and making friends. When you mix classroom learning with cultural immersion, it just makes the whole thing more enjoyable.

The spectrum of these ranges from strictly living out of a hiking back pack for two weeks in the North West to residing in a French dorm with the goal of foreign immersion. While all of these trips have been rewarding and well worth my time in their own ways, my latest journey to Boston for the Abbey Road College Prep Course was incredibly fulfilling for the particular time in my life that it came. It goes without saying that the majority of students approaching the fall semester of their senior year typically experience high anxiety with regard to college applications. This was especially true for me, and already by the end of my junior year a considerable amount of worry around admissions had set in. For this reason, I began to search for a way to receive adequate SAT preparation, information about colleges, and assistance with the application process. After completing my session with Abbey Road College Prep, I can honestly say that I believe it to have been among the most effective and fun ways to complete all of those challenging tasks. 

Immediately I appreciated the accommodating and caring staff that was always striving to ensure an enjoyable experience for students. In this way, I was very pleased with the balance between structured activities, time for work, and time for play. Therefore, while students felt comfortably chaperoned, there was still plenty of time for ‘free time’, during which students could explore the city, complete assignments, or simply relax with friends! This balance also held true in regard to the excursions. As a program, we were able to enjoy many outings, including a tour on the Duck Adventures Boat, an afternoon at Quincy Market, an outing at Revere Beach, and my personal favorite, a visit to the Institute of Contemporary Art.

However, these alone did not fulfill the purpose of my attendance; it was only in conjunction with the academics that the program thrived. As previously stated, the SAT preparation was a significant factor in my coming to Abbey Road. Initially, I was nervous that fitting the entire Princeton Review course into two weeks may not have been effective. That prejudgment could not have been further from the truth! Our Princeton Review professor was extremely thorough, continually dedicated to ensuring students’ comprehension of the material and to helping the students succeed. In fact, I would say the two-week course, compared to a longer school year or summer course, ended up as the most effective way for me to prepare for the SAT. 

In addition to the excellent test taking preparation, the Admissions Prep Writing Elective was outstanding as well. With all of the stress surrounding college for the students, having a staff member so highly experienced and informed in the college search process was a key anxiety-reducing factor of the program. Through activities such as constructing a “Must Haves & Deal Breakers” list, drafting a résumé, and brainstorming essay topics, the writing elective course teacher effectively broke down the massive amounts of information about the college search, prepared students for all that goes into an application, and finally assisted in fine tuning each student’s application essays. 

Leaving Boston I had the peace of mind regarding my application essays, a more defined list of colleges that interested me, and a clear path to follow to my next SAT and to complete my application process. Not to mention, I left the program having made friends with students from all over the nation that I continue to keep in touch with as we journey through the remainder of the application process. In these ways, the Abbey Road Program met all of my needs pertaining to my college search, and I could not be more satisfied with the results that Abbey Road helped me achieve!

What I discovered was that learning to be independent wasn’t as hard as I had thought, at least, with all of the helpful program staff it wasn’t. It felt like learning how to ride a bicycle for the first time- you teeter off on your own, but there are always arms there to catch you if you fall. The Abbey Road staff gave us just enough independence to try and learn how to live on our own, how to budget money, and how to do our own laundry, but they were always there to help guide us as well. Things like grocery shopping on Mondays or having cooking groups on Wednesdays taught me skills that I took home with me, like preparing a healthy meal and budgeting. Abbey Road also improved my people skills. When living in apartments with 3 or 4 roommates, conflicts are inevitable. Throughout the program the staff was always there to sort out major issues, but they put a lot of emphasis on dealing with personality conflicts in an independent, mature positive way. It’s likely that I will have a lot of roommates in my life, and the Abbey Road staff taught me valuable communication and problem solving skills so that I can fix small issues and avoid conflicts with people in the future…”I am not the only one who became more independent and learned important life skills from my time spent in Florence with Abbey Road. Jenny Hirsch, a 23-year-old teacher and recent graduate, was a student with Abbey Road in Florence during the summer after her senior year. She returned this year to act as an Abbey Road Resident Advisor having graduated with a degree in Italian Studies.

“Abbey Road changed my life. I’m so grateful I got the chance to go,” says Hirsch. “I had just turned 18 when I did the program, and I was heading off to college the week after I got home. Abbey Road was amazing preparation for that.” Hirsch explains that before participating on an Abbey Road program she was nervous about leaving home. “After going away and spending a month in Florence, I knew that I could live on my own in a city I wasn’t familiar with, and make friends and enjoy my classes, learning about new things.” For her, college became a much less scary concept because she had become more independent and confident about living on her own. Hirsch says that her experience with Abbey Road was so amazing, and made her so much more confident as a person, that she was inspired to return and give students that same experience. 

Katie Schwartz, a 16-year-old from Dallas, TX, and a 2010 program participant had similar feelings.“It was different at first,” Schwartz explains, “I had to collaborate with peers as opposed to following counselors all the time. There wasn’t always a mediator, and I learned how to handle life situations by myself. After a while my roommates and I learned what we expected of each other, and I became more confident in my people skills.” 

For Schwartz, learning how to budget was also a major skill she learned from Abbey Road. “I really learned the importance of keeping track of your spending and being careful with what I bought through our weekly apartment food stipends. I know what I go home I will be much more mature when it comes to things like that.” In conclusion, Abbey Road’s programs not only focuses on making sure students have an amazing summer, but also make sure they return home with valuable life skills. The Abbey Road program provides an opportunity to boost your own self-confidence by becoming more independent and a better problem solver. Perhaps the most valuable thing I learned from my summer abroad did not come from my formal classes rather, it was learning every day how to be an adult and live on my own. As college approaches fast, it is comforting to know that I will be able to meet new people and enjoy myself in a brand new environment. Abbey Road has really changed me for the better, and I know I am not alone in that!

Yet, I believe that 15 years could go by before I return to Florence and I would still be able to expertly navigate my way around the city. Of course, there were the early moments of the trip when my fellow Abbey Road travelers and I felt like we were in a foreign maze, thinking to ourselves that we would never be able to navigate through the winding streets and piazzas. But these thoughts lasted for just that, a moment. Within a couple of hours of exploration, my friends and I were pounding the cobblestone like natives. Going to class, going for cappuccinos, going to museums and art galleries, finding the chicest restaurants that served the best gnocchi, or the nicest stores for our shopping desires, we explored and discovered until Florence became our playground and classroom to learn from, and enjoy. During my time in Florence I studied Italian Art History. While my pre-departure expectations were already very high for the type of educational experience I would have, I could not have begun to fathom how high the class would soar above my wildest imaginings. I took an Advanced Placement Art History course in High school last year. I remember the day we visited the Galleria Academia and witnessed the magnificence of Michelangelo’s David, I kept remembering back to that Advanced Placement class and my 11 other classmates whom I pitied. While their David experience culminated with a tiny, playing card-sized picture of him in our textbook, and a brief caption which claimed that he is glorious, I was beholding his marbled flesh and witnessing his perfection, in person. This same scenario occurred at each artistic masterpiece that our class visited. Each time I stood before an oil painting or bronze sculpture, I was overcome with a feeling of relief that I was lucky enough to be able to absorb the vivid colors and chiseled details from only inches away. No textbook photograph or three-sentence long caption could ever take the place of that initial moment, when you first glimpse a gorgeous fresco or spectacular statue, and your breath is taken away.

Of course every pre-college student thinks that they have what it takes to live away from home with one or two other strangers, where they must navigate through groceries, cleaning, finances, rigorous studying, all while trying to maintain some semblance of a social life…well, maybe not everyone. I was one of those students who thought I had dorm life down to a “T.” But after returning from Italy and living like an adult, in an apartment, with two, initial strangers where we had to navigate through grocery shopping, apartment cleaning, budgeting our money, completing our class assignments, all while making time for gelato outings and shopping excursions, I realize that I would have been at a serious disadvantage without this program. Now that I have survived a month on my own, in a foreign country, I feel more confident than ever that I have gained the knowledge and skills to overcome any obstacle I may face when I start college in the fall.

For my minor class, Photography, my teacher was Pamela whom everyone liked to call Pam. Pam was funny, caring, and very helpful in teaching us all the mechanisms of our cameras. It was very interesting to learn what kind of features our cameras had, and how they could enhance any pictures we would take. I also found her to be very informational when it came to what made a strong picture and what did not; her criticisms were never rude, only constructive. Overall, she was a joy to learn from and hang out with. Since I was taking Drawing as my major, I had two teachers: Lindsay and William. Right from the start they were very skilled in making everyone feel comfortable and confident. They were bright and cheerful, and always full of good humor. They had a really good attitude they were serious about their work. They taught us all the techniques we needed to know to make our masterpieces while still allowing us to maintain our own original style. Their lessons blended into one another and allowed us to understand the basics behind every picture, all the while helping to build up our art skills. I can honestly say that Lindsay and William are two of the best teachers I have ever had in all my years of taking art.

The living environment in Italy was certainly an interesting experience. Though I had only one roommate, there were four girls in my apartment. Getting along with them and learning how to co-exist was certainly an experience. I feel that it was a good glimpse into how college life would be like, and a good way to learn how to deal with people who have ways and habits that you are not accustomed to. It was a good learning experience. Activities for class, both for the afternoon and night, were extremely fun. I liked how there was always a choice of being active or allowing yourself time to relax before your next class, or for a restful night in. Because of the “free-time” option, I felt that there was always a good balance. I also liked how there were really fun activities to be done every day. One of my favorite activities was going to the pool. It was really great to go and swim on those really hot days after walking around the city for class, and it was a great time to hang out with friends from the trip. I personally felt that the pool allowed us to not only cool off and socialize, but see a glimpse of the everyday Italian life as we swam with residential Italians. My other favorite activities were “Night Sketching” and “Night Photography”. Night sketching was really fun because we got to go out to the bridge and draw the Ponte Vecchio when it was all lit up. The reflections in the water and all the lights of the city were just really amazing to see. Night photography was really fun because we got to see Florence in a completely different way and catch it on film. It was fun taking pictures of the nightlife, the scenery in the dark, and all the little interesting shadows that popped up. For both of these activities, the air was cool and comfortable so I was really able to enjoy the activities to the fullest. 

Over the entire course of the program, I always looked forward to the weekend trips. My favorite places were Lucca, Cinque Terre, the beach, and Pisa. Lucca was just really fun. I loved how we were able to explore the city and eat lunch with our friends during the free time before we had our activities; because it was the first weekend of the trip, it was a good time to socialize and make new friends, which is exactly what I did. Climbing the tower with the trees on top was amazing since we got a great view of the city, and the bike ride around the wall afterwards was just icing on the cake. Cinque Terre was fun because it was the first beach we went to and we had a lot of time to grab some delicious food and then play in the ocean and relax. I really liked seeing the coast of Italy and I got some amazing shots from the cliff we walked on to get to the city. I liked how there were so many lovelocks and how people even carved their names into the plants. Overall, the views were amazing, the food was great, and I got to hang out with my friends and relax on a beach. The trip to the big beach was absolutely great since we got our own chairs and umbrellas, and the waves were absolutely amazing. My friends and I had a lot of fun taking pictures of ourselves in the water, and we even got some funny shots of us trying to catch a picture of us in midair. Pisa right after that was fun too. I was able to get the picture I had always wanted of holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and I even got a snapshot of me pushing it over. It was one thing I was able to cross off my “bucket list” and it was really fun watching hundreds of people doing the same pose over and over again. 

Overall, I really loved the trip to Italy and I made some really good friends. I learned new art techniques that have made me a better artist, tried new foods and ways of living, and had many fun experiences that I will never forget. I feel that the trip was worth my while and I hope that I will get to do something like this again.

Everyone has different reasons for pursuing study abroad in Florence. Some come for art, others history, others culture and some just to live away from home. What were you looking for when you researched summer options?

I was looking for something that incorporated hobbies that I love to do, especially something that included art. I was also looking to have a really good experience and delve into another culture. I wanted to go outside my comfort zone and get an idea of what college might be like. So my reasons were a mixture of wanting to have fun and trying to get ready for the next big step in my life. The Florence program incorporated more of the activities I wanted to do and I have always wanted to go to Florence. In school we learn how it’s the birthplace of the Renaissance and it’s filled with amazing art so for me it sounded like the most interesting place to go to. 


You have never been abroad or done sleep-away camp before. How was it to travel without knowing anyone before hand? What were the other students like? Did you have any hesitations?

I think some of my major fears were normal ones like would I get along with my roommate, would I get along with the teachers? [On departure day] when I got to the airport, I started talking with other students and realized that we had a lot in common and I started to feel more comfortable. Then as time goes on you feel like you have known them for a really long time and it feels like you have made a few best friends in a just few days. I made a few really good friends on the trip and we still talk. We even have a few inside jokes from the trip. The [other students] were all pretty peppy and upbeat. Most of the students really did want to improve their skills. Everyone wanted to hang out with other people and go into town and explore the world. I think that everyone there wanted to be independent and learn how to be more independent and take care of himself or herself. 


Florence is a pre-college program where you live in an historic apartment in the heart of the city. How was the living situation in your opinion? Did the program meet its pre-college expectations?

I liked the location of the apartments. They were in a really good area I felt safe there, but also it was in the heart of Florence so I only had to walk a few blocks to get to the Duomo or to get to the market. There was this little cafe on the corner and every morning we would go in and get a croissant and the guy would be so nice to you. The apartments I thought were really nice and very spacious. In my apartment we had a big kitchen and two rooms and we had a balcony; that was really great because we would take our cooking group up there and eat dinner. I thought it was very manageable for four girls who didn’t know each other to live and get along in for a month. I definitely think [the program] helped me in getting the vibe of college in the way of having a roommate and living with people who at first you don’t know and making your way in your own apartment and having that responsibility. I also think it helped because in college I’m told that you only have a few classes each day and then there’s a lot of free time to do your work and we had that kind of schedule. We would have class for a few hours and then have free time and I think that the staff gave us a lot of responsibility and independence so that we could act as young adults trying to make our way in the world. We had limits on the city, but they didn’t say that after class we had to stay in the building so I thought that was good. I thought the staff really helped us be more independent in that way. 


You took Drawing as your morning major class. Can you describe the class and the instructors? 

I loved my drawing teachers. I thought William and Lindsay were so amazing and talented. What was different from my classes here was that each lesson they did blended in with the next one. You were able to see what they were teaching you go into your pieces. For example, one day we would draw without looking at the paper and that gave us a sense of distance and shape. The next day would focus on gestural and the day after that would incorporate both of those so you could get a whole picture of both. They taught the class in a way that each piece that they gave you to do eventually helped you to create one full piece, which was really cool. 


Do you consider yourself a serious artist?

I do. I don’t know if it’s going to be a life career, but I do take it seriously and I definitely have a passion for it. 


Did you develop any new artistic techniques?

I did. My drawing style is mostly Japanese cartoons. Just being on the program, it’s kind of amazing, I’ve been able to draw more realistic stuff. In just one month, I was able to really get an eye for shading and an eye for shape. It’s amazing how proficient I became at drawing realistic stuff. I pretty much gained an entirely new artistic genre that I could delve into. 


Would you recommend the class to other serious art students? What about beginners?

I would recommend it to serious artists, but I would also recommend it to people who maybe just want to do something fun or learn a new art style because the classes challenge you, but they really help even a beginner gain experience and their own style. I could not draw realistic stuff when I got there and I came back pretty good at it. I would definitely recommend it to high levels, but also to beginners. People were able to do the criteria needed for assignments, but they were able to do it in their own style, which made it so that everyone advanced at the same pace. They were able to do their own thing, but still incorporate what we were learning in that day’s lesson. 


Was there anything about the trip that surprised you or that was unexpected?

Yes, but in a good way. For drawing I thought we were going to be in an art studio, but instead we would walk around the city and literally sit on the street and draw. I thought that was a lot more interesting than if we had just been sitting in an art studio because not only did we get to explore the city, but also I felt like we got to interact more with the culture and the people of Florence. People would come up to us and tell us that we were amazing artists and that was fun and surprising in a good way too. The people of Florence were so nice, that surprised me too. Whenever I have gone overseas in the past the people have been nice, but they weren’t as great as the people in Italy. They would come up to you and smile and talk and I just thought that was really cool. 


What advice would you give to a future Abbey Road student going on the program?

I would say its okay to be nervous and to be a bit scared because it is a big thing and for some people it can be a completely different experience, but they should embrace it. It’s a way to see a different side of life and to make new memories and have new experiences that you may never be able to do again. It’s a once in a lifetime thing and you really want to take that opportunity. Just be yourself and have fun with it. I feel like I’d probably say it’s a way for them to figure out who they are and what they want to do with their lives

Abbey Road was the best program because I loved the idea of having one stationary home. My friends and I became such locals, that every day after Italian we went to the same tiny shop in Il Mercato Central and got our mozzarella, pomodori and pesto Panini. On our last day of Italian, we went to our Panini lady and she knew exactly what we wanted without us asking! Another benefit is that Florence is in the heart of Tuscany, so the weekends are spent visiting other towns like Siena, Lucca and my personal favorite Cinque Terre.I took Italian as my major class and art history as my minor. The art history instructor Daniele (who was also my cooking leader, best cooking group ever) is truly an amazing instructor. Florence is home to some of the most amazing pieces of art like Michelangelo’s David in the Galleria Academia and Brunelleschi’s Duomo (which you will literally pass 4 times a day), it is the quintessential place to study art history. 

Abbey Road has this unique aspect to their programs in that they give you independence, but still make you feel safe and secure. Abbey Road provides a pre-college experience through living with unfamiliar people, doing your laundry and taking out the trash. One of my favorite aspects of the program, was the fact that when you wanted to meet up with a friend to go to Brandy Melville or just go get some gelato, they are just across the hall, like a dorm room. I also really liked the tri-weekly cooking groups because it gave everyone time to bond, learn a new skill and my cooking group even ate together on a balcony with a view of the Duomo! 

My main advice to any future Abbey Roaders would be to sign up for every single activity you get the chance to. The days are long and can become tiring, so take a nap during the afternoon and then save your energy to go to Neri or Perché No (the best gelato place) at night. Also, take advantage of the suggestion box because it provides amazing opportunities like going to the Ballet! My summer in Florence taught me about art history, how to prepare for college and most of all, how to live like a Florence native!

Have you participated in study abroad programs or camps before in previous summers? 

Yes. I have been on two summer abroad trips before. The first was going into sophomore year I went to Spain for four weeks on a language immersion program through [program name removed]. I have been taking Spanish since the seventh grade and am currently taking AP Spanish. The trip consisted of a 2-week stay in a town taking classes and then a week alone in a Spanish home stay. The summer going into my junior year I went to Israel on a four week Jewish confirmation trip. It was more of a religious trip. 


Why did you choose to go with Abbey Road Florence this summer? 

I was looking for a program in a country where I didn’t speak the language and that was stationed mainly in one location. I came across the Abbey Road website and I thought it looked interesting. Then, I was on facebook and I saw my cousin’s pictures from when she was in Italy and she went on the Abbey Road Florence program. When I asked her about it she told me that it was an amazing experience! 


How was it to travel on a summer program without knowing anyone beforehand?
On my Spain trip I went without knowing anybody and on my Israel trip I went with friends. I believe the best way to do teen travel is to do to it alone because you do not rely on a friend and that way you become much more inclusive to meeting new people. 

Was there anything that was unexpected or surprised you about the program? 

Everything the program said would happen actually happened! Also, all of the counselors were great. There wasn’t one favorite or one that nobody liked. They were all very welcoming even if they weren’t my cooking group leader or academic teacher. They always made me feel safe. One aspect I really liked about the program that neither one of the other programs I had been on had before was the suggestion box. Students could put ideas in for activities. One of the activities we ended up doing was a trip to the ballet, which I put in the suggestion box. My Abbey Road trip to Florence has been my favorite of summer excursions because of the people, location and organization of the program. I liked Spain as a country the best because I study Spanish and was able to greatly improve on my language skills. On this trip though, I gained a lot of knowledge about the Italian culture. By the end of the trip, you are transformed from a tourist to a citizen of Firenze. 


Describe the apartment residence. What did you enjoy about living with other students? What about the location?

My apartment was great and I liked that the roommate situation because it was a very pre-college experience. I loved the dorm like atmosphere because it taught all of us to be more responsible in taking care of a home because you share with your roommates the responsibilities of taking out the trash, doing the laundry and going grocery shopping. Also, being able to knock on my good friend’s door across the hall at any time and asking if she wants to go out was very easy and accessible. My roommate was very nice and every night we would stay up late talking, but we didn’t really hang out outside the apartment. My other two roommates in our apartment were really nice as well. The location of the apartment was great. Everything was a 10 minute walk away and one of the advantages of Florence is you never get lost because you walk straight on Via San Gallo to get anywhere. 


In what way did the dorm-like atmosphere you mentioned directly help prepare you for college?

I thought the dorm life situation was very realistic. You are living with people you don’t know and you have to be more of an adult. My personal area can be messy, but I like to keep the common areas clean. Whether it’s grocery shopping or calling the first shower, by interacting with roommates you learn how to communicate effectively. 


The program provides daily optional activities along with free time. Because free time is an opportunity to explore the city within the safety guidelines, it provides the opportunity to gain independence. How did you feel about Abbey Road’s approach to free time?
I thought there was a great balance of free time [and activities]. I thought the amount of free time was good and was about what we were told we would have. I used my free time to walk around and explore. I would go and get a gelato, go to Brandy Melville or take a nap. Overall, I thought the free time was the perfect amount. I liked that we had the option of free time in or out as a nighttime activity and of course I always went out because why stay inside when you only have four weeks in Florence? 


What advice would you give to a future Abbey Road Student?

Take art history because Daniele is awesome! Take out the recycling before it stacks up too high. Take advantage of all the activities and use the suggestion box. Also, rent a cell phone. I was one of the few that did not have a cell phone and I think it was a mistake. I used calling cards to call back home, which worked well, but next time I would get a phone. A lot of the students had rented the Italian cell phones and they could get a hold of one another very easily. It would have been nice to have one so that I could text and call my friends. 


You participated on the optional travel extension to Rome and the end of the program. What did you enjoy about that added experience in Italy?

One of the benefits of going on the extension trip to Rome was that at the end of the Florence trip, you are not ready to leave because Florence feels like home. On the Rome extension, the group trickles down and everybody is really close and you still have a wonderful time but, at the end you feel you are ready to go home back to the US. In this way Rome slowly transitions you out of the trip.

What your main academic and personal goals and how do they relate to your participation in Abbey Road’s Leadership Academy program this summer?

I’m definitely planning on going to college. Five years from now, I’m not sure maybe [I’ll be] in graduate school. I love to learn new things [especially] things that are applicable in the real world. I really wanted to check out Stanford [and] I have always been interested in International Relations, maybe even as a profession. The Abbey Road Leadership Academy seemed like a great mix of the two. [The program] gave me a great idea of what studying International Relations might be like at a college like Stanford. I had been thinking about studying this area in college before the program, but now I’m definitely sure I want to incorporate International Relations in to my higher education. 


What was your expectation of the program prior to attending?

I didn’t know a lot going in because it is a newer program. I just wanted to broaden my understanding. I didn’t anticipate there would be so many foreign students, which was great! Having more international students brings a whole new perspective to the classroom. The program definitely exceeded any expectations I may have had going in. There was a ton of diversity it was fantastic. 

Which specific classes and topics were you most interested in prior to attending the program?
In general, I love history and languages. The courses that we took at Stanford with Dr. Kian were just fantastic. He is a remarkably knowledgeable man and it was amazing to be able to listen and learn from experts in their fields. Specifically, nuclear proliferation and general international relation theories was what I was most excited about. 


During the program, what were your favorite classes?

Pretty much anything where Dr. Kian was the head instructor! 


Describe Leadership Academy’s approach to learning and leaders: What does the program do to enable a student to learn effectively and grow as a leader?

There are lots of opportunities to make and form your own opinions. Being able to critically analyze scholars take on subjects. There is a lot of opportunity for public speaking as well, which I think is key for leadership. Being able to present yourself in an elegant, articulate manner. 


With this in mind, what type of student would benefit from this program?

The students who want to go on this program have to be ready to work and listen. A lot of it is complex stuff, especially for international students. Anyone who wants to learn to be a better leader. A student who wants to learn how the world around them works and who wants to succeed in the increasingly global world that we find ourselves in. 

Would non “leaders” benefit from this program?

Yes. Abbey Road’s Leadership Academy gives students the ability to analyze opinions and facts that you hear and take a more critical look at leaders in the world and decide where you fall into that. 


What were your favorite non-academic activities on the program?
I loved visiting San Francisco every time we went there. The Giants game was a ton of fun and in one of the best stadiums in the Country and that’s coming from a guy who spends time at Fenway Park. Even walking around the city or going to see the MOMA was great. Also, the opportunity for college visits was great. I wouldn’t have gotten to see UC Santa Cruz or UC Berkley any other way. 


How was the interaction between the program staff and the students?

[The staff] was fantastic and tons of fun to hang out with! They treated us like adults. They didn’t patronize us; they treated us as peers. They just made activities fun. For example, on the last night we decided we were going to have a barbeque in the frat house because we discovered there was a barbeque pit and it was the last night. They made that happen. It was a great way to end the program. 


How was the residential life aspect? Did you feel like a Stanford student?

Living on campus for one thing was really neat. Getting an idea for what living on a campus like Stanford would be like was really cool. There is more freedom and it’s not as structured as high school. You have a class in the morning and then you have a break to do what you like. You can brush up on your reading for the next class or take some downtime and then head back to class. It was what I anticipate and hope college will be like. 


Do you think participation on the program has given you an edge on the upcoming college experience?
I think this program gives you a better indication of what college is like. I also think colleges probably look favorably on the fact that in participating on a program like this you have some experience on a college campus taking college like classes with college like coursework. 


Do you feel more independent having completed the program? 

I do feel like more of an adult and more mature after being treated like one. I feel more confident in expressing my views about various issues especially political issues. Having a greater degree of independence in my daily activities while I was there also helped.

What made you go looking for a summer program like Leadership Academy? 

Well I am really interested in politics and different people’s views and opinions. I figured this program would give me the perfect opportunity to express my opinions and to hear other people’s. I also love Stanford and I figured it would be awesome to go there and spend time on the campus. 


Leadership Academy was your first experience with a leadership oriented summer program, were your satisfied with the material that was covered? Were the daily lessons interesting?

Yes I thought that overall they were. The language seminar was really interesting to hear. I think overall we covered a wide range of material. I know the international relations and politics class was really engaging and then with environmental studies, I loved everything about that. I really loved it when we had group discussions because everyone would get fired up about their own opinion and it was fun. Also, the college essay and resume course was really helpful. 


Did you think there were enough workshops available? Do you feel they covered a diverse amount of topics?

Yeah I do. It seemed like we covered a ton of material! I thought it was perfect for what I thought it would be. 


How did the seminar and workshops compare to your classes back home?

They were very different. My classes back home are textbook based. Some of my high school teachers are better than others, but I really thought the seminars were more engaging and I learned a lot of new information. The seminars were more like college classes than high school. The staff usually used power point during the seminars. Dr. Leonce [Core Curriculum Director] was always really well prepared. We had some guest speakers [as well], but the [Abbey Road] staff was great. We [also] had a presenter who was a graduate student at Stanford come and talk with us during environmental studies about water issues and I really enjoyed that. 


How beneficial do you think this program was for you in both your academic goals and your life?

As far as the college essay and resume workshop, that was extremely helpful. I have started that and I’m almost done with it. Dr. Leonce really helped me with that. The International Relations and Politics course was a good way to get involved and become more knowledgeable. I am familiar with the issues, but I still have a lot of learning to do. The environmental studies class really opened my eyes about international water issues and now I’m doing that in my school. So I thought the program was really beneficial overall and just being in California was great. 


Did you like the schedule of the program? Was there a good balance of academic work and breaks and activities?

The classes did take up a lot of time, but in the early evenings we had free time for activities. On the weekends, the group went to Berkley and San Francisco, but both of those weekends I stayed with my friend who lives in San Francisco because I never get to see her and that was really fun. 


What type of student do you think would benefit from this type of program?

I think that a student who is interested in liberal arts type classes would benefit. Back home, my school is very conservative and I am never really able to voice my opinion so this was really helpful because I could relate to other students. Also, I think someone who is open-minded and who wants to get out of their comfort zone. However, I really do think all types of students would benefit from this program.

What drew you to Abbey Road and specifically the Modern Civilization program? What were you looking to get out of this experience?

To preface this, I think you should know that I received an International Baccalaureate Scholarship from my school that allowed me to go on the trip. I chose Abbey Road’s Modern Civilization program for a multitude of reasons. I really wanted to get something out of a summer program beyond simply sightseeing. It was really important to me that my program not resemble a surface-skimming tourist group. Whenever I travel, I love truly experiencing the foreign city and not just moving from monument to monument with blinders on. The fact that Abbey Road has you stay in a location for at least a week and really experience the culture was extremely appealing. 


In the end, what did you get out of this experience? 

I got more out of the trip than I could have ever hoped for. I got to immerse myself in the vibrant cultures of all three countries, I fell in love with Austria, I got to see so much incredible architecture that I cannot possibly name them all, I got learn about the German perspective (both historical and contemporary) of WWII and the Holocaust, I made two amazing friends that will last a lifetime (I’ve honestly talked to them every day since returning home), I got to marvel at the Hapsburgs’ splendid accommodations, and I got to sample all of the regional foods, discovering some favorites along the way. 


Has this experience changed you in anyway?

By going on this trip, I truly enhanced my view of history and broadened my global perspective. In addition, I honestly believe that I was able to grow as a person. I had never really been on my own before (I have a twin brother) and I got to see how good I was at handling my own affairs. 

Did you go on the program with friends or by yourself? Was it easy to make friends on the trip?
I went on the trip by myself, without knowing anyone prior to arriving at JFK. I immediately clicked with my two future friends in the airport and in the first city, Berlin, and that chemistry lasted the duration of the trip. As the trip went on, I found myself getting closer and closer to my two friends and was able to get along well with the others in the group. 


Were you comfortable throughout the program with your roommates and the hotels you stayed in? 

The staff did an excellent job orienting us with each new city. The only exception, I would say, was we were not given much roaming time in Berlin. However, I realize this was because it was the first city [on the itinerary] and there was so much history to see in Berlin that there was little time for roaming. The hotels were topnotch. The rooms were lovely, the locations were perfect, and the breakfasts were superb. In particular, the apartments in Vienna were spectacular and the breakfasts at the hotel in Berlin were great. 


Can you list a favorite memory or an activity highlight from each city?

Berlin – Bike tour, Jewish History Museum, DDR Museum, Museum Isle
Prague – Free time with friends, view from clock tower, Trdlo
Salzburg – Visit to Lake District, Tricking Fountains, Bike Ride
Vienna – Schoenbronne, the Hofburg, Spanish Riding School 


What was your favorite city on the program and why?

Salzburg. I really fell in love with Austrian culture and Salzburg was so livable and picturesque. 


Being a senior in high school, do you feel this experience has helped better prepare you for college?
Absolutely! 


When you look back on the trip is there one memory specifically that sticks out to you overall?

Either wandering around Prague with my two best friends and somehow arriving at the John Lennon wall and a museum of contemporary art or, renting bikes with the same friends and biking up and down the river in Salzburg. 


Do you feel the Modern Civilization program met your expectations? Would you recommend it to a friend?

I would definitely recommend it or any other Abbey Road program. 


Lastly, do you think you could have had the same experience traveling by yourself or with your family? If not, what was it specifically about “Abbey Road” that made this trip special?

I am sure that I would have had a wonderful experience with my family. We all love to travel and they are the ones who ingrained me with my love of immersing myself in the culture. However, my traveling with Abbey Road, I was able to grow as an individual in a way that I would not have been able to if I had journeyed with my parents. The friends I made are irreplaceable and it was nice being able to share my amazing experiences [later] with my parents.

What drew you to Abbey Road and specifically the Modern Civilization program? What were you looking to get out of this experience?

I was really attracted by the idea of traveling to different cities and countries, especially since there was a cohesive theme to the chosen locations. I chose Modern Civilization because it focused on a part of the world I had never visited and that I was ignorant about in comparison to the rest of Europe, and also because I love studying history and I find WWII and the Cold War era to be particularly interesting. 


In the end, how did this experience impact you most? 

Going into the trip, I expected that I would be exposed to a lot of historical details and cultural norms. I definitely got that out of the experience, but the other part that I found invaluable was listening to locals and understanding their views on their own countries and on America. Hearing an outsider’s interpretation of my country and an insider’s appraisal of their own definitely gave me a more comprehensive worldview. 


Has this experience changed you in anyway?

I think that by nature I am someone who chooses to relax somewhere rather than go out and be active, but my surroundings and the people I was with pushed me to see everything that I possibly could. The trip helped me to realize how important it is to get the most out of my time and fully appreciate all the opportunities for exploration around me. 


Did you go on the program with friends or by yourself? Was it easy to make friends on the trip?

I went on the trip by myself. I met some great friends—I knew that the people I was with were on the trip because they were as curious as I, and that made us click immediately. I think that the people attracted to the Modern Civilization program picked it out carefully because they genuinely really wanted to experience the culture and history of Central Europe. That meant that someone was always suggesting an expedition and asking for company—we always wanted to be out exploring. Since it was a small group, we got to know each other really well. One night when it was raining, we stocked up on candy, holed up in a hotel room, and used the time to get to know each other. 


How did the staff help make your program experience fun but safe? 

[They] were awesome! Since Jasmine [the program’s coordinator] is Austrian, she could educate us a lot more about modern culture than an outsider could have, and she clearly really liked sharing with us. She also made sure the schedule ran really smoothly. It was also great when Arthur [Kian] visited us in Berlin because he had grown up in the former Soviet Union. Hearing his perspective made everything we were learning more real. 


Tell us about the daily schedule of activities. Was there a good balance between planned events and down time? 

Berlin had a lot of museums, but they were some of the best museums I’d ever been to—I loved Museum Island. And of course, seeing the Berlin Wall and the some of the Holocaust memorials was incredibly humbling. Berlin also has a very modern, liberal culture that we got to peek at on a bike ride around the city with a guide. We went to less museums in Vienna, which were more culture and art museums as opposed to history. In Vienna we also went to a film festival and to Schonbrunn Palace and Zoo, which was amazing. The day at the zoo is actually one of my most fun memories. Our time in Prague and Salzburg was much less structured and more about appreciating the beauty of those cities. For example, we went paddle-boating in Prague and biking in Salzburg. We actually requested more down time and then changed our minds because we liked what the staff had to show us. They would often give us suggestions for our downtime, but we were free to just wander with friends and experience the culture in that manner as well. 


Can you list a favorite memory or an activity highlight from each city?

Berlin –Our bike tour, everything on Museum Island (I love ancient Egypt, so seeing the bust of Nefertiti was a highlight), the DDR museum, all the graffiti art—both on the East Side Gallery and off
Prague—Getting hopelessly lost for an afternoon but finding a cool modern art museum and the John Lennon wall, which is one of my absolute favorite sites, seeing the window in Prague Castle where the Defenestration of Prague occurred, the drums concert some of us attended 
Salzburg—Sound of Music tour—kitschy but fun, and then convincing the hotel to let us watch the movie, tandem biking with two friends along the river, the giant flea market
Vienna—Schonbrunn Palace and Zoo(the pandas!), the film festival, completing the cooking challenge in our apartment kitchenettes. 


What was your favorite city on the program and why?

I liked them all for different reasons. Berlin’s modernity—there was amazing graffiti art everywhere—was really cool because it isn’t a traditionally “pretty” city but is really cutting edge culturally. The old part of Prague is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, but it is also a small city so I think that the four days we spent there were an appropriate amount of time. The same goes for Salzburg—gorgeous, but not somewhere I’d necessarily want to stay forever. I think of all the cities I would want to stay the longest in Vienna because it is both beautiful and a metropolis—it seems to offer an inexhaustible variety of activities and sights. 


Was there anything unexpected or anything about the program that surprised you?

I thought I was going to feel uncomfortable spending so much time with total strangers, but it wasn’t a problem at all. It was also great to reconcile my preconceptions with the reality of the cultures of I was immersing myself in. 


Being a senior in high school, do you feel this experience has helped better prepare you for college?

I definitely think it provided an example of the independence I will need in college, and the mindset of openness to experience and change that is undoubtedly necessary. At the same time, it was good practice for living with a roommate and managing my time appropriately. 


Lastly, do you think you could have had the same experience traveling by yourself or with your family? 

I think Abbey Road made my trip special because they really strove to make us as comfortable as possible, while also to help us achieve the greatest possible level of understanding. Alone or with my family, there’s no way I could have had all the background knowledge that Abbey Road was able to give me or seen nearly as much. I also got to make some long-lasting friendships.

Overall, I cannot think of anything I that would have made the program any better than it was; it was really perfect. In the town of Nice, there was so much opportunity to learn. Old Nice was filled with shops and markets, where the venders rarely could speak any English. Near Old Nice, in Garibaldi Square, I made friends with some local skateboarders, which not only gave me an opportunity to learn colloquial and slang French, but also provided for some great action photography for my elective course. And when not in the town area, my friends and I would go down to the beach, get gelato, do some shopping, or learn some more French with our educators. Every weekend we would take day trips to different towns nearby. From ones like Antibes, we could even see the Alps. Others gave a fantastic view of the French countryside or the Mediterranean. St. Paul de Vence even gave us a view of all three at once! Some trips were to the beach, others to old medieval style towns, and we even took a trip to Italy for a day. The day trips were really fantastic because they let us experience not only our “home” town, but others as well, many of which were actually quite different.

One of the most amazing things is that everybody got along. From the start, we were all friends, and we got along like one big family. Some people were from Texas, Canada, and North Carolina, and even though I am from New York, we had no problems getting along wonderfully. I was friends with everyone on my trip, and ended up spending my time with all of them at some point or another. It was truly a perfect group of people. My trip with Abbey Road was the best experience of my life. I had so much fun learning and experiencing France first-hand. The teachers were fantastic, the other kids were fun to hang out with and as excited and enthusiastic as I was, and we were in what I now consider the best place on Earth, while experiencing other cities as well. It was the perfect situation, and the people running the program were extremely accommodating, telling us that anything we wanted to do would be seriously considered. And these suggestions often came to fruition, which led to an amazing experience for everyone on the trip. My travels with Abbey Road were perfect, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

When I started making friends in Nice, I did not expect the social nature of the program to assist me in my quest for better language skills; however, as the program went on I found that real conversations and discussions in French are the best way to truly learn the language. The best way to engage in real discussions and conversations in French was to do so with people I know well and like. One week into the program, during our morning French class, we read material about nuclear power in France and the rest of the world. The class engaged in a discussion about the benefits of different power sources and the effects of the earthquake in Japan. We debated passionately for over an hour, speaking nothing but French. The conversation even continued long after the class had ended; students were speaking about nuclear power in the hallways. Because all of the students were so comfortable with each other, we were able to have a productive and interesting discussion. This one discussion was better than any I have ever had in French class at school, and it demonstrates the truth of the method of Abbey Road: true immersion through bonds of friendship lead to the best language learning experience. I really enjoyed my time in Nice, and I got much more out of the trip than I had expected. Overall, my trip to Nice was a fantastic experience that I would love to be able to recreate someday.

I went to Paris when I was eleven as part of a short eight-day tour around France, Italy and Switzerland, and loved it so much that I wanted to travel back to France again someday. When I heard about the Abbey Road Program from the Summer Opportunities Counselor at my school, I looked it up on Internet and applied to the Nice program soon after discussing about it with my family. Now, having completed the program, I can tell you that I do not regret making that choice. Having taken one year of French at school, I was very pumped to join Abbey Road program to Nice and use my level-1 French skills as well as improve it, being amongst French people, French food, French air – French everything. As a French language learner, I also wanted to adapt myself to French culture, perhaps to be able to understand and learn French better. Abbey Road allowed me to do so much more than what I expected. Time flew by in Nice. It was hard to believe that a month could pass by so quickly. I enjoyed every moment being there to the fullest. Yet, the program was not just about fun, but I learned quite a lot of French during the program. With French-speaking people around me all day, I learned to actually “speak” French and embrace the French culture at the same time. Each and every day, I learned new stuff in French, whether it was in class or during elective or at the market, a store, a café, etc. 

Our program consisted of… students from all different states as well as different countries who all got along very well. Living in the same residence and experiencing the France together, we were almost like one big family. The staff members were always open to our questions, and they helped us learn French more efficiently. Going to the bakery in the morning, taking classes, roaming around the French streets, eating gelato, buying fruits at the open market, shopping at “Vieux Nice” together, I made lasting friendship with other students throughout the program, as well. 

During weekends, as a group, we traveled to different areas in Côte d’Azur, or the French Riviera, including Cannes, Saint Tropez, Saint Paul de Vence, Antibes, Monaco, and more. One weekend, we traveled to Sanremo, Italy, as well. I enjoyed all the trips to those places and the picturesque spectacles I encountered at each region are truly unforgettable. Thanks to Abbey Road, I had one of the best summers I have ever had. When the program was over and it was time to leave, we all had a hard time au revoir-ing to each other. Back home from the program, I wanted to go back to Nice again for a few days. If I have a chance, I would love to join Abbey Road for another summer.

What goals did you set for yourself this summer? What were your priorities?

I just wanted to increase my knowledge of the French language and improve all around because I was going to be taking AP French. I wanted to make sure I would be able to prepare myself as much as possible. I wanted to really immerse myself in the language and the culture so that I could have an edge going into my French class this year. 


How did Abbey Road help you meet each of those goals?
I definitely feel like I met those goals. The directors, instructors and staff all encouraged us to speak French as much as possible especially among each other. They made sure to correct our grammar and help us find the right words. The staff were constantly making sure we were getting as much out of this experience as we possibly could. 


What about Abbey Road as a company did you like best?

All the staff. I loved all of my teachers and the director. The whole atmosphere they created. They wanted to help us learn as much as possible while still having fun. All the activities we did, even if they weren’t all necessarily educational, they were important culturally to experience. 


Has your French improved? Has your experience this summer impacted your educational goals?

I have definitely noticed an improvement in my comprehension of the French language. When my French teacher talks in class, I can understand her better. I have always had more difficulty with speaking finding the right words quickly, but it’s definitely easier than it was last year. I didn’t wanted to leave when it was time to go home. Now I plan to either major or minor in French in college and I hope to study abroad at some point. I think my experience with Abbey Road over the summer has influenced that decision greatly. 


Did this program help prepare you for college in anyway?
I think so. Even though I didn’t have a roommate, I still had to buy my own groceries and keep care of my room. We were given a certain amount of money for snacks and groceries that we had to budget each week. Our Director made sure we were budgeting ourselves like a college student would need to. 


How did you like living in the residence?

I thought the location was perfect. We were centrally located in the city. It was close enough to the beach where we could walk, but it was also really close to the old village of Nice where everything happens. We were always really close to everywhere we needed to be. We cooked for ourselves two to three nights a week, which was great. I really liked making crepes. They were delicious and now I can make crepes at home. 


What was a “typical” class lesson like?
The whole class was conducted in French. We barely spoke any English at all. We usually spent the first hour talking about a specific subject like colors or adjectives etc. We were being taught a specific subject in French. Then, for the next two hours we would go out into the city and use what we learned in class. One time we went to the farmer’s market after we talked about different types of fruit and the way French people grocery shop, which is different than in America. I had an idea of what experiential learning was, but I had never experienced it like this. I think it was cool to talk about something and then be able to actually go out and do it. 


How was the mix of class, excursions, and cultural activities?

Well our French class was three hours in the morning, which I thought was the perfect amount of time. The days we didn’t have electives, we had more time to do whatever we wanted like go to the beach or hang around town. I really enjoyed the group activities as well. One time we all went to all see a movie in an outdoor theater and the screen was projected on the outside of a castle. It was really great to have these group activities as well as having out own time to explore for ourselves. 


Do you have a favorite memory from your experience this summer?
Now that I know everybody when I look back I think about the first time we all met at the airport. It was awkward and weird at first, but know that I know everybody it’s really funny to look back at those few hours. It didn’t take long to get to know everybody and from then on it was just awesome. 


Now that you are home do you think the experience changed you in any way?

It’s definitely made me more independent. I flew to France by myself the first time without my family. Living in the dorm, even though I wasn’t alone I had to be more responsible for myself. A lot of the people on the trip lived outside of the US and we actually became really good friends and being exposed to their cultures makes me thinks about the differences between the two. 


Was there a “typical” student on this program?

Everyone knew some French. Everyone was really nice. The majority of the students were American high school girls, but there were definitely a handful of people from Venezuela and a couple girls from Saudi Arabia. It was really cool to have a mix of people. Everybody got along. Some students you get to know better than others, but everybody was friends with everyone. 


Did you have any fears before the start of the program?

I think my biggest fear was the flight over there. I didn’t fear being alone, but I didn’t know how I was going to adjust to living alone without my parents. I think it turned out pretty well and I’m really glad I did it. 


Would you recommend Abbey Road to a friend?

Absolutely.

While in France I hoped to see the beautiful beaches of the Azure Coast and experience daily life in a French town. After my first couple days in France in addition to wanting to improve my language skills and experience French culture, I also began to have the urge to create a bond with not only the fellow students, but also with my host family. What has surprised me most about the Abbey Road home-stay program is the lasting impression that the trip has made on me and I seriously consider this program to have been a life-changing experience. Considering that my French has greatly improved, my cultural awareness has exponentially increased I’m confident that this will positively affect my academic performance. I’ve also established what I hope will be lasting friendships with several of the Abbey Road teens and I remain in close contact with my host family. For me personally, the St. Laurent-du-Var cultural immersion program was a pivotal experience. I arrived home to New York feeling confident, independent and with a newfound wish to explore the world around me.

My primary goals of this journey, which stayed intact throughout the month I stayed in France, were to better my French, fully immerse myself in the French culture and take as many amazing pictures as I possibly could. Throughout my stay in Saint-Laurent-du-Var, I felt I was fully immersed in the French culture; staying with a host family allowed me to fully experience a French lifestyle as well as improve my French, for I always spoke French whenever I interacted with my family. I established a great relationship with them while in France and hope to keep in touch! My teachers/chaperones were incredibly thoughtful, sweet and personable. They made us feel so comfortable and became more than just teachers and event coordinators. They were someone we could go to with anything, making my experience even better. As for my fellow Abbey Road goers, the moment I introduced myself to everyone in the group, I knew we would all get along. There was never a dull moment amongst everyone in the group and it was so difficult to say goodbye. People in my group live all across the United States, ranging from New York to California. One of the girls on the trip lives in Hong Kong, China, making the departure more emotional than I anticipated. The thought of being apart from these people for over twelve hours scared me, and seemed too surreal to be true. The entire experience had a surreal vibe when I reflect back. To think I spent the majority of my summer in France with such amazing people seems too good to be true. 

One of the things I absolutely loved about this trip, surprisingly, was the daily class. Every Wednesday, class was held in Nice, where we would get to practice our French. Our teachers would assign us talking topics and we’d go out and converse with the locals, whether it be in outdoor food markets or on their way to the local Boulangerie. This way of learning helped expand our vocabulary and practice speaking French in real-life settings where we would debate politics, discuss local cuisine, or an upcoming futbol match. We also would take trips to museums, where we would get the opportunity to experience cultural aspects of the French, which was also something I enjoyed. This trip was something completely life changing and I’m so glad I chose Abbey Road this summer!

They included accidentally writing a blog post in French, reading a newspaper article in French understanding every word, and considering myself to be border line conversational/fluent. After a few days in France, it became easier to transition between English and French. I never wrote an entire blog in French, but when speaking to friends I often typed in “Franglish” throwing in a few words in French here or there. Also, when I first arrived in the US, I kept accidentally talking to people in French. I constantly had to remind myself. I had the opportunity to read several newspaper articles while in France. Though I never could understand every word, I understood the overall idea. It was fun getting to keep up with the same world I had always lived in, but in a different language. I would consider myself to be very conversational in French, but I still have a long way to go before I’m fluent. Looking back on my French speaking skills prior to the trip, I was hardly conversational. I could read and write well but I had never spoken French aloud. It was so rewarding the other day listening to my favorite Edith Piaf songs and understanding what the famous French singer was saying. 

Returning to my house in America was strange. I wasn’t used to all the space and I realized that people really don’t need that much space. I expected to be homesick in St- Laurent-du-Var. I never expected to be homesick once returning to Kansas City. I want desperately to be back in France with my friends and host family. If I was crying when I left St. Laurent, you would expect for me to bawl when leaving Paris. Yes I was sad, but looking out that airplane window, I knew it wasn’t goodbye for long. “Au Revoir, France, mais pas à jamais”, I said under my breath.

Along with several others from the group, I arrived at the Nice airport on Sunday July 3. Right away the foreign feeling kicked in, as I knew I was no longer in the U.S. I met my host mom who picked me up at the airport and right away, speaking French it was! I knew it was the start to something great! I stayed with my host-parents in St. Laurent-du-Var in a residential complex called Jeanne d’arc. I lived in a 3 bedroom, one bathroom residence. I stayed with the Cassar family. M. Denis and Mme. Françoise Cassar lived by themselves along with their little French bulldog Djoy. They always made sure I was comfortable and well attended to in every possible way. The food Mme. Cassar cooked was amazing! She made sure there was a variety and made sure I felt as though I was at home. I felt as though I got a lot of French practice with my host family as I conversed with them a lot over various topics like politics, the government, traveling, the U.S., Mexico, and several other things. Within those conversations, I learned that France and the U.S. have many similarities and differences. 

School was also one of the key components of the program. Some of my favorite classes were when we went around to the native people in St. Laurent and Nice and interviewed them. Not only did we get to practice our French in real life scenarios, but we also learned about the French culture. The staff also significantly helped with this learning experience and made sure our four weeks were unique and filled with experiential learning. My four weeks in France were full of fun activities! Every week we went to Nice at least once and I was always excited to go! Our staff did a good job in preparing many activities for us. A couple of my favorites were parasailing and kayaking. I had never done either, but it was fun to explore both! The day trips were also super fun! My favorite was the trip to Cannes. I wish we would have stayed there longer or at least have gone back another time, but either way, it was still fun. One of my favorite things was celebrating the 14 juillet! The celebration was so full of life and so vibrant! I had a great time participating in the many activities that were planned for us. 

The staff was amazing. I felt that they worked hard to give us a great summer vacation and to make sure we enjoyed our time in France. They looked out for our safety and did what they could to make sure we had fun. I want to thank everybody at Abbey Road for enabling me to have had this wonderful experience. Thank you for awarding me the Chris Meyer Scholarship and allowing me to participate in this four-week study abroad experience. I will continue to uphold Chris Meyer’s legacy in whatever endeavors I may embark on and vow to continue to be a citizen of the world.

What drew you to Abbey Road’s homestay program in St-Laurent-du-Var, France? 

Well, I knew that I wanted to study abroad in France. I had been studying French for four years and it was the end of my senior year. I wanted an experience that would help me become more independent and that would help me exercise what I had been practicing for the past four years. I also wanted to throw myself out there, into a totally different environment that would help me be more prepared as I step out into future. I really wanted a diverse, yet enriching experience. 


You were awarded the full tuition Chris Meyer Memorial Scholarship for your outstanding achievements in the French Language, what advice would you offer to students seeking similar opportunities? 

I think everything starts in classroom. It’s in the classroom where you discover passion and what you want to pursue. So be proactive, be motivated and get out there and look for resources. You won’t find anything if you aren’t looking! I was lucky enough to have counselor who knew about this opportunity. I had looked online at other programs and saw some that didn’t have any scholarships or that they only had partial scholarships. You should never give up and always keep an open mind because anything can happen. Going into things, you just have to be prepared for the best and worst. Also, have a willingness to explore an area out of your comfort zone. 


Did participation on this program impact your future life plans and goals? 

Coming back home, this trip makes me want to do it all over again it and to be more involved in programs like this and encouraging people to do the same. I have a better understanding of the people I met and I have a more open view of the world now. Also, this program has really helped me want to discover more parts of the world. I’m wondering what my next adventure in life is going to be. There is so much more to be discovered and I want to learn as much as possible. For starters, it definitely made me want to take a job that is not specifically in the US. I’m really interested in the international arena. France is a great place to go abroad. I felt like a native when I was in St. Laurent. Coming back I want and need to improve more and explore new fields. I’m familiarizing myself with things I didn’t know before. I want to make myself a more well rounded person. I’m going to study either international relations or international business. I also took a French placement test at school and I tested into French 230, which is the level a lot of upper classmen are in. I have a full scholarship to Salem College. It’s an all girls’ school in North Carolina. Actually my type of scholarship is the only one that includes study abroad opportunities. I would like to study abroad in France, but maybe northern France or Switzerland (the French speaking part). 


How significantly did your French improve as a result of the program?

My French did improve. I talked a lot with my home stay family and their niece and they would ask me about my life back in the US. We would have dinner and talk (in French) about the differences between the US and France. I loved our conversations and they made me want to go for it further, to really try as hard as I could to practice my French. In school we learn out of the book French and here I was able to apply it to real situations and real life talk compared to a practiced conversation. The [experiential] French in the classroom helped me get away and experience something new away from home. Walking around and interacting with the locals is how I improved my French the most. The first few days of class we interviewed French natives, which I really enjoyed. I did learn a lot about French culture in class and from my host family. This program helps improve your conversational skills and makes you more culturally aware. I was able to notice the difference and similarities between French and American culture. 


The homestay experience is obviously a very significant aspect of the program. What was it like living with a French family for four weeks? How would you describe your hosts?

I stayed with the Cassar family. They were a couple, but they had a very friendly little dog. We lived in small residence. My family was very attentive to all my needs and wanted to know things about me. They were always willing to help me. I think participating in a homestay makes a big difference. We were very busy during the program, but my family was always willing to talk with me and our conversations were very engaging. They didn’t just take care of me, they wanted to get to know me. I felt like a native when I was with my host family. It was all the little things like setting the table and helping wash the dishes or watching the television (in French). Towards the end [of the program] I felt so comfortable walking around St-Laurent, like I was used to it and I knew the area. I got accustomed to it. I even attended a mass in French. We were on an excursion and we had free time and I went to mass. I walked into a church when they were doing the rosary. I found I was actually able to follow along. 


Being away from home and in a new place, did you feel safe on the program?

I always felt very safe every time we went anywhere. When walking to our destinations every time we had to cross the street the staff would make sure someone was always in the front and back. They also didn’t take us to anywhere that felt “sketchy.” 


What advice would you give to a future Abbey Road student? 

I would tell them to keep an open mind and remember you are not in America. The people are not the same and the food is not the same. When you experience something different don’t shut it down and be willing to learn. Try to become a part of that life, and try to do what they do. If you come into the program with an open mind you will learn so much more.

I set out on the Western Civilization program with this mindset, knowing that in order to get a full experience I might have to put in a little extra work. Nothing could have prepared me for how fun and rewarding this ‘extra work’ would be. My ‘try everything new’ mindset was first put to the test in Greece when we were told that we would climb down the 999 steps from the ruins of the Palamidi Fortress to reach the town of Nafplion. The climb down from the ruins was one of the most physically draining, but most surreal experiences of my life. To our left as we descended we could see the deep blue Mediterranean Sea and the many small islands that stand nearby, including the island fortress of Bourtzi which appears to protrude from the water. While I was gawking at my surroundings, I suddenly felt like I was intruding on a scene only meant for the front of a postcard. It was perfect: the color of the water, the picturesque ruins, even the sky, which barely had a single cloud. At this moment I knew I was in a special place and I truly began to appreciate the opportunity I had been given. 

I had a similar moment on our last night in Rome. Our hotel was only a few minutes walk from the Pantheon and my new friends and I often found ourselves wandering in that direction at night, looking for a quick espresso or just a place to sit down and relax. As we headed towards our favorite monument, we found ourselves in a familiar piazza, but this night it was crowded and filled with light. We moved towards the center of the crowd and were immediately absorbed into an Opera Concert. Four singers stood on a low stage, spotlights following their faces and light dancing off their sparkling costumes. We stood amazed and listened to the music until we had to return to our hotel for check-in, but in those minutes I felt like I was witnessing something truly unique. It wasn’t just the beauty of the scene, but also the feeling of raw culture; I was experiencing something utterly Italian.

Although I will remember this summer because of all the new friends and experiences I’ve had, it was really our daily lessons that helped me appreciate my surroundings more than I could have on my own. I remember our very first day in Athens when we were walking among the ruins in the Agora. Our two teachers, Chris and John, led us through a small museum inside one of the buildings and they were able to identify and explain almost every artifact in the room. They seemed to have an inexhaustible knowledge about everything we saw and they continued to amaze me throughout the summer. Every person on this trip made my weeks something I will always remember and I only hope that I can have another summer that will live up to this one. Thank you Abbey Road!

You spent a summer at Oxford taking classes prior to this trip, what made you want to participate on a travel program through Abbey Road rather than a campus based program?

I knew I wanted to go abroad because I knew that next summer I would have to get a summer job. I thought that this Program specifically (Western Civ.) sounded really appealing. The fact that we got to travel to different cities and learn about a lot of cultures and not just one specifically and I felt that these specific cultures related to what I was learning during my semester. I was working on the farm with tools and using my own hands to produce my own food to make my meals and that’s exactly what people in these ancient societies had to do. They didn’t have advanced tools and I thought it would be interesting to learn how they survived without technology the way I had kind of done for four months. 


What drew you to Abbey Road?

I had a friend that went on the summer program in Florence the previous summer. She had come back and told me how amazing the program was and that she met so many great new people and that the leaders were really cool and so when I was deciding on what to do during the summer the name Abbey Road was already in my mind. I had done some Internet research and a couple names popped up. I was mostly researching travel programs that focused on the classics like Latin or Greek. Abbey Road was really the only name I remembered. The size of the program was really attractive too. It was the smallest program I had ever been on. My Oxford program had like 200 people on it! 


You were awarded a Green Ticket partial scholarship, what kind of green activities are you involved in?

For four months in the fall of my junior year I went to school on a farm in a small town in Vermont. For half of the day we went to school, but we would spend the other half of the day working on the farm and learning about sustainability and living off the land. We learned about the environment and the woods around us and did a lot of environmental research in the classroom and the surrounding areas. It was a huge learning experience and when I came back to school I was able to use the knowledge that I learned to promote being environmental friendly and help out with the Environmental Action Committee at my school. I had always been a member of the committee at school, but more of an off-hand member. I had always gone to the meetings, but didn’t do that much other than that. After I came back I was more devoted to it and started showing up more regularly and became a lot more interested and involved. 


What did it mean to you to win this scholarship?

I really had no idea of whether I would get it or not and the fact that I did was just really amazing. It inspired me to keep doing what I am doing for the environment because the fact that someone thought that what I was doing was so great. [Also, to] be acknowledge for things that I have done and worked so hard on is a great feeling. I’m thinking of studying engineering in college and environmental engineering sounds really appealing because I could be looking out for the environment while making advancements at the same time. 


You mentioned wanting to really learn about other cultures through this program, can you describe your instructors and how the learning process was handled?

Well we had two incredibly smart teachers who would rotate back and forth teaching us the art history aspect and the historical aspect of where we were [each day]. Occasionally we would pull out [program] readers and read an excerpt from it and relate what we were reading to where we were standing. Through the lectures and readings we tried to get a better understanding as to the significance of what we were seeing in front of us. 


Did you think it was beneficial to have this “academic” component to the trip? 

Yes. I feel if I had just been standing in the middle of a museum by myself I really would have had no idea what I was looking at. I would have known what I was seeing was important, but it wouldn’t have any meaning to me. I took away so much more because we were learning about what we were seeing at the same time. I could really understand why these things were being put in a museum, say, in the first place or why people revered the art as much as they did. If I were alone I wouldn’t have understood what I was seeing at all. 


Did you have a favorite day on the trip? 

I really liked the day trips. One of my favorite days was the visit to Pompeii. I had read stories about Pompeii in Latin class and the fact that a volcano had destroyed Pompeii had never really made sense until I was there. I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen and standing in the middle of the city and being able to see the volcano above us was awesome. 


What was your favorite city on the program? 

I really liked Athens only because I felt like I had never been anywhere like it and it felt the most different to me compared to New York. Paris I felt was pretty similar to New York and Florence was really fun. It was a lot smaller than the other cities so it felt more intimate. There was a lot time to hang out as a group, which I really liked. I felt like it came at a good time too. It was the third week and everyone was comfortable with each other and after that week, we were all really close. 

How would you describe the average student on this program?
I would say someone who is enthusiastic and who is really excited about learning and experiencing new cultures whether that is different types of people, different types of food or clothing. Also, a student on this program is really interested in learning, but having fun at the same time. 

A traveling program like this involves a lot of coordination and flexibility. Did you think the program was well organized by the staff?

I thought this was the most organized programs I had ever been on. I thought there were always activities to do. I really liked having the syllabus in the beginning at the beginning of the program. Everything was planned out and I always knew what to expect. There were always optional activities that were surprising and new. I was never bored. The staff dynamic seemed great. Chris and John [the instructors] worked really well together they had a really good balance of taking turns teaching. They were always interesting and in terms of Emily [Program Director] and Kathy [Residential Advisor] they were also really great. I never felt like I couldn’t talk to one of them or that they weren’t approachable. They were all really nice. 


The program involves daily learning, activities and events as well as sampling local cuisine. Were you given free time as well? Do you think there was a good balance between planned activities and student free time?

I thought the amount of free time was a perfect amount. I never felt like I was running out of things to do. I really appreciated the free time we were given. Just hanging out or wandering around the city with my friends was great, but it was also nice to have that organized time and we didn’t have to worry about creating our own agenda. 


Being a senior in high school, do you think the program help prepare you for college in anyway?
I definitely think the small group discussions are a lot like what I can expect in a seminar type class in college and the whole experience of being put into a group of people that I don’t know that come from all different backgrounds is also a lot like college. The teachers on this program were so knowledgeable they seemed more like specialists. They knew what they were talking about and they felt like college professors or what I hope my college professors will be like. 


Do you think it’s important for students your age to study abroad?

Yes absolutely. Especially coming back to school and the US I am a more cultured person. I know that’s kind of cliché, but I have seen how different cultures work and how they survive and I feel like it makes learning and school so much more interesting. Right now I am taking art history and learning about the statues of ancient Greece and the fact that I have been there makes it so much more interesting and the fact that I’ve seen some of the art in my textbook is really exciting. I feel like it’s given me a leg up on my classmates. I even point things out when I see them in class! 


Would you recommend Abbey Road to a friend?

Absolutely. I’ve already been telling people about it!

Before embarking on this trip, I had hoped that it would change me from a mere tourist into a sophisticated world traveler. Through the significant amount of information provided at every sight we visited, as well as the numerous Symposium Seminars (group discussions), Abbey Road succeeded in making me the type of traveler I so desired to become. Instead of glancing at a painting in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and swiftly moving on to the next, the counselors gathered us together to discuss in-depth the history and details of the particular painting and encouraged us to study and debate why the artist created it in that manner. Before the trip, I had promised myself that I would embrace every aspect of European culture and make the most out of each new experience. I know that I kept this promise throughout my month in Europe because I approached moments of nervousness or apprehensiveness as an opportunity to stretch beyond my comfort zone and grow as a person. My walk through the Santa Maria dellaConcezione (the Bone Church) in Rome was one such occasion. As our counselors explained, the nuns and leaders of this very sacred church bury its holy men in the church’s vicinity and do not believe in cremation. However, the church quickly ran out of space to bury all of the dead, so the leaders used the bones to decorate the church’s walls and ceilings. As I strolled through this narrow, holy Church of Bones, I felt as though I was entering an underground grave. I knew that these bones were not disgusting in the eyes of the leaders of this church, so I made sure to look at it from their point of view. Experiencing this sight from a different perspective expanded my knowledge and understanding of the different customs and philosophies that exist throughout the world.

I anticipated that this trip would include a respectable balance of work and play, and indeed it did. In addition to exploring the cultural sights, we participated in a wide range of leisure activities such as exploring Florence while on a photo scavenger hunt, dancing at a Discotheque, nightly excursions for gelato, watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night while on the rides at a festive carnival in Paris, dressing up with face paint to watch the Women’s World Cup Final in a restaurant in Rome and playing beach volleyball on an inflatable raft in the water at the Glyfada Beach Resort in Athens. These were only a few of the many exciting and surprising adventures that I encountered; however, the escapades brought more than just fun. They fostered a bond of friendship among a group of thirty students that I would have thought impossible beforehand. I have learned so much not only about the culture of Europe, but also from my relationships with the people I met on the trip. We shared many stories about our own unique experiences, which greatly enhanced my understanding of my traveling companions, as well as of the places we visited. My life-changing experiences have taught me more about the meaning of life and revealed more about who I am than I could ever have learned without stepping out of my current environment. I will continue to share with others the remarkable journey that I have experienced with Abbey Road. As I think about these countless memories, sift through all my breath-taking photos of the Acropolis in Athens, the Vatican in Rome, the Duomo in Florence, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and Skype and message with my many new friends, I know that my Western Civilization trip to Europe with Abbey Road will always remain a part of me.

How did you find out about the International Studies Scholarship? What were your reasons for applying?

When I applied to Abbey Road, the International Studies Scholarship for an outstanding student of history sounded perfect for me. History is one of my favorite classes and I love participating in class discussions so I asked my History teacher to write me a recommendation. I was thrilled when I found out that I had been selected! I also applied [to be a Student Ambassador] because I love to write. I started the Communications Club at my school and I am also Features Editor for the school newspaper. Becoming a web blogger seemed like a great opportunity for me to write about all the new experiences I would be having on the trip and to be able to share them with others. 


Was this your first time traveling abroad?
It was my first time traveling overseas. I wanted to study abroad because I had studied Western Civilization in my history class this year and I was eager to see the historical sites that I had read about and to experience European culture firsthand. 

Why did you choose to go with Abbey Road and then the Western Civ. Program?
Well, I told my mom I wanted to travel abroad so she looked online at different study abroad programs. My mom found Abbey Road’s Western Civilization Program and it was exactly what I was looking for. Visiting Athens, Rome, Florence and Paris sounded like the perfect combination of learning and exploration. Also, the students on the website looked like they were having a blast! 


You did not travel abroad with a friend, how was it to travel on a summer program without knowing anyone beforehand?
I was little nervous, but I was excited and thought that it would be a good preview of what college life would be like because you don’t know most of the people beforehand and you have to make new friends. Also, looking back I am happy that I didn’t know anyone. I feel like if I had known someone it wouldn’t have been a whole new experience and this way I felt I could truly be myself. I made some amazing friends on this trip and we still are in contact. I hope to visit with them sometime soon. 


What was a typical day like for you on the program?

We would wake up and get dressed for the day. Then we would have breakfast in the hotel and the group leaders would tell us the plan for the day. In the morning, the entire group would visit a museum or a historical site and learn about what we were seeing. Then we would go to lunch in smaller groups and after that have some free time to shop or relax and to explore the area. The larger group would then come together and we would have another group activity. There were also optional activities that I would usually participate in, but it was nice knowing that if I was really tired I could stay behind and relax. After our afternoon activities, we would go back to the hotel and get ready for dinner. I particularly loved the group dinners because the group leaders would always choose a fun and interesting restaurant. After dinner, we would have more time to explore, get gelato, or participate in a planned event such as going on a photo scavenger hunt. 


How were classes handled – how did they differ from your classes back home?

Instead of sitting in a classroom, we would go to a historical site and learn about the site, its significance and why it was built. For example, when visiting the Palace of Versailles, I could imagine what it must have felt like to be a part of King Louis the XIV’s great empire. Being there and seeing a structure I learned about in school helped me understand its relevance to that society. After the lecture, we had more time to explore the site or museum and we could always ask the instructors more questions. I had taken Western Civilization my sophomore year and am presently taking European/American history. I was surprised during the trip that there was so much that I had not learned in school, but I guess you can only cover so much in class. I also take Latin and I was pleased by how much of what we saw related to things we had learned about in Latin class. 


Were you satisfied with the caliber of your instructors? Did the staff work well together?

I was extremely satisfied with the Instructors. Both Chris and John also knew a great deal about the places we visited. John focused more on art history and architecture, while Chris focused more on artifacts and their significance and what they were used for. They each had their own area of expertise and complemented each other well. Emily, the program director, and Kathy, the resident advisor, did a fabulous job leading the group and keeping us under control. I felt they could easily relate to us. It was obvious that they really cared about us and I felt very comfortable talking with any of the staff and asking them questions. 


What does it mean to say this is an “academic” summer program?

It means that instead of just going to a site and touring it, you were able to really learn about it. The program was academic but emphasized the fun of learning. The places you are able to visit are awesome, but because it’s an academic program you truly learn about the historical significance of the sites and are able to enjoy it even more. We would also have group discussions with the counselors after visiting the sites. This type of learning is completely different from the classroom style where you are just told something while looking at a picture in a book or copying notes from a board. It was engaged academics. Also, it was not a stressful environment like it can be in a classroom because everyone was relaxed and friendly. 


Do you think this trip helped prepare you for college in any way?

Definitely. It gave me the chance to meet other students and interact with them. I was able to learn about others and myself. I feel like I became more independent on this trip, especially in Florence where we had to shop for and prepare our own meals and pack our own lunches. I also had more responsibility because I had to make sure I got up on time and pack my clothes as we moved from one location to another. Being in a new country with new people and new responsibilities gave me an insight into what college life would be like. 


How would you describe a typical student on the program?

I would say the typical student on this program is friendly, funny, enthusiastic, always excited and looking forward to the day, honest and smart. 


How valuable was your free time? Were you satisfied with the amount? Did you think there was a good balance?

I thought my free time was very valuable. It was nice to be able to take a step back and walk through the streets of the place you were visiting. I could buy gifts and shop around a little bit. It was also really nice because sometimes I just needed to rest or to have some down time with my friends. As much as I loved the time spent with the entire group, it was nice to have some time to chill. I thought the amount wasn’t too much or too little. A few hours everyday was great. 


What advice would you give a future Abbey Road Student?

I would tell them to go into the trip ready for anything and to go for it, even if you’re nervous. Take advantage of all the opportunities because you will learn so much about others and yourself, and don’t be worried because the teachers and staff are there to support you. 

Do you think it’s important for students your age to study abroad?
I think it is very important to study abroad when you are my age because by going to another place and studying there, you can see and learn about different customs, religions and societies and get a clearer picture of other peoples’ perspectives about the world. Now that I’m back at school, I have a better understanding of people and their different beliefs.

Soon enough all of the kids started talking and we immediately hit it off. Our guide Chris Bond, also did a good job of allowing us to have a ton of free time at the airport to chill and meet our newfound friends. I still continue to talk with my Abbey Road friends almost every night on Facebook and over the phone. I am looking forward to hopefully having an Abbey Road Western Civilizations reunion this year. After a long but fun plane ride to Athens, we settled down in our hotel room and our guides gave us time to relax. I did a quick exploration of the hotel with my new friends and then we headed out as a group for a traditional Greek dinner. As the next couple of days unfolded, everyone soon became incredibly close. I knew that I would love the next few weeks in Europe. The three guides on the trip, Emily, Chris and John were all awesome. Although they were very laid back, all three of them knew more than I could ever imagine about the history of Western civilization. We would always meet at a reasonable time of around 9:30 am and head over to an awesome historical site. One of the reasons this trip was so great, was because we were never learning about topics in a classroom. We always visited the places we were learning about and got to be at the monuments that we had learned about just minutes ago. For example, while learning about the olive tree of Athena we would be sitting under the very tree we were studying. One of my most favorite historical sites in Greece was the Acropolis. From our hotel we had a breathtaking view of the Acropolis and at night the entire place lit up beautifully. The Acropolis was thought to be the holy rock of Athens and it is here the ancient Athenians built many monuments and temples. During one of the first days we were in Athens we took a walk through the city from our hotel and took a short hike up to the beautiful Acropolis. At the Acropolis, our instructors, led by Oxford graduate John Landsdowne, taught us all about the history of this holy place. On top of the rock, we got a ton of free time to explore and see the great monuments and ruins and also view the entire city of Athens. I have never been around someone as knowledgeable as John. 

A typical day consisted of waking up at around 8:30, eating at a local breakfast café or staying at the hotel and having some of the great local breakfast food, and then meeting up with the group at around 9:30. From there, our guides would inform us about what we were doing that day. Then we would head to a historical site. At around 1 o’clock we would usually take a break from our lessons and go to a nearby sandwich shop. Here you could buy many different assortments of delectable sandwiches, paninis or pizzas, obviously followed by a mouth-watering gelato. After lunch, we would head back to the site and usually our guides would say more information and then give us about an hour of free time to roam about the site. By now, it is the heat of the day, and our guides can tell that everyone is getting a bit tired. At this point we would get free time until around 6 o’clock when there was an optional activity offered. I highly recommend going on all of these. During this free time, we have many options of what we can do. We can explore the city, go shopping, or if we are feeling a bit tired, we head back to the rooftop of the hotel, put in our ipods and just chill or even, my favorite, take a quick power nap to prepare us for the late night ahead. After the optional activity was over, the group would meet up again at the hotel. This is where our guides would either give us money for dinner in small groups with whomever we choose to go with, or we eat some delicious local cuisine with the group. Some of the best food I have ever had was on this trip such as the meats in Greece, the pastas in Italy, and the crepes and croissants in France. We end dinner very late for American standards, but early for European standards, at around 10 pm. From 10 to 12:30ish, depending upon how many activities we were doing tomorrow and the time we had to wake up, we roam about in whatever neighborhood we were in. 

Our rooms were great places to relax and chill out, as the beds were even comfier than my own bed at home. The first two weeks we stayed in rooms of three people in very nice and luxurious hotels. Definitely one of the top experiences of the trip was staying in the apartment complex in Florence. The first day we arrived, our guides gave each trio of roommates sixty euros to shop for the week’s grocery supplies. My two roommates and I loaded up on pasta, sauces, and fresh local meats along with tons of sandwich fixings. It was great to be able to come back to the room during free time and make myself a quick sandwich or even cook up a bowl of delicious Italian pasta. 

The apartments in Florence were more than I could ever have imagined. Each apartment consisted of two spacious floors along with a full kitchen stocked with our very own utensils, pots and pans. The last week in Paris, we stopped sharing rooms with two others and we roomed with only one other kid. After our palatial Florence experience, the rooms seemed a tad small although that didn’t matter much because we hardly spent any time in Paris in our rooms. During the night and day, we were constantly exploring different hip neighborhoods of Paris. Paris was definitely my favorite place. Although the city is boiling over with history, our guides somehow managed to find the perfect equilibrium between learning and free time. 

I loved hanging out with friends at night on the lawn of the lit up Eiffel Tower. The Louvre was incredible because not only were we viewing some of the most historical and magnificent paintings of all time, but our guide John was also teaching us the history behind all of these paintings. Another favorite is the castle of Versailles and the phenomenal gardens behind the castle. While we were there, there was even a spectacular water show with water coming out of the Versailles fountains at all different angles. 

Going on this trip is the best decision I have ever made. Not only did I learn a ton about historical Western civilizations but I gained a lot of understanding about different modern European cultures. Also, I made so many new fabulous friends from all around the country. This was a great pre college trip because I learned a lot about myself and who I am.

The prospect of writing this essay is a bit daunting. There are so many aspects of my trip that deserve mention, but communicating the experiences in a manner that does them justice is a task I’m not sure I’m up for. After all, how do you explain the friendships made, the things learned, the growth and the maturation to anyone who didn’t have the same adventure? Is it enough to list your favorite activities and most vivid memories? Does that not leave out the amazing emotions of my Abbey Road experience? I don’t know. I hope I can capture the feeling I get when I daydream about wandering through the Louvre, or gazing at the Sistine Chapel, but if I can’t, please at least understand that this trip was something extremely special for me. A lot of the great parts of Western Civ had nothing to do with the teaching, the excursions, or the curriculum. To be sure, the lessons were fantastic – both informative and riveting. However, it was the people that made the experience. Walking around Paris trying to find food that everyone liked, or getting along with roommates who weren’t always quite as interested in making the room livable as you were, these were the times that true growth happened. What my instructors did was not so much create the adventure – they simply fostered an environment that let us make our own memories. By making our trip conducive to fun, education, and maturation, my teachers helped me create an experience that I will not soon forget.

One fantastic thing that Western Civ was able to do was cater to everyone’s individual interests. Some people went on the trip to see the sights, and see them they did: from the Acropolis to the Duomo to l’Arc de Triomphe, each city we went to was chock full of tours of incredible places of interest. Others came to learn about the story of Western Civilization; for them, we had nightly readings and discussions about Hellenistic art, Renaissance philosophy, and everything in between. And a few people just came to have some fun; the trips to the beach and the Discotheque (a place way cooler than the name makes it sound) were enough excitement to satiate everyone. However, Western Civ wasn’t just about making everyone comfortable. The teachers pushed us, whether that meant offering our own opinion in our weekly symposiums or trying the food that we never thought we would, and in so doing, made us learn more about ourselves.

Of course, Western Civilization was about more than a good time – it was about sharing a life experience with 23 other individuals. We began as strangers, and ended (mostly) as friends. I thank Abbey Road for everything my four weeks in Europe had to offer. Though there were ups and downs, they all contributed to a journey that will forever define my summer and be a part of the experiences of my youth. Thank you so much.

This was your second summer with Abbey Road, what drew you to Abbey Road the first time and what made you decide to go again?
I started Abbey Road the summer after I stopped going to summer camp and I was looking for something to do that would be both productive and fun. My mom found it online and she sent me the link and I thought it looked like a really fun and educational thing to do. When I first decided to do Abbey Road, I was deciding between the Nice and the Western Civilization program. I chose Nice first because I was taking French however this summer I wanted to take the opportunity to go on Western Civilization program.
What drew you to the Western Civ program? What were you looking for?
I would say the history aspect because history is my favorite academic class in school. I used to live in Europe when I was little. I lived in Belgium and England for a couple years. My parents and older sister have all these memories of us visiting all these places, but I can’t remember any of it. I really wanted the opportunity to explore Europe and the Western Civ program offers that. You get the chance to see and learn about the best parts of all these great countries.
Did you like your instructors? What were classes like? 

The staff was really great, helpful and informative. For class, usually we had a reading in our packet that corresponded to the place we were visiting that day. We would either do the reading the night before and go discuss it onsite or read it onsite and discuss it there. I really liked this style of learning because when you’re a traditional classroom and you’re reading an excerpt about St. Catherine of Siena for example, it’s not really all that interesting. However, when you read the excerpt about St. Catherine in Siena at St. Catherine’s Cathedral in Siena and you see the head St. Catherine, it just has a much bigger impact. I feel like I can recall text better and I feel more comfortable with the history. This is an academic summer program. It’s not just an excuse to wander around Europe. You get to experience another place and you absorb and learn about the culture. You are taking classes and actually learning something instead of just being a tourist. You are actually engaging in a bigger experience than just a vacation.
What was your favorite thing about each city? What was your favorite city on the program?

Athens – I really liked the food. I was surprised by how much I really liked Greek food!
Rome- I really liked how everywhere you walked there was something of historical significance and the whole city is just beautiful. I could wander around and get lost and then just find my way again and it wasn’t stressful, it was beautiful. 
Florence – We did a gelato tour, which was really cool. At night our instructors took us around to all these famous gelato places that had specific flavors, unique only to that gelato store and we got to sample all the different kinds. It was one of our last night and just a really fun way to spend the night together as a group. 
Paris – I would definitely say dinner under the Eiffel tower. 
My favorite city would probably be a tie between Rome and Paris.
Did you like the size of the program? Did everyone get along?
I thought the size of the group was perfect. All of the friends I made and everyone I met seemed to know what they were doing academically. They were all really similar to me in that they like history and they were there because they were really interested in what the program had to offer. Everyone was just really nice and we all seemed to be coming from the same place. I still talk with a few of my friends from the summer.
Were you satisfied with the amount of free time you had?

Yes, I thought it was perfect. On Western Civ we had a lot of planned activities and I could use free time to tap a nap or just relax. We would go and hit museums or go to a certain area and be given time to walk around. We would go on an excursion and then be given free time. We went to Versailles and we got to go explore Versailles and a part of history, not just let loose and be told to be back at the hotel before dinner. When we were given free time, it was in a historical area or to rest.
Did you think the program was well organized? Did the staff work well together?

Yes definitely. We would ask what we were doing and we even had a schedule, but the staff threw in some fun surprises, which was great. I loved knowing what were doing and it was never out of control or anything. The program was very organized. 

Also, I thought the staff worked very well together. Our director Emily was really great, just incredible. She fit in so well in every city that we went to and I don’t know about the rest of the group, but I just felt so safe when traveling with her because she could speak every language so well and she just emulated control and she really knew what she was doing. Chris, our professor was really smart. He is probably one of the smartest people I have ever met in my life and he’s funny. When he would teach us, he would present information in a way that was silly and modern and I could better understand it and retain what I had learned better. Then there was Hannah the photographer and I feel like we actually became friends!
When you look back on the trip is there one memory specifically that sticks out to you?

The Parthenon. When we first hiked up and I saw it, I will never forget that. Also the Eiffel tower.
Do you feel the Western Civilization program met your expectations? 

Yes definitely! I have been recommending it to people when they ask me about my summer. I tell them about my experience and give them Abbey Road’s name.