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STUDENT ESSAY
St-Laurent-du-Var, 2009, By Hadley Green
As I was beginning to pull together my thoughts for this article, I was having trouble trying to define my Abbey Road experience as one thing. It was not just exciting, unforgettable, enlightening or a blast. It was everything I could have hoped for in a summer abroad program and more. I made friends from all over the world that will last a lifetime, and got to experience the French culture first hand, living in a warm and open family. |
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We've all had that "stranger in a strange land" feeling while traveling. Maybe you used exactly the wrong vocabulary word in Paris and told your waiter, "Thank you; nice butt," instead of "Thank you very much." Maybe after several days in Spain and several attempts at ordering a veggie salad you realized that every single one of them features tuna fish as a standard ingredient, ugh. Maybe those white Capri pants you bought in Florence aren’t quite what the guys in Minnesota are wearing this Spring. We're sure you have a story. Share it with us, and you could win one of several prizes including Apple products, your choice of gift cards, and Abbey Road alumni gear!
Please send your story (maximum 500 words) to info@goabbeyroad.com to be considered. We look forward to laughing WITH you (not at you). Winning stories will be published on Abbey Road’s website and blog. |
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My classes were useful for learning more vocabulary, improving my speaking skills, and overall becoming more comfortable with the French language. I loved that whatever we wanted to study or focus on, we could. Our teachers were completely open to suggestions. I found this flexibility very useful because everyone in the class had their own strengths and weaknesses, but we could all have the opportunity to work on something that we felt less confident in, whether it be verbs, grammar, or vocabulary.
I became much more comfortable speaking French as well. Living with our “famille d’accueil” really forced me to speak constantly, even if I was scared at the beginning! We always had laughs when I confused a word or two, but all the practice made it much easier to converse. Now back home, sometimes when I hear people speaking French around me, I will say “bonjour” and start a conversation with them. I would have never had the confidence to just start speaking to people before St. Laurent du Var. I am overjoyed that I can now go up to people and just start talking to them! (And this makes my parents pretty happy too!)
There was never a dull moment living in St. Laurent du Var. We all fell into the daily routine of classes, picnic, and then our “afternoon excursion” to a nearby town or the St. Laurent beach. I have so many fond memories of everyone piling in to the train and heading off to our next destination on the French Riviera. We always had choices of what we wanted to do, but I loved exploring the new towns or cities with a couple of friends, wandering into little cafes, finding a great restaurant, or just relaxing by the beach. These trips also gave us opportunities to speak to French natives by ourselves, and practice what we learned in our classes that morning. Although it was sometimes embarrassing, or frustrating, we always tried! With a group of teenagers who all wanted to get better in a language, and explore a new country, it was easy to get a long with everyone. After the first few days, I felt like I had known some of my fellow group members for a lifetime. We’re all still keeping in close contact now, and I don’t think I will ever forget them.
Warm and welcoming, the staff was always there to keep us smiling too. I will never forget all the adventures we had with them. While they were looking out for us and keeping us safe, they were also our friends who we could laugh and joke with. From day one, I felt like I could talk to them about anything if there was ever a problem, or something on my mind.
I am so glad I got to experience France with Abbey Road. It gave me an authentic taste of the French lifestyle that I don’t think I could have gotten anywhere else, and left me with memories that will last a lifetime. |
