Some of my friends and I signed a form that promised we wouldn’t speak a word of English for the whole trip! It’s a huge commitment, but it is worth it, because it really help better our French. I’ve been speaking French all day since yesterday morning, and it gets easier the longer you do it.
We had our first French class Monday, which was very fun, because it is not like a regular class; we all love French and want to be there. 
Sophie is my teacher, and she is extremely nice. We always start the class off by talking about what we did the day before or what we do during the school year, for example. We then read a little something and answer questions and discuss vocabulary words. Sophie makes sure everyone has a chance to talk, which is nice. Everyone’s favorite part if the class is going into Aix to visit monuments and speak to natives.
We also had our first elective class Monday afternoon. I am taking the art class, which is really helpful in learning new vocabulary and painting (although not very well!). Nina, our teacher, had us paint the contour of what we see around us and then color it later. It was really fun, because it turned out to be really abstract.
That night we had a French impersonation party where we were all supposed to dress up as a stereotypical French person. I wore a striped shirt, scarf, and the new espadrilles I bought using my French. We then did improv skits in French which turned out to be hilarious.
Tuesday afternoon, we got to choose between a hike and a photography class. I chose the hike along with most other people. The hike was absolutely beautiful, because we got to see gorgeous mountains and a dam. We hiked around the Mont Sainte Victoire. On the way home, however, we couldn’t all fit on the bus, so we had to wait extra long. We were so tired that they took us to ice cream and we all went to bed early.
Yesterday in the morning, we took a tour around a cathedral in our French class. It was so beautiful with the intricate stone carvings and beautiful stained glass. In the afternoon we had our elective class, and later on we had a bowling and pizza night. It was nice for everyone to hangout and have some fun!
-Lauren