Abbey Road High School French Immersion Homestay Program in Saint-Laurent-du-Var

I loved the fact that the group was small and that allowed for more growth and was a better social scene. I loved all the variety of different activities such as snorkeling and shopping and visiting museums and the electives. I wish there were a couple more activities and maybe a little more free time of long mounts of time where we could just head to the beach for a day or maybe go out for lunch or something. I thought my host family was so amazing and I thought it worked out perfectly. The host family living situations were perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing about them. I had an amazing experience and I thought the teachers and all the adults were just absolutely amazing and super kind and understanding. I am very sad to leave, but I know I made the best of my trip.

I spent three weeks in St-Laurent-du-Var with Abbey Road programs this summer, and it was absolutely amazing. I made lifelong friends and memories that I’m never going to lose. I’d highly recommend the home stay program for any student looking to really immerse and learn the language, as my host mom helped me a lot with my accent and learning how to express thoughts and feelings. The food was wonderful and the classes were beneficial and fun (shout out to Sarah and Camille for being the BEST teachers). There were a few small things that the program could have done better, for example communication between staff members, host families and students. I also would have appreciated knowing the schedule for the week a few days before or having a digital version of the schedule. Aside from those things, however, this has been an incredible experience.

I had a fabulous summer in St. Laurent, France. I stayed with 3 other American girls in a French home. My host family was really great. They were very welcoming. My host mom was good about asking us about foods that we wanted to eat. She also served us traditional french foods that we sometimes liked (lol!). She did send us a packed lunch but I do admit that we often grabbed a bite at the local cafes, which was a lot of fun.
We had language class most mornings but had lots of time after that to do other things - explore, go shopping etc. I also took a gym class (totally optional) which was fun. Our trainer had us doing all sorts of exercises - and I am not the exercising type! Other kids chose to do other activities.
On weekends we went on lots of excursions to other places in France and we also crossed into Italy for a day. I made so many good friends. This was my first time overseas and I felt safe and supported the entire time.
I didn't actually end up spending much money while I was there, which made my parents happy. Everything is really provided by the program. I spent a small amount on pastries, coffee etc and a bit on gifts. But I did not have to worry about money at all for the day to day type things.
I really have no complaints at all. The home stay worked well for me - I really wanted to meet a French family and take in the culture. It worked out perfectly.

My son Joseph decided that he wants to become fluent in French. He found Abbey Road by searching for French immersion programs. As this was my son's first time traveling by himself and his first experience out of the country, I confess I was concerned. But, I soon realized that my concerns were completely unfounded. The fine professionals at Abbey Road provide a safe, secure experience in which every parent can have complete confidence. My son had an amazing time in St. Laurent-du-Var and the Paris extension, which I recommend very highly, by the way. Joseph came back with greatly improved language skills, a deep appreciation for the French culture, and an expanded world view. I could not be happier.

I loved the St Laurent Du Var program! I can't imagine living any other way besides with a family. I really enjoyed the immersion in French with my homestay family. The trips were fun and often allowed me to experience a piece of the culture of southern France, while also giving me time to explore and bond with my roommates and peers. I am an advanced French speaker, so the advanced class was a bit too easy, but I enjoyed the chance to practice my French anyway. The night soirées were fun and I really got to explore the St Laurent Du Var boardwalk. I would highly recommend the Abbey Road programs!

I am about to finish my time on this program and I have enjoyed it so much! I have made amazing friends and memories. My favorite part of this trip was the homestay. I was in a house with two other girls on the trip and my family was fantastic. My homestay mother was the sweetest woman I could have ever wished for and my dad was so funny and cared so much about us. The two sons (16 and 7) helped us immerse in the culture and understand what it's like to be a french child. We went on many trips outside of St. Laurent which were both cultural and extremely enjoyable. My advice to anyone who is signing up for this trip is to try to speak as much french as possible in and out of the classroom in order to learn the most possible French.

I loved the St. Laurent program. The homestay family was especially memorable. They were more than hospitable and spending time with them at dinner and having meaningful conversation was such a good way to learn. They had an extensive garden and it definitely showed in their cuisine, honestly some of the best food I've had.
Outside the homestay, the trip was a lot of fun. We went to the beach almost everyday and by the end, we were pretty familiar with the best places to go on the main strip in St. Laurent. I was also surprised by how many places we got to visit. We took lots of day trips and we were able to really see what the French Riviera has to offer from the Picasso museum to parasailing in Nice.
I'd recommend this trip over the Nice trip because 1) I can't imagine not having the homestay experience and 2) our group was about half the size and that made the travel easier and the experience a lot more personal.

I really enjoyed my time in France. I lived with two different host families. I especially enjoyed the first family because they only spoke French. I really wanted to get the full immersion experience when I was there. There were a lot of different activities at night and on the weekends.
My French is pretty advanced so the class work wasn't very challenging, but I learned a lot just by living with the family and speaking to storeowners etc.

My favorite part was the weekend excursions to other cities like Cannes and Monaco.