Nearly 7 weeks ago I arrived at the JFK airport with my large suitcase, stuffed to the seams, surrounded by unfamiliar faces whom with I would spend the month of July. At first Nice seemed so unfamiliar. I remember arriving at the residence wondering how I would ever be able to make my way around the town. There were so many different allies and streets, winding in every direction. Within no time, however, it was like I had been living there for a year.
One thing that was especially unique about traveling with Abbey Road was that you experience France the way the locals do. I immediately became very familiar with old Nice, as it was loaded with shopping and gelato. From the beginning, we spent a lot of time in old Nice, whether it was during morning classes, or afternoon free time. The living situation was another bonus to an already wonderful trip. We each had our own room, which included a small kitchenette and bathroom.
I thought the Abbey Road staff was amazing. Besides from being fluent in french, all of the teachers lived in France. Our classes were based primarily on conversation, rather than grammar like we often get in school. We spent the first half of class in the classroom, and then for the remainder of class, we applied what we had just learned outside in the city of Nice.
Additionally, the staff made every effort to work with student requests. At the beginning of the program, some students had suggested that Pearla, our program's personal chef, would provide lunch on a more regular bases. From then on, both lunch and dinner was offered every day.
One of my favorite aspects of the program was the weekend traveling. Some highlights included the small village of Eze, Cannes, Saint Tropez, Antibes, San Remo (Italy!), and Isola. All the towns were so much different. Some towns seemed to reflect more of their old european charm, whereas other towns were more modern and heavily populated with tourists.
I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my month of July.
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