After getting back home and back to school, I realized what a huge effect this trip had on me. Not only has my french improved - my comprehension is better and my speaking has vastly improved - but I am more self confident, happier, and better able to adapt to new situations. I grew up during my trip to Nice. Living in a different country without my parents or connections to my American high school and American life made me more independent and most importantly, made me get to know myself.
As far as language goes, I learned more in a month than I usually do in a semester in my classes at home. The quick pace and natural rhythm of conversation teaches you to speak without second guessing yourself all the time. You learn to trust your instincts and generally you are right, or very close. If you are wrong, the teachers are happy to help you. The most important skill I learned, a skill that will help me enormously in more advanced levels of French, is finding ways to express what you think and feel without knowing the exact French translation of the English word. I learned to talk about modern art and how Picasso and Chagall made me feel in French - things that can be difficult to express in English.
I will never forget this trip or the things it taught me and I would encourage anyone who gets the chance to go to Nice.
