I was very immersed in the culture and learned a lot more than what I had read and learned about France in my previous research and studies of the country. The trip allowed me to experience authentic day to day life and true culture in many places of France. With interacting with locals, adapting new routines, and participating in cultural traditions, I achieved a deep understanding of the French values and norms that cannot be known only through research itself. With that, I met lots of amazing people from all over the country which was really refreshing. And also made the trip 10x better and memorable.

I had the best time of my life in France. Everyone there was so kind, and I truly felt like I was immersed in the culture. The homestay was my absolute favorite part. My host mom and I connected so well, and I couldn't have asked for a better host family. My group leaders were flexible, and they genuinely tried to give us the experience my whole group wanted. We changed the day-to-day itinerary a few times because it just didn't fit our group and the dynamic, so it was great to have it specialized to us specifically.

The Experiment was the best experience of my life. First of,f Amy and Danielle were absolutely amazing leaders and extremely easy to talk to and the friends I made in the group were extremely nice as well! Along with this the homestay experience was the most uncomfortable yet rewarding experience yet, I had the time of my life living amongst my host family and was able to see how it is to live in a family that is completely different than mine. I would do this all again if I could! Heck, I even wanted to stay in France when we got back to the States!

I liked the experience and the opportunity to go to France and see all the famous things I've always wanted to see. Like the Mona Lisa, Eiffel Tower, arc de Triomphe, and more! I even had my sweet 16 there and had a great time. Except I feel it could have been better if I was more informed by the leaders on the downsides like all the pickpocketing going on in Paris. Because of that, I became a victim of it and I got my phone stolen by a random person during the first few days of the trip while I went out to eat for lunch and I wasn't with the leaders. After that, the leaders and some of the kids tried their best to help but all they could do was report it to the police, they didn't do anything about it and I never got my phone back. The leaders helped me buy a temporary phone but still, It was a traumatizing experience and it spoiled my trip to the point, that I just wanted to go home but I couldn't. After that, I went to my homestay family with a lady I lived with for 10 days. She was alright but the whole time I felt like she didn't like me. After the 10 days ended I went to Switzerland it was beautiful and I loved the country but during that people started being weird. I was with a group of girls and a random guy came up to us and tried to take us to go out with him. Another kid got slapped in the face by a random guy while the leaders were there and everyone witnessed it and got scared. I started to have problems with the other students and they would just either ignore me or just be straight rude to me even though I was nice to everyone. So I didn't want to be in any group and just wanted to explore on my own but I got in trouble for that because when we are out in the country we have to be in a group of at least 3 because the leaders aren't always with us. On the last day, we were back in Paris and It was time to go to the fair and go souvenir shopping but the kids and leaders didn't want me in their group and a girl even yelled at me because I tried to go with her group. so I missed out on the fair and just stayed in the hotel room and cried because my experience was so bad. But then I texted the group chat we had and one of the leaders took me from the hotel and took me to go to a restaurant everyone was in and eat dinner and go souvenir shopping so I felt better. That was the trip for me and I loved the opportunity to see those countries and have by sweet 16 in Paris. but the experience itself could have been better.

Attending The Experiment trip gave me a good sense of the reality in a different country. I got to meet my groupmates, my host family, and even random people who became friends. My group mates were really good and fun. My host family was amazing. I got to see how the typical small town in France is and I met their family members. A big highlight of my trip was celebrating Bastille day with the whole town. Switzerland was very cool. Everything was expensive, but the town was very beautiful and right on the lake.

I was so lucky to be able to spend my summer in the beauty that is France. Leaving the country without anyone I knew was definitely scary but it was so rewarding. We got to see some of the most famous things in France such as the Eiffel Tower, the Mona Lisa, the Notre Dame, and the Arc de Triomphe. Seeing how the French lived their lives daily helped me adapt to the culture and although we did a lot of sightseeing we also got t experience the French life. We did this by shopping for our food in grocery stores or restaurants, navigating the Metro, and walking around and exploring. At first, it was scary but making friends made the experience more rewarding and fun. I would recommend applying for this program because it truly is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

At first I was so scared and nervous to go on this trip, but the people in my group changed that. The friends I made will be my friends forever, and the memories we created are unforgettable. Adjusting the French culture can be hard but since I wasn’t alone it was easier to with a bigger group of people. There was a lot of walking but sometimes you don’t feel it because your taking in everything, like views, and even the fact your in a whole new country with people you just met as a young highschool student.

I recently participated in The Experiments "France: Cultural Discovery" program for 22 days (July 2 to July 24), and it was one of the best experiences I've had. I got to experience how much more there is to the world and experience different countries norms. It was a little confusing at first but I eventually learned to adapt. I got to learn how to be independent in a foreign country and got to experience living with a French family for a week. Meeting other students on the trip was also nice, because we had each other to depend on. My personal favorite experience was when we went kayaking because it helped develop bonds in our group. During the trip, we also got to visit Freiburg, Germany and go swimming near the Black Forest. The only thing I could wish for was if the trip lasted a little longer.