Broadreach: West Indies French & Culture

Going into this program I had very little idea of what it actually was. I had seen some general info but nothing specific. However when I arrived I quickly was brought into the family that was our group and within this family was able to explore and do things I didn't even know existed. From a 2 day open water kayak trip to a sandbar to 3 weeks of intensive French lesson I gained a lot from this trip. It is structured so that in the morning you have lessons and in the afternoon you have activities which can be anything from jewelry making to dancing. On the weekends you have activities such as surfing, the before mentioned kayak trip and the trip concludes with 4 days on a catamaran on the open seas. What made this program so amazing for me was how it blended fun with education so well. While canyoneering through waterfalls I would be speaking French with my instructors or before heading to the beach I would learn about tenses that i didn't even know existed.

In hindsight one of the memories that sticks out most to me was a seemingly pointless night in the middle of the trip. Then all of a sudden my instructor started up a conversation with me about my life. What started with an innocent comment turned into a deep philosophical conversation about life and of course this was all in French.

Being able to learn a language while having fun is invaluable. it makes the process much easier and I certainly feel like I gained not only experiences but also a lot of French.