I'm so grateful to have had the experiences I did!

I really loved my stay in Nantes. It is true what everyone says--when you're in Paris with an American accent, the French will start speaking to you in English; that is not the case in Nantes. English is not as widespread and so we were forced to speak French with the locals. The IES Center itself also had a French-only policy that was enforced, so even us Americans spoke to each other in French. I did have a bit of difficulty adjusting to the personality of my host family. They were more formal and less inviting than I hoped they would be, but it still ended up working fine. I loved seeing the "typically French" architecture of Nantes everyday, and having a wonderful public transportation system to get me around town (something I had to quickly learn!) My favorite parts of the IES program itself, however, was the family-atmosphere that was present among the group of us. I loved the excursions to other locations in France as well. I would definitely recommend this program!