HCJYF is the best!

My year spent in Paris was one of the best years of my life. Going on a year long program is definitely the way to go and I can't really complain at all about Hamilton's program. They have been around for a long time in Paris so the logistics are well worked out at this point and for the most part everything went smoothly from homestays to excursions, classes to orientation. The first couple weeks are spent in Biarritz, France, which is incredible! While there you have very little time spent in class and lots of time at the beach or just hanging out and getting to know the other kids in the group. This time spent in the smaller seaside community makes heading to Paris A LOT less intimidating (and helps you get used to living in French really quickly)! I had an amazing homestay experience, and while navigating the French university system of registration was not easy, I had help from our program director, Martine, the whole time so I never felt completely lost. The group excursions that we took once a month allowed us to explore parts of France that we might never have seen otherwise. We definitely got to see the more popular places like Mont St. Michel and Normandie, but we also got to explore places like a champignonnière (no they do NOT make champagne there!) or a vignoble (they DO make wine there).

Anyway, all this to say that the HCJYF provided me an amazing foundation for an incredible year. Things were well organized, the staff and director were helpful and knowledgeable, and well, who can not love Paris?