My Summer with Abbey Road in St. Laurent, France

I had a fabulous summer in St. Laurent, France. I stayed with 3 other American girls in a French home. My host family was really great. They were very welcoming. My host mom was good about asking us about foods that we wanted to eat. She also served us traditional french foods that we sometimes liked (lol!). She did send us a packed lunch but I do admit that we often grabbed a bite at the local cafes, which was a lot of fun.
We had language class most mornings but had lots of time after that to do other things - explore, go shopping etc. I also took a gym class (totally optional) which was fun. Our trainer had us doing all sorts of exercises - and I am not the exercising type! Other kids chose to do other activities.
On weekends we went on lots of excursions to other places in France and we also crossed into Italy for a day. I made so many good friends. This was my first time overseas and I felt safe and supported the entire time.
I didn't actually end up spending much money while I was there, which made my parents happy. Everything is really provided by the program. I spent a small amount on pastries, coffee etc and a bit on gifts. But I did not have to worry about money at all for the day to day type things.
I really have no complaints at all. The home stay worked well for me - I really wanted to meet a French family and take in the culture. It worked out perfectly.