Do you want to BE French for the duration of your stay?

I chose Nantes because I wanted a smaller city than Paris where I wouldn't be overwhelmed by tourists, and I chose perfectly. IES is the only American study abroad program there that I know of, so I really learned how to speak French like a native!

My host family was definitely one of the best parts of my stay. We had dinner together every night as well as some lunches, and they included me in conversations and made me feel like a member of the family - I felt so welcome, and I still talk with my host sisters on Facebook over a year after my trip!

Nantes is small enough that you can find your way around fairly easily, but large enough that there is always something new. As president of my class, I found a lot of small concerts for us to go to, crêperies to visit, or festivals to attend. There was a kind of farmers' market every Saturday with homemade goods and homegrown vegetables and fruits, as well as clothes or toys to buy as souvenirs.

The public transportation system in Nantes was such a big help! The tram lines are pretty centrally located, and there are buses to go all over in between. I definitely wasn't used to that and it was awesome! It was kind of a pain applying for the student monthly pass, but it's worth it for the convenience once you have it.

Travel tip: if you plan on taking a lot of weekend trips, consider buying an SNCF carte pour 12-25 ans. It automatically gets you at least a 25% discount on TGV tickets, and sometimes as much as 60%! I think mine was around 50 Euro and it easily paid for itself within two tickets.

I hope your stay in France is as memorable as mine - make sure you take pictures because you will love looking back on them and reminiscing :)