Edu-Culture International (ECI)

Going on the Toulouse trip was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life (the other one was going on the Aix-en-Provence trip in 2006!!). I benefited so much from this trip. I got to travel in a foreign country, met life-lasting friends (Spanish, French, & American), and I experienced really being on my own for the first time. The chaperones were helpful, kind, and very generous. They always made sure we were all ok and having a good time. They also made sure that my homestay experience was superb! My host parents were incredibly kind and understanding. Every evening we ate dinner together, which was fantastic, because I had so many conversations in french! Toulouse is a beautiful, beautiful city; it is perhaps my favorite place in this entire world!! Before going to Montpellier to go off on my own and stay with another family, I was SO nervous but my worries were silly because my host family was so welcoming and friendly. They wanted me to feel at home, and I was!! I am still in contact with them to this day (6 months later...). It was scary at first to not be with the group, but after a while the independence and freedom was nice to have. I HIGHLY reccommend to go on this trip (or any other eci trip) because you learn so much about yourself. You develop a worldview, you make life-lasting friends (However, beware....it is so hard to leave them at the end!), see incredible, breath-taking sights, and you learn a shocking amount of french!! I was strong in french before I went on my trip, but I became more conversational and I actually really did improve my flow and vocabulary!! It is really difficult to fully understand this kind of experience unless you have an experience of your own! Going on the Toulouse trip was an amazing, life-changing experience for me. I am going to college soon, but I am not afraid any more because I have had an experience on my own, and I know I can do it!! Thank you so, so much ECI for providing this extrordinary opportunity to me, and to everyone else!!