Middlebury School in France

Living in Paris was an expansive experience. It challenged me in a lot of ways, and helped me grow because of it. Paris is such a beautiful city, with spectacles and beautiful architecture and people and a moving, dynamic current. There's always something to do, someone to see. It’s city to get lost in and find yourself again. It’s a city designed for people, for connection, for community. If I could, I'd do it all over again. The Middlebury Program is a great way to immerse yourself. With a host family, and a balance of local and program-led classes, and a lot of independence, you are sure to find yourself getting to know a great city. I found the language support really helpful, and I was able to meet a bunch of people, either local or through the program or through different study abroad schools. I’m really grateful for the opportunity it gave me.

I had an incredible semester in Bordeaux with the Middlebury Schools Abroad. I think the highlight of my 4 months there was living with my host family, they were so supportive and helpful with any questions I had about life in Bordeaux. I loved having the freedom to explore this new city on my own and with friends from the program and other international students. The French university system is very different from the United States so it definitely took some getting used to, but other than that it was so interested to learn in a new environment.

I really loved Bordeaux throughout my experience there! The size of the city was perfect for me, not too big and overwhelming, but still offered new and different activities to do each weekend. The bordelaise people were always kind and understanding, and especially respected the fact that I wanted to practice my French - even though they could tell I was American. Living with my host family was part of what made my experience so special; they were always pushing me to try typical French foods, learn local slang, explore new corners of the city, and they would check up on me every night at dinner. I felt a lot of freedom and independence in Bordeaux which allowed me to be myself at all times, and especially allowed me to delve into the culture enthusiastically. I would recommend Bordeaux to anyone learning French!