Summer Camp in Montreal - Testimonials

"My home-stay was beautiful, and my home-stay mother was so kind and generous. She had other people from all over the world and it was perfect. This was an amazing experience. All of the staff are professional and fun and it was the perfect way to learn French. The school was nice and the classes were professional and fun. The afternoon activities were always fun, and the evening ones were the best! ATTEND THIS PROGRAM. You wont regret anything except not going for longer."
Brock T. (age 13)

"I was really nervous about speaking french but my host family was so friendly that before I knew it we were having conversations about our families and interests. I forgot about my fears of speaking and just spoke even if what I was saying made no sense or the verbs were conjugated incorrectly, what mattered was I could tell that my host family understood what I was saying and that makes up for all of my mispronounced words! I loved the program so much! I really felt like I was truly immersed in the culture and language, for such a short period of time I learned and did so much more. In my French class this year I will be so much farther ahead of the other students thanks to my experience in Montreal. I really liked being in a class room with people my age from all over the world and I made friends that I hope to keep for a very long time! Definatly go!! When I signed up I was thinking that 3 weeks was a very long time but when my 3 weeks was up I wished that I could have stayed all summer! My program was so life changing and such an experience, it was so much better than staying at home!"
Caroline D. (age 16)

"The location was great, I loved the fact that I did not have a room mate and I liked the people that I met. I had an amazing time in Montreal. I liked the city and the program. The accommodation was very good and close to the french program. The people were great and I really liked meeting so many people from different nationalities. I feel that I did improve my french and over all it was a great experience. I think it was very good, it was close to the residence which was great. Yes, It is a great experience, you will meet people from all over the place which makes it fun."
Megin P. (age 15)

"It was a wonderful experience, I really enjoyed going around on the metros. I think what I liked the most was being so independant. I had to get to and from school everyday and it was a nice feeling knowing I had to catch the metro. I met people from around the world that I am in contact with and it feels great knowing I know so many people. I loved it."
Megin P. (age 15)

"I did a two week stay with a host family in Montreal, Canada. The experience overall was useful, and it helped me gain independence as well as a better ear for the French language. To really experience the culture and the language of Montreal however, it is definitely better to choose to stay with a host family over residence. The school was well organized and prepared. The lessons always kept us busy and we were encouraged to speak French throughout. The teachers always tried to help you to understand, and the other classmates were willing to help as well.
Future Advice: If you are committed to learning the language, it is really important to stay with a host family. As well, find a group of students who are as committed as you are to learning the language and then practice it with them. You'll find that a lot of kids revert back to their native language during and after class, so it is difficult to find people to practice with; however the monitors are usually willing to help with that."
Electra S. (age 15)

"It was a wonderful experience, I really enjoyed going around on the metros. I think what I liked the most was being so independant. I had to get to and from school everyday and it was a nice feeling knowing I had to catch the metro. I met people from around the world that I am in contact with and it feels great knowing I know so many people. I loved it."
Megin P. (age 16)

"The program was great! I loved being on my own and living in a new city while learning French. My only recommendation is to stay with a family it is the only way to really learn the language. At first I was in the residence or the dorm and it was very confining with no independence. Then I changed to a homestay and all the people were really helpful when I told them I wanted to change. The homestay was great my "mom" was fantastic and spoke to me all the time in French. The location was great. All the teachers and monitors were really nice and accommodating. The classes were a good time to really improve on communication."
Rebecca C. (age 17)

"The location of my host home was great, near a grocery store and a small shopping center, and only 35- 40 minutes to school. I was always fairly comfortable in my home, although I wasn't there much. I was not staying with any other students, which I didn't like as much but my family was fairly welcoming. My host family did not make much of an effort to take me anywhere, they did what was required but they where always quite nice. Overall the experience was great! I really enjoyed the classes, the afternoon activities where always a blast and I loved the freedom that was given after classes. I would reccomend the program to anyone.

The location of the school couldn't have been better! Right in downtown Montreal there was always something to do. The classes where fairly relaxed, which was nice for a summer program. The activities after classes where always a ton of fun, the monitors where amazing and very nice. The activities where always creative, and never dull.
Future Advice: If you are coming to a Teenagers Abroad program, such as the one i attended, be open to changes. No family that you stay with will be exactly like yours. You will also need to be accepting of cultures, as the program is very multi-cultural."
Meagan L. (age 12)

"I had a great time. The classes were fun, I learned a lot,and made lots of friends. I'm seriously thinking about going again next summer! HF Life: I felt welcome, because my host family always talked to me as much as possible, and were really nice in general. Attending the program is a really good idea, because it's fun, and you learn a LOT."
Tim R. (age 16)

"My accomodation was spacious and very comfortable. It was located in a beautiful residential area of brick houses and gardens. My friend (my room mate) and I enjoyed eating with our host mother and walking in the neighborhood. My experience not only immersed me in French and Canadian culture, but also in German, Austrian, British, and Spanish cultures. Talking about our differences and similarities was definitely a highlight.

General Impression: The atmosphere of the school was cheerful and exciting, though my classes were often hampered by the fact that my teacher did not speak English. The students were respectful of other cultures and friendly and my experiences with the staff were similarly good. Sports and activities were generally well-chosen, though sometimes faraway. The information provided by Teenagers Abroad seemed more than adequate; staff were quite helpful when I had additonal questions.
Future Advice: You may have to seek out opportunities to speak French, as much of the city is bilingual."
Kayla G. (age 15)

"The host family was one of the best parts of the experience. Our host mother was welcoming and friendly, and a wonderful cook! Speaking with her really helped improve my French and I learned Quebecois culture as well. This was a great experience!!! My homestay mother was a wonderful lady who made my feel welcome and in the program I met lots of interesting people from around the world. Exploring Montreal either with the program or with new friends was exciting and the entire experience was absolutely unforgettable!

The other students in the program were generally friendly and nice, and the activities we did with the monitors in the afternoons were fun. The monitors especially did a really good job to make this experience as exciting as it was. The activities were well planned and interesting, but the policy of having to return back to the LSC campus after every activity was sometimes annoying, especially if we were closer to our host family and then had to backtrack to the school.

The general impression of the school and program was a good one and I would definately recommend it to my friends or other people interested in experiencing the language and culture of Montreal. The website, brochure and pre-departure information package provided all the information I needed so I was well prepared for the trip so there were no nasty surprises. Once I was in Montreal I always felt that if I needed help with anything the staff would be there with support.
Future Advice: Just have fun; be friendly and outgoing on the first days because once you meet people it's just so much fun! Make sure to have a sense of humour and even if you're a little shy about being away from home try the program because it's sure to be exciting."
Madeleine S. (age 17)

"The location was very good because it was walking distance from the school. It was very comfortable and I had my own room. My hostess was really nice and everyday included me in her activities (whether it be shopping for clothes or going to a movie). She also let me visit her at work one day.

Living in an environment where the language I was studying was used in every day life made me realize that the language is more than just facts from a book, but a useful type of communication. The classes weren't too big, so the teacher was able to pay attention to individuals.

The after school activities were very fun because we were always active. We never had something where we couldn't be moving around constantly.

If you have never been away from your family before, then this is not a good way to start because you are on your own a lot of the time with no supervision and you have to always know what is good judgement.

Parents comments: I was very happy with the whole program. I was reassured about everything, and everything was as advertised. My husband and I actually drove her to Montreal, so we saw her homestay (a wonderful person, Guylaine) and the school."
Claudia F. (age 14)

"The entire experience was amazing. My host family was extremely nice, and very helpful. My host sister helped me to feel at home by taking me out with her friends, so I got to meet other kids my age who were outside the program. My host mother supplied me with everything I needed and requested. However, it was a bit challenging because she worked nights, so I didn't get to see her that often.

The school location was great, and I loved my professor, except everything got changed around on my last week there. Make sure to bring pictures and little momentos from home. They will become wonderful conversation pieces as well as objects that will help comfort you should you become homesick.

On the first day, face up to your feelings of awkwardness and go around and introduce yourself to almost everyone. You will appreciate it later on as you develop a wide and diverse group of friends to do things with. Other than that, your services were wonderful. Thank you very much."
Lauren B. (age 15)

"It was super! Montreal is a great city. The program is well organized and aims to give the student a true immersion language experience.

I learned and refreshed my French tremendously. I would have loved to stay longer. The best service was that I was able to enroll my 13 year old son in a program so that I would not have to worry about him.

He loved learning French, meeting all of the other teenagers from all over the world, and being able to be independent. To me this was worth more than what I actually did in my own class. Teenagers Abroad are very organized and well run. They take care of all details.

It's a fabulous experience I wish I would have sent my other two boys."
Reina M., mother of student who also attended an adult French program while her son was in our teenager summer camp