Help! My 14 y.o. freshman wants to attend summer school in Paris.
Mar 6th, 2007, 08:53 PM
#43
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Thank you to all that posted in response to my question. Eleanorw, samsmom1123 and Marz deserve a special thanks for leading us towards the Oxbridge program in Paris.
She will depart from LAX by herself and be met at CDG by someone from the school. Two weeks later I will fly over and try to keep my distance from her till school ends.
When school ends I hope to spend a few days having my daughter show me around the city.
Because she has to arrive at CDG on July 4th the number of flights was extremely limited. Thus buying a ticket in February for a non-stop LAX-CDG flight cost 1800. Yes I looked everywhere for a better price. Oh well.........
Thank you again eleanorw, samsmom and Marz.
She will depart from LAX by herself and be met at CDG by someone from the school. Two weeks later I will fly over and try to keep my distance from her till school ends.
When school ends I hope to spend a few days having my daughter show me around the city.
Because she has to arrive at CDG on July 4th the number of flights was extremely limited. Thus buying a ticket in February for a non-stop LAX-CDG flight cost 1800. Yes I looked everywhere for a better price. Oh well.........
Thank you again eleanorw, samsmom and Marz.
Mar 8th, 2007, 04:35 AM
#46
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Very informative post. My 17 yr old son has expressed a desire to do an overseas summer program as well but I've always been skeptical, especially considering the prices involved. Please let us know how it goes.
Mar 8th, 2007, 06:05 AM
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My father sent me to Paris for the summer when I was 16 (am 30ish now) with my 17-year-old brother. My brother partied the entire time while I made every novice travel mistake imaginable. Left my purse w/passport at the gate at JFK, had my luggage stolen, ran out of money, attracted many a nefarious Frenchman, etc., I have always been a little scatterbrained, but at 16, I was certainly old enough to avoid dangerous situations (I would have been much safer without my crazy brother!). I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything, and I did vastly improve my French. Yes, my father was HORRIFIED when he heard all the stories about our trip to France. Still, he encouraged me to continue exploring the world (on my own dime – mostly ) at every opportunity because you never know about tomorrow.
Mar 8th, 2007, 06:06 AM
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Mendota, thanks for getting back. I took a look at the Oxbridge program - I assume your daughter is taking the "l'Academie en Paris" program and I'd love to hear how your daughter made out and what courses she elected to take. (No fashion courses per se, but I see there's one entitled "Paris and the Avant-Garde" that includes visits to fashion institutes.)
I like that all the faculty are named and their credentials specifically listed - all seem to have degrees - and the courses are also fully outlined as is the general format of the day. (Five and a half hours of classes, ending at 4 p.m, except Sundays.) Residence is in the 6th arondissement.
Again, please do post more, this is most intriguing.
I like that all the faculty are named and their credentials specifically listed - all seem to have degrees - and the courses are also fully outlined as is the general format of the day. (Five and a half hours of classes, ending at 4 p.m, except Sundays.) Residence is in the 6th arondissement.
Again, please do post more, this is most intriguing.
Mar 8th, 2007, 06:29 AM
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I attened the Oxbridge program at Oxford after my sophmore year of HS and the Paris program the following summer. Both were great experiences. There was sufficent supervision but the opportunity to explore on your own also existed. I really learned new information in some exciting subjects and it was a great preparation for what college might be like. Now, all of this was 13 years ago, but I continue to hear wonderful things about the program.
Jul 1st, 2007, 05:50 AM
#52
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My daughter departs July 3 for Paris. Again thank you to eleanorw, samsmom and Marz for suggesting the Oxbridge Program ( headquarters in New York). The school is located near the Luxembourg Gardens and she will be studying the French language in the morning and a class in French culture in the afternoon. The term is 4 weeks.
In speaking to the school representatives on the telephone I am impressed with how effortlessly they answer my questions. So we will see how well it all works.
I'll fly over July 11 and visit other cities. She made me promise not to visit her school until the last day of class. At that point we will have 5 days for her to show me what she learned about the city.
Thanks to all for their help and suggestions.
In speaking to the school representatives on the telephone I am impressed with how effortlessly they answer my questions. So we will see how well it all works.
I'll fly over July 11 and visit other cities. She made me promise not to visit her school until the last day of class. At that point we will have 5 days for her to show me what she learned about the city.
Thanks to all for their help and suggestions.
Jul 1st, 2007, 11:24 AM
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Thanks for the update. I hope her programme goes well for her.
Tell her (if you have not already done so) that you solicited advice here, and that at least some of us are interested in how things work out. Perhaps she might write a brief report to share with us.
Tell her (if you have not already done so) that you solicited advice here, and that at least some of us are interested in how things work out. Perhaps she might write a brief report to share with us.
Sep 23rd, 2007, 04:35 PM
#56
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My daughter attended the Oxbidge Academy program in Paris for the month of July. She enrolled in a French language course for the morning session and a course about Paris and the Avant Garde for the afternoon session. Again thank you to eleanorw, samsmom and Marz for suggesting the Oxbridge Program (headquarters in New York). The school is located near the Luxembourg Gardens and she was met at the airport (CDG) by someone from the school. She had a super experience.
She departed LAX-CDG July 3rd and I flew over to Tallinn, Estonia the following week to meet a friend who is a native Estonian. With this arrangement if she had a problem I could be in Paris within a few hours.
Tallinn is a relaxing and intimate city. My days were spent in the usual tourist wanderings of
churches, restaurants, and historical sites. At night it was far too easy to stay up all night
because there is daylight till midnight and many bars to visit.
Some restaurants I visited include: Vertigo (http://www.vertigo.ee/ ) an upscale restaurant with great views of the city and excellent food. Troika (http://www.troika.ee/) a Russian restaurant on the town square where they pour vodka into a glass as if they are filling a water glass. Touristy but lots of fun. Most of my meals were at Club Moscow. A relaxing and casual place on the edge of the old town facing a parking lot. On the other side of the parking lot is the Russian theater. All types of people come and go during the day so it's a constant
carnival of people watching. There's always a half dozen young female waitresses who with great efficiency run the place. They seldom speak to each other as they go about their work so different from here in the US.
Another good spot for a drink is the top of the Radisson hotel where there is an outdoor bar on the roof. Lounge 24 is the name and it has an open air terrace that allows for great views of the city. In Tallinn it is very common for blankets to be put over one's shoulders while sitting outside as it becomes chilly at night.
While in Tallinn I called my daughter a few times and I tried to e-mail her everyday. From this communication I grew confident that she was enjoying her stay in Paris and that I could continue my stay in Tallinn..
One day I visited Helsinki via the ferry. It's about two hours and an easy trip. Helsinki is attractive with a clean efficient downtown, good food, and nice people. Compared to Tallinn it's more of the big city atmosphere so I liked it as a day trip more than actually staying there.
My hotel in Tallinn was the Domina Il Marine near the ferry terminals. The cost was about 93 dollars per night using skoosh.com for the reservation. The room is small by US standards but adequate and the price included breakfast. The staff were all young and very eager to help. The street directly outside the hotel is busy to cross but the hotel is only 100 yards or so from the old town wall.
I felt safe most times walking home at night but did take a cab a few times. The cabs all tend to cost 10 dollars no matter where you go. You ask when you get in the price and it's always about 10 dollars.
Another day there was a musical folk festival in the town square. All these amateur folk bands from all over the world would take turns playing. So I sat at a sidewalk restaurant, ate and drank for hours enjoying the day. It was not overly crowded. It balanced the perfect amount of entertainment, food, people watching, and harmony.
After about two weeks in Tallinn I took the bus to Riga. Train travel in the Baltic’s was not recommended by anyone I spoke with. The ride is about 4 and 1/2 hours on a two lane road. They really need to improve the rail system in this part of the world. My hotel situation was not good in Riga. The first hotel was way too far from the center of town so I took a cab to the Riga Domina. Again not close enough as it was a 25 minute walk to the town square. But the hotel again had a breakfast and I transferred to the Hotel Riga for two nights. The Hotel RIga is rated a 4 star but should be a 1 star. Good location though.
No internet access at these hotels in Riga so I was going to an internet cafe every day. The cost was about 2 dollars per hour in RIga.
I attended an organ recital one night in Riga's main cathedral that was good. Not many hotels near the old town center in Riga. The flea market is very good and not too disorderly as you see in some cities. I did take a walking tour that was fabulous. Led by a lady from St. Petersburg she effortlessly answered every question covering history, sociology, geography, philosophy, etc. Her explanation of "mother Russia" and how communism gave people security profoundly changed my idea of the USSR.
On a Thursday I took the local bus to the airport to fly to Paris. The bus was extremely crowded and NO ONE uttered a word. Riga's airport is nice and you can see old planes left by the Russians. One I think was a MIG.
She departed LAX-CDG July 3rd and I flew over to Tallinn, Estonia the following week to meet a friend who is a native Estonian. With this arrangement if she had a problem I could be in Paris within a few hours.
Tallinn is a relaxing and intimate city. My days were spent in the usual tourist wanderings of
churches, restaurants, and historical sites. At night it was far too easy to stay up all night
because there is daylight till midnight and many bars to visit.
Some restaurants I visited include: Vertigo (http://www.vertigo.ee/ ) an upscale restaurant with great views of the city and excellent food. Troika (http://www.troika.ee/) a Russian restaurant on the town square where they pour vodka into a glass as if they are filling a water glass. Touristy but lots of fun. Most of my meals were at Club Moscow. A relaxing and casual place on the edge of the old town facing a parking lot. On the other side of the parking lot is the Russian theater. All types of people come and go during the day so it's a constant
carnival of people watching. There's always a half dozen young female waitresses who with great efficiency run the place. They seldom speak to each other as they go about their work so different from here in the US.
Another good spot for a drink is the top of the Radisson hotel where there is an outdoor bar on the roof. Lounge 24 is the name and it has an open air terrace that allows for great views of the city. In Tallinn it is very common for blankets to be put over one's shoulders while sitting outside as it becomes chilly at night.
While in Tallinn I called my daughter a few times and I tried to e-mail her everyday. From this communication I grew confident that she was enjoying her stay in Paris and that I could continue my stay in Tallinn..
One day I visited Helsinki via the ferry. It's about two hours and an easy trip. Helsinki is attractive with a clean efficient downtown, good food, and nice people. Compared to Tallinn it's more of the big city atmosphere so I liked it as a day trip more than actually staying there.
My hotel in Tallinn was the Domina Il Marine near the ferry terminals. The cost was about 93 dollars per night using skoosh.com for the reservation. The room is small by US standards but adequate and the price included breakfast. The staff were all young and very eager to help. The street directly outside the hotel is busy to cross but the hotel is only 100 yards or so from the old town wall.
I felt safe most times walking home at night but did take a cab a few times. The cabs all tend to cost 10 dollars no matter where you go. You ask when you get in the price and it's always about 10 dollars.
Another day there was a musical folk festival in the town square. All these amateur folk bands from all over the world would take turns playing. So I sat at a sidewalk restaurant, ate and drank for hours enjoying the day. It was not overly crowded. It balanced the perfect amount of entertainment, food, people watching, and harmony.
After about two weeks in Tallinn I took the bus to Riga. Train travel in the Baltic’s was not recommended by anyone I spoke with. The ride is about 4 and 1/2 hours on a two lane road. They really need to improve the rail system in this part of the world. My hotel situation was not good in Riga. The first hotel was way too far from the center of town so I took a cab to the Riga Domina. Again not close enough as it was a 25 minute walk to the town square. But the hotel again had a breakfast and I transferred to the Hotel Riga for two nights. The Hotel RIga is rated a 4 star but should be a 1 star. Good location though.
No internet access at these hotels in Riga so I was going to an internet cafe every day. The cost was about 2 dollars per hour in RIga.
I attended an organ recital one night in Riga's main cathedral that was good. Not many hotels near the old town center in Riga. The flea market is very good and not too disorderly as you see in some cities. I did take a walking tour that was fabulous. Led by a lady from St. Petersburg she effortlessly answered every question covering history, sociology, geography, philosophy, etc. Her explanation of "mother Russia" and how communism gave people security profoundly changed my idea of the USSR.
On a Thursday I took the local bus to the airport to fly to Paris. The bus was extremely crowded and NO ONE uttered a word. Riga's airport is nice and you can see old planes left by the Russians. One I think was a MIG.
Sep 23rd, 2007, 04:37 PM
#57
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I flew to Paris, took the Air France shuttle and then a cab to.....Sofitel La Défense Grande Arche
Yes I know : no atmosphere. Hard to ponder atmosphere when the room is drop-dead gorgeous for about $125 per night. I loved it. The rack rate listed in the lobby was 420. Robespierre was right (always read your
posts. Thank you for the info on PDA's).
One of the best rooms I've ever stayed in. There's much construction going on at Le Defense so it is about 10 minutes to the hotel from the metro stop. At the end of a long day I'll take that room over any
charming hotel on the left bank. Just my opinion.
Took a cab immediately to my daughter's school to survey the neighborhood and see if all was well. The staff informed me they had a visit from a parent about once a day. They mentioned that some students were a
handful and thankfully my daughter was not.
The school is located a few blocks from the Luxembourg gardens so it's an easy walk to all those wonderful shops in the 6th Arr. I went over to St. Sulpice and discovered on Friday an English tour would be offered.
On Friday I changed hotels to the Hotel Royal Phare near Rue Cler as suggested in the RIck Steves Paris book. This was my first time staying in the Rue Cler area and I enjoyed it immensely as all the usual
neighborhood stores are minutes from the hotel.
The English tour of St. Sulpice is offered only in the summer by a wonderful parishioner. She was born in England but has lived in the parish for thirty years. Their were only three of us in the tour and I learned far
more than I imagined I would. Only a French speaking tour is offered for the crypts under the church and this is something I bookmarked for a future trip.
On my way out of St. Sulpice I noticed a poster for a gospel concert by Gospel Dream at the American cathedral for Saturday night.
Also on Friday night as I was walking by Notre Dame at about 8 PM I noticed there was to be a movie of some kind displayed inside the cathedral. It was brilliant how they strung up a screen in front of the altar
and projected a movie depicting the history of the cathedral. The projector was behind the altar. My memory fails me but I think it was in French with English subtitles. A great idea to get people into the church at
night.
Saturday I went to the Louvre for the English tour and then spent the rest of the day with the English audio guide. It was a long day but at the end I felt I had some understanding of the museum. My emphasis was on
Renaissance art only which allowed me to more efficiently navigate the rooms.
Saturday night I made my way to the American cathedral on Avenue George V for the gospel singing concert. It's 20 euros and there's about 2-300 people. Absolutely fantastic: gorgeous old church, wonderful
neighborhood, super concert. I thought they were from NYC. Their website is http://www.gospeldream.com. They perform routinely in Paris at various locations and I would
enthusiastically recommend attending a performance.
Sunday I made my way to the Champs d'Elysee for the ending of the Tour de France. It was good but it is hard to see anything as the riders are very fast when they whiz by. My vantage point was along the Champs
d'Elysee right in front of the Cafe Madrigal. The best part was the people I met standing on either side of me. Students from Yale on one side and retired mid-westerners on the other.
On Monday I was exhausted. My long day at the Louvre followed by standing all day at the Tour wiped me out physically. So I just sat for hours at various parks watching people.
Tuesday I checked into another hotel: Hotel du Champ de Mars as I would be picking up my daughter from school. Of course this was the day I would discover what she had learned. This had been on my mind for
some weeks: during her stay what if she just shopped, ate at cafes with her friends and visited attractions.
At noon I met her at the school and she told me how the students had been up all night. For their final night the school took them on a Seine dinner cruise, returned to the school and packed. She was exhausted so I
took her to the hotel and she napped for the afternoon. That night we went out to dinner and my fears were put to rest. The French language class took the students out to stores in the city and had them practice
conversing with clerks, waiters, policemen, etc. The DD experienced a life changing experience: gaining knowledge, confidence, maturity, and a sense of style. She asked me if she could transfer to a boarding school in
NYC, London or Paris. Uh ....not right now.
On Wednesday we took the train to visit Fontainebleau. Having been to Versailles a few times I was impressed with how calm and unhurried the chateau presented itself. No crowd’s at all and absolutely lovely town.
Thursday we took the metro out to the flea market then over to the cathedral at St. Denis. Again another uncrowded attraction where the remains lie of many French kings and Marie Antoinette.
Friday we took the train out to the Val d’Europe outlet stores. These stores were disappointing because of the cost. The prices were 30-50% more than here in the US. In the US it’s common to see people carrying many packages but I saw no one with more than two packages.
We only stayed a short time and made our way back to Paris and to the Ritz for afternoon tea. We sat outside in a courtyard and enjoyed watching the people.
My daughter said that her class had gone over to the Pompidou center
many times to view art and she wanted to have dinner at the restaurant on the roof. The entrance is via the outside escalators and you walk about 60 feet across an open patio to the restaurant. The skies opened up
when we arrived as we dashed to the restaurant. As we were eating the place filled up with many wet people but the views are super. The walls inside are floor to ceiling glass. Sorry I don't remember what we ate but
after dinner we went to their bar and I ordered two Kir Royales that were great.
Departing for home was looming ahead. We would be taking different planes from CDG: daughter at 0900 Air France and I at 1000 with KLM. I had a stop in Amsterdam. So she would be arriving at LAX around 2 PM and I would arrive about 4 PM. How would I drop off daughter and her overweight
luggage at Air France for check in then make my way over to KLM? How would we meet at LAX?
I actually tried to post this question on Fodors from internet stores in Riga and Paris but the post never showed up. Some how it worked out but not without the usual absolute painful anxiety that airports have a way
of ramming into your brain. We taxied to the airport and my daughter got dropped off first at Air France and then I made my way over to KLM which was a madhouse of instability. Their computerized automatic self-check-in system was down. Love it
when people start making their own lines as their is no one from the airline to direct them. I actually thought I could somehow make it back to Air France to see if my daughter made it through her check-in. No
chance.
Each of us thank God had our cell phones so I would call her when I landed. It worked but we each had to navigate a heavily loaded baggage cart around the terminal to find each other. For the first time in traveling to
Europe I had decided I would travel with only a carry-on suitcase. This allowed me to buy another suitcase in Paris for all the clothing, hair dryers, hair straighteners, etc. that she had bought and check it.
Again I was proud how my daughter performed: she didn’t panic and she calmly made her way through the process.
Next summer I'm hoping my daughter will again return to France. Maybe she should try a smaller city so there will be more opportunities to learn the language?
My goals are to return sometime in 2008 to Tallinn and to visit St. Petersburg.
Again my thanks to all who post on this forum for sharing their thoughts and information.
Yes I know : no atmosphere. Hard to ponder atmosphere when the room is drop-dead gorgeous for about $125 per night. I loved it. The rack rate listed in the lobby was 420. Robespierre was right (always read your
posts. Thank you for the info on PDA's).
One of the best rooms I've ever stayed in. There's much construction going on at Le Defense so it is about 10 minutes to the hotel from the metro stop. At the end of a long day I'll take that room over any
charming hotel on the left bank. Just my opinion.
Took a cab immediately to my daughter's school to survey the neighborhood and see if all was well. The staff informed me they had a visit from a parent about once a day. They mentioned that some students were a
handful and thankfully my daughter was not.
The school is located a few blocks from the Luxembourg gardens so it's an easy walk to all those wonderful shops in the 6th Arr. I went over to St. Sulpice and discovered on Friday an English tour would be offered.
On Friday I changed hotels to the Hotel Royal Phare near Rue Cler as suggested in the RIck Steves Paris book. This was my first time staying in the Rue Cler area and I enjoyed it immensely as all the usual
neighborhood stores are minutes from the hotel.
The English tour of St. Sulpice is offered only in the summer by a wonderful parishioner. She was born in England but has lived in the parish for thirty years. Their were only three of us in the tour and I learned far
more than I imagined I would. Only a French speaking tour is offered for the crypts under the church and this is something I bookmarked for a future trip.
On my way out of St. Sulpice I noticed a poster for a gospel concert by Gospel Dream at the American cathedral for Saturday night.
Also on Friday night as I was walking by Notre Dame at about 8 PM I noticed there was to be a movie of some kind displayed inside the cathedral. It was brilliant how they strung up a screen in front of the altar
and projected a movie depicting the history of the cathedral. The projector was behind the altar. My memory fails me but I think it was in French with English subtitles. A great idea to get people into the church at
night.
Saturday I went to the Louvre for the English tour and then spent the rest of the day with the English audio guide. It was a long day but at the end I felt I had some understanding of the museum. My emphasis was on
Renaissance art only which allowed me to more efficiently navigate the rooms.
Saturday night I made my way to the American cathedral on Avenue George V for the gospel singing concert. It's 20 euros and there's about 2-300 people. Absolutely fantastic: gorgeous old church, wonderful
neighborhood, super concert. I thought they were from NYC. Their website is http://www.gospeldream.com. They perform routinely in Paris at various locations and I would
enthusiastically recommend attending a performance.
Sunday I made my way to the Champs d'Elysee for the ending of the Tour de France. It was good but it is hard to see anything as the riders are very fast when they whiz by. My vantage point was along the Champs
d'Elysee right in front of the Cafe Madrigal. The best part was the people I met standing on either side of me. Students from Yale on one side and retired mid-westerners on the other.
On Monday I was exhausted. My long day at the Louvre followed by standing all day at the Tour wiped me out physically. So I just sat for hours at various parks watching people.
Tuesday I checked into another hotel: Hotel du Champ de Mars as I would be picking up my daughter from school. Of course this was the day I would discover what she had learned. This had been on my mind for
some weeks: during her stay what if she just shopped, ate at cafes with her friends and visited attractions.
At noon I met her at the school and she told me how the students had been up all night. For their final night the school took them on a Seine dinner cruise, returned to the school and packed. She was exhausted so I
took her to the hotel and she napped for the afternoon. That night we went out to dinner and my fears were put to rest. The French language class took the students out to stores in the city and had them practice
conversing with clerks, waiters, policemen, etc. The DD experienced a life changing experience: gaining knowledge, confidence, maturity, and a sense of style. She asked me if she could transfer to a boarding school in
NYC, London or Paris. Uh ....not right now.
On Wednesday we took the train to visit Fontainebleau. Having been to Versailles a few times I was impressed with how calm and unhurried the chateau presented itself. No crowd’s at all and absolutely lovely town.
Thursday we took the metro out to the flea market then over to the cathedral at St. Denis. Again another uncrowded attraction where the remains lie of many French kings and Marie Antoinette.
Friday we took the train out to the Val d’Europe outlet stores. These stores were disappointing because of the cost. The prices were 30-50% more than here in the US. In the US it’s common to see people carrying many packages but I saw no one with more than two packages.
We only stayed a short time and made our way back to Paris and to the Ritz for afternoon tea. We sat outside in a courtyard and enjoyed watching the people.
My daughter said that her class had gone over to the Pompidou center
many times to view art and she wanted to have dinner at the restaurant on the roof. The entrance is via the outside escalators and you walk about 60 feet across an open patio to the restaurant. The skies opened up
when we arrived as we dashed to the restaurant. As we were eating the place filled up with many wet people but the views are super. The walls inside are floor to ceiling glass. Sorry I don't remember what we ate but
after dinner we went to their bar and I ordered two Kir Royales that were great.
Departing for home was looming ahead. We would be taking different planes from CDG: daughter at 0900 Air France and I at 1000 with KLM. I had a stop in Amsterdam. So she would be arriving at LAX around 2 PM and I would arrive about 4 PM. How would I drop off daughter and her overweight
luggage at Air France for check in then make my way over to KLM? How would we meet at LAX?
I actually tried to post this question on Fodors from internet stores in Riga and Paris but the post never showed up. Some how it worked out but not without the usual absolute painful anxiety that airports have a way
of ramming into your brain. We taxied to the airport and my daughter got dropped off first at Air France and then I made my way over to KLM which was a madhouse of instability. Their computerized automatic self-check-in system was down. Love it
when people start making their own lines as their is no one from the airline to direct them. I actually thought I could somehow make it back to Air France to see if my daughter made it through her check-in. No
chance.
Each of us thank God had our cell phones so I would call her when I landed. It worked but we each had to navigate a heavily loaded baggage cart around the terminal to find each other. For the first time in traveling to
Europe I had decided I would travel with only a carry-on suitcase. This allowed me to buy another suitcase in Paris for all the clothing, hair dryers, hair straighteners, etc. that she had bought and check it.
Again I was proud how my daughter performed: she didn’t panic and she calmly made her way through the process.
Next summer I'm hoping my daughter will again return to France. Maybe she should try a smaller city so there will be more opportunities to learn the language?
My goals are to return sometime in 2008 to Tallinn and to visit St. Petersburg.
Again my thanks to all who post on this forum for sharing their thoughts and information.
Oct 1st, 2007, 08:57 AM
#60
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Mendota98, your trip sounds like it was so much fun! I am the same age as your daughter, and hoping to go to Oxbridge's Paris program next summer. Could you possibly ask her to write a trip report of her own to post on this thread? I would be very interested in hearing about the different classes, what kind of rooms the students live in, and how much free time there is.
