Avignon:
This weekend I went to Avignon with a couple friends from the school (again, the proximity of Lyon to other parts of France just makes Lyon a fantastic place to study French). In Avignon, there are street artists everywhere and practically every wall, car, and building is filled with posters of upcoming theatre productions. It’s common to see a man walking down the street with a rolling piano, clowns singing opera, dancers dressed up in old fashioned dresses. It?’s just an incredibly unique place. I would highly recommend visiting if you study in Lyon. Price for the train: 44 Euros (a bit pricey) and 30 Euros for the hotel (when split three ways). If you do make the voyage, I would recommend going on the ferris wheel, seeing the big park, and just enjoying all the street artists around the central downtown. I would not recommend going to any cathedrals that are expensive (the rooms really aren’t that cool).

A sponsor of this site says that one of the benefits of attending an online school, is you can do it from any where; including France."

When something goes wrong (between student and teacher):
There is an instructor here who leaves the classroom every time we work on something. I wrote in my evaluation (we write evaluations of the teachers every week) that I wish he would stay in the classroom to help us, and I’m happy to say that he’s actually very different in the class now – he’s always helping us. This just to say, if you are unhappy with something in the program, you can let someone know and, usually, your voice will be heard.

What I wish I knew two weeks ago:

1. Do your homework. You have homework, even though it’s not assigned. Your homework is to fill out all the worksheets – and, believe me, you should do it even though no one asks for it the next day. The instructor will correct your worksheet if you want, and you’ll learn a lot from filling it out, answering it to the best of your ability, and carefully understanding your mistakes.
2. Make new friends (expand your social circle). I have a couple friends here that I just absolutely love and click with really well, but I actually have a hard time speaking in French with them. In the past two weeks, I’ve met a couple other friends who I really enjoy speaking French with and it’s really good practice for me to hang out with them (if I hadn’t left my comfortable social circle, I wouldn’t have met them).

Read all of Ashley's blogs from Lyon France.

Miluska is studying French & Cooking, one of AmeriSpan’s Language & Fun programs, in Nice, France. In this video, Miluska brings us to her French language classes and on some excursions with the French school.

For more information on this program, go to French & Cooking in Nice. 
See all French programs in Nice.

By Ashley C., guest blogger studying French in Lyon, France

On Traveling:
Lyon?s a great city, but what makes it even more appealing is its proximity to the rest of France and other countries. This weekend I took a two-hour train to Geneva for a day of paddle boating, and exploring. I could have stayed in a hostel for the night, but decided to jet back early to save a bit of money (museums are also closed on Sundays in Geneva). Total cost of the trip breakdown: Train: 30 Euros, Food: 10 Swiss Francs, Boat Ride: 4 Francs (Granted, I shared the boat with six other people from the school - all of whom I met less than a week ago-, so we split the cost). I think a trip to Geneva for less than 50 Euros is a steal. Tip about traveling to Paris: book your train early! The price can fluctuate a lot, so plan ahead and you can save over 50 Euros on the train alone.

On Homework:
There isn?t any. We have worksheets that we can complete on our own time if we like, but we aren?t required to turn anything in. I find this nice and also disappointing; I'd like to turn in homework that will be corrected by the teacher, so as be able to check my own mistakes better. On the other hand, the serious student can study the worksheet handed out in every given day (often, if not always, these worksheets have extra fill-ins and activities that weren?t discussed in class).

On Exploring Lyon:
I?ve found a number of excellent places in Lyon (including the internet cafe I?m at right now) thanks to Rick Steve?s France tour guide book. The school does have activities everyday after school, and you should be able to explore the major tourist spots just through those, but the Rick Steve?s guide is great for getting off the major tourist map and finding good wifi bars, cafes, and anything else you might be interested in.

Click for more information on AmeriSpan's French school in Lyon, France.

Click to see all of AmeriSpan's French schools in France.

Read all of Ashley's blogs from Lyon France.

Watch a video blog from our latest guest blogger, Christina H., who is studying French in Quebec City, Canada. In this video, Christina takes us on a tour of her homestay and school.

See French in Quebec City.