A great experience

I am a recently retired teacher, and I would like to take this chance to really encourage those of you who are approaching or are in this phase of your life to take a risk, go to a new place, and learn a new language. And if you decide to do this, I can't recommend any other place than CLE in Tours. What a great adventure I had this past September! CLE is an excellent school no matter whether you are just starting out in French, or if you have already studied it at home. I was pleased that their test on the first day put me into just the right group to improve my French without impossible challenges. the instructors spoke only in French, but always found a way to explain things if you didn't understand. ( For me, that was often). I stayed with a wonderful family who made me feel at home, and added to my immersion experience by only speaking French and taking me and another student to various sites in the area. Oh, did I rave yet about the sites? Tours and the Loire Valley are lovely; I rented a bicycle for my 3 week stay there, and enjoyed the beautiful cycling paths along the river. I also was really thrilled with the efforts that the other students made to communicate only in French; even when there was another student in my class from the same city as me in Canada, we only spoke in French. Over the 3 weeks my confidence grew, and I learned to relax and not worry about making mistakes. I started to learn French the way a child does, with an attitude of fun. Learning French in Tours at CLE was a very rewarding experience, that left me saying, " Yahoo! I may be retired from teaching, but I'm sure not retired from life!" I really encourage you to treat yourself, and spend at least a few weeks at CLE in Tours. You'll never regret it; I know I sure don't.
Vicki (Edmonton, Canada)