Testimonials

I highly recommend the ECI program. It’s a real taste of French living away from tourism. The teachers were fantastic. Very understanding, very patient, and very knowledgeable. Our chaperones were very friendly, professional, and great to be around. They were eager to teach and help you get the most of your experience. I couldn’t have asked for better trip leaders.
Anastasia Flores

My immersion family was great and very welcoming. They taught me a lot about their culture, customs, and daily life. I learned things there that I couldn’t learn in the classroom. France was so pretty and the atmosphere was wonderful.
Laney Meris

My Immersion host family always asked me questions and were interested in what I had to say. I was truly living the culture, which gave me more confidence in speaking French. I made friends that will last me a lifetime. The language class helped me get to know the other students and I loved my teachers.
Mallory Love

Everything was so well organized and I have come away from ECI with improved French, made great friends, and spent a lovely time abroad.
Caroline Stafford

My Spanish improved an incredible amount during the immersion week, but in the dorm I was able to spend time and get to know kids on the trip, some of which I know will be my friends for life. I loved my teachers and it was really interesting to learn Spanish with people from all over the world. I became ten times more confident in my ability to speak Spanish.
Pearl Willmer-Shiles

The language school teachers were a blast and were creative, helping us to learn better. I really enjoyed the activities our language partners because they were fun and easy to relate to. The chaperones were enthusiastic, fun, and easy to talk to.
Rebecca Golub

My host family was very accommodating and nice. The host family took my Spanish to an entirely new level. I felt like a member of the family. I was able to make Spanish friends and get an inside view of the culture. Immersion was a key factor in acquiring fluency. The dorm gave us adequate time to transition into Spanish culture and helped me get comfortable in Spain before Immersion.
Joe Chafkin

I really loved the trips to Seville and Granada, kayaking, and the Nerja Caves. It was a great experience and I am glad I partook in it. Be open and willing to try new things. Have a good attitude!
Zachary Goldblatt

A great trip to Spain! Lots of memories made and a great experience. You have to come in with an open mind because you’ll always be exposed to completely new experiences. When you’re open to trying new things, you’ll always be pleasantly surprised.
Hannah Mezheritsky

I felt welcomed by my host family. They always cooked homemade meals for us. I feel like I gained a better understanding of the culture by staying with a family.
Alisha Rajendran

My host brother introduced me to his friends and made a special effort to include me. Staying with an immersion family was the best possible way in my opinion to immerse myself in Spanish culture. The Immersion Week was by far the best part of the entire trip. I wish I could have stayed longer with my family.
Gabriel Grand

Living with a host family in Southern Spain is where I improved my Spanish the most.
Delilah Davis

I am really happy I participated. It has improved my French, I lived with a great family and I have had a lot of new experiences. A program like this really makes you see the differences between your own country and the one you are currently experiencing. We were always doing things with her friends but I never felt like I was intruding. Her family always made me feel like I belonged here.
Tierney Riordan

ECI is very prepared and easy to work with. They pick good families and offer a nice, friendly, fun, experience. Gap is very pretty and a great place to live. The surroundings are literally awe-inspiring and the town is picturesque. I very much enjoyed my host family’s wish to make me feel as if I was another family member. My host brother gave me a terrific view of the teenage life in Gap.
Sam Goff

I feel that my French has definitely improved and I found that I can now think in French! At first you may be overwhelmed by being in such a different place, but just relax and the language will come naturally. Don’t force it; it just happens. I went everywhere my host brother went. I got to meet pretty much the entire extended family in only two weeks.
Duncan Kimmel

Due to total immersion I really did experience and begin to understand the culture. I had a great experience visiting France and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My host family was nice and helped me adapt. They took the time to include me in daily activities.
Alexander Fee

After total immersion in Spain, I feel very accustomed to Spain, and Spanish. I have a much better understanding of the specific language and customs of Southern Spain. I’m very glad I participated in the total immersion.
Molly Bertolacini

I felt very welcomed and involved by the host family. The family made sure I was always a part of the group and was comfortable, fed, and relaxed. I got an understanding of Spain that I wouldn’t have been able to get any other way.
Blythe Lewis

I studied abroad in Spain because I wanted my Spanish to improve and become more fluent and I feel like I have achieved this. It’s a once in a lifetime experience. I met all of my host family’s family and friends and did the same things the family would have done if I wasn’t there.
Ilana Greenberg

I enjoyed my host family’s willingness to teach me about their culture and the hospitality. I learned a lot about Spain and more of the language. I also made life-long friends. They introduced me to all their friends and family. They also took time to explain conversations I didn’t understand.
Ema Marter

Studying abroad with ECI changed my daughter’s life! She made lots of friends. She learned how to deal with new situations and learned lots of French. I am very happy with the program and was impressed by how helpful ECI is with the parents.
Laura Abello, parent France group program

Our daughter had a great time, made some really good friends, learned to speak French more fluently, enjoyed her host family and seeing another part of the world. I think it also gave her a lot of self confidence to travel on her own. We know she will always remember this trip, and it will continue to benefit her into her future.
Barbara Love, parent France group program

ECI runs an excellant program and made the whole experience, from registration to trip to home, feel easy to negiotiate and carry out. Thank you to all the US staff and Spain staff.
Maria Miceli, parent Spain group program

Our daughter had the time of her life. She grew and matured in so many ways. She made great friends, really used her Spanish, loved the museums, and enjoyed walking through the towns taking pictures and looking at the architecture and historic sites.
Sarah Willmer, parent Spain group program

My daughter loved every minute of her experience in France. She had a great experience with her family, she became more proficient in the language and learned so much about the culture. As a wonderful bonus she became great friends with her French host sister.
Suzanne Lappe, parent France individual program

We were very impressed with all aspects of ECI – the ease of applying and securing a spot for exactly the dates we needed, the great family match, and the attention and communication from ECI on the ground in France.
Julia Levin, parent France individual program