Very nice in Nice

Three St Christopher’s Senior School students, Ali Alekri, Liela Alsugair and Sofia Bicos were the fortunate recipients of the prestigious Jules Verne Scholarship, awarded by the French Embassy in Bahrain. They spent two weeks in the city of Nice during the summer, immersing themselves in the French language and culture. Below are the highlights of their cultural and linguistic adventure.

The scholarship to Nice, France was exceptional. The classes in the morning and intensive classes in the afternoon are very educational. I mostly learned new French vocabulary in these classes and this has greatly improved my skill in the French language. The afternoon activities after classes and the trips to Cannes and Monaco in the weekend are fantastic. It allows you to experience the beauty of Nice as well as immersing yourself in the French culture. And at night, there are activities such as walking on the beachside, or activities inside the building such as cinema or playing games with the animators. ~ Ali Alekri

I have completed the scholarship and thoroughly enjoyed every minute. For two weeks, I have allowed myself to be entirely immersed and exposed to the French language, not knowing what obstacles and challenges I would face in the way, whether it be having to wake up early every morning to have lessons, or even climbing up the 107 steps everyday just because I forgot my sunscreen. This trip has rewarded me in more ways than one, by expanding my knowledge of the French language, and in interacting with both the local community as well as students from all over the world. Most importantly, I learnt how to be independent, as I was responsible for my expenses, my learning and myself. ~ Liela Alsugair

During the summer vacation I went to Nice, France for the Jules Verne Scholarship. We stayed in a summer school campus for two weeks. We had two types of lessons. One that was mainly focused on grammar whilst the other was focused more on speaking. I enjoyed the speaking classes more as a whole because it was a small group of about seven students maximum. This meant that our speaking teacher had more time to help each of us in improving speaking as well as helping us improve our listening skills. It definitely helped that all of us were divided into our appropriate levels. It ensured that no one would be too overwhelmed by the difficulty or feel as if the lessons were too easy. The sightseeing and activities that we were allowed to partake in were highlights of the trip. During those two weeks I bonded with other students who were part of the scholarship program. ~ Sofia Bicos