I am Canadian. I started learning French when I was 10 years old. But my whole experience with the language was in the classroom. All of that changed, however, during my last summer of high school. As a 17-year-old girl, I flew across the country by myself for the first time! I headed for Quebec to live in the province with a French-speaking host family, who didn't speak any English. And I would learn French at a local school.
On the first day of school, the local school gave us students a test to determine（测定）our language level. We were required to speak only French all summer.
I made every effort to communicate in a second language by making new friends, seeing movies and even ordering food from restaurants in French. Though I couldn't understand most of it at the very beginning, the whole experience was exciting and refreshing.
On weekends, my classmates and I took trips to different places around the province. On one trip, we went whale watching on the St. Lawrence River. Even though it was raining, we could see huge whales swimming around our boat. The most unforgettable（令人难忘的） part of our trip was a visit to historic Quebec City. I walked along the stone streets, took pictures of the European-style（欧式的）buildings, and learned some stories there.
Finally my efforts paid off! At the end of the summer, I was able to communicate pretty well. I couldn't wait to go back to school and talk with my French teacher. Being fully lost in a French-speaking environment was a valuable learning experience. And it could be the main reason for my improvement in French.
