CENU Summer in Canada 2026

This summer, we returned to Canada with a group of CENU Middle and High School students for three weeks of French immersion in Québec City.

Three Weeks in Québec City

From Monday through Friday, our students attended French classes at Médici College, in the heart of Québec City, where they studied alongside students from different countries, mainly the United States, Canada, and Colombia.

For many of our Middle School students, this was their first formal introduction to French.

Over the course of three weeks, they began building a foundation in the language, and several moved on to the next level of their course. For our High School students who were already studying French, the experience allowed them to put what they had learned during the school year into practice and continue strengthening their skills.

But French was not limited to the classroom. It became part of the everyday experience of spending three weeks in a French-speaking city.

Living in Québec, Not Just Visiting

As part of the immersion experience, our students stayed with host families, allowing them to experience daily life and Québec culture in a way that is very different from simply visiting as tourists.

Living in another city also meant learning to be more independent: using public transportation every day, managing their own schedules, getting around the city, adapting to a new routine, and gradually becoming comfortable in a place that had been completely unfamiliar just a few weeks earlier.

The Afternoons Were Part of the Experience Too

Classes took place in the mornings, while each afternoon brought a different opportunity to explore, enjoy, and experience Québec. We went bowling and rock climbing, played laser tag, spent time at the beach, visited museums, explored the city, and went shopping. We also spent a day at Valcartier and enjoyed the Festival d'été de Québec (FEQ), one of the city's biggest summer events.

The trip also included a visit to Montréal, where we spent the day at La Ronde.

It was also in Montréal that we reached one of the hardest parts of the trip: saying goodbye. After three weeks of classes, activities, and spending time together every day, our students had formed close friendships with students from other countries, and saying goodbye was not easy.

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Why French?

At CENU, our students study English beginning in Elementary School. When they reach High School, they add a third language: French, which they study throughout all three years.

CENU Summer in Canada supports this process at different stages. For our Middle School students, it can be a first introduction to French before entering High School, while students in any of our three High School years have the opportunity to put what they have learned into practice and strengthen their French outside the classroom.

Experiencing Québec also allows them to take the language beyond the classroom: hearing it around them, using it in everyday situations, and learning it within the culture where it is spoken.

Much More Than French

The learning that took place during these three weeks went far beyond the language.

Living away from home, adapting to a different family and culture, learning to navigate a new city, connecting with students from other countries, and handling everyday situations on their own were all an important part of the experience.

And amid all that learning, there was something equally important: they had an amazing time. They discovered new places, made friends, shared experiences, and little by little, Québec went from being an unfamiliar city to the place where they spent their summer.

That is exactly what we hope to accomplish with our CENU Summer in Canada: strengthen our students academically while also giving them opportunities to discover the world, become more independent, and experience lessons that are difficult to learn within the walls of a classroom.

We returned to Mexico with stronger French skills, new friends, countless stories, and a little more independence than we had when we left.

Because the trip may last three weeks, but much of what they learn along the way comes home with them.