Mssrs Smith et Garcia partis

Sunday noontime:  M. Smith, Caroline Smith, and M. Garcia have made it to Paris on their journey back to Webb (and in Caroline's situation, to Davidson College).  They left Vire by train around 9:30 Sunday morning in the thinning fog. After a brief delay, they moved on to Paris and will leave Sunday afternoon to arrive much later Sunday night after a stop in Washington, D.C. 

 After Friday's guided tour of Mont Saint Michel, M. Smith gave the Webb students his appreciation for their interest and enthusiasm.  We were glad to have toured the most-visited spot in France that morning, since by the afternoon things were shaping for a major crowded-feeling event!  The major development around the Mount is that by the end of April there will no vehicles close to the Mount.  The French are building a bridge to replace the causeway; water will once be able to flow all around the island.  This should help the sand build up that threatens to landlock Mont Saint Michel.  This site was the first one in France to be classified as a world heritage site by UNESCO as a unique culture treasure.

Mont St. Michel

Nearing the end of our tour of the abbey, in "la merveille".

Taking in the view of Normandy.

Waiting on the terrace for our tour.

Our group before hiking up the steep streets of the Mont Saint Michel.

Today we had our second excursion as a group, a day trip to the Mont St. Michel, a benedictine abbey. Construction on the abbey started in the year 708 and has more or less continued ever since, and it was the first place in France classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We took a two hour guided tour of the abbey, which allowed us to access several portions that are not open to general admission.

After the tour the students got some free time to meander the single pedestrian cobblestone walkway--we were confident that they couldn't get lost! They bought some souvenirs and many enjoyed crepes at one of the many creperies located on the rock.

This weekend will be our last two days in our host families, and Caroline, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Garcia will all head back to the US on Sunday morning. Many students will be traveling to Caen to do some shopping in the "big" city, and one student will even be spending the weekend at a beach house. From what I can tell, they're not quite ready to leave yet!

Student Thoughts

On our bus ride back from the Mont Saint Michel today, we asked each student to write a short paragraph highlighting one of their experiences thus far. Since they're busy interacting with their new French friends, I've typed up each student's paragraph below. Enjoy!

Being an exchange student is so much more fun than just pure traveling. I get to meet and hang out with lots of French teenagers and we have become friends with each other. France has beautiful architecture that I love! My host family is super nice. They make me delicious French food and care about me. I cooked them Chinese food as well. Shopping in France is great! Lots of various fashionable and stylish stuff here! J'aime la France!

-Vivian W.

I'm really enjoying the trip--especially the food. Yummy foods have been: ham and cheese sandwiches, cauliflower soup, pasta from the Alps, lots of cheese, Nutella, tartes, haddock crepes, and bueno bars. Bueno bars are possibly the best thing on the planet.

-Elizabeth N.

Today our group toured le Mont St. Michel. It's an old monastery built upon a small mountain which houses a museum and multiple shops and restaurants. Even though the tour through the abbey was informative and the tour guide was very nice, my favorite part of le Mont St Michel was the narrow cobblestone street, full of cute little shops perfect for my friend and me to browse through. Le Mont St. Michel is my group's second excursion out of Vire, the first one being the trip to visit the ancient Bayeux tapestry, which is still amazingly intact and viewable after so many centuries. I'm so glad that I went with my school on this trip or else I wouldn't have seen so many interesting sights!

-Michelle N.

My family took me to the equestrian center on Wednesday and I joined Sophie in a riding lesson. I rode Gibus and we did gymnastics and jump combinations. After doing these regularly, we jumped with one hand behind our backs and then with our eyes closed. These variations helped us practice our balance over fences. This lesson was similar to those in America, with more emphasis on balance and core skills. This gave me a great new perspective on French life and everyone was very willing to help me find things in the barn. I have a dressage lesson tomorrow. Can't wait!

-Hannah G.

Wednesday, my host sister only had one hour of school, so we had the afternoon to have fun. Katie and I, along with our correspondents and their French friends went to my house. They taught us French dances, and we taught them American dances like the ChaCha Slide and the Cupid Shuffle. Then we had kebabs for lunch and went to Katie's house for a dance party.

-Jenna D.

Faithful followers--our trip has been great! I love my family and the friends here. Our trips to the D-day beaches and Mont St. Michel really make the trip.

-Katie W.

The trip has been really fun so far! It's been interesting to learn about the French culture and to introduce some American culture to my French family. I baked them some chocolate chip cookies the other day, and they really liked them!

-Haley S.

My French family's father is a poissonier, or a fish merchant. Last night, he brought home fresh live oysters, shrimp, and fish. This weekend, we're even having fresh sushi! Though the food here is great, the people are even better, which is quite an achievement! The Gautiers have been SO welcoming and friendly. Everyday after school I sit down and have a cup of tea with Madame Gautier, Blanche, and her little sister Amber and we talk about our day. I love this place!

-Anna Claire F.

The first day I met my host family, they let me feed their baby lamb! It was really cool because they're born with black fleece but grow white wool when they're older. I also got to go to judo class with my correspondent's younger brother. They want me to actually participate in the class the next time I go--I'm so scared! From what I saw, there was a lot of flipping and pain involved. The food here is also AMAZING!!!! As cliche as it sounds, French cheese is super good. They have plain cheese sandwiches here, but it tastes ten times better than the ones at home.

-Jennifer D.

Throughout the French trip, the most valuable thing that I have come away with is that I have so many great memories with my French family and that I have another family in France now. Even though I do not speak French, I was amazed at how I can communicate with my new family and friends. I love how I can experience French culture with French people.

-HaeYeun B.

At first glance, Normandy is not all that different from TN. You have rolling hills, green pastures, and all that good stuff, but when you take a closer look, it's baffling how different things are. For one, the sheep population is through the roof. Every time I look out my window I see one. The stores all operate essentially the same, but everything is priced as advertised. It's always overcast and cold. The mere fact that it's France makes the food taste better, and I swear there's something in the water.

-Adam M.

When school got out early on Wednesday afternoon, Adam, Elizabeth, Vivian, Haeyeun, me, and our correspondents went together to "McDo" and bowling. It was awesome! McDo is slightly different in France, it was so good! It was my favorite activity with the French kids because we all got to hang out comfortably with our own friends while making new ones. Everyone had to work together to understand each other, making us all equal. It was fun!

-Sarah W.

Thursday update

Thursday was our students' last day at school, and listening to what the teachers at the school had to say, they have really appreciated our students' contributions to their classes this week. A few of our students were even invited to be guest speakers in a catechism class in which they talked about how they live out their faith/religion in the United States. They did a great job speaking about their faith in front of strangers in a foreign language!

Thursday evening we went to eat at a traditional French restaurant in Vire, and to continue with our trend of accidentally running into students, Hannah G. was eating there with her family. Martine mentioned to me that they must really like Hannah, because the restaurant where we ate is one of the best restaurants in town! We enjoyed a great meal complete with lots of local specialties and lively conversation.

Wednesday Update

Today our students got to experience a typical Wednesday at a French school, which means only morning classes! The English teacher that Mr. Garcia and I are staying with actually doesn't teach any classes on Wednesdays, her 5th grade daughter doesn't have school either, and her daughter in 7th grade unfortunately broke her knee cap in dance class on Monday, so we were all able to spend the rainy day at home working and playing games.

One great thing about being in Vire for this exchange is how small the community is. Although our group only constitutes 17 people in a population of more than 13,000, every time we've gone into town we've seen at least one Webb student out and about with their French family.

Tomorrow Madame Smith and I will be interviewed by a journalist for the local newspaper about our trip to Vire, and the students will be spend their last day at school with their French correspondent.

(By the way, if you're wondering why I'm the one writing most of these posts, rest assured it's because our students are doing what we asked of them--limiting their computer time in order to spend quality time with their families and make the most of their experience!)

Pictures from Tuesday

A view of the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer overlooking Omaha Beach.

Our group before heading to the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer.

One last group shot to end today's excursion.

Bonjour tout le monde! We have been very busy since our arrival! Yesterday we went to classes with our hosts. My correspondent, Blanche, has focused her study for the Literature Bac that she will take next year as a senior, which means she takes mostly humanity based classes (like English, French, Art, and a Speech-Ethics combo class). Classes here are 2 hours long apiece and school is from 8am until 6 pm most days. However, today we got to be more tourist-y. We visited the Bayeux Tapestry, a 1000 year old "comic book strip," that explains the story of William the Conqueror. Next we visited the DDay beaches at Arromanche. The museum there helped explain more of the logistics involved in DDay and Project Overlord. Finally, we went to the cemetery that was erected in France in honor of the fallen American soldiers in WWII. It was surreal and quite sad, but the beaches and the monuments there are beautiful! It was also fun to be able to say that we were back on American soil, at least for an hour or so. As you may imagine, we are all quite tired but so excited at the same time! Well, I am off to eat dinner with the Gautier's! À bientôt!