France French Immersion Adventure 2024
June 28-29, 2024
Waking up on our plane ride to France had everyone excited for what was ahead. After landing, our trip leaders Nahely and Edwina got us safely through security and we all collected our bags. Then we met with our other tour trip leader, Patrick, who gave us the rundown of what was next. We arrived at our hostel, were we also met trip leader Katie and our last two new friends. We had time to unpack, settle in and then went on a walk to stretch our legs and have a small orientation at a park nearby. It was filled with French people of all ages. While at the park, we learned about each other through games and bonding activities. Then, walked around Île de la Citè and saw the Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle, and the conciergerie, where Marie Antoinette was held before she was beheaded. After our litte tour we walked to dinner, where we tried crêpes with different varieties of savory toppings and then had some with sweet topings like Nutella, caramel, maple syrup, and jam. When everyone had finished, we walked back to our hostel and split up. Some people were tired and went back to their rooms, and the rest went on an evening walk around the city.
By Rachel T.
June 30, 2024
Today we woke up early and ate a typical French breakfast. There was cereal, bread and orange juice, awesome! After finishing our breakfast, we cleaned up our rooms, packed our things, and prepared for a long day of traveling. Before leaving the hostel, we played a couple of fun team-building games. The first game we played was “I love you, do you love me?” It was a game that helped us learn each others names and we got to move around. One person would ask someone else in the circle whether or not they loved them. If the answer is yes, the person would have to continue asking until someone answered no. Once someone said no, they would make a statement and everyone who it applied to would have to trade places. The next game we played involved ducking when a trip leader said your name. The people next to you would then have to say “Bang!” before the other person can. After our games, we drove to the train station to board our train to Grenoble. The train ride was originally three hours long, but a delay pushed our arrival back another hour. We hopped onto another 2 hour bus ride after the train, but it was worth it because we finally made it to the Alps. After a quick orientation and French lesson, we settled in and played a couple more ice breaker games. Finally, we ate a delicious homemade dinner before making our community contract which listed our expectations for our community.
By Dashel T.
July 1, 2024
Today we woke up at around 8:15am and rose to a French breakfast prepared by Sam. The breakfast consisted of granola, yogurt, bread, jam, and butter. For the drinks there was tea, coffee, and orange juice. It was superb! After eating, we all gathered on the gite’s patio and played a game with post-it notes. The game worked by a person writing the name of a historical or famous person such as a president or actor on a post-it note. Then, each person gave their post-it note to another person who then put it on their forehead. Everyone would ask questions in french about who their person is and try to figure it out. After the game, we toured the village that we are staying in, Mizöen, and started a scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt split us into groups of 4 and we went around the village answering question such as, “What’s the altitude of Mizöen?” Everyone found the scavenger hunt to be fantastic! After finishing the scavenger hunt, we returned to the gite to be greeted by our lunch made by splendid Sam again! After eating, we went on a car ride to a hiking trail do to our first community service job. The job consisted of our guide, Laurent, giving us pickaxes and shovels. Then, we worked on repairing the wall by picking up rocks and placing them back on the wall. Teamwork makes the dreamwork! After working for around three hours, we returned to the gite and had free time for around an hour and a half. After the free time we had a delicious dinner made by great Sam again. Finally, we had dessert, our evening activities and went to bed.
French phrase: Dac-o-dac!!!
By Alex V.
July 2, 2204
Today was our earliest start so far on the trip, at around 7:00. After another delicious French breakfast (along with some amazing coffee, courtesy of our host Sam), we played some more games to get to know each other’s names and interests along with our morning meeting. The locals with whom we worked yesterday showed up with perfect timing, just after we had completed our morning meeting, and drove us to the trail we worked on yesterday. Today was our first full day of service work, and we made the most of our time on the trail; digging a canal to divert water away from the trail, and continuing our work on the rock wall.
Though it was definitely hard work, we had beautiful views of the Alps the whole time, and were surrounded completely by a beautiful alpine forest and meadows. After two to three hours, we sat on the trail, surrounded by nature, and had a delicious picnic lunch. During and after lunch, the group played games, talked, and hung out-everyday we feel more and more like a team. Before packing up and heading to our second worksite of the day, we got a little lesson on the flora of the area from one of our local guides, Marie. As someone who’s interested in ecology and forestry, the locals we’ve been working with have been indispensable resources. They’ve also been engaging and interesting the whole time. If our first worksite was beautiful, the second was stunning: waterfalls along the trail hundreds of feet high, amazing vistas of the mountains, and alpine meadows blanketed with flowers of every color and shape imaginable. At this worksite, we were clearing and repairing an old trail which had fallen into disuse, with the permission of the mayor of the nearby village. As we uncovered more and more of the trail and climbed higher and higher, we were met with those stunning views at every turn of the mountains, the valley, and the river. The chain of mountains on the other side of the valley from us even had snow! When we left the worksite to return to our lodge in Mizöen, the satisfaction of walking on trail we had cleared and shaped was awesome, and almost made leaving worth it. After seeing how amazing the view and the environment was there, I don’t have the words to describe how excited I am for our long hike up the mountain to the refuge. I can’t wait to go back tomorrow, and work on that trail again!
By Henry V.
July 3, 2024
After another early morning and scrumptious French breakfast we had our morning meeting. One of our travel guides, Marie, came to the gite with her homemade map of the USA. She then asked us all to point out where in the country we lived so she could get to know us better. C’était fantastique! Then we headed out on the same trail as the day before for another long day of rewarding work. Some of us worked on clearing out the grass from the trail while others dug stairs into the dirt so the top of the mountain was easier to reach. While we worked we were able to enjoy the otherworldly views and the magnificent flower fields. Some of us opted to work in a French speaking only group so we could improve on our French skills. Then, at around 12:30 we gathered for another delicious picnic lunch. After our meal we continued to work through the afternoon before saying goodbye to our working days and heading back to the gite for goûter (snack time). On the way back we passed the shimmering waterfall and our sheep friends one last time. Then we had some nice and relaxing free time before our amazing dinner of quiche Lorraine, prepared by our favorite host, Sam. After dinner we had a fun night of trivia. We were split into groups of 6 people and each group created a list of 10 questions to ask the other group. At the end, the group with the most correct answers won and was gifted a bag of candy. To finish up our day, we packed our bags for our long day of hiking tomorrow and headed off for a good night’s rest.
By: Brianna and Sophia V.
July 4, 2024
It’s Day 7 without our phones and somehow, we are still alive. Early risers made coffee, while at 7:15 the rest of the bunch was awakened to the towering outline of the Alps. Water bottles were grabbed on the way down for breakfast by those still alive in our game of “Assasin”. They were their immunity against their anonymous “killers”.
They were other students in the group who had to run up to their designated person when they were alone and waterbottle-less and say Tué to eliminate them from the game. After breakfast we had a quick meeting on the gitê porch surrounded by the mountains, the trees and a little French boy named Liam. He was a Mizöen local who stood alongside our guide Laurent as he outlined our hike for the next 3 days. After sunblock was applied, hiking boots were tied and water bottles were filled we walked through the quaint town of Mizöen to start our long journey. As we started, somewhat reluctant, Liam managed to guide us and keep positive cheer going. Katie, Patrick, and Edwina made sure to keep us on the right path, reminding us of the beautiful views that we encountered on our walk.
We stopped for delicious lunch, picnic style from our host in Mizöen. There we met the sweetest wolf dog, which we nicknamed Belle. Soon, we started the final journey of our hike. The second half was the most challenging, the incline increased with the high altitude, yet Katie’s speaker played upbeat pop French and English songs that kept the energy going. At one point we stopped for shade and a quick break. Many of us used this time for an impromptu dance party, some harmoniac, and most importantly to hydrate and reapply sunscreen. Our group completed the final stretch, the flat plains of the Alps were surrounded by flowers and unreal mountains in the background. We dropped our bags at the refuge, gathered ourselves for goûter and quick showers. Then we had a delicious French dinner, with a real cheese course (now I understand why the French are known for their cheese), and did a quick round of gratitude. Then we ended the day by a campfire made by the lovely Laurent, and watched the sunset together.
By Talia & Rachel B.
July 5, 2024
Today was another jam-packed day of adventuring in the Alps! We had an early morning, waking up around 7:15 for another incredible French breakfast: this morning consisting of homemade croissants, cereal, and some much needed cups of coffee. In a quick morning meeting, we were briefed on the day’s plans and given two options. We could either stay at the refuge and help our hosts with various odd jobs or hike to the glacier lakes nearby. For those of us who chose to hike, were expertly advised, again, by our incredible guides (Marie, Fabrice, and Larant). The walk had more gorgeous views of the mountains of Mizoen and its various waterfalls and streams. After a morning of hiking, we finally reached the glacier lake and ate our delicious homemade lunch courtesy of our hosts. Then, we had the option to go for a quick swim in the frigid water. After acclimating to the temperature, it was surprisingly refreshing! We took a different route back to the refuge, full of more amazing views and tons of flowers. Once we returned, we had goûter and had more options for how we wanted to spend our afternoon. Some of us opted to help out Larant, carrying bags of salt to the goats for nutrition. Others stayed back and played various board games like Cluedo (French Clue) and Jenga Boom. Next we sat down for dinner, and were quickly warned of our coming meal of Donkey Ears, a French classic. However, dinner ended up far less scary than it sounded: a pastry filled with potato filling that they called Donkey Ears, roasted chicken and pork, and a cheesy spinach dish. We ended the day with a briefing of our coming travels and late night star gazing. We’re all excited for a final day of hiking tomorrow!
By Mischa
July 6, 2024
It was early in the morning and the sun shone brightly. As we awoke from our slumber, we had our last breakfast at Refuge des Mouterres, and then prepared our bags for the exhausting hike back to Mizöen. As we began our expedition, we came across the chilly winds and droplets of the rain clouds approaching us. While descending, we came across a shelter and ate an early lunch. We restored our energy and then continued our journey to Besse, where we toured a museum about shepherds, and rested at a restaurant for refreshing ice cream. By then, we were only 5 kilometers away from Mizöen. We walked past the first houses of Mizöen as we finished the last few steps before paradise. After we unpacked our belongings, we said our thanks and farewells to Laurent, Marie and Fabrice. We then had an unexpected salad for dinner, and finished with one of the most delicious homemade brownies in the world made by Sam. Then we ended with a meeting about our upcoming visit to Grenoble and enjoyed our free time before bed.
By Lucas
July 7, 2024
In the morning, we arose to our last day in the mountains. Those of us that woke up early, watched the morning fog concealing the view and enjoyed a cup of coffee to begin our busy day. Before 9am we had packed, said our goodbyes to Sam (the Gite’s nickel -awesome host), and ate our last granola breakfast. We then embarked on our next French journey by bus to Grenoble. When we arrived at lunchtime, we dropped our bags off at the hotel and ate lunch prepared by Sam at a local park. After lunch we walked around the city and were shown all of the hip art scenes by our resident trip guide, Patrick. We then went on an ecological tour of the city and learned about all of the innovative ways that Grenoble is energy efficient.
Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel and enjoyed the amenities for an hour, including a much appreciated bath. On our way to the Bastille, a fortress, we passed through an eclectic music festival. By bubble-shaped cable cars, we took in the enchanting view overlooking the city. We explored the fortress for an hour before finally heading off to dinner at one of the oldest restaurants in France. True to French customs, we spent three hours having animated conversations and enjoying our three course meal. As we retired to our hotel, we discussed the recent French election results and observed locals celebrating after a surprising turnaround. What a day!
By Amelia
July 8, 2024
Waking up from our one and only night in Grenoble, we headed to an early breakfast dressed in our sleepwear. We were all content after finding another delicious French breakfast awaiting us just downstairs. After an hour of packing and sleeping after breakfast, we carried our suitcases out of Hotel Angleterre and to the nearby park where we held our morning meeting. We played again the game of “I love you, do you love me” and many laughs accompanied. We also remarked on facts we learned on our environmental tour of Grenoble yesterday! Then we headed onto the bus for a three hour ride on our way to Avignon, taking a rest stop where we bought lunch and explored the various French grocery foods. After about an hour, we arrived at the castle ruins of Baux-des-Provence. In groups of three, we explored the medieval castle taking in the history! We then had free time where we explored the various shops where many of us bought ice cream for our goûter. From the castle, we walked to a virtual art exhibit. Inside, there were videos portrayed on the walls of the widely-spread room along with music played, creating an indescribable ambiance. We then hopped on our bus and met Jane, our cooking instructor, and worked together to make the infamous ratatouille! After a lovely meal and some more bus time, we finally arrived in Avignon. After a busy day, we are all headed to sleep! Awaiting more fun tomorrow!
By Arianna
July 9, 2024
Today was the latest we’ve slept since the first day, with a wake up knock at 7:45. The city’s energy helped propel us forward during our walk to a concrete plateau for morning meeting. We were briefed on our day, our tour guide timed his arrival perfectly, and we were almost too excited for the first event of the day. Geoffrey was excellent, and if it wasn’t for the heat, the tour would have been super amazing. Throughout the day we noticed how the urban heat island effect is more prevalent in Avignon than Grenoble, we decided that it’s most likely due to lack of green spaces, and large amounts of low albedo surfaces. After the tour, we skipped over to the local grocery store for a French-group-lunch-scavenge activity. We were split into groups and assigned different sections of lunch to purchase; my group was in charge of olive paste, meat and olives. My group easily bought all that was asked of us, and we were so wonderful that the olive person gave us two free cases of olive paste! We then hiked up more concrete (which is perpetuating the urban heat island effect) to a nice green park where we ate lunch. The heat today gave everyone a stern reminder of how nice (and brisk) Mizoën and the Refuge were, but we made sure to remember that things are not bad because they are different. We then visited Avignon’s famous bridge, that was so bad at being a bridge it was abandoned and turned into a tourist attraction. It also doesn’t even go across the river, so it’s not even a bridge? After that adventure we began a group scavenger hunt with the same groups that we had for the french-group-lunch-scavenge activity. My group struggled, and with the urban heat island effect at full force we almost gave up. We decided some of the targets on the list could be shammed, so we created a new version of the song, “Sur Le Pont d’Avignon”, and then pretended we found a fountain by pouring out a water bottle in front of the camera. Our two hours of free time began shortly after the scavenger hunt rankings were announced. My group’s bad mood was quickly swept away by ice cream and the focus needed to correctly navigate this bustling city. Tonight we are having another authentic French dinner, except this time at the 144,123rd oldest restaurant in France instead of the second. Tomorrow we meet our host families, yay!
By Cashel
July 10, 2024
Today we woke up in the old city of Avignon and were fed with a delicious array of French pastries, yogurts, drinks, and more. After eating, we all returned to our rooms to finish packing up our things before heading downstairs to meet up with the rest of the group. We all struggled with our luggage as we took a brief walk to a local park for our morning meeting where we discovered our upcoming host families and discussed what we looked forward to the most. Then, we continued our walk outside of the beautiful Avignon walls to meet our bus and begin our journey to Carcassonne. After around 20 minutes of a regular, calm bus ride the bus suddenly came to a halt. The bus had shut down and that resulted in us causing a miles long traffic jam and a serious delay in our schedule for the day. After what felt like forever (but was only two hours) we were rescued by another bus where the luggage, and ourselves, were transferred to. We then continued our travel and finally reached Pont du Gard where we had a quick picnic next to the river before preparing ourselves for boarding our kayaks. We kayaked for around an hour before stopping at the end of a rough stream where we were relieved of our overheating and attempted to fight the current. We continued kayaking again until we reached the remarkable Pont du Gard aqueduct and took another dip in the water. Everyone was shocked at the amount of locals enjoying the river as we passed several families and friends. Finally, we finished our voyage of kayaking on the river and all rushed to the bus where we prepared ourselves for meeting our host families. We boarded the bus again for a final time and then went our separate ways with our new temporary families. We adapted to our new homes and enjoyed a friendly French meal before heading to bed. Bonne nuit!
By Juliette
July 11, 2024
Today we awoke in our respective families homes, greeted by the morning sun. We each had breakfast with our families, mine consisting of leftover apple tart, courtesy of desert the night before, crepes and bread with various spreads. Once breakfast was finished, we started the trek towards the meeting place for the day. The plan was that in the morning we would do a high ropes course which our families were welcome to join, and in the afternoon start our service work; clearing paths and building stone walls to help attract visitors for a castle that has been protected but run down for years now. The ropes course was amazing with a zip line across the lake that we will be swimming in tomorrow, providing a beautiful view. When we ran out of time, we sat and ate the individual lunch that our host families kindly provided. Delicious!
After lunch we headed to our service spot and got to work. Rocks were picked and placed, walls were started, and an assembly line was created, we got lots done. After our work we hauled our selves back to the bus to start our journey back to our meeting place where we would be picked up by our host families and taken home for a nice hot shower. We then all had a nice dinner and some families got together and enjoyed a night of bowling fun. Everyone went to bed content and ready for another day of hardworking fun!
By Orla
July 12, 2024
Today we woke up a little earlier than usual and had our morning meeting at 9:30am. We played some games to wake up and shared some of our highs and lows of the night before. Then we left on the bus to the Château de Castossau to do some more service work. It was about a 45 minute drive and when we arrived, our wonderful guide, Gauthier, met us with a warm smile and he took us on a short tour of the ruined castle. During the tour, he explained how fires and other disasters slowly destroyed it, and his plans for restoration. After working for a couple hours, we ate lunch in the grass just as it started to rain. We took shelter in the nearby village, and after the rain stopped, we got back on the bus to go have a blast at the water park.
At first the gray skies were daunting, but rather than letting them discourage us, we spent the walk over laughing until we couldn’t wait. Once we changed into our bathing suits we one by one jumped into the water and were shocked by the warmth. We jumped, we fell, we splashed, we swam! My head emerged from the water and I heard a yelp, “WOOOOOOO!” and looked up to someone jumping in the air, briskly hitting the slide, and crashing in the water. Laughter and applauses struck. Once we were finished with the water we had our goûter at the park, ice cream or a hot crepe, and our pruned hands headed back towards the bus. Afterward, we each returned to our host families for a quick shower and change until we were back in the car for a group picnic. All of us and our families came together with food, sports, and music. We spoke French with the other kids and some found common ground in soccer. Time passed quickly and night began to fall. Then the clouds parted from the sky for the sun to set. We all watched as the blue faded into pink and the sun flame a bright orange. Finally we all headed into the castle wall to discover the concealed city of Carcassonne. To end the night we got ice cream and went home, or rather our home away from home. Bonne nuit.
By Pfeifer & Vera
July 13 2024
This morning we woke up earlier than usual to catch our morning bus at 7:30am to head to the Mediterranean Sea! After a long 2 1/2 hour bus ride of playing games and sleeping, we finally made it to the beautiful ocean with clear blue water and lots of people. We went on a walk to see our boundaries which included a stunning castle and long pedestrian streets with small shops we were able to visit during our free time. Furthermore, we all went to lay out our towels to claim spots on the rocky beach and took a dip into the icy water. Some of us swam, others shopped and others laid out and enjoyed the warm sun. Everyone brought packed picnic lunch from our lovely host families and enjoyed it on the beach. We were given five hours to roam, swim and play games on the beach until it was time for us all to meet again for our daily goûter. Everyone gathered their things and left the beach, making sure to pick up all trash in order to leave it just as we found it.
Then, we headed to the nearest ice cream shop. After refreshing scoops of gelato, we made our way around the city to catch our bus back to Carcassonne to spend the rest of the evening with our families. When arriving home, we were met with a delicious homemade dinner. We conversed in French about our days and plans for the upcoming Bastilles Day while getting to know each other even better. After dinner we all gathered around the living room, and with our host family’s computer we went through the Global Works blog. It was great to finally see all the pictures and reminisce on the trip so far. Some kids taught their host siblings card games like spit and golf. We then got ready for bed and rested to prepare for tomorrow’s Bastille day!
By Logan & Sofia
July 14, 2024
We kicked off our day with a later start than usual, many of us having the opportunity to sleep as late as 10 am.
After some of us got mauled by adorable kittens, we enjoyed a classic French breakfast provided by our respective host families. Today is le 14 juillet, Bastille day (the French Fourth of July), commemorating the day that French revolutionaries stormed the Bastille in Paris, one of the last strongholds of the monarchy. Today the French celebrate their liberty from oppression of their sovereigns with music, dance, and most importantly, food. Since Carcassonne is known for its fireworks, the streets were crowded by 4pm with people waiting to see les feux d’artifices (the fireworks) and store venders with street booths sold a variety of French foods and carnival goods. Around 7pm, we made our way to the bridge with a clear view of the castle where the fireworks would take place. Since the spectacle wasn’t until 10:30pm, we could pass the time by playing cards, reading, and making up various games. When the fireworks finally started, we all watched with wonder as the fireworks soon illuminated the sky [insert firework sound here] and left behind a smoke of red. When it was over, many of us finished the night at a concert a few streets over where a French band rocked out. We danced the night away until well past 1am, leaving us bright and energetic for our next day of travel.
By Kian
July 15, 2024
This morning we had our final breakfasts with our homestays before we sadly said our last goodbyes. We then met the group at the train station to catch our first train to Toulouse. While waiting for our train to Paris we split into groups and browsed the gift shops, went to convenience stores, coffee shops, etc. We then got on our final train to Paris, which although was nearly five hours, went by quickly as we slept, played cards, and ate our delicious lunches prepared by our homestay families. We finally arrived in Paris around Five o’clock and made our way to our new hostel for the rest of the trip. After arriving, we were surprised by the hotel with an invitation to an Olympic event! We all successfully went on our first Paris Metro experience and made it to our event where we enjoyed ping pong, basketball, badminton and various games in the spirit of the Olympics. To finish our day we made our way back to our hotel and enjoyed our pre-prepared Dinner! Once dinner was over, a couple of us were still hungry after such an exhausting day of train and bus rides and decided we needed McDonald’s and ice cream. We then headed back to get ready for bed and our first full day in Paris!
By Jeb
July 16, 2024
Today, we began our exploration of Paris, France, the city of light and love. From the famous historical monuments, to the museums filled with gorgeous works of art, there was so much to explore as we strived to learn more about French culture and history.
After enjoying some breakfast at the Fiap, our youth hostel, we took the metro to our first destination: the Musée D’Orsay, where we explored a vast collection of breathtaking paintings, magnificent sculptures, and photographs. During this visit, we observed the work of famous artists like Van Gogh, Monet, Denoir, and many others. Throughout our time in this museum, we all gained a better understanding and appreciation for the various characteristics of Impressionism, an artistic movement that developed in France during the mid-to-late 19th century, giving us a richer understanding of visual arts and culture in this country.
We, then, proceeded to have lunch, which we call “déjeuner” here in France. Each of us picked a fancy Parisian café or restaurant that interested us on a street called, “Rue Descartes” and enjoyed a variety of authentic French lunches to fuel us for the rest of the day. We were also given time to browse some of the souvenir shops in little groups before heading to the Eiffel Tower!
We are all very excited go inside the Eiffel Tower, as this is one of the most beautiful and well-known monuments in the city of Paris. There was an elevator to go up the Eiffel Tower, but considering the fact that we were able to hike up to an altitude of 2240m on the French Alps in our first week, we knew we could take on the challenge of going up the tower by stairs! It was physically demanding, but we all encouraged each other and triumphantly made it to the top. That is one of the things we are going to miss most about this program, the positive relationships we have built and the challenges we have conquered – as a team. The view of Paris from the Eiffel Tower was magnificent, especially since it gave us the ability to see the whole city from a birds-eye view.
After finishing our time in the “Tour Eiffel” and having dinner at the Fiap hostel, we went on an evening boat tour on the Seine River at 10:30PM. As we passed the various key locations in Paris, our tour guide spoke to us about the history and significance of each of these places, including Notre Dame and the Musée D’Orsay, which we had visited earlier on. The guide spoke in French, giving us the opportunity to practice listening, understanding, and immersing ourselves in the French language!
However, the highlight of this boat tour for our group was definitely seeing the Eiffel Tower lit up in gold beneath the gorgeous moonlight. It, then, began to sparkle beautifully, and were all in awe of the beauty of this tower during this magical evening. It was an amazing way to end our second day in Paris, and after that, we could not wait for our next day of adventure to come.
By Okey
July 17, 2024
Hello, here is our blog for the last day!
Our last day of the trip started off with a bang. BANG! We were bestirred at 6:45 am — a quite antediluvian start to the morning to be sure, but at this point, we’re crackerjack early birds. Our breakfast at the FIAP included more bread, mini crepes, and lots of confused anger at flummoxing magnetic cutlery, mostly coming from a certain Grenoblin. Yum! We caught the 8 AM bus to the Palace of Versailles, and after a 45 minute bus ride, we laid eyes on the Sun King’s Palace. We spent an educational 90 minutes at the château and then walked across the gardens to our lunch spot, La Petite Venise, where we got mostly pasta, chicken, and some even got fish. Yum! After lunch, we hopped on some rental bikes to cycle around Versailles some more. Our first stop was Marie Antoinette’s house, which was probably bigger than it needed to be. We then walked through her garden, which included lots of green leaves and green water. Yum! Then we hopped back on the two-wheelers to explore more of Versailles, including the site of the Olympic pentathlon, which includes fencing, swimming, show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross country running -and the best part is that no one knows why in the world it exists! Yay! We finished our expedition and walked back to our bus through the beautiful Versailles gardens. The sky was blue and bespeckled with fluffy cumulus clouds, and the plants were cut into complex, unnatural, and mind-boggling geometric shapes, like, for example, circle and square. Our 45 minute bus ride took us to the Louvre, where we had around two hours to explore in groups of three or more. We saw very famous pieces, such as statues, paintings, and mummies. Ooooo, scary! Also, a little known fact for you: the Mona Lisa is there. Yay! After the educational exploration of the musée, we took the metro to a delicious Moroccan dinner place. We had tagine, couscous, and almond and pistachio pastries for dessert. Yum! When we were done with dinner, we took a long walk to a riverside location for our final group meeting. There, we exchanged memories through games. We played a game where we stood in a circle with our backs facing in and some people in the middle would tap the shoulders of those on the outside if they matched a certain prompt, which was very fun. We also talked about our rose (highlight), thorn (lowlight), bud (learning experience), and watering can (person who helped us learn) of the whole trip, and some tears were shed. At the end, we gave each other paper plate awards with “most likely to…” and then exchanged some very bittersweet final hugs. Then, we had to skedaddle in order to catch the metro before it closed for the night. Back at the FIAP, we got our phones back, but most students elected not to spend much time on screens and instead revel in our final hours together. Those taking the Global Works flight back to New York have to catch a 4:30am bus, so most people are just staying awake until then. Yippee!
By: Nick and Graham
