France Exchange - Slide Show Video now posted!

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Enjoy,

T

And...we're back

We arrived last night in New Hampshire under rainy skies and colder temperatures than we've experienced in the last few weeks.

The trip was a success. I'm very glad that we made it to Nevers and back without issues. Thanks to all who helped out, all the students and all of our hosts.

Lundi, Mardi & Le Départ

The last few days have gone by in a flash…and we’re leaving very early in the morning tomorrow! I only have a few minutes to update you on our adventures so this will be short.

Everybody survived the weekend with ease. Many people have tales of bowling and ice-skating; some even have the wounds to prove their involvement in the later.

On Monday we had a long drive ahead of us but it was worth it. First we traveled to the town of Vézelay, a small village known for its basilica. After Vézelay we traveled to an underground quarry where stones we extracted to build many famous buildings and monuments in France.

Today, Tuesday we took photos and made a large poster for Le Lycée St. Cyr to post for their open house and parents weekend. It will be posted in the school as a reminder of the American students that took part in the exchange. This afternoon is our last afternoon in France. We’ve given the students free time to roam about town, get the last few souvenirs, etc. Many students have opted to stay at school and spend time with their hosts before they leave tomorrow to catch our 5h22 train to Paris.

Technical Difficulties

So I found out yesterday that the photos from Friday weren't working...
I posted some of the photos that were missing. I'm not sure if that is exactly as it was...I think there was another photo that I didn't add...

Sorry, I'm not too sure what happened,

T

Thursday, Friday & the weekend

The past few days have been quite busy! Since we’ve arrived in Nevers, students have had a very busy social, educational and tourist agenda. Each day students from WMS having been joining French students au lycée. They’ve been in classes of all sorts from literature and philosophy to advanced math and biology. In my wandering about Nevers, I’ve seen almost everybody at a café, pastry shop or walking with their host down the main rue pédestre. Along with these explorations into the French lifestyle, we’ve been visiting, each morning, a local tourist attraction. I hesitate to say that it is truly touristy, perhaps cultural would be a more appropriate word.

Yesterday, Thursday, we made a visit to a vineyard, Chateau de Ladoucette, a famous producer of Pouilly Fumé, a white wine from this very particular region of France. Also of note was the Chateau de Nozet, a fairly modern castle where the owner of the vineyard resides. We consider it to be modern because, despite its appearance, it is only 140 years old, young compared to the twelfth century churches found in Nevers.

Following our visit to Ladoucette, we made our way to a local goat farm, known primarily for producing Goat cheese. It was an experience filled with sights and smells that surprised many. We witnessed the birth of a baby goat, pet a donkey and more importantly, we learned about the production of goat cheese and tasted le chevre as well.

Today we made our way to a neighboring town of Moulins. Here we visited Le Centre National du costume de scène, a museum which preserves and displays costumes from French operas, ballets and theatre. In particular, we visited an exhibit on costumes designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier for ballets of Régine Chopinot. While this doesn’t sound like the most exciting visit, it was actually very interesting for people who are enjoy theatre, dance, and modern art.

This weekend, Joyce and I will be leaving our students alone with their host families, many of which have visits planned for the local market, neighboring towns, etc. Also, word on the street is that there is a Franco-American soirée planned.

On Monday we have plans to visit a local basilica and a chateau.

Words of encouragement on the blog are great but I must thank you for staying connected. Thanks and enjoy!

Wednesday in Nevers

Students at St. Cyr have Wednesdays off from school but that didn’t stop us from gathering together and jumping into our Minibus and driving to a nearby town called La Machine. La Machine is known for coal mining. So naturally we went to Le Musée de la Mine, not for a visit of photos, diagrams and texts, but for a trip into the mines themselves. After being equipped with heavy-duty hardhats and Lampes, we descended into the black walled world of a coalmine. Our guide described the history of the mine and how it evolved with technology. Many of us were stunned to discover that horses and donkeys were common in the mines despite the lack of light and poor living conditions. It was hard to get a good set of images from below the surface of the earth but here are several from before we descended in the mine. I also pieced together a small video to get an idea of what our visit was like. Enjoy!

Day 1 in Nevers

It was gray and rainy, in terms of weather, but the smiles and excitement of the WMS students made it hard to notice. Everybody survived the first night at their host families’ houses and made it to school for some classes. During a brief coffee break, we were introduced to la Directrice du lycée Saint Cyr and we embarked on a challenge. Sophie, our host in Nevers, sent us out on a scavenger hunt, collecting facts and answering questions as we meandered down the narrow streets of town. I was particularly interested in the Départ of the second stage of Le Paris-Nice, the first major bike race in France this year. Others stayed on task and discovered churches and cathedrals, the Loire, chocolate shops and cafés galore. On our return to the local school, students met back up with their hosts for lunch and afternoon classes.

It seems the first night (and day) has gone really well. Students are working on their communication skills and having a variety of new experiences. One student was surprised by the pink toilet paper that her host family has, another by the lack of shower curtain in the bathroom. Other students have been watching movies (dubbed into French) or exploring their neighborhoods. Tomorrow we will be exploring a bit more of the local area as we hop into a van and drive to a neighboring town.

J’aime la France

"Welcome to the Americans from The White Mountain School who will be at St. Cyr from March 10 to March 19!"

My camera battery died during the middle of the day so Joyce passed me these photos.
Thanks Joyce!

L'arrivéé

We've arrived safely in Nevers. After a relaxing morning of sleeping in, eating a nice French breakfast and then stopping at the pâtisserie, we jumped onto the train. Two hours later, after a nap, we arrived in Nevers. Within seconds, families had greeted us and whisked us off to our new homes. I'll get some photos up tomorrow and post some anecdotes from our students about their time in their homestays.

à demain