About the Contributor
Sydney Hofstetter, Copy Editor/Staff Writer
Sydney Hofstetter is a senior at St. Dominic High School. She is involved in CRU, Pro-life Club and is the treasurer of French Club. She is always out...
From a Palace to the Suburbs
March 13, 2017
Waking up at 8:00 AM felt like waking up at 2:00 AM, but Versailles Palace could not wait. We made our first currency exchange in Versailles, which was an ordeal. French ATMs run out of money quickly, and not a lot of them are operational.
Walking up to the Versailles palace gate was surreal. We were blinded by the gold accents and overwhelmed by the sheer size and ornateness of the buildings.
Our tour guide was a sweetheart with a heavy French accent and she was not a fan of the “guards.” She worked her best to show us the “secret rooms” and even King Louis IV’s bed, which was under restoration. We toured the King’s apartments and ate lunch in the Palace like kings with macarons for dessert.
The Palace grounds were nothing short of amazing. Meticulously trimmed shrubbery formed patterns in the gravel that stretched on farther than I was capable of walking. However, we did walk the Great Lawn and ended up at Apollo’s Fountain. Sculptures lined the walkway and the amount of tourists enjoying the 60-degree weather rivaled the turnout at the Eiffel Tower.
In the afternoon, we visited the apartment of Mr. Morshed’s French brother, Baptiste. It was cozy and beautifully decorated. It was very humbling to listen to Baptiste’s daughter, Elsa, speak French at a mile a minute while some of us were struggling through basic phrases.
After dinner, we briefly visited the Champs-Élysées and began a twenty minute walk back to the hostel through Paris. We ended up making a delicious diversion to one of the best macaron shops in Paris, La Dorée. After arriving at the hostel, we went to the room and prepared for our trip to Le Mans in the morning.
It was a two-hour bus ride and a happy meeting with our French correspondents in downtown Le Mans.
Some went out to lunch and others drove right back to their houses for a homemade French meal. The locations vary; a few families live in the country and the rest are within walking distance to the school, Le Lycée Notre Dame.
Most families were very surprised to learn that 16-year-olds can drive in the US, because the driving age in France is 18. The size of the cars that we drive was also a shock; nowhere in France will you see a pick-up truck cruising down the cobblestone streets.
All of the families were excited to welcome us into their homes and found our American accents amusing. While there are quite a few cultural differences, like separating the toilet from the sink and the presence of a baguette at every meal, it was a night of relief and definitely one for the memories.
An Overseas Family
All of the host families here in France welcomed us into their homes and offered us more food than we could ever possibly eat.
My family of four, the Cadignans, live in the “country.” When they first told me this, I expected cows and rolling hills, in reality it was just a twenty minute train ride from the city to a tiny town called Ecommoy.
Throw away your typical idea of French homes being super small; that only exists in Paris. Their four bedroom, two story house has plenty of space, a giant flatscreen and a decent sized kitchen with a view.
My host sister’s name is Oceane, and she is 16 years old. Jean-Louis and Sophie are her amazing parents. She also has a twenty-year-old brother, Aaron. He is an exact replica of Jean-Louis, who is from Martinique.
I was warmly welcomed into their home and have perfected the phrase: “No I am not hungry, yes I am tired, no I am not thirsty.” They worry over me constantly and thankfully find my nervousness amusing.
All exchange students brought gifts for their host-families and the first thing I did after arriving at their house was whip out the gifts. Stuffed into my suitcase was a cookie cutter in the shape of the United States, a cardinals hat and shirt, three boxes of candy and a Hubba Bubba role of gum tape.
It went over very well, American candy is hard to find and expensive in France so Oceane immediately dove into box one of four. While I finished unpacking, Oceane sprinted upstairs to her room and reemerged five minutes later sporting her St. Louis Cardinals gear and exclaimed, “Look I’m American now!” I wholeheartedly agreed.
To my surprise, Jean-Louis is a major fan of Sia, Sam Smith and almost all top American hits. American music is very popular in France. You are more likely to walk into a store and hear Bruno Mars than a French singer.
The first day, they took me to an Italian restaurant and smiled the entire time as I stuttered through explanations on St. Dominic, my family and my hobbies. They were particularly interested that I played golf at school and on the way home, Sophie excitedly pointed out their local golf course.
Dinner is always a three course meal and the entire family sits down to discuss what happened during the day. It is an event and always entertaining to watch their gestures and expressions while they talk at 90 miles per hour.
During my second night, Sophie googled St. Louis to find its population and it turned into an hour long virtual tour of St. Dominic, O’Fallon and the popular St. Louis attractions like the Botanical Gardens and Busch Stadium.
I was asked a variety of questions about American culture and of course about my opinion on President Trump, but my favorite question was: “Do you have burgers bigger than the BigMac in America?” That one stumped me a little.
We had conversations about American holidays as well. My favorite reaction happened after showing my host-family a picture of our fully decorated Christmas tree. My family goes all out with four different kinds of lights and we cover almost every inch of space on the nine foot tree with ornaments.
Oceane is a serious cross-country runner. Le Lycée Notre Dame does not have organized sports teams, which is normal for French schools. So that means no soccer fields, only a couple badminton courts. The most common sports questions I answered revolved around Friday night football games and cheerleaders.
Oceane is, in every sense of the word, bubbly. She has a seemingly endless amount of friends, limitless amounts of patience for my French and constantly wears a smile. I could not have asked for a better person to guide me through these crazy two weeks and I hope to form a life-long relationship.
Unforgettable Experiences in Normandy
Our first impression of Normandy was magical. Dense fog covered the rural landscape and it seemed like a horde of Vikings could ambush us from the forest at any moment.
Our first stop was the Pointe du Hoc, a 100 meter cliff overlooking Omaha Beach. It was the site of a major battle during D-Day in World War II. The grassy ground leading up to the Pointe du Hoc monument is almost completely covered with craters created by allied bombs.
Giant concrete bunkers are scattered around the area, still standing but missing the heavy artillery they once housed. The lookout had a breathtaking view of the English Channel coastline. The vegetation in the area has since grown around the bunkers and grass has filled in the craters. It was very difficult to imagine war happening in such a peaceful place.
Next up was the Caen Memorial museum. A storm-gray plane hung precariously from the ceiling as if in mid flight, guns blazing. We walked through pre-war, during and post war exhibitions. Propaganda posters decorated the walls and the effects of World War II in Normandy were shown through pictures, black and white films and remains of buildings blown apart in the chaos.
Our hotel was in a town called Bayeux, which is home to a nearly 230 foot tapestry with 75 scenes describing the struggle between William, Duke of Normandy, and Harold, Earl of Wessex, for the throne of England.
Bayeux is a petite town with bumpy cobblestone streets and an abundance of history including a ginormous 218 year-old-tree planted after the success of the French Revolution.
Breakfast was provided by the hotel in a formal dining room with just enough chairs to fit our group of ten. The amount and variety of food set in front of us could have fed the whole town of Bayeux. Piles of fresh croissants and fruit were passed around the table and stacks of bacon and eggs were just begging to be eaten. There were too many tartes, pies and breads to eat them all and we even ended up wrapping a few croissants up for later.
Around 9:15 in the morning, our bus parked at the Normandy American cemetery. It was a solemn walk from the visitors center through the spacious lawn and graves of 9,387 American soldiers. The sacrifice made during D-Day became very real. Stark white grave markers seemed to stretch on endlessly in pin straight rows.
Our walk through the grounds eventually turned into a treacherous hike down a slippery hill lined with barbed bushes and many unmarked paths. We were very determined to reach Omaha Beach and braved the wilderness. I may or may not have slipped, but the scary experience and dirty shoes were with it.
Visiting Omaha Beach is not like going to Gulf Shores Beach. It feels very sacred, almost like hallowed ground. The small amount of visitors talk in hushed silence and walk slowly, almost as if they can see the amount of bloodshed that occurred. The beach itself is beautiful, unmarred by the effects of tourism and lightly shrouded in a misty fog. It looks like it jumped right out of a dream. We could have spent all day walking the Normandy American cemetery, but Mont Saint Michel and Saint Malo were itching to be seen.
Mont Saint Michel did not disappoint, but it did prove to be challenging. It is a magnificent monastery on top of a rocky peak with a small town that emerged around it. There are no cars in this ancient city, which is surrounded by water at high tide. It was a steep journey up countless stairs and inclined roads until we reached the entrance to the monastery itself.
It has been standing for about 1300 years and is full of gothic and medieval architecture. The city was packed despite extensive restoration and it is a marvel that still stands today. Windows carved into the stone walls around the building are not for those with a fear of heights, you can look from numerous spots in the monastery all the way down to the sandy beach.
Rushing around Normandy is difficult when you have an itinerary like ours. It was easy to loose track of time exploring Mont Saint Michel and walking through the Normandy American cemetery, so our visit to Saint Malo was a culinary one. We sat down for dinner at Lion D’Or where we rushed through our meals of either mussels or crepes. The meal was delicious and a great way to cap off our visit to Normandy.
Friday morning was back to school, but not for long. We interrupted the school day for a visit to the Belanger Chocolate Factory where we suited up like hazmat workers for a tour of the facility. The chocolate smell was overwhelming in a good way and before long it was time to visit the storefront. I think it is safe to say that I bought more chocolate in half an hour than I have in the past week spent in France.
A Bon Voyage
Everyone is ready to see family again and missed American things like Chick-fil-A, bathrooms with sinks and toilets in the same place and automatic cars. France was fantastically different and full of wonderful and eccentric experiences from midnight pizza runs to narrowly missing being flattened by electric scooters.
Being fully immersed in the culture and language while staying with our families was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Our vocabulary and comprehension of the language has noticeably improved, even if it was a constant struggle. Before embarking on the trip, we were worried about being isolated with the families. However, it was a collective jump out of our comfort zones and we eventually learned to accept mistakes and use the language we already knew.
The support system within our tiny group of ten grew as we bonded with our correspondents and their families. They loved to laugh with us and never showed annoyance when we stuttered over tenses or conjugations. By the last day, inside jokes were formed, conversation flowed easily, and it was all smiles.
We will definitely miss the amazing fresh food; I cannot remember having a bad meal. The French also eat a lot–portion sizes are unbelievably large and we had to adapt to keep up. There is always a baguette and an array of cheeses present, which will be very missed. Although, I still haven’t decided if the classic baguette is better than O’Charley’s buttered rolls; it is a hard decision. Almost no snacking happens, but when the big meals start they last a long time and are often a five-course event.
With the long meals also came café culture and long walks through the city. Instead of flying down the road in cars, we casually strolled through the busy streets and took in all the architecture and smells. Two weeks of this and we are finally conditioned; it’s going to be weird not walking down the road after school for a quick hot chocolate or macaron.
The group of families that selflessly opened their homes to us went above and beyond to tend to our every need. They are what made this trip so successful by creating a safe and loving environment for us to grow through our experiences. We will forever be grateful for all of the coordination and effort put into the trip by Mr. and Mrs. Morshed. They survived two weeks with eight teenagers and lived to tell the tale. The St. Dominic 2017 French Trip was something that will always stick with us and was a truly rewarding experience.