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.