The International Experience

France, 2002

Day 1
Saturday, February 23
Meghan Bellavance

We all met at the school around 1:30 pm and spent the next 30 minutes taking photos in front of the bus.  Finally we left for Montreal where we waited at the airport.  We got to play lots of card games though.  We got on the plane around 8 pm planning for a nap but nobody ended up sleeping for long.  At last we arrived in Paris and we were all very excited but a little tired.

 

Day 2
Sunday, February 24
Kelsey Hughes

So day two was basically the first day really in France.  We went to The Hypochondriac, a play in La Comedie francaise, a beautiful theater.  For dinner we went to a great restaurant, Le Coq Agile and had a huge dinner.  Later that evening we went to the Arc de Triomphe.

Day 3
Monday, February 25
Leslie Bilodeau

Today we took a bus tour around Paris. We visited the Notre Dame cathedral, L'Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower. We saw many sites and took some great pictures!  Paris is so beautiful!

Day 4
Tuesday, February 26
Jessica Morton

We visited the Musee d'Orsay which houses the best Impressionist collection in the world. Our tour guide explained how this building was once a train station and in the 1980's was transformed into this beautiful art space. Not only does the museum house paintings, drawings and sculptures, but also furnishings and interior decors from from 1854 to 1914.  One can't visit Paris without spending a day at the Musee d'Orsay.  We also had some free time for shopping at the Place de l'Opera area and to revisit some of our favorite sites.

Day 5
Wednesday, February 27
Graham Budd

We assembled in the lobby of the hotel in Paris for the last time, bags packed, ready to head off to Perigueux. All 21 of us got our baggage to the corner where we were to meet the bus, and while we waited, Mme Sorrell, with the aid of a couple students, bought lunches for the train ride. Now armed with assorted sandwiches drinks and desserts we boarded the bus and headed to the train station ready for a five hour ride. Once on the train there was a quick scramble to find our compartments and get people and luggage into place. As it turned out my compartment had only six of the eight seats filled allowing us the luxury of placing a number of bags in the unoccupied spots.

Though I had expected to sleep on the train ride I talked instead and watched scenery flash by. We timed a number of the stops to get an idea of how long  we would have to get off at Perigueux and arrived at an average stop time of about 3 minutes.  The race would be on in order to get our bags off in 3 to 4 minutes.

Once we neared Perigueux students started getting restless. People brushed up on French greetings and wondered what their families would be like. When we pulled into the station the French families were waiting to greet us with open arms (and kisses on each cheek). Once students had been united with their luggage and family they were whisked away. 

My family gave me a quick car tour of Perigueux, pointing out the court house and a number of other areas of interest before bringing me to their house only a stone's throw from downtown. once their I collapsed. I slept until dinner, emerged for a delicious multi-course dinner and some discussion and  then went back to sleep until 11:00 am the next morning. It was an exhausting day but an exciting one: our first day in Perigueux and with our French families.

Day 6
Thursday, February 28
Justin Gage

This morning I slept in until 11:00 am, trying to recover from the exhaustion of seeing Paris in three days.  I haven't talked to any of the American students since I got off the train yesterday.  My family doesn't speak any English, so I haven't spoken a word of English since yesterday as well.  I live about half an hour outside of Perigueux by car in a small town called Vaunac.  Shortly after I got up, we ate lunch, a delicious quiche.  My family then took me on a tour of the region north of Perigueux, le Perigord vert.  We stopped in a nearby town, Thivier, to pick up some film; I have already depleted my supply from Paris alone.  They took me to see a few small towns, Brantome and St. Jean de Cole, and a couple of castles.  There are castles everywhere here, but you can't go to all of them because most are privately owned and not for public viewing.  Overall it was a very relaxing and fun day, but I'm anxious to see everyone tomorrow.  It was very strange to be together as a group nonstop for four days, and then not see anyone for two days straight.

Day 7
Friday, March 1
Kim Burns

Friday we drove through the Dordogne valley where we visited several places.  First we saw Beynac castle, which was up a long, steep path, but it was closed so we left.  We stopped at a small pastry shop on the way to Domme which was where we ate our picnic lunches.  Then we had about an hour of free time to walk around and look at the view.  Then we went to Castlenaud where we took a self guided tour of the castle.  Finally, our last stop before going home was a small village called Sarlat where we had free time to shop.

Day 8
Saturday March 2, 2002
Jon Little

Today the Americans and the French group got together at the school and played sports together.  We played basketball and had a soccer tournament.  We spent almost the entire afternoon at the school.  After the sports, everyone went home to get ready for our welcome banquet.  The food was plentiful and delicious at the welcome reception which took place in the beautiful newly redecorated Lycee Laure Gatet  (high school) cafeteria.  We introduced ourselves in front of all the parents and had a huge dinner with everyone.  I got home pretty late and went straight to bed.

Day 9
Sunday, March 3
Amy Wise

Today was a family day, so each student did something different with his/her family.  At my house the whole family came over for a big lunch, then we left and met some other kids at the aquarium.  It was very interesting and a lot of fun.  That night we had dinner and went to bed early for school the next morning. 

Day 10
Monday March 4
Elaine Carpenter

Today was the first day that we visited the school, Lycee Laure Gatet.  In the morning we had a welcome party with our French students and the principal.  In the afternoon some people presented their projects about some interesting aspect of Vermont or the United States in French classes, and other people went to classes with their students.  In the evening we stayed with our French families.

Day 11
Tuesday, March 5
Mollie Reed

After presenting our projects in the morning, we visited Oradour-sur-Glane.  It is a village which has been kept the same since 1944 when the Nazis massacred the village.  There were only six survivors.  It was very sad to visit this tragic place.  After we returned from Oradour and ate dinner, many of us went to the movies where we saw Ocean's 11 (in French!).

Day 12
Wednesday, March 6
Corey Griffiths
 

Today, everyone was at school at 8 in the morning, as the tradition has been on school days.  On the way, many of us saw lots of little shops that had opened in the town squares, selling everything from clothing to food.  This is a weekly tradition in Perigueux.  We were unable to look around at all, because we had other things planned for the day.

The school bus arrived around 8:30, and we were on the road for about an hour before arriving at "Lascaux."  Lascaux is a place where sculptors have replicated a prehistoric cave with only a couple millimeters of error.  Although it wasn't very long, it was very nice to see prehistoric works presented to us, and analyzed.

The next stop was Bournat, a village that was supposedly just like the Shelburne Museum.  It wasn't anywhere near the same scale as Shelburne Museum, but we were treated to things such as the making of a spinning top for children, and some very old machinery.  However, it was very amusing to see a carnival-type park which was connected to Bournat.  This place provided plenty of amusement for many of us on the exchange.

After the day's exciting events, everyone went back home to their families.  The day had been tiring, and many of us went to bed very quickly.

Day 13
Thursday, March 7
Tim Maynes

This was a special day.  We were welcomed by the mayor in a special ceremony at the Mairie.  The city of Perigueux is the capital of the Dordogne / Perigord region just as Montpelier is the capital of Vermont.  We were made to feel welcome and very much at home in this city which dates back 2000 years and still has incredible Roman ruins and buildings preserved from the Middle Ages.

Day 14
Friday, March 8
Lisa Haggarty
 

Visiting the Conseil Général of Dordogne.  We were given a formal reception by the Conseil General welcoming us to the region of Perigord / Dordogne.  This was like having the governor and the state legislature welcome us.  The rooms were very ornate and reminded us of Versailles.  Pens, key chains and T-shirts were given to all of the students and books were given to Mme Sorrell and Mme Randall-Mullins.

Day 15
Sunday, March 9
Heather Twible

Today a lot of the kids on the French trip met in downtown Perigueux to
walk around the town.  After, we went into the same cafe we visited the first
day we were here and we all talked for a long time.  Later on that night, we
met again at a pizzeria for dinner.  We had a good time and the chicken we all ate was great!  All of the food is so well done here.  The Peirgord region is known for its delicious cuisine.
 

Day 16
Sunday, March 10
Matt Kaufman

  Today was another day alone with our families.  I stayed with Clement's dad and his family this weekend and today we all went to the Atlantic Ocean.  It was a two hour drive each way, so it was a long day.  We ate lunch with Clement's grandmother and his cousin.  Afterward, we climbed a giant sand dune, known as the Dune De Pyla and from the top there was an excellent view of the ocean and the bay.  After the climb, we got a snack in the town, went out on the pier and then headed back home.  It was a long day, but a lot of fun.

Chateau Hautefort is famous for being in the movie
Ever After, a Cinderella-esque film

Day 17
Monday, March 11
David Wilkins

Monday, March 11 was our last full day in Perigueux.  Some students had projects to present to French classes in the morning.  All other students, including me, went downtown to the Centre Ville for last minute shopping and eating.  At 12:00, we met with all the students that had had presentations, and went to the Café de Paris for our last lunch in France.  After that, we continued shopping until it was time to return home for a our final farewell dinner with our host families.

Day 18
Tuesday, March 12
Joel Paulsen

This is it.  The end of the road.  We left the high school at 8:00 a.m. after several tearful goodbyes. We took a bus to Bordeaux.  After lunch in the airport, we took a little plane to Paris.  From there, after a 45 minutes delay we went across the Atlantic. Once we got through customs and into America again things seemed at the same time so normal and so alien.  There was a nice reception, but after a 30 hour day, I think we all wanted to go home.  Even though Paris, Perigueux, and all of France that I saw was awesome, and even though I know I want to go back someday, it is still nice to be home.