When I got an email last week asking if I had sent in my second monthly report yet, it suddenly hit me how quickly this year is going by already. It’s now been more than 2 months since I stepped off the plane in Paris, and even though I have adjusted to life abroad, I still encounter new and foreign things everyday.
October was very eventful. At the beginning of the month every exchange student from my district got together for the first time since our orientation. Together we all hopped on a tour bus and headed 4 hours west to Normandy. Our first stop was in beautiful Honfleur, a typical Normandy fishing town, followed by Arromanche a small town nestled right on the famous beaches of Normandy where troops landed during World War II. I have never felt closer to history than when I saw first hand the remains of barges left on the beach, walked along the cliffs and visited the war memorial. It was a truly moving experience. After Arromanche we headed to Bayeux where we stayed for the night before driving the rest of the way to our destination, Mont-Saint-Michel, in the morning.
When we arrived at the Mont, where the Rotary multi-district conference was being held, we joined a group of nearly 300 exchange students for a 3 hour trek through the quick sands at the base of the Mont at low tide. Looking around I could hardly believe that it was real life. I never imagined that I would be in such a magnificent place and meet so many amazing people from all over the world. We spent two days singing, dancing, laughing and exploring the Mont before getting back on the bus and returning to Île-de-France.
After falling back into my school routine for one more week, first term ended and I prepared for the Paris-Barcelona bus trip. Monday morning, October 19th, I headed into Paris with my friend Amanda, and we boarded another tour bus with 38 students from other districts excited for what the next 8 days would have in store for us. The trip started with two days of sightseeing in Paris, two days of driving with stops in Chenonceaux and Carcassonne before crossing the border into Spain, where we spent two days in Barcelona and one in Figueres before returning to Paris. The highlights of the trip included visits to Montmartre, the beautiful Châteaus of Versaille and Chenonceaux, Sagrada Família, Museo Picasso, and Dalí Theatre-Museum. In the end the bus trip was a great experience, but going back home to Lagny was bitter sweet. It’s truly amazing how much common ground you can find with people from all over the world, and the time spent together is made even more valuable not knowing when or if you will ever see them again.
When I got home I spent the second week of my vacation nursing a massive cold, which was inevitable after spending 8 days in a bus with 38 teenagers, before returning to school to start second term. All in all it was a great month full of unforgettable experiences.
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