France and Its Borders - Germany

This summer, I was extremely fortunate to travel to France and Germany through the Wilson Grant for Language Study, and it was the most amazing trip I've ever been on. After a fantastic 4 day orientation in Paris, where I got to visit all of the incredible sites, as well as a bunch of really cool, less known areas, I learned a ton about the French culture that I never would have experienced had I not been afforded the opportunity to go on this trip. My group bonded really quickly, and we had a ton of fun together as we prepared for our 11 day homestay in St. Dié des Vosges, a small city in the Alsace region.

My American group of 12 kids from all around the country. It was a ton of fun meeting people from all over, and we had a ton of fun on our trip.

My host brothers Florian (left) and Louis (center), both of whom were incredible guys. We went to one of Europe's biggest amusement parks, went an awesome canoeing trip, and played guitar together. The homestay was way easier than I ever expected.

In the days after our homestay, my group and I travelled to Freiburg, Germany, then to Colmar, France, and then back to Paris. This picture is 4 of us driving a boat in Germany on one of the many trips we took to a lake. The picture on the bottom left is the incredible view from the top of Montmartre, where we ended up after a really intense scavenger hunt all through Paris. We stayed up there for almost an hour just admiring the insane view we had of almost all of Paris.

The very bottom picture here is the Little Italy section of Colmar. There were gondola rides down the river, and we ate at some of the best restaurants and cafes that I have ever been to.

My trip this summer was one that I will never forget because of all the incredible new cultures I experienced, and all the memories I made in a place that was totally out of my comfort zone. This trip was quite an adventure, and it was one of the most amazing gifts that I could have been given as a high schooler. I want to give my utmost thanks to the Wilson family, Mr. Gioia, and all others involved with these grants, because it was an amazing time.