Isaac Wills: France

     For the first week and a half of my adventure in France, I stayed in Bordeaux at a high school called La Saque. Upon arriving, I was greeted by my host brother Arthur Maridot and director of school relations Mme. Leclarq. La Saque has a more rustic feel in comparison to MBA, but the student body has similar energy or spirit as MBA students have at sporting events. I stayed in a dorm with Arthur and his roommate Xavier for the final week and a half of school. During my school stay, I sat-in on an entire day's worth of classes, played handball for the first time, watched American films in French, and participated in the schools les olympiades. The latter detail was particularly enjoyable for me as I was able to be apart of the craze and enthusiasm of the end of the school year celebrations. The second-to-last day was the annual school walk which was fourteen kilometers. All the students and I walked through vineyards and small villages, and we finished in a small town at a cathedral for mass.

The frenzy of les olympiades 

     The food at La Saque, particularly breakfast,  was very different from the food I normally have at MBA. While I normally eat corn flakes or another generic cereal here in the United States, I generally ate bread with a spread in France. As for lunch and dinner, the French are generally more modest than Americans in the quantity of food. However, I will discuss food experience in more depth once I get on the topic of Paris.

     Peppered throughout my stay at La Saque were visits or small trips to places in the surrounding Bordeaux area. Joined by my fellow MBA students Charlie Ma and Andrew Duffey as well as our correspondents and some girls from St. Cecilia high school, I went to one of the largest sand dunes in France, an extensive oyster farm, the heart of Bordeaux itself, and a river where I went canoeing. All for of those small trips were great in there own light, but my favorite one was the sand dune extravaganza. After reaching the top of the dunes, I was able to take in the great views of the surrounding area, and the of course the others and I had fun rolling down the dunes' sandy slopes.

                                                The group pictured atop the the great sand dunes

     During my weekends away from La Saque and after school had ended, I lived at Arthur's house in a small town three hours North of Bordeaux called Soulac-sur-Mer. Living on the Atlantic Coast of France, Arthur is an avid surfer. He took me to the beach several times so that I could run while he rode the waves in the early morning. He also enjoys skate-boarding, so I accompanied him to the town's skate park where I met his friends outside of school. Arthur's dad Dmitri runs a camping/cabin rental site on the beach, so Arthur and I spent a couple of nights camping-out. Dmitri went fishing several times, and he prepared a fantastic feast for the entire family including Arthur's grandparents.
     

Arthur, his dad, and his grandparents sitting down for a feast

Arthur and I in front of his house

Coincidentally, the town of Soulac-sur-Mer was having a festival the day I arrived. Taking me au centre-ville, Arthur directed me to an auction, various boutiques, and a stage where live music was being played. Furthermore, I visited a wine distillery nearby Arthur's house, and I thoroughly enjoyed my tour of the facility. Arthur's mum worked at a restaurant in Soulac-sur-Mer, so she was constantly in-and-out of the house. Despite all the amazing things I did at Soulac, I think my main takeaway from the home-stay portion of the trip were the conversations I had with the members of Arthur's family. Arthur joked with me several times about how his English was poor, but his language situation made the temptation to speak English nearly impossible.  

Arthur and I atop a small tour in a vineyard

     Mixed into my home-stay with Arthur was a short four day reprieve with Aumary Auge, the student from La Saque who came to MBA last year. Aumary lived in Perigod, a sizable town three hours Northeast of Bordeaux. The Auge's were gracious hosts, and I really enjoyed their pool! Their house, which was around 500 years old was fascinating. My ability to tour Perigod was hindered when I twisted my ankle rather badly on a run from Aumary's house. Although I spent a significant amount of the following two days on the couch, I was able to watch the Euro Cup, which was in France, on the television. The Auge's were incredibly hospitable, and I thoroughly enjoyed conversing with them and their dinner guests.

Charlie, Andrew, and I pictured with the Auge's

     The final leg of my stay in France was in Paris. I could go into the "nitty gritty" of every attraction I went to, but I'll instead elaborate upon the highlight of my Parisian experience: the food and street life atmosphere. As I stated earlier, the food was a staple part of my experience in France. Mr. Trotter, my French teacher, Charlie, Andrew, and I would go to restaurants when we found ourselves hungry in between stops on our itinerary. We would find a restaurant on the street, look at the menu, and decide if we want to eat there or keep looking. We had the power to direct our gastronomic experience. I was not and still am not a coffee drinker, but I liked stopping in small cafes and getting an expresso every now and then. I also mentioned earlier that the Euro Cup was going on in France while I was there. As a result, there was a flourish of fans from various countries across Euro present to cheer on their respective teams. I loved being apart of the French fan base, as I watched the French matches in a restaurant alongside other French people. In general, I felt cosmopolitan vibes while in Paris, and the "game day" atmosphere was fantastic. In terms of attractions, I visited the Arc-de-Triumph, the Eiffel Tower, les Champs-Elysees, Notre Dame, les Catacombes, the Pantheon, and a host of other places. Of these stops, I savored the views from the Arc-de-Triumphe and the Eiffel Tower the most. Seeing the historical rooftops of Paris from above held its own magic.

Charlie, Andrew, and I atop the Arc-de-Triumphe

     As much as I miss taking pictures on top of things, the thing I miss most from France is constantly having someone with whom I could speak French. Sure, I have French class everyday at school, but waking-up and going-bed to bed in French was a wonderfully unique experience. I already miss my correspondent Arthur, but I am excited knowing that I will host him my senior year when he comes to MBA. Lastly, I just want to thank the Wilson family for making this experience happen. It was truly a great opportunity linguistically and culturally.