Charlie Ma in France

Once I, along with Andrew Duffey and Isaac Wills, arrived in Bordeaux, France, we were taken to the boarding school, La Sauque, at which we would meet our host brother and stay the week. After a long day of travel, my host brother, Sam, took me to his room where we spend the next few nights. Upon getting situated, Sam brought me to the cafeteria to eat a much needed dinner. Right away I noticed many differences compared to the dining hall of MBA. Unlike the buffet style meals at MBA, meals at La Sauque consisted of yogurt, fruit, a pastry of some sort, and the main course. There would be no second servings. Also, portions and sizes were minuscule compared to those of the America, and every meal had a serving of bread that would be accompanied by jam or cheese. After dinner, Sam brought me back to his room and let me get a much needed night sleep to shake off the jet-lag. The next day, I accompanied Sam to his morning classes. Immediately, I noticed the lack of technology. At MBA, to get by any class, the use of laptop or computer is pertinent. However, at La Sauque, technology was not as important. Afterwards, since we had arrived during exam week, Sam went to go take an exam. During this time, I was introduced to the sport of handball by some of the upperclassman. Handball, basically, is a combination of basketball and soccer where you dribble a ball down the court and try to throw it in a goal. After Sam finished his exam and lunch, Andrew, Isaac, and I, along with our host brothers, went on our daily excursion to see the nearby attractions. Throughout the week we went canoeing, experienced a historical tour of Bordeaux, visited the seaside town of Arachon, picnicked at the Dune of Pyla(the largest sand dune in Europe), and visited an oyster farm.

Andrew, Isaac and I with our host brothers at the Dune of Pyla

After an action packed week, I returned with Sam to his house which was about an hour drive away where we spent the weekend playing video games, playing with Sam's two brothers, and hanging out with Sam's friends. Once the weekend ended, we had to return to La Sauque for one more night to participate in Les Olympiades which was what they called their field day. During the coarse of the day, I played basketball and ran sprints, and at the end of the day, my team finished fourth. After dinner, we all went straight to sleep to prepare for the long day ahead.

Andrew and I taking a break at Les Olympiades

To make the next part of my journey make sense, I should say that La Sauque is a very religious school. So, the next item on schedule was a nine mile pilgrimage through the French countryside. The walk was one of the most tiring yet enjoyable experiences that I have had. France's countryside was miles and miles of vineyards since wine played such a large role in the French economy. The walk took up the majority of the day, and when we returned to La Sauque where we had dinner. That night was their honors night where students were given awards for their academic excellence, and afterwards they put on a play, fully in English. Afterwards, I said goodbye to everyone I met at La Sauque and returned to Sam's house.

While at staying with Sam, he took me to many nearby towns to see the attractions. The highlight would have to be visiting the town of St. Emilion which is known for its wine. We took a tour of the city and a church which the town was centered around. The town was filled with wine shops where I was able to learn about how wine was made and how to determine the quality of wine.

The town of St. Emilion

The next few days were spent in Perigod with Amaury Hughes, the French student who spent the semester at MBA. At Amaury's house, he took us to visit downtown Perigod and the church that Amaury's mom worked at. We spent a lot of time playing Xbox and playing sports outside. Our trip in France coincided with the Eurocup which is the soccer tournament that European countries participate in every four years. So, naturally, we spent a lot of time watching soccer.

Staying at the house of Amaury

After our stay with Amaury, I returned with Sam for a few more days where he took me to stay in downtown Bordeaux with one of his friends. While we were there, he took me to do some shopping down what seemed line an endless road of shops. Afterwards, we went to go watch a movie with his friend.

Downtown Bordeaux

After spending two weeks with Sam, the duration of my trip was almost over, but I still had four more days in Paris with Mr. Trotter and my classmates. The first day in Paris we visited the Pantheon which not only had many beautiful pieces of art, but also contained the remains of some very famous artists such as Victor Hugo. Next, we headed to Les Champs Elysees, the road that connects the department of defense to the Arc de Triumphe to the Louvre. The road itself is filled with many luxurious shops where at one, we had some delicious macaroons. The last item for the day was to visit the Arc de Triumphe itself where we saw the best view in all of Paris.

The three of us at the Champs Elysees

The following day was as action packed as the first. We visited the cathedral of Notre Dame where the intricacy from the hundreds of years of work blew me away. The details on the walls and the huge stain glass windows were unbelievable. Then, we went to the Centre Pompidou which is a museum of modern art. I enjoyed this part of the day very much because I find modern art very interesting with its many possible ways of interpretation. After lunch, we headed to the Catacombs which is resting sight of millions of deceased. As we walked through, the walls were stacked chest high with bones. It gave a very eerie vibe with the countless bones, and the colder temperature gave me chills. We had dinner and called it a day.

Centre Pompidou

The next day was one I had looked forward to for a long time. We were going to visit the Eiffel Tower. Once we climbed to the top, we saw another great view of Paris from bird's eye view since there were no other building at this height. Unlike the large cities of America, there were no skyscrapers in Paris. Afterwards, we were given free time to shop the stores of Paris. After buying a few things, we headed to the Seine river where we had tour of the city via boat. It was truly amazing seeing the city this way. The third day in Paris had come to an end, and there was just one more day left. On the last day, we went to the Louvre where we saw many priceless pieces of art including the Mona Lisa. During our time in the Louvre, we didn't realize the size and got lost many, many times. We spent the rest of the day just relaxing and watching soccer. We left the next morning. 

I would like to thank the Wilson Family for giving me the opportunity for a once in a life time trip to study French. I would also like to thank M. Trotter for accompanying us on the trip as well.