This summer I had the privilege of traveling to France with three fellow MBA students to stay at Lycee de la Sauque, a boarding school outside of Bordeaux, France. We departed May 30th and began our three-flight journey to Bordeaux. Once we reached Paris as a group, we said goodbye to Mr. Trotter, our teacher who accompanied us on the flight there, as we were not to see him again until three weeks later in our stay. We then flew to Bordeaux where we were welcomed by Mme. Leclerq, an English teacher at La Sauque who is in charge of exchanges. She took us to the school where, once we groggily got out of the car, we were greeted warmly.
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| Paris, as seen from above at the end of our transatlantic flight |
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| The group upon arrival in Bordeaux |
First Impressions
When I arrived at La Sauque, I had not slept for 36 hours and was trying to remain awake until bedtime that night in order to avoid jet lag. The students' greeting assured that I would make it to bedtime as we were quickly swarmed with students, both our hosts, other students interested in meeting us, and even Amaury, who had been an exchange student at MBA. After a quick lunch we got to play sports with the boys. I chose to play soccer, and I was thoroughly embarrassed by the French boys as they all tried to do their best tricks on the American. I enjoyed getting to know a few of the French boys quite quickly and developed friendships with others as time went on.
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The main administrative building at La Sauque
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The well-manicured lawn and courtyard at the center of campus
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Time at La Sauque
My time at La Sauque was full of highlights. While we were there, the school was in a post-exams period. All the students had taken their final exams, so all of the classes we saw were going over these exams before the students left for summer. Because it was the end of the school year, there were many antics and not a lot of focus in the classroom. Despite these small distractions, I was able to enjoy a few classes such as math, physical sciences, and English class. It had been a lifelong dream of mine to attend an English class for people who speak another language, so I thoroughly enjoyed having this dream fulfilled. In classes, I noticed that the students were less respectful to their teachers than we are at MBA. This difference could have been due to summer looming so closely, but it seemed like they behaved this way regularly. I also saw in their English class that they do not consistently speak English while trying to learn it. In our French class we are only allowed to speak French, and I think this difference is why we Americans were far better French-speakers than the French were English-speakers.
Because it was the end of the year and all of the classes were reviewing rather than learning, Mme. Leclerq planned many outings and day trips for us and our exchange students. The first of these was our second day there and my birthday. We went to la Dune de Pylat, which is the biggest sand dune in Europe. After a long climb to the top, we took some photos of the great views and played a game of American football in the sand. The same day we went to Arcachon, a beach-side resort town close to the dune which is situated on an ocean inlet, and saw some of the old chateaux along with a great view of the village from an overlooking tower. Another trip was an afternoon in downtown Bordeaux where we got to see the Rue Sainte Catherine, one of the longest pedestrian-only roads in Europe lined with all kinds of shops. We also took a tour of downtown and saw la Place de la Bourse, the center of trade in Bordeaux, along with a 15th century gate which protected the city and its river, the Gironde. Other outings included a visit to a 700 year-old castle, le Chateau de Roquetaillade, a canoeing trip, and a visit to the city hall of the town that La Sauque is in. At the city hall, I gave a speech thanking the mayor and everyone at La Sauque for hosting us and for their kindness.
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The Dune de Pylat
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| The view from the tower overlooking Arcachon |
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La Place de la Bourse in downtown Bordeaux
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The 15th century gate protecting the city
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While at La Sauque, we also participated in some of the end-of-year events. These events included les Olympiades, which were the equivalent of our own field day. The French students, however, took their field day much more seriously than we do at MBA. They made t-shirts for their teams, painted their faces, made giant signs and banners, and came up with cheers to support their teams. The competition included soccer, basketball, archery, ping pong, tug of war, and relay races. Les Olympiades also gave me a glimpse into how incredibly competitive the French are. While some students had no zeal for the competition, the majority of them were willing to do anything for the team to win, no matter if it broke the rules or not. As I watched them compete vigorously and some of them cheat overtly, I asked one of the teachers if the French were always like this. He confirmed my suspicions and joked with me, saying I would probably go home and tell everyone that the French were cheaters. Les Olympiades also showed me that the French are far more coordinated with their feet than they are with their hands, as evidenced by their soccer prowess and their basketball ineptitude.
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| The different colored teams at Les Olympiades square off in tug of war. Here the white team all sport their matching shirts which have humorous nicknames on the back |
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The students at La Sauque also enjoyed many antics and pranks. Since it was the end of school and everyone was itching for summer to begin, these antics were at their peak while we were there. One of the traditions among the boys is to set off the fire alarms in their dorm building. The students then all get dragged into the hallways and then lined up in the gym as the night-guards try to figure out who did it. This tradition happened once while we were there, and it escalated as a boy set off a firecracker once everyone was in the gym. The teachers did not find the culprit that night, and the boys told us that they actually never figure it out and end up sending everyone back to bed after about 20 minutes. Most of the nights we were there the administrators actually shut the fire alarms off rather than have to deal with the pranks since they knew the boys would be antsy at the end of the year. This antsy atmosphere led to a food fight at breakfast one morning, and, on the last night we were there, The boys all grabbed their mattresses from their rooms, carried them into the hallway, and played dominoes with them as the boys got sandwiched in between them. We also saw the students perform a traditional dance after Les Olympiades. During this dance they all lined up sitting on the ground and put their arms in the air as someone "crowd surfed" over the line. It was quite the sight to see, and apparently it is a tradition at weddings or other big parties.
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| Walking through grapevines and |
the cathedral at the end of the march
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My time at La Sauque concluded with the Marche de Verdelais, a day-long walk across the French countryside which ended at the town of Verdelais with its Calvary hill and stations of the cross. We walked close to 10 miles, pausing for a picnic around halfway, and finished with an optional mass at the cathedral in Verdelais. It was fun to get to see so much of the French countryside and to converse with all of the students while we walked. The march is a tradition for the school to end the year, so it was also very meaningful to get to take part in this tradition. After returning to the school, there was a short program, similar to MBA's honors night, and then we left to stay with our respective host families for a week.
Visit to Biarritz
We were incredibly lucky to go visit Pierre Amourous, a student at La Sauque who had recently stayed for a semester at MBA, at his house in Biarritz for a weekend. Biarritz is on the Atlantic coast of France very close to Spain. It is one of the top surfing destinations in Europe, and thanks to the generous invitation of Pierre and his family we were able to bask in its incredible beauty. Aside from surfing and swimming at the beach, we were treated to some fabulous sunsets over the ocean and some wonderful French meals courtesy of Mme. Amourous. One of my favorite activities was watching the giant waves crash against the cliff sides at high tide and send water flying everywhere as we overlooked the ocean. Aside from all the amazing experiences, it was great to see Pierre again as we had become very close friends during his stay at MBA.
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the MBA boys and Pierre's family at dinner
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Time with Host Family
My host Paul Labat was the equivalent of a sophomore at La Sauque. While I was with him I got to experience all sorts of French culture and cuisine. My first weekend at his house included a drive to a nearby town for the baptism of his baby cousin. The baptism took place in a small, old stone church in the center of a tiny town. The baptism itself was a Catholic service, but it was very similar to baptisms I have seen at my own church since I am Episcopal. While the baptism taught me a bit about the French church, it was the party afterward where I really learned about French culture. I got to talk with many of Paul's family members including his 96 year-old grandmother. I also got to sample a multitude of French foods. The meal was what the French call an "apéritif," which is the small course before the main entree. This apéritif was special because it never ended! Small finger foods ranging from oysters to charcuterie plates to fish to soups just kept coming out until hours later dessert was served. It was amazing to get to taste so much fantastic food, and I was assured multiple times that it was all of the best quality and from nearby, two things the French highly value.
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Me trying my first oyster with Paul and his grandparents
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The church where the baptism took place
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Paul, an only child, lives in a tiny town called Targon, which is situated about 40 minute southeast of Bordeaux and is surrounded by vineyards. His mother made sure that we were not bored while I was there with many fun activities and outings. One outing which I really appreciated was a trip to a town market in a neighboring town. This town's cramped stone streets and main square were filled with vendors of all sorts of fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, and other products. I noticed that many of the vendors labeled their products with the specific department of France they came from, which again highlighted how much the French value freshness and farm-to-table dining. I also visited an abbey with Paul. It is in ruins today, but construction on it began in the 11th century. It was amazing to see such an old building that has lasted so long. Other outings included a day boating on the Bassin d'Arcachon, which is the ocean inlet on which Arcachon and the Dune de Pylat are situated, and a trip to visit Paul's grandparents, where I got to eat tons of oysters.
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Me, Paul, and his grandparents at their house
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The full streets of the town market
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A view through the doorway of the old abbey
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Me aboard my host family's boat with Arcachon in the background
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I also visited St. Emilion, a world-famous wine-making town, and got to tour its wine caves and see its monolith church, which is underground and completely carved out of one stone. My time with Paul and his parents ended with a trip to Bordeaux, where I did some shopping and saw the massive cathedral, before I presented a few gifts to thank my hosts. I then packed my bags and went to the train station to meet up with the other MBA boys and our teacher M. Trotter before our train to Paris.
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| Me presenting Paul's family a towel with different Nashville landmarks on it |
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Me and Paul before my departure for Paris
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The cathedral in Bordeaux
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Paris
After a few hours in transit across the French countryside we arrived in Paris ready to take on the city of lights. Our first stop was the incredible Musee d'Orsay, located inside a restored train station. I loved the museum because I am a huge fan of impressionist and post-impressionist art, and it houses one of the some of the greatest collections of these movements in the world. I was like a kid in a candy store with bulging eyes as I got to see some fabulous Van Gogh paintings.
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| Me and Vincent |
Art was one of the highlights of my time in Paris. Besides the Musee d'Orsay, we visited the Centre Pompidou, Paris's modern art museum; the Dali Space, which houses a collection of Salvador Dali's works; and of course the famed Louvre. The Centre Pompidou and the Dali Space were certainly very thought provoking as the abstraction and modern art in the two museums were quite complex and often took some time to understand. I enjoyed deciphering the many paintings and pieces we saw in both places. The Louvre was magnificent in its grandeur. We gave ourselves plenty of time to walk through its various wings and enjoy the art inside because it is such an amazing place to see great and famous art. While I preferred the types of art on display in the other museums we visited, I was still blown away by the magnitude of the Louvre and its collections and the importance and fame of the art inside.
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| Our group in front of the Centre Pompidou |
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Enjoying the sunset and the Eiffel tower
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The sites we saw in Paris were also magnificent. We were lucky enough to be able to see the best of what Paris has to offer, and our teacher M. Trotter assured that we got to see the sites at the right times as well thanks to his expertise. For example, he timed it perfectly so that we were seeing the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe during two beautiful sunsets. Some of my other favorite sites were the basilica of Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame cathedral, and the Palace of Versailles. Sacre Couer had both a beautiful interior and amazing views of the city from the top of its enormous dome. I loved basking in the grandeur of Gothic architecture inside and outside Notre Dame. Versailles showed not only architectural, artistic, and horticultural beauty, but also the extent of abuse of power on the part of the French monarchs that led to the French Revolution. I loved the history behind Versailles as well as its breathtaking size. We also got to go down inside the Catacombs and see thousands of human bones and skulls. The experience was at once creepy and fascinating given that I have never been so close to real human skeletons.
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Fountains make up a water show in one of Versailles's smaller gardens
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| overlooking Paris from the steps of Sacre Coeur |
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Departure and Thanks
When our group left Paris, I was blessed to be able to continue on to Norway to visit my uncle and his family for a week rather than coming straight back to Nashville. I want to thank Mr. Paolicchi and M. Trotter for allowing me to continue on and visit my family as it was wonderful to see where they live and what their country is like for the first time. After visiting them I safely flew back across the Atlantic to my happily awaiting family in Nashville. Most importantly, I want to thank the Wilson family for this opportunity to see a new part of the world, learn about their culture, and have some incredibly fun experiences. Your generosity has given me some of the greatest experiences, meals, and memories I will ever have. Thank you. I would also like to thank Mr. Paolicchi for overseeing the travel program and for allowing me to go on this trip. Thank you to Mr. Gioia and his work in establishing a relationship between MBA and La Sauque. Lastly, thank you to M. Trotter for accompanying us, making sure we had what we needed at all times, teaching us about French customs and culture, making all our travels plans, finding us the best sites to see and restaurants to eat at, making sure we never got lost on the Metro, and for being a wonderful guide and companion.
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