Bela Arwen - France 2018

The Journey to France

Our journey began early in the morning of the twentieth of May in a nearly empty airport, waiting to go through security. Aden, Owen, and I all said goodbye to our families and then received a final farewell from Mr. Trotter before embarking on one of the most riveting traveling experiences of our lives. To begin with, the flight to JFK, the first stop in our journey, was delayed by weather and the flight itself took an additional hour to arrive because the flight first took a detour south to avoid the weather that had just delayed us. When we finally arrived in New York, we had no more than forty-five minutes to make it to our next flight and still had to make it through security again. Aden and Owen had both checked their luggage in Nashville, but I had brought mine with me, meaning that as we were running through the airport to our gate, I was carrying both my carry on with all my summer reading books and all the clothes I would be needing for the next five weeks. In the end, I gave my luggage to Owen who then proceeded to beat both Aden and me to the gate and persuade the flight attendant to let us on the flight. The flight itself went smoothly enough apart from the fact that I had an aisle seat and every time I was about to fall asleep the flight attendant would walk by and knock my shoulder. Once in Paris, we had missed the flight to Bordeaux but easily rescheduled for the next flight.

Bordeaux

Once we arrived in Bordeaux, we went to baggage claim, but, after waiting for a while and not seeing either Owen or Aden’s bag, we sat down with an Air France representative and had our first true French-speaking experience to see what had gone wrong. When we had rushed to our flight to Paris and barely made it, our luggage, Owen and Aden’s, had not been so lucky. Nonetheless, we left the airport and met up with our hosts and spent the rest of the day with our hosts. As for Owen and me, since our true hosts lived so far away from Bordeaux, we were put with two other hosts families for the night. I was with Quentin, who lived in the area. He lived in a small house that reminded me a lot of the style typically seen in southern California with red tile roofing and a big open common area that was open on both sides by large ceiling to floor windows and had the other rooms branching off the adjacent sides. Since it was only noon but to me felt like 5 in the morning after not having really slept for twenty hours, I did not really have any drive to do anything. Even so, we played a few rounds of ping pong, in which I lost everyone, and talked about our interests. Once we got bored of ping pong, we decided to go on a bike ride to see the area he lived in. We biked into a forest near his house where he had been working with a few friends in a tree house over a river. We then went to a nearby park and went on the mountain biking path with plethora jumps and turns. Muddy and even more tired than before, we returned home. At this point, I was not able to do anything other than taking a nap, which I did. Once I had awoken from my nap, Quentin’s mom had arrived home and his father was preparing dinner. We had a wonderful, simple dinner of tomatoes, rice, and meat, for me in the form of a tofu chicken fillet. Though simple, the dinner was delicious and afterward, I went right to sleep.

For the next two weeks, I spent my time at La Sauque, spending time with different grade levels, learning and taking classes with the seniors and eating lunch and spending my free time with the sophomores. Because I was going to be a senior, the classes that the sophomores were taking were not at the level where I was used to studying so I was allowed to take classes with the seniors. I became good friends with a few of them but my true friend group was with the the sophomores, with whom I stayed in the dorms every night. My true host was Abel, who was a sophomore at the school. I only found out the day I arrived that he was to be the one who was to be hosting me. I would even spend nearly a week with him at the end of my time at La Sauque, but the begin of the week was disrupted by complications his father had had in dealing with Parkinson’s. Because of the complications, for the first few days of the week we had in Bordeaux after our time at La Sauque was over, I stayed with a good friend I had made at La Sauque who was there in a similar program to that which I was. Her name was Faye and she was from Ireland but had a house in Bergerac. She would be staying in France too, and generously offered me a place to stay. I stayed with Faye until she went back to Ireland, at which point I returned to Abel's house.

Paris
After having been in Bordeaux for three weeks now, it was time to head to Paris. We, being only Owen and myself at this point since Aden had left for debate camp, and headed to Paris where we met up with Mr. Trotter. We went to the hotel, dropped off our bags and immediately went out into Paris to go exploring. We ended up at the Musee D'Orsay where we spent a good while looking at artwork and we even got to see some singing being performed for the "Fête de la Musique", which was a festival of music being held all over France. Then we dined at the lovely restaurant in the museum itself. The food was incredible and at some point Mr. Trotter and I, being so amused by a man sitting next to us, burst into uncontrollable laughter.

The next few days were spent exploring the many corners of Paris, traveling from everywhere by subway. We visited magnificent art museum such as the Louvre, saw a multitude of glorious monuments, such as the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, and ate at fantastic restaurants, my favorite of which was "La Fontaine de Mars" (former President Barak Obama had eaten here when he was in Paris). Sadly, on the last day I was to be with Owen and Mr. Trotter, we were scheduled to have a night out at the Opera but it was canceled due to strikes. Though this was to be highpoint of the trip, there was no reason at all to be complaining since we had already been so lucky just to have been in Paris.

After my time with Mr. Trotter, I was able to continue my stay in Paris with my grandfather which was a great gift. It would not have been very likely I would ever had been able to enjoy such a wonderful city with a person I so dearly care for if not for this opportunity I had.

Challenges I Overcame

One of the most prominent challenges that I had to overcome was trying to be vegan in France. I have been vegan for nearly two years and vegetarian for all of my life. Being vegan in most places other than the united states is usually quite difficult and I was well aware of this before embarking. I had planned to try and continue to be vegan throughout my time in France and did pretty well until arriving in Paris. In Bordeaux, the only places I ever ate were at my host family’s house and La Sauque, both places where vegan options were easy to find. This changed however in Paris where most every meal was eaten out at a restaurant. Most restaurants understood the concept of vegetarian but rarely any understood veganism. The first meal that I had in Paris was at the Musee d’Orsay, and once I looked at the menu and realized I was not going to find anything vegan, I gave in. This is a decision I do not regret. From that meal on, I was able to take part in the wonderful world of French cheeses and pastries that I would have missed as a vegan. That first meal at the Musee d’Orsay was hands down the best-tasting meal I had had in a long time and I regret nothing about my decision.

The most interesting thing about my trip was how little a problem the language turned out to be for me. Yes, there were times that I could not find the right word or stumbled through a difficult sentence but for the most part, I felt quite comfortable in my abilities and that feeling only grew over my time in France. In the beginning, I did not think that I would be as communicative as I turned out to be, something I can accredit to how much understanding I already had gained from Mr. Trotter over the past three years. I believe that has a lot to say about the language department at MBA, giving me the comfort to immerse myself in a culture I knew nothing about three years before.

Things That I Have Learned

One thing I tell people every time they ask me, “What's your biggest take away” or something along those lines, I always reply the same way. For me, the most striking contrast I could find when I returned back to the States was the French sense of efficiency. I like to give the example that “French people know how to use escalators” which is true. It is a generally understood concept that if you are not moving on an escalator than you are to move to the right. This way people in a hurry do not have to ask you to move out of the way so that they can pass you on the left. Though I had little chance to travel by car while I France, I did notice that this went for the roadways as well. The left lane was rarely ever used unless someone, presumably in a hurry, wanted to pass you. Other than that, nearly everyone used the left few lanes. The difference was not hard to notice when I got back to the united states when I was trying to get to a connecting flight in Denver on my way to Seattle where I nearly missed my flight because I could not make it up the escalator because of the cross hatch of people dotting each side like a lattice.

Merci!

I would like to extend my full and sincere gratitude to the Wilson for making this whole experience possible and for allowing me to grow so much as a French student but also a learning young adult. The experiences I have had this summer have made me more confident not only in French but also in my ability to travel the world with a clearer mindset and more ease now that I was able to do it by myself (in part). For this, I am truly thankful. I would like to thank Madame LeClercq and Mr. Chassagne from La Sauque for their hospitality in inviting MBA to their campus for the past 6 years. Finally I would like to thank Mr. Trotter who has prepared me for the last 3 years for this journey and was able to show me Paris for the first time, helping me understand the city in a way no guided tour ever could and only a hands-on experience lead by an expert of the city could come close to rival.

Andrew Duffey-France

After arriving in Bordeaux, my fellow classmates and I took a bus to the Sauque, the boarding school where we would be spending the first week. There, I met my host brother, Corentin, and his father, who drove me to their house, as Corentin did not board at the Sauque. Upon arriving at the house, I met my host mother and we all went inside and discussed each other's cultures and traditions. After a good discussion, we ate an early dinner. After dinner, we discussed further, but after a while, I went to bed for some much needed rest. The next morning, I would be going to the Sauque for the second time. Only this time, I would actually attend classes and interact with the students. After attending two classes, my host brother and I went to the assembling area where he had to take an exam. While Corentin took his exam, my classmates and I went and played handball with the upperclassmen. After Corentin finished his exam, my classmates and I went to the Circons with our host brothers and the French students from St. Cecilia for canoeing. We, then, returned to the Sauque, from where Corentin and I were picked up and taken back to the house. The next day, we attended several classes in the morning, ate lunch in the cafeteria at the Sauque, and then headed for downtown Bordeaux, where we went on a very interesting tour. Throughout those first few days, we participated in several activities like the tour, as we visited an oyster farm and a beach, among other sites, such as my favorite, the Dune de Pyla, the largest dune in Europe. At the top we had the opportunity to consume all of its beauty. Looking from side to side, the dune seemed endless. Looking down towards the bottom of the dune, the ocean sat on one side and on the other was a forest. Getting to run up and down the dune's steep side was exhausting, but at the same time wonderful. After a marvelous time on the dune, it was time to go back home. The weekend was spent with just my host family. On Saturday, we rested at the house throughout the morning, My host family, then, took me to the French McDonald's for lunch. After eating a delicious lunch, we went to the mall. We returned to the house in the evening for  what was a fantastic barbecue where I met some family friends. Throughout the night, not only did we eat, but we played some ping pong, board game, and also Uno. The next day, my family took me to Le Porge, a beach about one hour from Bordeaux. We spent most of the day there, and returned to the house for an evening of ping pong and four wheeling.

Charlie, Isaac, and I are with our host brother at the Dune de Pyla

The next day, my classmates and I participated in a field day at the Sauque. I played basketball for the Pink Team. This whole day was dedicated to these games. The next day was our 14 kilometer walk to Verdelais, where we attended a French mass. This walk was basically the only event of the day. The day after that, Charlie, Isaac, and I departed for Perigueux, where we met our second host family, the Hughes. In Perigueux, we didn't do a lot. Charlie, Isaac, and I hung out with Amaury, who came to MBA on exchange last year. We watched some soccer, as the UEFA just so happened to be hosted by France this summer. We did visit downtown Perigueux and walked around all the little shops. After a few days with the Hughes, we headed back to Bordeaux to stay with our original host family for a few more nights.

Amaury and I have a discussion during dinner

After staying a last few nights with our host families, Charlie, Isaac, and I left for Paris with Mr. Trotter. As one would imagine, there was lots to do in Paris. Luckily, we all got to stay in a hotel in downtown Paris, so every day, we would walk somewhere different. Would I personally loved in Paris were all the restaurants; we went out to a restaurant for nearly every meal. Another great part about Paris was the site-seeing. We did have to take a subway to most of the sites, such as the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Trimphe. However, we walked to many sights as well, such as Notre Dame and a handful of Churches and Cathedrals. paris was great because of all the cultural experiences. Not only did we visit, Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower, but we also got to see works of art in the Louvre, walk through the Catacombes, and ride the Ferris Wheel at the Place de la Concorde.

Charlie, Isaac, and I pose in front of the Eiffel Tower

After spending three weeks in France, I can undoubtedly say that my studying has been worth it. I had so much fun. I enjoyed participating in all the activities, and I adored the many friends that I made. I am also proud to say that I spent almost a month in a foreign country speaking the native language. I am extremely appreciative to have had the opportunity to study abroad in the language that I have come to love these past few years. I hope that in the future, students will have as much fun abroad as I had. It was certainly an experience that I will keep close to my heart.

Charlie, isaac, and I enjoy our walk in the Catacombes

  

Ben Yahnian: France

The train roared across the track. I was on the TGV from Perpignan, France to Barcelona, Spain. While silence lurked throughout each cabin on the train, we oddly started to slow down. Suddenly, a man with a large feather attached to his hair seated behind me awoke screaming AHHHHH at the top of his lungs. A huge pain struck my gut as an intense pang of laughter hurt my side while the entire cabin joined me in hysterics. Dazed and confused, he obviously did not have a ticket for his journey and was hitching a free ride. Our train finally came to a stop because of an obstacle on the track. However, this man got up, grabbed his belongings which consisted of a satchel containing only 2 fairly large bamboo sticks, and hopped off the train where he disappeared into the distant countryside of southern France.

The view of Southern France from the TGV train

Now you are probably thinking why in the world would I be telling you this story? When I came back home, I soon realized that the only way I could express my appreciation to MBA and especially the Wilson family was through the memorable experiences, amusing stories, and essential lessons that I had learned. While my stories could fill 1000 pages, I am going to share some of the most unforgettable ones. In this way, I hope you will be able to see how truly appreciative I am. 

First, I want to discuss my EIL group which consisted of an economically, racially, and geographically diverse group of people. I love each of them from the bottom of my heart and I’m sure that these 15 different relationships will endure for many years to come. However, it would be a grave mistake for me not to mention one of my two group leaders named Sabienne Brutus. This lady is unlike any other person I have ever met in my life. To call her my hero would be an understatement. Words do not describe her, she describes words. She is a headstrong leader and the kind of friend who loves you enough to tell you when you screwed up or made a mistake.

My EIL group (Sabienne is seated at the bottom)

Anyway, I do want to mention an interesting dynamic within my EIL group that I observed. From the beginning, our group split into several “cliques” based on but not limited to race and personality. I can not express how much this bothered me. However, I am pleased to say that by the end of the trip when we returned to Paris, our group became united and friendships had formed between everyone. 

My EIL Group

My trip was appropriately titled “Between the Atlantic and Mediterranean,” as we stayed in Paris for 5 days, traveled to Perpignan for a 2 week homestay with 4 days spent in Barcelona, embarked for a 4 day stay in the Pyrenees and finished with a few more days in different cities in southern France and Northern Spain before we returned to Paris. Basically, I got the wonderful opportunity to experience the Catalan (the peoples living in the border region between France and Spain) culture, dialect, and art. With my homestay family, I learned numerous songs and chants about the Catalans, and I now fully respect their amusing yet dedicated mascot: the donkey. Thinking back on my trip, I am honestly amazed at how much I did that my brain still hasn’t processed all the incredible moments on the trip. I went to the beach 11 times! The Mediterranean Sea just felt so good I just had to go back again and again. But particularly, I want to mention the beach at Collioure which was about an hour by bus away from my homestay in Perpignan. The beach there was absolutely incredible and I loved the red tiled roof architecture of all the houses. 

The Beach at Collioure 

As if I wasn’t lucky enough already just to get the opportunity to go on this trip, I was blessed with an unbelievably caring homestay family in Perpignan. I had two brothers aged 15 and 20 which was an opportunity for me to experience living with 2 brothers as I only have one sister in Nashville (I still love ya Mary). 

The cutest little homestay city of Perpignan

Anyway my dad was the coolest plumber in the world, and I respected him so much for the effort he exerted in his job daily. Also, I noticed a particularly odd occurrence that about 80% of the time my dad never wore a shirt. After I noticed that my brothers followed in their farther’s shirtless footsteps I soon picked up on the ritual and went shirtless. You should have seen the look on my real mom’s face when I came back home and tried to explain why I had disproportionately clean shirts compared to shorts. When I came to France, I predicated that I would lose 10 pounds as the French obviously ate way less than us Americans. Wrong Ben. So wrong. I have never eaten so much food in my life. My host family would say to me all the time, “oh you are american? Drink this coke.” As I was in no mood to refuse anything that they offered me, I accepted and this became a regular thing at dinner. We all drank coke and watched the news while we ate. For my first lunch, my mom bought me a baguette sandwich. However, when I came home that day having eaten the whole thing, I guess she took it as a sign that I was starving and decided to pack two huge baguettes each day for my lunch for the next 2 weeks, along with apple sauce and some fruit. (and a coke of course!) One day, my brothers called me their "vrai frere" or basically their true brother. Whenever they told me that, I may or may not have shed a little tear on the inside. My family went out of their way to include me in everything they did, and I felt like just another son in the family. I am truly grateful for the kindness given to me by my host family and I know that I will keep in touch with them for the rest of my life. 

My homestay family 

When I think about my trip, 3 key moments come to mind that I feel necessary to highlight. First, my brothers took me to this festival called a Feria. Basically, a Feria is an event in a city with bull activities during the day and at night the entire town shuts down as people line the streets for a huge party until 5 am. Oh and did I forget to mention that it happens for 3 days!? I loved listening to all the different bands on multiple stages and I danced my butt off with people of all different ages from young to even the elderly. By the third night, I was practically running on my reserve emergency energy supply. Man was I tired! 

Secondly, I struck luck again as I got the chance to turn 18 in Barcelona. This city was always and I mean always hopping. With one of the most breathtaking beaches and really cheap but incredible food, Barcelona is definitely a city I will be visiting again. My amazing EIL group leaders surprised us with a really nice restaurant dinner that night for my birthday and even gave us all a later curfew so we could explore all that Barcelona had to offer. 

18th Birthday in Barcelona!

Next, my group traveled to Yaso, Spain with a whopping total population of 7! Now what’s particularly interesting about Yaso are two things. One is that Yaso has 2 living accommodation options between a really, really rundown smelly old rusty cramped “hotel” and this brand new luxurious apartment complex. EIL through some snafu had booked half of us in the “hotel” and the others in the apartment complex. So we decided to draw straws and well my lucky streak just had to continue as I pulled a straw for the apartment. When I found out I got the apartment, I took off down the road screaming like a baboon and then I stopped and turned around and cried with joy. The other interesting thing about Yaso is the peculiar fly infestation. These things traveled in packs attacking not only our group but the whole town. However, I am pleased to report that our group formed a quasi resistance secret society waging war against these flies. After decimating their population, they called in backup and by the time it was time for us to leave Yaso we gave up our war with the flies and booked it to the charter bus. However, I need to also mention the incredible hiking in the Pyrenees mountains. We also got to go canyoning which is essentially entails putting on a wetsuit and wading down the river rapids with just your body and jumping off cliffs and waterfalls. If it sounds cool to you, then that’s because it was probably the coolest thing I did on the trip. 

There are so many more memorable experiences and moments on the trip that I wish I could tell including the Perpignan rugby game, all the stories I have from Paris, Biarritz, San Sebastien, Bilbao, Villefranche, Ceret, and many other cities and towns that we visited. I saw original artwork, climbed through medieval tunnels and castles, played pick-up soccer with these 13 year old French prodigies     (the score was like 7-2 if you were interested), attended a French barbeque, and now probably most importantly of all I feel I can confidently communicate with any French person on any topic in French. My main goal going into the trip was to increase my language proficiency and now the fear that used to lurk inside my body when I spoke to a native French speaker has all but been eradicated. 

My French Academy ID Card

I owe all my experiences, lasting memories, and loving friendships to the Wilson family. I sincerely hope you realize how much your contribution has meant to me and that this blog begins to describe my appreciation. I learned more, ate more, laughed more, and even cried more (at the end) than I ever have in my life. I know that both MBA and the Wilson family have positively impacted my life, and now I hope you both know that as well. 

Last night in Paris