Back home in Chicago

Greetings from our correspondent, Coco, in Chicago

This year’s 2014 LaSalle's French travelers were proud to visit the country they’ve been studying, along with connecting with their partner student in Bretagne. Other than just learning French in a classroom where students are challenged to do their best, going to the actual country where the foreign language is spoken was the cherry on top. LaSalle’s French students were able to absorb the culture and architecture in a variety of places. Students wrote and reflected on what they might have expected in France including stereotypes; and this year’s LaSalle students were able to observe how the stereotypes did not exist at all. Students traveled around with their host family to markets, restaurants, and shops to see what daily life was like in France.

We visited Paris, where we were able to see the Eiffel Tower and visited one of the Wonder’s of the World, Mont Sant-Michel which is a tiny island with shops, restaurants, and a stunning abbey that took centuries to build. Students were also able to go to school, meet new friends and enjoy sitting in classes learning about French culture and history. It wasn’t all sight seeing, but having fun as well. Everyone was able to get together and relax at Clement’s potluck. The towns we visited were small and easy to navigate, so the students were able to get together and socialize at the same time.

LaSalle students along with their hosts had a blast! We will sincerely miss our correspondents and hope that we can meet again someday! But for now everyone is keeping in touch and we hope it stays that way:) Thank you to all the teachers for preparing the students, we had a wonderful time. Thank you to the parents who helped fund this trip, it was a great opportunity for us to learn and speak French exclusively. This was also a great way to make memories that will last a lifetime. Merci beaucoup!

Our return flights

The time has flown by and we have had a terrific time.
The last two days have been spent at school, shadowing classes, working on our film project, and completing as much of the work assigned by LaSalle (French and core subjects) as possible. we had plenty of opportunities to compare teaching styles, learning methods, and school lunches.
We enjoyed two delicious meals prepared by Chef Olivier.

Our flights for tomorrow (or rather later today):

AF 7677, departs Rennes 7:40 a.m.
AF 416, Departs Paris (CDG) 1:30 p.m., scheduled to arrive April 9 at either 3:15 or 3:45 pm, O'Hare, terminal 5. I suggest you check the arrival time once we are in the air.

SEE YOU SOON

Une fête chez Clément

Yesterday Clément's family threw a potluck party for us. We are especially grateful since potlucks are very unusual in France. MERCI BEAUCOUP À LA FAMILLE MOREL!!!!😃 They did a lovely job decorating for the occasion and everyone had a grand time.

PARIS

Oh là là!!! Quelle journée merveilleuse à Paris!

EN DIRECT DE PARIS AVEC NOS CORRESPONDANTES NIKOLE, CHLOE ET CATHERINE

Montmartre - Nikole Rojas

Today we visited Paris; it was quite an experience just getting there! We had to be at the train station in Rennes by 6:30 a.m. We took a self-guided tour of the city; it was breathtaking to actually see the world famous monuments.

One of our stops was at Montmartre, where the streets were filled with people, cars, painters and pickpocketers! We absorbed the beauty of the Parisian life while strolling through the narrow streets.

When we finished taking our promenade, we had time to go into the souvenir shops and buy things. It was a very fun day that we had the chance to experience.

Les monuments - Catherine

Today, we went along the Seine and we saw many famous monuments. We passed the Bridge of Locks, Pont Neuf, Pont Alexandre III, Pont Napoleon, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and the Musée d'Orsay. It was a nice way to see all the monuments we studied in class. This was a very exciting and fun experience for all of us! It was a great day!


Le Louvre- Chloe Kelly

Today the French students and their American correspondents visited "Le Louvre" in Paris. Although we weren't able to enter inside, the monument's structure was very detailed and stunning. The chiseled statues and buildings added a more 'lively' vibe. The Tuileries Gardens were also a very beautiful part of the trip because of the vibrant colors and greenery. Although it was a damp and cloudy day, the excitement of everyone was still running high. The scenery made it a perfect place to take many pictures. Being in Paris made us even more enthusiastic and excited. Au revoir Le Louvre!

Mont Saint Michel

En direct du Mont Saint Michel avec notre correspondante, Sydney W.

Today, we went to visit le Mont Saint Michel. Mont Saint Michel is an abbey built in the 700s as a place of pilgrimage on a rocky island in the English Channel. There is a small village below the abbey, with a fortified wall around it. Mont Saint Michel was considered a religious place and pilgrims would walk for weeks to visit it. We had to walk up a steep hill and climb up a lot of stairs to get to the abbey at the top. We walked through some dark hallways and visited some big rooms and chapels in the abbey. Along the narrow street up to the abbey there were tourist shops with signs, books and pamphlets in many different languages. After our walk around Saint Mont Michel, we ate lunch and went shopping in the tourist shops.

I really liked Mont Saint Michel because I got to see some different rooms Like the refectory, and discover what they were like in the Middle Ages. There were a lot of unique things like the arches and the cobblestone walkways. Most of the abbey and the village was made of stone. There were places where you could stand and look out into the distance. Once, I could see another island and a huge piece of land in the fog which I believed was the mainland of France. There was very interesting merchandise and there were lots of restaurants. If I had the chance to go back to France, I would definitely go back to Mont Saint Michel despite the exhausting climb to the abbey.