Local teens take summer trip to France

Enterprise Editor

clydenews@bizwoh.rr.com

Since 2002, students in the French program at Clyde High School have been given the opportunity to experience the different cultures and lifestyles of France by visiting the country.

This year, the trip was June 11 through June 19.

CHS French teacher Brenda Williams took six students: Jackie Cravens, Stacia Rapp, Jessica Wasserman, Crystal Lewis, Kim Price, and Cody McGrath. Along with Williams, Tammy McGrath, Judy Cravens, and Butch Cravens chaperoned the trip.

Flying out of Detroit, the group was on their way to Paris, France where their tour began. The group stayed in Paris for a day and a half and then traveled to the city of Versailles, in the outskirts of Paris.

The following week was spent seeing the sights and touring the different French landmarks. The students visited the cathedral of Chartres, along with three prominent castles throughout the countryside. These castles included Chateau De Chambord, Azay-Le-Rideau, and Chateau Chenonceau. Other places toured were St. Malo, a walled medieval city, Mont St. Michel, a famous monastery, the D-Day Beaches, and the city of Rouen, where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake.

"I really liked walking through the American cemetery in Normandy," on youth, Jessica Wasserman commented. " It was where soldiers that died during the D-Day invasion were buried. The cemetery was huge and filled with simple white crosses as gravestones or the star of David for the Jewish soldiers."

Student Stacia Rapp said, "I think the best part of the trip was when we went to go see the castles in Loire Valley. My favorite castle was Chateau De Chambord. Another exciting part was when we went to Versailles and learned about all of the history there."

Williams added, "I noticed that the kids had a lot of fun at a cave we visited about halfway through our trip.

"At the cave, we got to see where mushrooms were grown. We also had a lot of fun on the last night in Paris when we went on a river cruise and saw the Eiffel Tower. That night we took another memorable cruise down the Seine River that everyone enjoyed," the French teacher said.

"Even though the students studied French for several years in school, being in France is a totally different situation," she commented. "It was overwhelming for everyone at first, but each day students began to feel more comfortable with understanding. No one really felt too adventurous with their French; most had a lot of difficulty communicating.

"When we were in the bigger cities, many people were used to tourists and could speak some English," Williams said. "In my experiences, all of the French encountered were very friendly, accommodating, and patient... A few times I did have to translate for students."

"I didn't think it was too hard communicating," Wasserman said. "It seemed like as soon as we started talking to them, they would recognize our accent and change to English. Some would also use hand motions and point to help us understand."

Rapp agreed.

"Before the trip we were warned about communicating, because the French speak so much faster, and it can be hard to understand. It was pretty easy to talk to them, because most of the French knew how to speak English. Our tour guide was Russian and also spoke fluent English and French, which was a big help."

Williams made sure students got spending money for the trip in advance. "The exchange rate is very poor and some brought credit cards or debit cards to use for their spending money. The cost of the trip for students was $2,500 and for adults it was around $2,800."

Rapp said the students exchanged their money for Euros before the trip. "One Euro is about the same as $1.60 in American currency."

Traveling through the streets of France, the group observed a few differences in French transportation.

"In France, the roads, signs, and traffic laws are all different from America," Rapp said. "The cars were smaller and the streets were a lot narrower. In Paris, the traffic laws don't really apply; motorcycles and motor scooters just weave in and out of traffic."

The local French teacher added, "Talking to some of the French, we learned that gas prices have been higher in their country for a long time. Also, there was a lot of traffic in the big cities, which is why many people in France don't drive.

"We spent most of our traveling time on a tour bus and used the subway a few times."

The local travelers also noticed a difference in foods.

"French food didn't really have a lot of vegetables; we were served mostly fruits and bread," Wasserman commented. "We were warned a little about the water and that if we had a picky stomach, we should drink the tap water."

Rapp added, "The French food was similar to ours, but everything was more home-made and healthier.

"There wasn't a lot fast food restaurants; I only noticed McDonald's. Many of the places we went to eat were restaurants and bakeries."

The Americans also saw a fashion difference.

"Everyone we saw dressed more sophisticated, especially in Paris," Rapp said. "There were more people wearing skinny jeans and a nice shirt. They always seemed dressed up."

"We wouldn't see anyone wearing shorts and T-shirts," Wasserman commented. "A lot of girls would wear shawls and scarves and almost all of them wore heels."