J.Carroll

It's only the end of my first day home but I'm already missing France! I could not have imagined a better two weeks nor could I have imagined becoming so close with my host family within that short period of time. I was nervous that the language barrier would be too much to bear at first but it didn't take long to realize that as long as I was willing to try, my host family was willing to help. Everyone I met during our stay was so eager to learn about our culture and excited that we are interested in theirs. All in all, immersing ourselves in the French culture was the best possible experience and opportunity for us to learn the language. I am so thankful for Central putting this trip together and I hope this program continues for both Central students to visit France and Lycee de la Salle students to visit here (especially after hearing how much they want to visit here later this year)!

A wonderful experience By Laura Tretter

Well, we're all back home from safe and sound now. I think we're all probably worn out from our travels,  but I'm sure that we could all say that it was well worth all the long plane and bus rides. This trip was one of the greatest experiences that we could have had as students, thanks to our chaperones and thanks to our wonderful and welcoming host families in Rennes. I think we've all profited from these incredible experiences and have made many new friends. I hope that future French classes at CCHS will be able to have the same memorable experiences that we did!

Final Night in Rennes-Sara Guilbeault

So today was our last day in Rennes and we spent the day sitting in on some classes and participating in others. It was definately an interesting experience to observe all the differences between their school life and our life back at Central. But the students were extremely welcoming and it was a great last day overall. It was pretty sad to be on the bus and realize that it was the last bus ride I would take here in Rennes on this trip. I can't put into words the amazing time I've had here and how grateful I am to my host family. They were so welcoming and so generous for letting my stay here. It's going to be a very hard morning tomorrow when we leave Rennes and have to say goodbye. But I'm ready for the final part of our trip and I can't wait to return in the near future and visit again!

Le Lycee de la Salla by Renee LeRette

Salut!
       today was an interesting day we did so much and saw so many differences between our schools. for one there are no clocks anywhere, they stay in the same class most of the day and dont switch there classes ( their teachers move). oh but something very different is that their are no lockers in the whole school they have to carry their books with them everywhere; not fun haha.
        we spent the morning in the english classes and following our french penfriends around then lunch. after lunch we went to a more advanced english class, then went to the cafe and learned a french dance it was fun alot of holding hands.
        its really sad being our last day here and i will miss rennes dearly however we are travilling on to paris and on to another andventure!!!!

Jonathan McHatton

Well, this is our last night in Rennes. I am sad to leave my host family because they have been so nice to me during my stay. They couldn't have been more welcoming and it'll be hard to say goodbye. It has been so much fun being with the family, trying out new foods, watching TV completely in French, and just being with them. My correspondant plays the piano, and I play the saxophone, so we have played together, and it was great. I couldn't bring my own saxophone to France, so my host family very kindly decided to rent one for me for while I was with them. I can't thank them enough for that; it was a very generous thing to do. I will be sure to show my correspondant the same hospitality when he comes to the United States as his family and he have shown me. I am happy to be seeing my family and friends back in the U.S. soon, but it will be hard to leave this wonderful family.

Caitlyn Cassille

This is our last day in Rennes with our families and I am very upset. Although I miss my family and friends in America, I feel like I have made a whole other life here, with new French friends and my host family. But I'll still talk to them though. I'm already friends with some of them on facebook, and I'm going to exchange emails with my host mommy, who I absolutely adore. I can't believe my time here has flown by so fast, but having seen all the marvelous sights I have seen, I will definitely return to France in the future, and when I do, I will stop by Rennes to see my amazing new friends and family.

A Day in School-Sara Guilbeault Aimee Peterson

Hello everyone from Lycee de la Salle!!

Today has been a pretty interesting day all together. We started off the day heading into Rennes to go see a movie. The movie was in Spanish with French subtitles so it was pretty challenging to understand but I think I got it. It was definately an interesting experience! After the movie, we headed back to school for an afternoon of interviews with some French students. They have a radio show and we recorded some interviews on different topics like politics, music, and sports. We also did interviews with some students for their projects on topics like college in America. It's been an amazing trip so far!!

David Mosto

Hello everyone, life in Rennes has been great. My host Ahmed has taken me to his favorite places to eat including showing me a really good sandwich called a Kebap. It is still a little hard to cope with being in a different country that feels to me like it has a total opposite culture to what we're used to in America. I personally am an only child but after spending time with my host family, who have seven children in total, my view on what a family is like has changed for me. I do miss home and can't wait to see my family again but I'm enjoying everyday as I know this is beyond a once in a life time experience as I'm getting a chance to live a life like a french student. I'll try to post again another day but signing off for now.
David

Nick Golden

Bonjour!

Currently helping French students with English. Fascinatingly fun; English has never seemed so odd. Also, recording radio interviews has been very fun. Apparently, I'm very talkative and I have a mix of American twang and British syntax. Odd but alright. Anyway, things have been swell. Watching a Spanish film with French subtitles seemed daunting but it was not very difficult- being able to read the words was helpful. The food continues to be good at best and palatable at worst. Which is good. Explaining American politics was also odd. Still, all is well.

Nick

Michaela Tremblay

Bonjour!

Being in France is amazing, it is so different from home in America. The people in Rennes are really nice and were very welcoming to us. People think people in France are stuck up, but not here. They are very friendly, and are patient with us when there is a communication problem. The sites are completely breathtaking. Here it is spring and everything is in bloom, it will be very hard to leave it all and go back to the snow.

Life here is a little challenging for me sometimes, because of the language barrier. At dinner some nights, everyone will start laughing so hard and because of the language difference I missed the joke, but I laugh along anyways. Sometimes they try to explain it to me, but the puns do not always translate correctly. I like those moments, because even though we cannot communicate clearly, they willingly try to help me and I have gotten close to many people here.

I have made many new friends. I will miss them all so much when I have to go home to America. I miss everyone at home, but I don't wanna leave France. Today we went to the movies with French students. And I bonded with my friends. The movie was in Spanish and had French sub-titles, so it was hard to understand. However, I understood more than I thought I would. I love France, and I am so glad we are here for a few more days.

Samantha Pierro and Renee LeRette

Salut!
This morning we went to the cinema with some of the French students.  The movie we saw was in Spanish with French subtitles.  Right now, we are working with some of the French students to make a radio broadcast.  We are answering questions of topics such as American life and the difference between the French and American school systems.

For lunch this afternoon, we ate at the school.  The school even changed their lunch schedule so that we could eat some of their specialty food.  One of the meal options was a sausage in a crepe which is like our hot dog.  They even decorated the cafeteria with American flags.

We went to a classroom for about an hour. I was in the computer lab and it was really interesting because there was nothing on the walls; there wasn't even a clock!!! So I was working on the computer and I would look up for the clock, but I could not find it.  So after about half an hour I was getting nervous that I'd be in the middle of something when we had to leave.

France by Marissa

France is beautiful and very different from America. You have to be 18 to drive and the cars are much smaller. All the stores and houses are made of stone and there are cobblestone roads. We have been to Paris, beaches, Fort la Latte, Saint Malo, Mont StMichel, Dinan and Dinard. One of the nights I stayed with my host family we made home made crepes. They were delicious! They had me do one of the  Britagne traditions...flip the crepe out of the pan! I thought I would drop it but it was not that hard. It is so nice here if it was up to me we would never leave

Samantha Pierro

Bonjour!
Today we spent the day with some French students.  We went to Dinan which is a old and beautiful little town and then during the afternoon, we went for a walk along one of the beaches.  France is just overall beautiful and I am learning a lot about the culture and the language.

Bonjour from France

It is Monday of the second week of the trip and so far, it has gone by at light speed. Everyday there was something new. From castles overlooking the ocean to little towns, nestled away in the countryside. My host familly is also great. Very nice people who speak almost no english. Its ok though, because I am learning more in 2 weeks than I ever could in 2 months before.
- Julian Pryde

Aimee Peterson's Adventures in Rennes

Bonjour!

Yesterday Jean-Malo and I headed into the city to hang out with the other exchange students for a little while. After a couple of hours we went back home because his mother was having a party. This, however, was not any average party. Every adult there had to dress in costume: as a teenager. Everyone present had some form of fake piercing and headphones around the neck, and legwarmers paired with baggy hoodies abounded. Despite the language barrier, I had a great time. We ate "French hamburgers" (hamburgers in a baguette) and played games on Kinect. All in all a wonderful evening!
-Aimee

Pictures from St Malo

Nicolas! And his adventures

Salut!

If there's one thing that I will remember from this trip- well, if there are two- then they are A the lovely birthday cake and gifts given to me by my host family and B the experiences with the people. Theres a French teacher who looks just like George Harrison from the Beatles- the early years. Also, being in a foreign country and therefore subject to its cultural ideas, I've found myself the funny end of many a situation; whether foodwise or word wise. The comedy rolls on en France!

Caitlyn Cassille

Bonjour!
Right now I am in Brittany, France, and so far it has been amazing!! When we first got to the school to meet our French hosts on Monday, I was very nervous. I was sort of reluctant to leave the bus, and when I did, I was completely frozen with fear. When I got in there though, the people were so nice and welcoming, I immediately lost my fear. Their positive tone and welcoming smiles could not be misunderstood by the language barrier between us. My family is absolutely wonderful, they make me feel like one of the family, and we are now understanding one another. It's very cool. The next day, we went to the beach and had tons of fun. Some of us took off our shoes and walked in the water, which was close to freezing, but it was fun anyway. My time in France is going by way to fast, but I'm making the best of it and experiencing as much as possible while I'm here.
Au revoir!!

Rennes!

Salut de Rennes!
Everyone is getting quite used to the French way of life in Rennes.  The girls have discovered French fashion and the boys have discovered music!  We are always very busy - yesterday we spent the entire day in the old section of Rennes...it is full of history and old town charm.  The kids will go to Le Lycee la Salle tomorrow morning for their Open House and then do a sort of treasure hunt in the city, organized by the school.  I am happy to say that everyone is smiling lots and looking forward to the next half of our trip.
Salut.
Ms. Madore

The Mont St.michel et St Malo - posted by Renee

salut!!!!
the mont St. Michel is beautiful! St. Michel  is on top of this mountain surrounded by water. its like snow whites castle all by itself. the abbey part of the island is located at the top of the mountain and a little village  grew up around the abbey making it its on town. the town is soo cute, you enter the town through the collasal stone gates with a huge metal gate and everything then you are in the town which is one long road that goes to the doors of the church and on either side of you are little shops and after your amazing cardio excercise you reach the gothic style building. if your in the architecture i highly suggest going its unbelievable what they could do with stone a 1000 something years ago.

we had lunch in the gardens of the monistary which over looked the marshlands surrounding the mountain.

we then went over to St. Malo and had some free time to go shopping! we went together and spoke french most of the time since sabrina and naomi were both french. it was great and by the end i could understand the spoken french much better.
kenavo!

La campagne- Nick Golden

Bonjour from lovely france! The trip so far has been fantastic. Paris was truly beautiful, from the street salesmen to the lovely boat ride. The trains are truly the heart of this country. The people travel freely thanks to them, and it is nearly impossible to travel in France without using a train. The country is beautiful, as are the people. Because the keyboard that I am using is different typing is a tad difficult. I will post more at a later date. Suffice to say, all is well across the pond.

Sincerely,
Nick

Allo by David Mosto

Hello everyone. Our trip is going extremely well. I believe I just reached My 1000th picture taken with my camera. The weather today was sunny but a cold with a strong sea breeze. Today we visited Cap Frehel as well as Fort Lalette which contains a huge castle. There was alot of walking today as we took a path along a cliff face over-lookingh the ocean and afterwards we walked along a beach that stetched on for a very long time. After the beach on the way back we stopped in a little town for half an hour and got to walk around in groups. In the end everyone was so tired that most of us fell asleep for the bus ride back to our host families.
I will try to post some photos once I get the chance to sort through them,

David

A day at the beach! by Ms. Hemming

Today the students, Ms. Madore and myself spent our first full day in Rennes. We left early for a day of sightseeing. We visited Cap Frehel and Fort La Lette both situated at the edge of a cliff overlooking the Atlantic. While the students enjoyed both these sites I think they enjoyed our trip to the beach even more! We took pictures, collected shells and some brave souls even ran into the Atlantic! The water is almost just as cold on this side of the Atlantic. Tomorow we will visit Mont Saint-Michel and will be accompanied by 30 French students from the high school. They are not our host students and are younger than our students (14-15 yrs old), but we will have a great time together!

Notre Voyage!

Wow!  What a trip!  We have already done so much!  In Paris, we saw lots in a short amount of time and everyone loved it!  The pace in Paris was very fast, so the trip to Cap Frehel and Fort La Latte was a nice change of pace.  We were able to see some spectacular sites and smell the clean, crisp ocean air!  Some of our students even stuck their feet in the water.  Everyone is taking lots of pictures...we already have a few great ones for Mr. Merrill.
The French families are very nice and grateful that we are in Rennes!  Everyone is speaking French and meeting with success.
We are looking forward to a busy day tomorrow at Mont Saint-Michel and St. Malo with some of the younger French students from Lycee de la Salle.
Mlle Madore

Paris and Rennes by Jonathan McHatton

Bonjour!

Our trip so far has been spectacular. The first day, we had a bus tour bringing us through Paris. We were dropped off at L'Hotel de Ville (City Hall) and started a walking tour of Le Marais (The Marshes) with a guide. This area was called this because it would always flood, making it look like a marsh. The last thing we visited that day was Sacre-Coeur, the basilica on the hill in the north of Paris. In it, you could really feel the inspiration from God that the builders had to build the magnificent church. On Monday (today), we walked the Jardin des Tulieries and received a tour from a guide of the Louvre museum. We saw many works of art, including Greek sculptures like the Venus de Milo, Egyptian ones like a model of the Sphinx, and the infamous Mona Lisa. After, we rode a bateau mouche, cruising the Seine, and providing lots of photo opportunities. That was our last sightseeing event in Paris; we took a bullet train to Rennes, and a bus to Lycée de la Salle, where we met our host siblings and families. My family is very hospitable and loves having me here. I can't wait to start my day tomorrow and do all new things. It's about 9:45pm here, and I will be going off to bed. Stay tuned for more!

-Jonathan

Au Revoir, CCHS!

Fifteen students to visit France through exchange program…

Posted by your chaperones: Ms Hemming and Ms Madore

It’s not April in Paris, actually it’s February in Rennes. Today, February twelfth, all 17 of us are leaving Central to embark on our exchange program in Rennes, France. Rennes is a city of over 200, 000 in the province of Brittany. Brittany is located in the northwest coastal region of France. All fifteen students and ourselves will be studying at Lycée de la Salle and will stay in the homes of students and teachers of Lycée de la Salle. Lycée de la Salle is a high school founded by the Christian Brothers in 1954.

Our exchange program runs from February 12 – 26. The CCHS students will attend classes at Lycée de la Salle. When the class day is over, the students will tour the province of Brittany, visiting Mont Saint-Michel, the Caen Memorial, the D-day beaches of Arromanches and the American Cemetery. The CCHS students will also have the opportunity to visit many of the cultural sites in Paris such as The Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame and The Louvre. We will make two stops in Paris; once before arriving in Rennes and once before returning to the United States.