France exchange

During Spring Break 2017, a group of students visited France as part of Shawnigan's continuing relationship with Ecole Sacre Coeur in Angers, France.

All of the students came back with glowing reviews of their host families, touching on parents, siblings, pets and food that won't soon be forgotten.

Below are some reflections from students about other components of the trip.

 

During one of our first days in Angers, we visited a goat farm just outside of the city. We took a tour of the farm in which we were showed the production of goat cheese, the production of goat milk, taste tested both, and were able to walk through the barn and pet all kinds of goats. As we’ve seen documentaries about the production of goat cheese and milk in class, it was an amazing experience to finally be able to try it from an authentic source. The tour of the farm was both fun and informative. Whether it was learning why goat cheese needs to sit for two days before moving to the next stage of production, or having baby goats try to suck milk out of our fingers, the stop at the goat farm was amazing and added something special to the trip.

 

Our trip to the culinary school, was amazing.  First we made our own homemade macaroons with the help of some of the students.  Although our macaroons may not have looked quite as good as the ones in the stores, they tasted great!  We were then served a three course meal which was filled with delicious food that was presented beautifully.  The dessert course, which included Creme brulee was a favourite amongst a few of us.  It was great to get an idea of what it was like to make French cuisine but it was even better to taste it.

 

Almost a week into the French exchange tour, we departed for Saint-Malo. This was our first night away from the comforting homes of our correspondents and also the first night that would be spent together as a group. After about four hours of sleep, we arrived in front of the entrance to the walled port city of Saint-Malo. From there, we got a delicious breakfast at a cafe before our historical tour around the village. We learnt throughout the tour that this ancient town had been founded in the first century B.C. and was later home of the corsairs, otherwise known as French privateers. Another amazing sight was the statue dedicated to Jacques Cartier, who had been one of the first explorers to visit Canada. He had lived and sailed out of Saint-Malo most of his life. Once the tour had come to an end, we ate at a creperie overlooking the huge stone walls which were famous for protecting the city so well. Once the bus had come to pick us up, we departed for the next ancient sight, Mont Saint-Michel.

 

Visiting Juno Beach while on exchange was a truly moving experience. Walking along the beaches where our forefathers fought, and looking through the German bunkers they faced was something truly remarkable.  It was especially intriguing to see how the German technology had changed from their first bunkers made at the beginning of the war to the highly advanced bunkers built at the end of French Occupation.  The museum at Juno Beach was incredible.  Looking at the old artifacts leftover from the war and actually imagining what it was like to be sent off to fight at only 17 years old … I will never forget the feeling of being at such a special place for the rest of my life.

 

The three days that we spent in Paris were pretty spectacular. I have grown up in a small town my entire life so having to adapt to the hustle of the Parisian life cycle was slightly overwhelming, though it was definitely worth it. Over three days a small group of us managed to visit all the major sights such as the Eiffel Tower, l’Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, The Musee d'Orsay and Notre Dame. A major highlight was visiting a bakery that is well known all around the world, Pierre Herme! Taking my first bite into that heavenly macaroon was truly pure bliss (it definitely made the line for the Louvre a little less tiring!) Another highlight was having a caricature drawn by a man sitting outside of Notre Dame.  His speed and talent was truly amazing to watch and was definitely worth the sprint back to the hotel in order to get there in time for sign in.  Paris was an unbelievable experience and I hope to return sometime soon!