News
French Exchange 2018
Cold hands, warm hearts
Ah oui! La belle France au mois de mars! Shorts, t-shirts, sunblock, flip flops. Oh non, this year France was in the ferocious and unrelenting grip of the “Beast from the East.” The wind was chilling, the glimpses of sunshine rare and the shorts stayed creased and folded in the suitcases.
Fortunately, however, the warmth of our welcome at our exchange school, Le Lycée Sacré Coeur in Angers, was in stark contrast to the weather this year. Almost instantaneously, our students were pulled in, hugged and made to feel a part of their host family and the school itself. Communication, initially faltering and uncertain, became more comfortable and more instinctive as time went by and connections and friendships were developed.
As well as French language classes in the school and other local visits, we also traveled extensively in Brittany and Normandy, visiting many cultural and historical highlights such as Saint Malo, Mont Saint Michel, Juno Beach and the Memorial at Caen. If you have not experienced any or all of these places, I would personally recommend each and every one of them.
After ten days spent with our host families, we capped off our stay in France with three nights over Easter in Paris. The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay were all on the agenda, as were numerous restaurants, patisseries and boulangeries. This was certainly a very well-nourished group.
In conclusion, each and every one of the fifteen young people involved had an amazing experience, or so they told me. They engaged with the French language, people and culture in exactly the right spirit as open-minded and sensitive young Canadians and Mexicans. We look forward to hosting the French students back here at Shawnigan in October. We have told them that they can leave their shorts chez eux!
Fortunately, however, the warmth of our welcome at our exchange school, Le Lycée Sacré Coeur in Angers, was in stark contrast to the weather this year. Almost instantaneously, our students were pulled in, hugged and made to feel a part of their host family and the school itself. Communication, initially faltering and uncertain, became more comfortable and more instinctive as time went by and connections and friendships were developed.
As well as French language classes in the school and other local visits, we also traveled extensively in Brittany and Normandy, visiting many cultural and historical highlights such as Saint Malo, Mont Saint Michel, Juno Beach and the Memorial at Caen. If you have not experienced any or all of these places, I would personally recommend each and every one of them.
After ten days spent with our host families, we capped off our stay in France with three nights over Easter in Paris. The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay were all on the agenda, as were numerous restaurants, patisseries and boulangeries. This was certainly a very well-nourished group.
In conclusion, each and every one of the fifteen young people involved had an amazing experience, or so they told me. They engaged with the French language, people and culture in exactly the right spirit as open-minded and sensitive young Canadians and Mexicans. We look forward to hosting the French students back here at Shawnigan in October. We have told them that they can leave their shorts chez eux!
—Submitted by Mr. Graham Linn (Head of Modern Languages)
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
