Sunday in the Country

After a good night's sleep, Madame was able to join Jeanne and the librarian from our sister school at mass. It was a very nice Pentecost Sunday. We also saw Melissa and her host brother at mass. During the service, the priest invited all those who were just confirmed and those who were confirmed last year to come forward for the intecessory prayer. When he learned that Jeanne would be confirmed in 2 weeks, he invited her as well and then he invited Madame forwward as well as a "visiting American". After mass, Madame got caught up on the activities the girls have been doing and she stressed that the girls need oto post messages to the blog!

The librarian and her husband joined Madame and the teacher hosting Madame (Laure-Helene) for a garden lunch of mango chicken and rice with French cheese and fresh strawberries. Miam! Later, Madame went with Laure-Helene and her husband to visit the town of Compiegne where there was a wine and cheese festival. Then, they went to a small village festival outside Compiegne where there was some really wonderful theatre. Laure Helene and her husband have invited two English teachers to dinner and Madame is ready now to enjoy their company and eat some French barbecue! (Hoping as well that the girls will document their experiences of the last two days here at our blog.

Busy Day

We started the day with a semi-official reception at Lycee Jean Racine (sorry, no accents available on my mini computer!) --- hot chocolate, orange juice, and pain au chocolat. The students got to know each other and all the girls reported that they were comfortable with their host families. The school's assistant director then took us (les Amercains) on a tour of the building inside and out, then the girls got to sit in on a class for an hour. Then we all met up in the school's media center where the girls had to work with their French partners to complete a questionnaire about a panel-exhibit on the First World War (in French, of course). Then, we all went our separate ways. Some girls got to go bowling, but now we would like each of the girls to post a message about what they did on Saturday afternoon.

Madame ate lunch in Amiens with her host, the Latin teacher Laure-Helene and the English teacher Maud. We ate at a beautiful restaurant called "Le Vert Galant" that serves regional specialties. Madame ate la ficelle picarde, la salade des rieux, and (of course!) la creme brulee. Then we went on a walking tour of Amiens: Les hortillonnages, the cathedral, the rues pietonnes, a great bookstore, and the train station. Once we got back to Montdidier, we ate a simple dinner on the back porch with some of Madame's favorite cheeses.

We have arrived!

I can't upload any pictures right now, but I will soon. We arrived in Paris after an 8+ hour flight from Atlanta that went very smoothly. We all slept on the flight --- not too comfortably, except Jessie who was too cold and couldn't ever find a comfortable position, so she slept "fitfully". We arrived in Paris with all our luggage and made our way to the North train station (La Gare du Nord) where we left our bags in consignment. We negotiated our way through the Metro and we went to St. Michel. After viewing the fountain dedicated to the Parisians who rose up against the Nazis, we at lunch at la Creperie de Cluny. The Lynn girls had chocolate crepes, Stephanie had a ham & cheese crepe, Jessie had a ham, cheese & mushroom crepe, and Madame had her favorite "Flamande" crepe with ham, cheese, bechamel sauce, and endives. Miam!

From there we took a brief walking tour through the medieval section of the Latin Quarter and we visited the churches of St. Sulpice & St. Julien le Pauvre. We visited the famous English-language bookstore Shakespeare & Co. and several of us bought a book so we could have it stamped with the shop's logo. Of course, across from the bookstore is Notre Dame de Paris. We toured the inside of the church, but it was too late to go up the towers. Mass began shortly after we arrived, so we got to see the Archbishop of Paris and the children's choir in prosession and as we wandered through the church, we listened to the mass and the music. It made the experience quite uplifting. We couldn't assist at the mass do to time constraints.

From there we wandered to the Hotel de Ville and we also got to see the modernistic Centre Pompidou and the whimsical modern art fountain nearby. We wandered though some interesting shops. Madame bought post cards and Jeanne found the perfect music box for her friend. Cate tried out the funky electric street toilets (we have pictures! to be posted soon.) Then it was time to head back to the train station. [Sorry we can't upload the pictures right now, but if you want to see the places we visited, you can look them up on google.]

We gathered our luggage, grapped food to take on the train and made it to the train just in time. It was a lovely, relaxing 1+hour ride to Amiens where we were met my two teachers (Maud & Laure-Helene) and Jessie's host sister Cassandre and Cassandre's mom. After loading the ton of luggage into the tiny French cars, we divided up into two cars and headed to Montdidier (about a 40 minute ride). The road to Montdidier took us through small villages and through rolling green countryside. It was quite amazing to think about the battles that were fought in this area during each of the World Wars. The villages were quaint and the girls loved seeing the different architecture and landscapes. Finally, we arrived in Montdidier right around 10:30 pm as the sun was setting. We met up with the other families and exchanged phone numbers, and then we all went our separate ways. Madame was a bit nostalgic about letting her "kids" go, but they were all smiling from ear to ear, so perhaps the greatest part of our adventure has now begun!

We're on our way!

We are on our way! But our first flight is delayed by an hour, so we stopped for a final, hearty, fast-food meal. Madame and Cate got our our scapulae (it's always good to fly protected) and Jessie gave Madame some delicious crystal light to add to her drink. All the talk is about what to expect when we get to France: What will school be like? What should we see first in Paris? Can Jessie find a higher level math class to sit in on? The girls have accepted Madame's rule about wearing their passport pouches at all times. We are ready for a great trip!

The Trip Begins

As our trip begins, we plan to meet at the OKC airport tomorrow (Thursday) at 3:30 pm. We will meet in front of the Delta counter, get ourselves checked in, exchange some last minute information with parents, and then pass through security to begin our journey. Be sure to dress comfortably! We are all filled with hope that this will be a great trip!

Last minute suggestions

As the date of our departure nears and Madame makes her own preparations for the trip, here are a few tips and ideas to keep in mind:

• Only bring one suitcase and one carry-on bag. We will be navigating through airports, train stations, subways, and crowded streets with our bags in tow, so keep it simple and light! Also, the airlines will charge $50 each way if you bring a second suitcase.
• In your carry-on, the only liquids you should bring are the "travel size" version of whatever you may need: eye makeup remover, mouthwash, contact solution, etc. All liquid items should be placed in a plastic Ziploc baggy --- a requirement of airport security, but also a good idea so your liquids won't spill all over the inside of your carry-on bag.
• Don't pack anything suspicious in your suitcase --- no knives, no guns (even fake!), no illegal substances. (Duh!)
• Bring enough clothes for 8 days. At some point , we will stop and do some laundry.
• Bring your student ID with you --- it will get you into museums for free and you may get other discounts along the way.
• Bring a gift for your host family. Ideally, you should bring something that represents Oklahoma well. Some suggestions: Items made in Oklahoma, a cookbook from Oklahoma, an Oklahoma picture book, Oklahoma music, Oklahoma foods, etc.
• Be sure to pack one nice outfit to wear for any special occasion our hosts may have planned.
• Bring pictures of your families and friends so you can share them with your hosts. They would probably love to see pictures of your house, your living room, your car, your school, etc.
• Make sure you bring comfortable clothes and shoes. We will be visiting a nature-preserve site, so bring close-toes shoes!

One Week to Go

All les préparatifs are in place and now we just have to get through final exams and Memorial Day weekend. We leave one week from today. I am most apprehensive about the Normandy portion of our visit because I do not know what to expect on D-Day. I am sure it will be overcrowded and hard to get around, but also very memorable and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Our French partners sent their plans for our stay in Montdidier, which I am posting here:

Jour 1 : vendredi 29
Arrivée dans les familles le soir
Train de 20h04 de la Gare du Nord à destination d’Amiens, arrivée à 21h14 à Amiens.
Mesdames Péquet + Dangreville-Coadou vont chercher les Américaines à la gare d’Amiens et les amènent à Montdidier.
22H15 : arrivée au lycée de Montdidier : les parents accueillant peuvent venir les chercher au lycée de Montdidier.

Jour 2 : samedi 30
Matin : petit-déjeuner français + petit mot d’accueil du proviseur et de son adjoint 8H 9H
Visite de l’établissement et 9H -10H
Présence dans les cours des Américaines: 10H -11H (français) … à confirmer.
Visite de l’exposition « Echos des Tranchées »

Jour 3 : dimanche 31
Matin: visite de la ville de Montdidier.
Après-midi : Compiègne + Pierrefonds

Jour 4 : lundi 01 juin (Pentecôte)
Sortie en Baie de Somme
Saint-Valery-sur-Somme
Mers-Les-Bains et le Tréport
Prévoir pique-nique

Jour 5 : Mardi 02 juin
Matin : Cours avec les élèves anglais euro, maths, 11h/12h
Repas picard à la cantine pour Américains et Français
Après-midi : Cantigny (uniquement les Américaines)

Jour 6 : Mercredi 03 juin tous ensemble
Matin : cours
Après-midi : Archives de la Somme avec les élèves accueillants
Prévoir pique-nique

Jour 7 : Jeudi 04 juin
Amiens toute la journée
Hortillonnages 9h
Visite de la cathédrale avec visite des stalles
Promenade dans la ville

Jour 8 : Vendredi 05 juin
Matin : Bony le matin et Bois–Belleau (département de l’Aisne)
Après-midi : l’Historial l’après-midi. 14H-16
Soir (19H): boum à la cafétéria du lycée. Fin prévue à 01H00 maximum.

Les Américaines repartent le samedi matin très tôt, direction: la Normandie

So, it is safe to say we are all excited and ready for a great trip!

On va en France!

In less than two weeks, we will be traveling to France. Although I have taken students to France on many trips, there are many unique "firsts" about this trip that promise to make it memorable and even unforgettable. Here is an impressive list of firsts:

1. This is the first trip of our Amiens partnership, connecting Westmoore High School and Lycée Jean Racine.


2. I will finally meet my partner teachers Virginie and Laure-Hélène face-to-face. My students will also meet their student partners with whom they have been communicating all year.


3. My students will get to experience a week-long homestay experience and attend classes at our partner school.


4. While we have honored Oklahoma soldiers buried in France who died there during World War II for several years, this will be the first year for my students to honor Oklahoma soldiers from World War I.


5. I have always organized trips with student travel companies, but this year we will travel on our own with all reservations and itineraries suited to our schedule.


6. We will be in Normandy for the 65th anniversary of D-Day. Hopefully, we will be able to attend the huge commemorative ceremony at which President Barack Obama will speak.


7. If all goes well, this will be the beginning of an ongoing exchange that can last for many years to come.