Potluck and Farewell

Potluck and Farewell - by Parker Cole

The last few days of our trip came to an end quickly. Friday night we had a potluck where all of the families gathered together at Collège Saint-Michel to eat a very big dinner. Every family arrived, and we dug into all of the delicious food that each family brought. There was a very large amount of food, and tasting all of the new French food, snacks and drinks was really cool. After the kids were done eating, we all ran outside to play tag and soccer, which made us so tired. The potluck was tons of fun, but we were all sad that it meant we soon would be leaving France and our students.

On Sunday morning, we woke up around 4:00 am to get to the airport by 5:00. I was super tired and also very sad to leave. We arrived at the airport, checked or bags and started to say our final goodbyes. It was very sad to leave, and I wish we could have stayed for just one more week. Although we were all super sad to leave, we knew we would see our friends again in just 6 months. We had a safe, easy trip back to Chicago and were very excited to see our families.

Thank you for such a wonderful experience. We can't wait until our partners come to visit Chicago in May.

 

Vendredi 17 novembre - Ferme Marine and Mont St Michel

Ferme Marine and Mont St Michel - by Millicent Soderna et Desmond Goto

Today we went to the Ferme Marine, which is a working oyster farm, and to Mont Saint Michel. In the morning, we met at the school to catch a private bus that took us for an hour drive through farmland. Once at the oyster farm, we spent time first in the gift store. It had many souvenirs from Cancale.

Then our tour guide took us to a mini museum to learn about oysters and the process of farming them. The guide had us watch a film while he passed around some different species of Oysters. After the film, he showed us the beach at low tide. He said that at high tide the water would be all the way up to our ankles. Nearby, there was a small stream where many of us took an oyster shell. Afterward, we went into one of the warehouses where they clean and pack the oysters. We learned that the workers tap two oysters together to listen for hollow shells, so they won’t pack those for sale.

Then we went to the oyster tasting room at the farm to taste fresh oysters. Some of us liked them, but most of us didn’t. Since it was cold outside, we were allowed to eat lunch in the tasting room. Then we walked back to the bus to go to Mont Saint Michel; the ride was 45 minutes. When we arrived, we walked on the boardwalk to the base of Mont Saint Michel, which was about a 1 mile walk.

Once in the city, we climbed halfway up the island and stopped just outside of the abbey. Then we split up to do some shopping and get food. We had 1 hour, and everyone had enough time to get what they wanted. We walked back to the bus while the sun was setting. It was beautiful.