Our Last Day in Caen

It was our last full day in Caen, which made all of us feel very sad that we would have to leave such a beautiful city and country! Nevertheless, we still enjoyed the 65 degree weather by first working on our French exchange presentations and then shopping in the city. With extra time left over from shopping, we laid out in the sun and some of us even cooled off in a water fountain!

Tonight, we all got together and the French students threw us a farewell party. Each French corespondent gave a gift and there were a bunch of hugs along with some great food! 

All in all, this trip was a once in a lifetime experience that none of us will ever forget, it will definitely be hard saying goodbye tomorrow! 

Today we woke up extra early to take a bus ride with our correspondents to Mont St. Michel. Just the view on the bus was enough to amaze all the first time tourists (AKA: us). We had some free time before walking up and taking our tour of the abbey, since there was a strike going on that forbade us from entering any further. We walked around for about an hour, exploring, looking at the view, and taking pictures. During our audio tour of the Abbey, we saw the balcony, the dining hall, the church, and much more. It is amazing to see such an old building still be intact and in good condition. After we walked back down and had a picnic on the grass before heading to St. Malo, known for it's founding of crepes. While some of us went for the crepes, others went for ice cream and/or gaufres (waffle with powdered sugar or Nutella). It was a cute town with shopping areas on the water. Overall it was a fun day. We spent it with everyone in the  French exchange (even the boys)! The weather, once again was beautiful. It was such a great experience!

Caen- Weekend

This past weekend some of us visited two seaside towns, Honfleur and Deauville. It was very peaceful and the views were spectacular. After exploring, we all enjoyed some waffles with Nutella on the beach.

Caen Day 7

Monday 4/14

Today we experienced a full day of French school. Everyone went with their French exchange students to different classes and found out just what it is like to be a student at Victor Hugo High School. Unlike in America, the classes are a lot more serious with more lectures from the teachers and less interaction from the students. Some classes, however, are more relaxed where the teacher walks around as the kids work, ready to help. After school we went home with our exchange students. Some people got out of classes at 4 while others had school until 6. It was a beautiful day so hopefully everyone tried to get some fresh air after the long hard day of French school! 

(Fallon and Pauline enjoying the gorgeous day with a run through the fields)

Caen Day 7

Today was the first day we got to spend the whole school day with our correspondent. We got to experience what it is like to be a student at Victor Hugo. We went to the same classes as our correspondent. I was surprised to see that they had their classes with basically the same people. Their school day starts at 8:30 and ends typically around 5. Because they are taught in French it was difficult to know what they were talking about. However, I was able to pick out some words that I knew. 

Caen Day 5

On Friday, we started the day off with some time spent at the CDI (library), where we started to create posters about our trip in Caen and about the Lycée Victor Hugo, as the French students did when they came to New York. Next, we made our way over to Caen to visit the markets that are held there every Friday. These adorable stands ranged in product from fruits and vegetables to crêpes, jewelry, and even old newspapers dating back to the late 1800s. We strolled trough the markets and enjoyed some regional cheeses, breads, and fresh crêpes before having a picnic on the steps of the main square.

After a scenic walk back to the lycée, we met up with one of the French exchange students, Christina, who would take us to meet her father at his office, Ganil. Ganil is one of the fifth largest particle accelerators in the world, and we were fortunate enough that Mr. Marques took time out of his day to explain what exactly is nuclear physics, his specified field, and how the accelerator works. We went through the control room, where an experiment was taking place, and were able to see the machine that ionizes nuclei, therefore allowing acceleration caused by a negative magnetic field once the negative electrons are removed. We were able to the see the smallest of the three accelerators, which was still enormous, and an experimental room where the detector "Maya" is found. All of the extremely elaborate machines are covered in cables and different parts that try to ensure that the nuclei stay on the designated course.

We then parted ways with Mr. Marques and made our way back to the school, where we met up with our correspondants, each of which had their own ideas for a fun-filled weekend that awaits us! We had another great day in Caen and can't wait for what's coming next!

-Alessandra

Caen day 5

April 11, 2014

Today, we explored the market place, which sold things from crêpes to jewelry. We walked around at the market for a couple of hours, buying various trinkets from the little stands until we met up for lunch and then we were off to visit the GANIL.