France 2014

In 2014 I had the opportunity to travel to France as a part of a foreign exchange trip through my high school. I took French as a foreign language for a total of six years while in school, and have always loved the French culture. Traveling to France was always a dream of mine and I’m so grateful I was able to fulfill it.

In France, we traveled to two different cities: Paris and Bordeaux. In Bordeaux our travel group split up and each student stayed with a different host family. My host brother’s name was Matthieu. I was nervous at first to “live” with a strange boy and his family for a few days, but right away we had a great connection and created a life long friendship. While in Bordeaux I attended school with Matthieu, went shopping, saw various historical buildings in Bordeaux. He and his family also took me to the Dune Du Pilat, which are giant sand dunes on the ocean side of France. Going to the Dune Du Pilat was one of the best experiences in my entire life. We got to run down the enormous sand dunes which led straight into the ocean. Then, we swam in the ocean for a few hours, and after that I took a nap on the beach listening to the ocean waves. Truly, one of the best days of my whole life.

In Paris, we spent one day walking 14 miles around the city looking at various different landmarks and tourist attractions. We went to Notre Dame, The Eiffle Tower, The Louvre, and many more. Being able to see The Louvre in person and the Mona Lisa after reading and learning about it so much in school was such a surreal feeling. It was amazing to see the Mona Lisa in person.

I’m so grateful for all the opportunties life has presented to me. Not a lot of people can say they have been to three different countries, but I can!