Spring Break Sojourn

This spring break, a surprisingly large group of students forsook beach trips and ski slopes and Fortnite marathons for something different. Three faculty chaperones escorted twenty-six Upper-Schoolers on a whirlwind eight-day tour of Paris, Barcelona, and Madrid. Hours after the final school bell chimed, the cohort boarded an international, overnight flight from Atlanta to Paris.

“It was a culture shock at first,” said first-time international traveler Ariel Watson, a 12th-grader. “I’m so used to American customs.” It was the small things that surprised her in Paris. “Tiny hotel elevators, uneven stairs in old buildings. It was interesting to see the history of every building we stepped into. Everything in America seems kind of brand new.”

Over three days in Paris, the group walked the city touring monuments, museums, and (by demand) shopped on the Champs-Élysées, Paris’ boulevard famous for its theaters, cafes, and high-end shops.

“We tried to fit in a ton of sightseeing,” said senior Olivia Ford. “It was pretty cool, but at the end of the day, I needed sleep!” Olivia, though, found herself lingering when they visited the Musée D’Orsay or the Picasso museum. “My parents always took their time in museums, and I hated it. I always wanted to go through as fast as I could,” Olivia said. “This trip - I guess because I’m older - I understood what they were trying to do. I didn’t think I’d ever be like that.”

Students pose in front of the Arc de Triomphe.

Their travels quickly helped them confront cultural differences, “like the stereotype that French people hate Americans,” Ariel recounted. “They were so nice. My first day in Paris, my phone charger didn’t work and my phone was dead. The first chance I had, I sprinted to a Samsung store. The sales lady gave me an extra cord for free! While my phone charged, our tour guide gave me her phone so I could call my mom, and overseas charges are expensive!”

The tour’s itinerary in Spain was similar: bus tours, monuments, museums, and any shopping chaperones would squeeze in. Each city had a unique activity to offer: in Paris, a cooking class; in Barcelona, a bike ride through the city; in Madrid, a lunch-time excursion through the city’s gorgeous city park, Retiro Park. That was where students were able to reunite with two old friends now living in Madrid, campus minister Beth Van de Voorde, and class of 2016 alumna Stephanie Perez.

Head Girl Haben lights a candle at the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Six weeks later, the roof of the structure caused fire, causing catastrophic damage to the building.

Perhaps one of the most challenging parts of their trip was the language barrier. “I didn’t know any French or Spanish,” Olivia said. “But I tried. A lot of people didn’t understand me. My parents raised me to try their language first; that’s the politest way to interact.”

The students found the waiters, shopkeepers, and tour guides accommodating to what was for some students their first language immersion experience. “It’s very nerve-wracking,” said Ariel. “especially when they look at you confused. When I got a conversation going successfully, though, I thought ‘look at you, you genius!’”

A few students got a little too experimental. ”I passed a Greek restaurant in Barcelona and tried speaking ancient Greek to them,” said junior Jack Bohling. A first-year Greek student. “But they did not understand it.”

Students embraced one part of the trip with particular gusto. “I loved the food,” said Ariel, reminiscing about Paris. “Cheese, bread: I could eat that every day.” It was the same in Spain. “I didn’t want to eat food you can get in the United States,” said Aiden Dirr, the sole 9th-grader on the trip. “The first place we went to eat in Barcelona, I got Iberian ham. Our tour guide told me I got the premium kind.” Aiden was adventurous, with a little peer pressure: ”Regina and Sean were trying octopus tentacle. At first, I said, “I’m not going to try that,” but I did, and it was actually really good.”

And what tips do these now-seasoned world travelers have for the next students that tour the Continent? “Don’t lose your passport,” Olivia said. “If you’re a girl, don’t overpack. Make sure you have a jacket that has hidden pockets. Expect no sleep, but lots of fun.”

“Be open to trying new food. I tried so much food,” Ariel said. “Anything but octopus, in my book.”