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Tours It is said, to have another language is to possess a second soul. – Charlemagne 2019 PLC French Trip On 7th December 2019 12 PLC students accompanied by two staff, Madame Payne and Madame Fourquet took off from Melbourne airport to a very exciting destination for us all: France. For the students, France was the dream destination after many years of studying French. Finally, they were going to put in practice all they had learnt in class: the verbs, vocabulary and expressions in an authentic way. They would experience the food, school, French family life and hopefully the well-known French “Joie de vivre”! Our first cultural experience was the very infamous “French transport strikes”, trains were scarce, there was no Metro and it was very strange for some of us to wait in the train station of Montparnasse for a few hours hoping the only train running would not be cancelled, with very few people around us and no trains on the platforms. We were very fortunate to be able to get to our final destination and meet our host families without too much trouble. Life in France could start! Students attended school the next day after our arrival and had to manage jetlag, discovering a new school, new friends, new families and on top of that speaking in French the whole day. The first week was fun, challenging and exhilarating at the same time. Students were spread out in two regions: Aquitaine and Brittany in the west of France and they all were in different towns. It was truly a full immersion experience. After two weeks at school, Christmas holidays arrived. Many students travelled to different cities and regions, from Strasbourg, Lyon, Paris to the tiny island of Houat in Brittany. By then, we had all adjusted to our lives in France, speaking or
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1. Kshipra Baidya Year 12 in front of the Eiffel Tower. 2. Kriphra Vaidya Year 12 and friends. 3. Maella Teel Year 12 in Strasbourg. 4. PLC German students standing in front of the Fortress in Salzburgburg
understanding French was becoming easier, everyone could relax and fully enjoy the holidays. Food was the main theme of the holidays, as lunches and dinners seemed to merge into one big feast. Students tasted regional dishes, plenty of seafood, foie gras and of course the traditional Christmas Log cake. Food also became the main subject of our conversations when Madame Fourquet and I caught up with students on the phone. They had been converted to the French way of thinking. Food had become the centre of their lives.
After the holidays, students had one more week at school before going home. Although we all looked forward to going home and enjoying the summer, leaving behind the lovely host families and new friends we had made was difficult. Students came back to Australia feeling empowered, confident and ready to explore the world further. Estelle Payne Head of French
