Putney: France Language Learning - Unit C

Greetings from the Alps!

2008-08-12T08:44:00.003-04:00

The last time we wrote, we were relaxing on the French Riviera in Saint Raphael. Besides soaking up lots of sun (with lots of sunscreen, of course!), we also went banana boating. For those of who haven't done it, it involves sitting on a raft shaped like a banana and being pulled behind a motorboat. Of course, the driver of the boat made sure we fell off at least once, making it even more fun!

For those who wanted to partake in more water sports and test just how good their balance really is, we organized a morning of windsurfing with an instructor. It was a blast! The others in our group who preferred a less intense but equally rewarding activity went to the beach to swim and relax. The water in St. Raphael is very clear and the perfect temperature. It was very convenient that our hotel was located right across the street from the sea.

Although our primary goal was to enjoy the beach and the sun while in St. Raphael, we also were able to explore some of the fascinating museums in the area, including The Leger Museum, the private Maeght Foundation featuring the works of Hans Hartung and Joan Miro, and the Rosaire Chapel, which the artist Henri Matisse spent four years painting! Needless to say, we now know a thing or two about modern art.

Last Friday, we traveled from St. Raphael to Montroc, a town near Chamonix in the Alps. Here, we've been taking in the beautiful views of the huge mountains during our hikes. Yesterday, we took a cable car halfway up one of the mountains called La Flegere, and then hiked up to Lac Blanc at the top. There we enjoyed a picnic lunch and views of the tallest mountain, Mont Blanc, across the valley. It was breathtaking and we took lots of photos to share with you when we return.

This morning, we went canyoning. For those who are not familiar with canyoning, it includes almost every verb you can think of that involves moving: climbing, jumping into pools of water, sliding, repelling, and swimming are just a few. Fortunately, we were equipped with wetsuits, because the mountain water was pretty cold. Despite our goosebumps, everyone had a great time.

See you in a few days!

-Steven and Michelle

Adventures à la Provençale

2008-08-04T14:23:00.002-04:00

What a busy week! Laser Tag at Néolaser was excellent; we discovered that we have some excellent players both in our group and among the French host families! Thursday morning, everyone arrived at the train station and there were some tears as we bid farewell to the warm, welcoming families of Franche-Comté. Several students are already hoping for visits from their host siblings and French friends when they return to the United States.

After our arrival in Aix-en-Provence, we had some free time to explore the city before eating a delicious provençale meal at Chez Mathé. The next morning began with a scavenger hunt around Aix, where the students split up into groups and had to collect information and objects about the city. In the afternoon, we went to the Fondation Vasarely, a museum devoted to the works of Victor Vasarely, considered the father of optical art. In the museum, his abstract geometric art was incredible: some works were more than two stories high! Later that afternoon, we explored the Musée Granet in the center of Aix, which includes works by masters from the French, Flemish, and Italian schools as well as a large sculpture hall. Afterwards, we sat in front of the Saint Jean de Malte cathedral and shared vocabulary we had learned at our homestays (e.g., "ma puce," a term of endearment that literally means "my flea.")

Saturday morning (and Alex's birthday) began early with an excursion to the Roman ruins at Glanum. We learned about the Roman thermal bath system (who knew that they heated the baths with firewood under the floor?) and admired the views over the Provençale countryside. We continued on to the spectacular Cathedrale d'Images in Les Baux, where movies are projected on to all the walls and the floor of an enormous stone quarry. This year's show had Vincent Van Gogh as its theme, and we watched in wonder as his paintings, photos of Van Gogh and those close to him, and video of the countryside he so loved were set to music. This was extremely popular with our students, and half the group bought the classical soundtrack that accompanied the show. After a picnic in Arles, we observed the Roman Théâtre Antique and the immense arena, which is still used today for ferias, Spanish-style bullfights. We finished the day swimming in the river below the Pont du Gard, a famous Roman aqueduct that dates from the 1st century. We returned to Aix and enjoyed a delicious meal at Le Village, where we serenaded Alex and presented her with a traditional Provençale cream cake--in addition to the desserts that accompanied our meal! Overall, a scrumptious birthday dinner. Happy Birthday, Alex!

Sunday morning began with a tour of Aix on Segways-- incredibly fun! Though none of us had ever ridden on one, we quickly got the hang of it and followed our guide Alain around the city. The sun was shining and it was an easy, breezy way to see monuments such as the Pavillion Vendome, the Aqua Sextia Roman baths (for which Aix is named) and the lovely, tree-lined Cours Mirabeau. In the afternoon, we went to a cooking class at Le Passage where we learned how to make traditional foie gras as well as French macaroons--a delicious pastry that is completely different from American macaroons. We spent the afternoon browsing the open-air market around the city center, before returning to Le Passage for our final meal. Afterwards, we had delicious desserts at the famed Café des Deux Garçons, which was frequented by Aix-en-Provence's native son, Paul Cézanne and his childhood friend, Emile Zola.

We'll write to you next from St. Raphael on the French Riviera--we can't wait to get to the beach!

A bientôt!
Michelle & Steven

Homestays in Isle sur le Doubs

2008-07-28T12:18:00.001-04:00

French families, here we come!

The end of our Parisian stay was great. We toured the famous Opera building and then saw Monet and Manet's masterpieces at Musée d'Orsay. But perhaps even more spectacular was celebrating our fellow group member Lissa's birthday in the City of Lights. After a happy birthday serenade by a group of American gospel singers who were staying at the same hotel as us, we ate a delicious dinner at la Coupole, a restaurant Hemingway frequented years ago. The servers also came out singing happy birthday with a fake, sparkling cake! Joyeux Anniversaire Lissa!

We arrived last Thursday in Isle sur le Doubs, a small French town near the Swiss border. Our host families were waiting for us at the train station, ready to welcome our students into their homes for a week to discover more about French culture. After spending a day and a half devouring local cuisine, meeting our host family's friends and neighbors, and teaching them the famous Crank That Soulja Boy dance (an American speciality) we met up again as a group to go to Acroland, a ropes course adventure park. It was pretty fun swinging through the trees; there are certainly a few members in our group who could star as the next Tarzan. Our outing at Acroland also provided a nice opportunity to meet the other families who are hosting students. In fact, it was so much fun that our homestay coodinator, Patricia, offered to organize a little party for us and our homestay families tonight at a school in Isle sur le Doubs. Our main priority: to learn that crazy French dance called Techtonique and introduce it to the United States upon our return. (Go to youtube.com and search for the music video ACDG by Yelle if you want a sneak peek).

Tomorrow night, we are all going to play Laser tag, and then Thursday morning we will bid our new French friends adieu while we embark upon the next segment of our adventure: Aix-en Provence!

A tout à l'heure!
Steven and Michelle

Paris, je t'aime!

2008-07-21T14:50:00.002-04:00

After completing their internships in Bretagne, our group spent the final day in Le Conquet visiting l'île Molène, a small island about 40 minutes off the coast. We ate lunch in a meadow along the shore, and each student gave a presentation in French on an aspect of French or Breton culture that they had researched during their internships. The presentations were excellent and very engaging.

We bid farewell to our friends at the Ferme de Keringar the next morning and arrived in Paris Friday afternoon. That evening, we took a boat cruise down the Seine River, which offered excellent views of many of Paris's landmarks. Saturday we had an excellent French-language tour of the Louvre, which highlighted not only the building's history, but many of the major works, such as Winged Victory of Samothrace and of course The Mona Lisa. We have also visited the Picasso museum, which was a big hit with everyone, and the Centre Pompidou, which houses the museum of modern art.

Our evening activities have included a visit to the Eiffel Tower, which is currently illuminated by night with blue lights and decorated with the star emblem of the European Union to celebrate France serving as the head of the E. U. for the next six months. We climbed several flights of stairs to the second floor and enjoyed the twinkling light show while standing on the observation platform.

Last night we went to a concert at the Sainte-Chapelle, a 13th-century Gothic chapel on the Île de la Cité. The chapel is known for its stunning stained glass windows. The concert included three violins, a viola, a cello, and a harpsichord playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons and Pachelbel's Canon in D major, as well as Mozart's Divertimento. The acoustics were wonderful and everyone was amazed at the talent of the principal violinist.

Today we travelled outside the city to Chartres to visit the Gothic cathedral there. We enjoyed an excellent tour with Malcolm Miller, the world's foremost authority on the cathedral, who shared with us detailed information about the beautiful and elaborate stained glass (as well as how to 'read' a stained glass window) and the cathedral's construction. Many of us were shocked to see that there are still traces of medieval paint on the statues of the church's façade!

Tonight we are attending La leçon, a short play by Eugène Ionesco, who is an important figure in French existentialism and Theater of the Absurd. The show has been playing in the same theater since it debuted in 1957, and everyone is excited to see it.

À plus tard!

Michelle & Steven

Salut tout le monde!

2008-07-16T22:29:00.003-04:00

We arrived safely in Bretagne last Sunday. After a two train rides, one of which was on the high speed TGV train, we pulled into Brest. We continued from there to the farm and inn where we are staying. Out stay here has been a blast. The farm has every sort of farm animal you can think of: cows, horses, chickens, rabbits, donkeys, pigs, and even a peacock! Needless to say, we have learned lots of new French animal vocabulary and phrases that go with it, eg. "Whew, that smells!"

After going on a hike Monday and exploring the village of Le Conquet, we went to see the fireworks for Bastille Day (the French Independence Day). Although Le Conquet is pretty small, there were some good fireworks!

Yesterday, our students started internships at local companies,which include: an equestrian center, a local farm, a bakery, a deli, a supermarket, the tourism office, two local boutiques, a hotel, and a restaurant. The internships have turned out to be really fun, and a great opportunity to learn more about French culture as well as practice speaking French.

Yesterday we also went rock climbing and did ziplining over the ocean. Although a bit scary at first, we all felt pretty proud of ourselves at the end. Today, we're hoping to go to the beach if it is nice this afternoon. The beaches here are beautiful...white sand and really clear water.

A bientot!
Steven and Michelle

Salut from France!

2008-07-12T10:33:00.003-04:00

After landing in Paris and taking two trains across the beautiful Loire Valley, we arrived in Blois, a city centered around its historic château. Our first day included a guided visit of the château Amboise, followed by an exploration of Clos Lucé, Leonardo da Vinci's final home. It was there that he sold the Mona Lisa to French king François I, and that is how it ended up in the Louvre!

During the afternoon, we picnicked on the sunny lawns outside Chenonceau, a château famous for its lush gardens and Grande Galerie over the Loire river. After dinner, we headed to a concert, part of the music festival Tous Sur le Pont in Blois. There, we enjoyed some traditional African music, followed by a lively rap group from Guinea which many of the students enjoyed.

Thursday we took a break from châteaux and took a 10 km kayak trip down the Loire river. The sun was shining and we passed by beautiful scenery, including a quaint village and a lovely orchard alongside a riverfront manor house. The whole group took a break on a small island, and some students sunned themselves on the beach while others swam in the tranquil inlet along shore.

Today we visited Chambord, an enormous château known for its hundreds of elaborate chimneys and its magnificent double staircase (similar to the shape of a double helix), which was built according to designs by Leonardo da Vinci. We followed this with a visit to Cheverny, a hunting château where we watched the soupe des chiens, the ceremonial feeding of the hunting dogs. Some students enjoyed this traditional part of Loire Valley culture, while others were not as impressed and found the ritual a little antiquated.

After our English-language orientation, we have launched into complete French immersion, and we are all looking forward to visiting the Breton village of Le Conquet next week and practicing our French with the locals there.

A plus!

Michelle and Steven

The group has arrived

2008-07-08T12:45:00.002-04:00

We've received word from the leaders that the group has arrived in Blois.

Welcome!

2008-06-17T21:34:00.000-04:00

In order to keep parents updated on the progress of their child's Putney program, from time to time over the course of the program, the trip leaders will post an update on this blog. We hope that the occasional updates will keep you informed about the activities, projects and successes of the summer, as well as comfort the usual worries in sending a son or daughter to a far-away place.

You should expect leaders to post blogs no more than once per week during the program. We feel strongly that the leaders' first priority is the students and the program. The reasons for infrequent updates will be the very busy schedules of our program leaders as well as inconsistent internet access at Putney's various destinations throughout the world. Please know that any important issues on the program will be discussed and resolved with leaders and parents by phone, not through the blog.

We suggest that you subscribe to the blog during your first visit so that you will receive e-mail notifications at the end of the day whenever a new update is posted. To subscribe, enter your email address under 'Subscribe via e-mail' on the left-hand column of the blog.

Have a fantastic summer!

Best wishes from us all at the Putney Barn