Au Revoir aux familles et en route!

Kids get ready for La Chasse au Trésor

On the metro after la chasse

Spending a week and a half in Paris has exposed me to an entirely new world, especially in comparison to our lives within the Poly bubble.  I was especially fascinated by the integration of art into Parisian culture, as our group visited numerous museums and admired architecture from a wide spectrum of time periods.  I was most affected by a Sunday afternoon visit to the Centre Pompidou, or Beaubourg as the locals call it.  The facade of the Pompidou is adorned with eye-catching, colorful pipes that define the museum from the 

rest of Paris when looking out on the city.  The art within the museum discusses contemporary ideas through evocative murals, grouped collections of items, and a chalkboard room commemorated to the Hiroshima bombing.  Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Paris, and will be sure to return again soon.---Sarah 

Planning our the treasure hunt

My time in Paris was a fun and transformative experience that I surely will not forget. I learned a lot about French/European culture and I really admire many aspects of it such as the level of independence that teenagers have and the more relaxed lifestyle. I was sad to leave Paris and my host family this morning, but now I am excited about our trip to Normandy.--- Jesse

Standing at the top of Montmartre

This trip was not my first time seeing many of the sights in Paris, but spending these last weeks with my host family has allowed me to closely observe Parisian culture and lifestyle.  Differences from our culture that immediately stood out to me include an increased independance for kids and more importance being placed on social aspects of life rather than academic or athletic.  On the day I visited their classes, it was rare to find a student paying attention, let alone facing the teacher, and there were hardly any public sport facilities available for use.  Club sport teams are the only option for kids as schools do not have their own teams. Their lunch breaks were also 2 hours long and they left campus to buy food.  It was very interesting learning about life in France and I had a great time with my host family. Having also bonded with many of my host’s close pals, I will now always have a group of people to call friends in France. --Peter

Dans le métro

Poly alum, Danae, met us at the end of the day

Shae and Danae catch up in front of DuRuy

At the farewell dinner

Leaving Paris this morning was tough because we were so sad to leave our correspondants. However, our trip to Monet’s Garden in Giverny lightened up our moods. Even though it was a little rainy and cloudy, we were amazed by the beauty of the gardens. We walked through the gardens listening to the chirping of birds and admired the beautiful flowers around us. Now we are heading to see the Bayeaux tapestry.  ---Kelly and Olive

Looking out of Monet's room at Giverny!

Chaperones get some inspirations from Monet's garden