Rain began to pour from the sky and 21 Community students were stuck in the middle of it. It started suddenly, and within just a few minutes, they were soaked. But it wasn’t just any rainfall — it was a downpour in the middle of Paris, France.
“Even though we were completely soaked, it was kind of just fun in the streets of Paris and pouring rain,” said Kinga Jung, a student who went on the 2023 France trip.
At the start of the 2023 Summer, students got the chance to visit France — an opportunity given once every few years. One of the French teachers and advisors on the trip, Danelle Mosher, thinks international trips are important for learning a language.
“That’s the goal,” Mosher said. “That’s why I want to teach — so that students can interact with other cultures. The fun of speaking another language and to feel that success.”
This year’s trip came after the disappointment of the 2020 trip being canceled due to COVID-19. However, with many COVID-19 restrictions now being lifted, CHS French teachers Marci Harris and Danelle Mosher were able to take French students on the trip.
During the first four days in Paris, students saw many iconic sites like the Palace of Versailles and the Eiffel Tower. Students also went to some of Harris’ favorite Paris spots like the Les colonnes de Buren. This year, Paris is undergoing construction and renovations for the 2024 Olympics.
“Everyone was back traveling on all these trips, it was the first real summer [after COVID-19],” Harris said. “It was crazy enough without the Olympics.”
Even with Paris being crowded, Harris felt the two teachers’ styles of handling the chaos paired well together. Though they have worked together for almost six years, this was the first trip they had done together.
“Figuring out our styles and our personalities and how we work together, it was fun,” Harris said. “I loved it. When something was confusing, my reaction was like ‘Woah!’, and Danelle was just so calm.”
While planning the trip, Harris and Mosher were able to choose from a list of towns for a homestay: a couple days for students to spend time in an actual French home. With this year’s trip taking place during Summer — rather than Spring break — the teachers chose the Southern-seaside city of Montpellier and its surrounding towns.
Kinga Jung’s, a junior who had just completed French II, homestay was just southeast in the town of Aigues-Mortes. This was her favorite part of the trip.
“It was a really small town and it wasn’t very touristy,” Jung said. “To hang around this tiny little town by the sea and to go to these little markets and bike through the vineyards was really fun.”
Jung met her host-sister’s friends and got to experience some of the things the family enjoyed most,which ended with Jung meeting Miss France. Alongside that, Jung loved being able to immerse herself in the French language.
“Seeing people authentically speak French, not just teachers in class, gave me a new perspective and it’s a really beautiful language to listen to,” Jung said.
One of Harris’ favorite moments from the trip was a simple moment. With Paris being a big city, students got many chances to explore areas on their own. Near the Arc de Triomphe, two students decided to go to a restaurant.
“I looked and there were two students in the window of a restaurant and the French waiter was right there,” Harris said. “They were speaking French and that was when I was like, ‘Oh, they’re doing it.’”
But some of Danelle Mosher’s favorite moments were the ones that were unexpected — like the sudden downpour.
“There were like five umbrellas between us and I had three camera bags and Marci was navigating where we were supposed to be going and everybody was just running,” Mosher said. “My shoes didn’t dry for days.”
With the trip wrapped up, Marci Harris and Danelle Mosher are looking forward to their next trip to let students experience authentic French. Later this year, they’re planning for a trip to Quebec, Canada, to provide another opportunity for students to immerse themselves in French. And the CHS French teachers have another trip to France in mind — set for summer of 2025.
Students stand in front of the Arc de Triomphe in one of Paris’ busiest regions. Even thought students didn’t go up during the summer, senior Laurel Peterson had the chance to go up in a previous visit to France. “I like that when you go up on the Arc de Triomphe, you can see the Eiffel Tower,” Peterson said. “I thought that was really cool.”
