The Weekend!

Over the second weekend, my host family was very generous and decided to take me to Disney Land Paris! I have never been to a Disney Park in the U.S. but now I've been to the one in Paris twice (the first time being when I was 6 or 7 years old). It was an amazing experience as I crossed over into magic land. From Crush's Coaster (the turtle in Finding Nemo) to Buzz Lightyear's Blast, the small child's imagination that remains stuffed down in my body came out to play. An experience that I will always remember is when we went to "Stitch, Live!", a show aimed for 6 year olds and younger. (hour long lines and boredom can do that to you). However, I was probably more out of the loop than those 6 year olds as the show was in French. The show commenced and with my luck I was picked by the Live Stitch to participate in the show. Of course as I was picked from the crowd, my host brother and his two siblings were dying of laughter. As I attempted to answer questions made for 6 year olds I could hear the faint bursts of laughter coming from the back. The show finally ended and we ate lunch. I'm pretty sure time stopped when I saw there were burgers being served. It was the first meal that had any connection to home. We left the park early, around 5. We weren't trying to be die-hard Disney enthusiasts, rather desiring to escape those endless lines. It was our fault choosing to go on a Saturday. The fun never ended as we went to Vaux le Vicomte, the castle of Nicolas Fouquet, minister of the french King Louis XIV. I have pictures to show the extravagance and aura of greatness it beholds. Each person receives sort of a walkie talkie that informs the listener on the history of the castle. Luckily there was an English setting. When the tour came to a close, we hopped back in the car and drove the 6 hour long trip back home. Currently, we have just returned back to Lyon. Not only have I experienced the stretching of legs after a long car ride (possibly one of the most underrated feelings), but have returned to a house smelling of delicious food whipped up by his grandmother. How much better could life get? -Griffin

Friday 5/29

This morning we visited the Halls of Lyon and tasted many amazing foods such salmon, sauseson, which is a type of meat similar to pepperoni, different cheeses, and some delicious French bread. We also took a river cruise on the Saone river that ended at the museum of Confluence, which was opened just this January. The museum contained many fascinating exhibits from dinosaurs to the South Pole. It was a very fascinating experience. -Matt

Thursday 5/28

Today we went to Parc de la Tête d'Or. Most of the people who talked about it described it as "Lyon's Central Park, but smaller" and that is definitely true. The first thing we did when we entered the park was take a short walk around. The first thing that struck me as strange was although there was a zoo, there was also an area outside of the zoo where there were deer walking around freely, and strangely enough, there were ostriches in the same enclosure. After this slightly startling sight we continued on into the park. A couple of minutes later we arrived at the start of the zoo at the giraffe exhibit, where me and a few others sat in the shade waiting for our guide who would show us around the zoo. About a half an hour later she arrived and showed us around the zoo for about an hour. The thing I most appreciated about this part of the trip was the escape from the hectic, fast-paced, French-speaking day-to-day routine of our experiences so far. This was the first real opportunity we as a group have had to sit and chat about what we each have been doing so far. -Austin

Half Day!

Today may have been a normal Wednesday for at student at Saint-Marc, but it was a little different for a BC High student. At Saint-Marc, Wednesdays are half days! Today we had two classes, physics and biology. Even though I didn't understand everything that was being spoken in French, I felt like I was able to help because I knew the material. After the two classes, school got out so we headed out to eat lunch at a bakery. I kept it safe and decided on a ham and cheese sandwich and some really delicious cookies. After lunch we went to the movies where we saw a George Clooney film in French, without subtitles. As someone who does not speak French, it was fun trying to figure out what they were saying, but eventually I became lost. After the movie, we went to another student's house where we played a card game, and now we are getting ready for dinner. The weather was beautiful today; hopefully it is as nice tomorrow when we are headed to a zoo after lunch. -Luke

First Day of School- Tuesday 5/26

We started the day at school, shadowing our host brothers in their classes. During the class I attended many students presented on various topics. I did not understand most of the presentations, but I managed to catch a few sentences and phrases. After class we had a short break before orientation. During orientation we received an schedule as well as some information about the school. We then went on a tour, learning of the school's many recent renovations as well as the difficulties of such an old building. We also were able to go out onto a rooftop deck and get a spectacular view of the Basilica of Notre-Dame de fourvière.   After the tour of the school we ate lunch with our host brothers. We then regrouped and took the subway to Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon). In Vieux Lyon we went on a guided tour that included the Lyon Cathedral as well as Les Traboules (small tunnels going through buildings to give access to small courtyards and apartments in the middle of a block.) Once the tour was over we had some free time to look around at some of the stores and restaurants. Many of us ended up getting flower shaped ice cream. We then returned to the school, where we were picked up by our host brothers to go home. -Andrew

First Weekend 5/23-5/25

Greetings from Lyon! 

Everyone arrived safe and sound and found their host families without any problems. Aside from the adjusting to the time change and battling jet lag, our host families had a few other ideas for us before we went to the high school. Among other activities, some of us saw an abstract artist's studio, whose house was decorated from top to bottom with art on canvases, on wire skeletons, and generally strewn about the house. Many of us played tennis, which seems to be immensely popular among the Lyonnaise (Bostonians are from Boston, Lyonnaise are from Lyon). There were a few who had the chance to see the fish in the local aquarium. Aside from the different names, it was a lot like the one down on the waterfront! -Jack