16 pupils from Year 8 have just completed the second leg of the French Exchange with Collège Champollion in Dijon. We had a wonderful experience, spending a week in the homes of French partners, who had previously visited us in Rainford in March.
The weather was fantastic, which meant that we were able to make the most of our time to visit the area. We had a half day in school, day trips to Beaune, a nearby historical town, Dijon, where we saw the market and the town centre, and the Kir Lake, where we had a day on the beach and swimming.
The weekend was spent with our partners' families, doing a wide variety of activities, and then on the way home, we spent a hot afternoon sight-seeing in Paris, including a boat trip along the Seine.
Mrs Rawlinson
French Exchange Feedback by Lousie
I think the visit to Dijon was good. I was nervous at first but then when i started to go out more, it was ok. I liked going out with everyone.
It wasnt that hard to communicate with them because most of the family spoke English and the French partners could speak really good English.
The weather was really hot! I liked going to the Lake and to Paris and of course.. shopping! The weekend was the hardest bit i think because you might not of been with English people so you had to cope with what you had to do with them on your own!
It was interesting to try their food. I dont think i had anything like frogs legs! They usually had mushed courgette! It was a really good experience, thank you to all the teachers for organising it!
Feedback on French Exchange by Stephanie
On the recent french exchange trip to france I have had an amazing experience, at first I was nervous but I soon settled in. The days out were really good as it was sunny and the places were interesting to look at. I also enjoyed the shopping part.
The thing I didnt like was the food -I thought some of it was horrible but I ate it anyway as the rest of the food was nice.Staying with them made me really nervous but I got used to it and enjoyed the time I spent there. Overall it was an amazing experience and definitely something worth trying.
Feedback on French Exchange by Shaun
The exchange was fantastic, I really enjoyed it in the end. At the start I was homesick but eventually it came out good. The food they cook is delicious and the things that they do are enjoyable. I would recommend the exchange for students wanting to go to France and for children that won’t get too homesick. If your skin is likely to get sun burnt I would suggest you to take some high U.V. sun cream. It is very hot over there, on the exchange the temperatures were around 28°c every day. The best day was when I, my partner and a few other friends on the exchange went to a laser quest building, we had a lot of fun. The food they mainly eat is bread. They eat it with every meal.
Feedback on French Exchange by Harry
When they came over to England, I was amazed at how much English they knew and I was nervous that his parents might think I was stupid because they know a lot more than us. But when I got there, his parents were very welcoming and knew a lot more English than I thought. They told me things in English and then repeated it in French. This helped me to understand more French and I feel like it has got me better.
I would recommend the exchange to everyone because it is fun and adventurous and exciting. I think we had the better half to go in because it is hotter in France and we went at a better time of the year.
Highlights of French Exchange by Robert
The highlights of my French trip to Dijon 2008 included:
- Meeting my French family and meeting Greg for the second time
- Tasting foods that I had never tried before
- Going into Dijon city centre, looking around the shops and market
- Spending the weekend with Greg’s family, going bowling and to the swim centre and also a great barbeque
- The best bit of going to Dijon was swimming in the lake, everyone had a great time.
The experiences I didn’t like as much included:
- The amount of travelling involved getting to Dijon
- Getting sunburnt at the lake with many other people!
- At times the weather did get too hot.
Thoughts on French Exchange by Ellen
I think that the following things worked:
- Trips to Dijon
- The visit to Dijon Plage
- The water park that we went to with our partners
- The Fête de la musique
The thing that wasn’t so good was the trip to their school
Thoughts on the French Exchange by John
Really enjoyed the exchange, really hope I could do it again.
During the exchange I learnt more about french culture and the french language. It has helped me understand more French and it has really improved my confidence in speaking French. I really enjoyed staying in Clements House, his family were really kind and nice so it was really good. I enjoyed the day out to the lake and I liked the weekend staying with the family. In the weekend we went swimming at a place called 'oxygen', which was really good. Also I went really enjoyed going to Paris on the last day. The exchange was really good except the weather was a little to hot for comfort but I got used to it. Lastly thank you to Mrs Rawlinson and Mr McBernie for giving up there time taking us on the exchange.
Thoughts on the French Exchange by Ben
I thought the French exchange was excellent overall and would definitely do it again if I had the chance. I think my French improved greatly while I was in France, since I could pick up a lot more words that they were saying to me, nearer to the end.
In Varois et Chaignot, (A village outside of Dijon where I stayed) I never got bored because my correspondent always kept me busy doing something. Also I met many of my friends outside the trips provided by the school, so I didn't feel I couldn't chat to anybody at any time during the exchange. I would highly recommend the exchange to anybody has a chance to do one.
Thoughts on the French Exchange by Mark
I really loved the french exchange because my French correspondent Clement and his family made me feel very welcome and very relaxed. He also arranged to go on day trips out to other places with his friends who were on the exchange also. I was with Harry most of the time so even out of school i was still with someone I knew.
I really enjoyed the French Exchange and would love to go on it again because I have now made a new french friend.