Earlier this summer, French teacher Emily Mullen and a handful of her students traveled overseas to France to explore, learn, and discover anything and everything about the local culture. Senior Chloe Kissinger was one of the select few to embark on this adventure.
“We spent the first few days in Paris and did all of our main Paris things. Then we were just a little west of Paris. We went to Normandy. We were in that area for two-ish days and we did some fun stuff there. Then we went to a town south of Normandy called Tours,” Kissinger said.
The trip was jam-packed with activity after activity.
“We stopped in another little town called Chartres, and it has this beautiful cathedral, and it was the first cathedral built in France that was dedicated to Mother Mary. It was so beautiful,” Kissinger said.
Getting to the city of love was a bit of a challenge. The group’s initial flight got delayed almost a whole day, and the group was stuck in Philadelphia for hours, but Mullen knew that everyone would be alright during the trouble and across the sea. She knew that her students would be successful in a foreign country; they just had to trust themselves.
“It’s so fun for me to see and to know that they’re learning skills for the rest of their lives,” Mullen said.
The communication was no doubt difficult for the students, but reassurance was offered. Madame Mullen, who is fluent in French, was always there to help, and a good portion of the French population speak or are learning English. While there was a bit of a language barrier, the crew got around just fine.
“When they respond to you in English when you try to speak to them in French, I don’t think it’s because they’re trying to be rude. I think they’re trying to be nice to you,” Mullen said.
While traveling cathedrals, towns, and museums, including the Louvre, the group was able to celebrate the summer solstice in France on July 21. On this day, there is a French celebration known as Fȇte de La Musique, or World Music Day. The festival consists of dancing, food, and, obviously, music.
“After dinner, we got to go on a stroll and see all kinds of cover bands playing. And there was a group that had swing music and people were swing dancing,” Mullen said.
The travelers enjoyed live music with others, with nothing dividing them. They were simply all people enjoying a party.
“The streets were packed with people, and everybody was just out, having fun together… everybody was out enjoying the same thing for the same reason as us,” Mullen said.
The festival was easily a highlight of the whole trip.
“I think my most memorable moment was dancing with a friend right in front of the cathedral, like partner-dancing. That was so special,” Kissinger said.
Another highlight for Kissinger was the art.
“I’ve always been in love with it. So seeing that in person, I felt enlightened. I’ve been wanting to experience it for such a long time. It was meaningful to me,” Kissinger said.
It’s no secret that European art is not just historically important, but also visually pleasing.
“I can’t tell you just how inspired I was seeing all of this classic art that I’ve only seen in pictures on my screen and that I’ve heard of,” Kissinger said.
Throughout their travels, the bunch of students remained together, not just in physical proximity, but socially.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better group to travel with. I knew all of the people that were invited. We were all at least a little bit of friends,” Kissinger said.
All in all, the trip was a wonderful experience that cultivated young minds and gave experiences that some can only dream of. Mullen encourages people to experience cross-cultural experiences as early as possible.
“Travel while you’re young. I feel like we all say we’re going to do it when we get older, but if you have the chance to travel now, it’s an investment, but it’s definitely worth the personal growth that you will experience,” Mullen said.
