On March 25, 14 members of Beverly’s French Club flew to France for an eight-day trip, partially during spring break. They explored various new places, learned more about French culture and tried delicious desserts and cuisines.
During their trip, they visited Normandy, Paris and Amboise. Students saw popular French landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe.
French Club President Noami Yasui said, “We saw a not well-known chapel, but it was really sacred and beautiful… It was a great experience for French Club.”
The French club explored places like Mont Saint-Michel, the Palace of Versailles and the newly reconstructed Notre-Dame, bringing the country’s art and history to life.
Yasui also noted that while the stereotype for Parisians is that they don’t like it when English speakers speak French to them, she found this to be untrue. “They’re really open to people speaking in their mother tongue and it’s a really respectful thing to do.”
Having the opportunity to travel to the native country of the language students are studying can make learning immersive. On this trip, students also learned how different the French they speak in a classroom can be compared to the French spoken in France.
Freshman Alea Marcus said, “The first place that I spoke French was in a cafe, and I was just ordering in French, but every time I wanted to buy something somewhere, I would always mess up the difference between bonjour and bonsoir because bonsoir is for the afternoon and bonjour is for the day, so I would always get the two mixed up. But it was honestly really fun speaking French in France and really made me improve my French.”
French teacher Emmannuelle Rousseaux told Beverly Highlights all about her experience on the trip and how much she enjoyed going to France with her students. Rousseaux said, “My favorite part of the trip was just seeing the students experience France in real life, whether that was them trying to use their French to order food or simply taking in the culture. Even if not everyone spoke French all of the time, you could really see their confidence grow.”
Throughout their trip, they went to many restaurants and cafes, trying a bit of everything, including croissants, moussel-frites (mussels and fries) and steak-frites (steak and fries), to name a few. Each dinner they ate was a traditional three-course French meal, with Rousseaux encouraging them to try new foods as part of the experience.
Rousseaux said, “A regular spring break is nice and relaxing, but this felt more meaningful. I was especially happy to organize a trip to France, since it’s the country I grew up in. Being able to share that with my students made it really special. Watching them try new things and grow more confident made it completely worth it. It’s something we’ll all remember for a long time.”
