I set my alarm this morning for 6h30, but it didn't go off at all. Instead, Hugues woke me up at 7h00. I still needed to take a shower, and miraculously, by 7h30 I had already taken a shower, gotten dressed, eaten breakfast, and was sitting in the car ready to go.
We met up with other exchangers from our district at the Aquarium restaurant and took a double-decker bus (Amazing, I know!) from there. I sat in the back next to Julia from Brazil and near Daniel and Carlos from Mexico, Jacinta and Josh from Australia, Martina and Laura from Canada, Darpan and Kevin from India, and Chris and Michael from the US.
For the majority of the bus ride, Laura and I belted out random American songs that we knew and were listening to on her ipod.
Carlos and Josh were talking on Facebook about attracting French girls. Josh wrote to Carlos saying that he should say, "Come to Papa" to the girls. Carlos responded, "That's not funny. It doesn't make any sense. You just said, "eat your potato." I don't get it." (Come tu papa=eat your potato in Spanish) Nevertheless, Carlos eventually understood.
About two hours into the bus ride, we stopped and visited the cathedral in Amiens. It was huge! I think that the church in Vermelles is about as tall as its front door.
Back in the bus, we drove across the world's tallest bridge before driving through Honfleur. I think we were supposed to have a tour, but that didn't end up happening.
We at lunch at Flunch, a fast-food type restaurant in France with relatively healthy alternatives. I sat a table with Spanish speakers, so I'll be glad if I don't lose my Spanish completely.
Our next stop was at a beach in Normandy where we visited a D-Day museum and listened to a lady give a history speech about the area. Afterwords we watched a movie in 360 degrees. Yes, the movie litterally surrounded us in a circle. The pre-show announcement told us that we were free to get up and walk around the room for the full experience of the movie if we pleased. Of course, I pleased. I was the only loser to walk around for the entire movie. Others joined me for short periods of time, so I was never alone. I have a new adopted brother named Tom who is a ten year old French boy and walked around with me most of the time. We actually ended up hanging out together most of the afternoon when I wasn't hanging out with the Spanish-speakers. It was really good because he does not speak a word of English.
After the 360 movie, all of the exchange students stood in a circle and played a Canadian game where we sang:
Hey there, ride that pony
Ride around that big fat pony
Hey there, ride that pony
This is how we do it
Front Front Front Front Front, my baby
Back Back Back Back Back, my baby
Side Side Side Side Side, my baby
This is how we do it.
For the first part of it, ten or so people in the middle skipped in a circle. Then they crump in the direction of the song to the person nearest them on the outer ring of the circle. Then that person on the outer ring takes their place in the inner ring, and it starts all over again. It was the wierdest game I've ever played.
We met up with other exchangers from our district at the Aquarium restaurant and took a double-decker bus (Amazing, I know!) from there. I sat in the back next to Julia from Brazil and near Daniel and Carlos from Mexico, Jacinta and Josh from Australia, Martina and Laura from Canada, Darpan and Kevin from India, and Chris and Michael from the US.
For the majority of the bus ride, Laura and I belted out random American songs that we knew and were listening to on her ipod.
Carlos and Josh were talking on Facebook about attracting French girls. Josh wrote to Carlos saying that he should say, "Come to Papa" to the girls. Carlos responded, "That's not funny. It doesn't make any sense. You just said, "eat your potato." I don't get it." (Come tu papa=eat your potato in Spanish) Nevertheless, Carlos eventually understood.
About two hours into the bus ride, we stopped and visited the cathedral in Amiens. It was huge! I think that the church in Vermelles is about as tall as its front door.
Back in the bus, we drove across the world's tallest bridge before driving through Honfleur. I think we were supposed to have a tour, but that didn't end up happening.
We at lunch at Flunch, a fast-food type restaurant in France with relatively healthy alternatives. I sat a table with Spanish speakers, so I'll be glad if I don't lose my Spanish completely.
Our next stop was at a beach in Normandy where we visited a D-Day museum and listened to a lady give a history speech about the area. Afterwords we watched a movie in 360 degrees. Yes, the movie litterally surrounded us in a circle. The pre-show announcement told us that we were free to get up and walk around the room for the full experience of the movie if we pleased. Of course, I pleased. I was the only loser to walk around for the entire movie. Others joined me for short periods of time, so I was never alone. I have a new adopted brother named Tom who is a ten year old French boy and walked around with me most of the time. We actually ended up hanging out together most of the afternoon when I wasn't hanging out with the Spanish-speakers. It was really good because he does not speak a word of English.
After the 360 movie, all of the exchange students stood in a circle and played a Canadian game where we sang:
Hey there, ride that pony
Ride around that big fat pony
Hey there, ride that pony
This is how we do it
Front Front Front Front Front, my baby
Back Back Back Back Back, my baby
Side Side Side Side Side, my baby
This is how we do it.
For the first part of it, ten or so people in the middle skipped in a circle. Then they crump in the direction of the song to the person nearest them on the outer ring of the circle. Then that person on the outer ring takes their place in the inner ring, and it starts all over again. It was the wierdest game I've ever played.
In the hotel room before dinner, we played French American Idol. It was pretty awesome. We had to sing a song in French and English in front of a panel of juges. When it was Laura's turn, I was supposed to be filming, but it didn't work so she had to re-do her turn. The second go-around, one of the judges spiced up the dialogue by saying , "It says here that you have participated for the past seven years in the Special Olympics." Laura responded, "Yes, I have won three gold medals." She then proceeded to imitate a leg spasm that she kept up at random momemts throughout her songs. Her first song in French about a crocodile was met with a lack of enthusiam at her "lack" of enthusiam. For her next song, she jumped about and acted crazy, so of course she got in to American Idol!
At dinner I sat in between Tom and Josh. I quickly discovered that the back of the placemat was a coloring page. (I had been talking about buying a Normandy coloring book earlier with Tom to occupy my hours of Perm at school.) Surprisingly and disappointingly, nobody in the room had crayons. I did find a red pen, and everyone at my table took turns drawing funny faces and acting like doofuses.
The exchange student phrase of the weekend is, "Bah, ouais."
At dinner I sat in between Tom and Josh. I quickly discovered that the back of the placemat was a coloring page. (I had been talking about buying a Normandy coloring book earlier with Tom to occupy my hours of Perm at school.) Surprisingly and disappointingly, nobody in the room had crayons. I did find a red pen, and everyone at my table took turns drawing funny faces and acting like doofuses.
The exchange student phrase of the weekend is, "Bah, ouais."
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