As the school year comes to an end, many students consider vacations and trips to places like Florida or New York. Some students in the French program, however, find themselves traveling a little further. On May 31, these students will be traveling to France for two weeks.

French teacher Julie Filliez has taken students to France a total of 12 times including this summer, but she herself has gone to France four times without students.

Throughout the year, Filliez prepares for the trip by communicating with both parents and the company they travel through, teaching students any extra information necessary, planning the trip in Paris itself, organizing meetings, and anything else required to flesh out the itinerary.

In January, students who plan to travel with Filliez write a letter in French describing themselves. These letters then go to an English teacher in France who pairs them with a French family to stay with.

“All of my students wrote letters to whoever might be hosting them to describe themselves and what they’re like,” Filliez said. “The better the letter, the better the match will be.”

Once the right compatibility is found, the students are put into contact with their French families. They stay with these families throughout the duration of the trip. When not with the family, they are experiencing Paris with Filliez.

Junior Chloe Garner is one of the students planning to travel this year. She is especially excited to see the architecture in France.

“If I did have to pick a place, I would say Saint-Chapelle in Paris,” Garner said. “It’s a very beautiful church with stunning stained glass that I can’t wait to see in person.”

One of the sights that they see is the Eiffel Tower among other popular landmarks while they tour the city. Filliez enjoys when the students finally get to witness something they’ve learned about in the classroom.

“When I look at how excited they are to see or experience that thing, it takes me back to the first time I ever experienced it,” Filliez said.

However, not all of the experience comes from just sights. 

“I’m the most excited to experience the French culture,” sophomore Patrick Arway said. 

Students get to see the culture that they learn about itself to a fuller extent than can be taught. They also get the satisfaction of being able to go to another country and immerse themselves in the culture for two weeks.

“The growth [afterwards] is not just in the French language, but they have experiences they can draw upon,” Filliez said. “I can’t think of a better way to grow in so many ways that will help you in the rest of your life.” 

The students will return on June 15,  with some stories and the experience of a new culture and a new continent under their belts.