Oh la la! Gappers land in France

Oh la la! None of us can believe that it is already the third week into our stay here. Time is flying! On Sunday the 4th of September 2011 at 06H40, four incredibly enthusiastic yet nervous gappers arrived at the Charles De Gaulle Paris Airport. After the 24 hour flight, We were nothing but relieved to be able to stretch our legs and explore the city that we had a researched before arriving. After collecting luggage, we made our way by RER and then took a metro to the Fiap hostel in Denfert Rochereau. The four of us were super impressed with how advanced the public transport arrangements are here! Waiting for transport appeared to be nonexistent. The week was so jam packed that we didn’t even have a minute to think about how awfully jetlagged we were. The first day was spent soaking up the breathtaking architecture and gardens whilst crazily collecting brochures and discussing awesome ideas for the upcoming three months. There were both morning and afternoon lessons, it was great meeting people from all different nationalities who had the same level of French as us. We used our spare time well and visited a variety of amazing attractions including the Eiffel tower, the Lourve, Notre Dame, Montparnasse Tower and of course many different Boulangerie where we tasted the most spectacular pastries. 
Six glorious days in Paris went so quickly, none of us were ready to leave the City Of Love. We could not have asked for better weather, the sun was shining and the sky was a perfect shade of blue everyday. We were all extremely eager to meet our host families and be introduced to the local villages that will be home for the next few months. We took the TVG (Train à Grand Vitesse, which translates to high speed train) to our placements. Rebecca and myself were going to North Western France near the small city centre of Vannes. Anna and Andrew were off to the historic and medieval village of Le Mans. Both of these parts of France are stunning in their own unique way. It was remarkable watching the scenery change at such high speeds, our eyes were glued to the window the entire time! It was so picturesque. It was the first opportunity we had to taste the rich French way of life. Among the green countryside there were astonishing old fashioned buildings, farm animals, vine yards, cemeteries and houses that I would describe as picture perfect.

Samuel arrived on the 10th of September and caught the train direct to his host family situated in the town of Plescop which is just minutes away from Rebecca and myself. Our French families were all so welcoming. We all spoke about how we were so lucky to be placed with families so suited to us. They all were so thrilled to host us, show us their favourite sights and emerge us in their daily lives. Some families spoke near fluent English which made conversations a breeze whilst others spoke close to none so communication was broken English and French. We were all able to adapt quite quickly with little to no problems!

There is so much to do in our spare time that it is impossible to feel bored. Time is spent finding walking trails, visiting cafes, kayaking, visiting cute vintage clothing stores and cycling! Street markets are also very popular in Vannes and Le mans, they sell antique items, clothing, jewelry and toys at reasonable prices. Our requirement is to tutor English and we have found this very rewarding! It involves helping the kids with their homework, planning activities and just doing things in English! Its great having the little host brothers and sisters being keen to learn the language.