Le Bon Voyage: The Medfield High School French trip

By Jaime Blackmon

The reality of France takes a while to set in. For some it arrives with the first sight of the Eiffel Tower jutting up out of the ground. For others, it comes with ordering an authentic café au lait from a quiet café tucked into an ancient building. If all else fails, the reality of France hits tourists over the head as they scramble to avoid rows of striped-shirted, mustachioed, baguette-carrying bicyclists.

April vacation at Medfield High School has always been a time for travel. This year’s break marked the most recent of the school’s bi-annual France trips. Thirty-one junior and senior students enrolled in French IV and V spent 13 days abroad in the land of art, culture, and—bien sûr!—love.

Touring the Louvre, walking through the gardens of the Palace of Versailles, and dining at the Eiffel Tower were just a few of the stops on the travelers’ journey through France. The cities of Paris, St. Malo, and Nantes provided the three backdrops of the trip, each offering distinctive yet thoroughly French sights, sounds, and tastes.

The homestay, of course, is always a source of worry on the French trip.

“I was anxious that I wouldn’t like my family,” said senior Alix Kramer, “but she ended up being my BFF.”

During the homestay, students not only explored tiny French towns in the Loire region of France, but also visited a French school for 5 days.

“The [school] days are a lot longer,” said Ira Lako, a junior.

But even with these 10-hour days, there is still some reward.

“There are a lot more breaks and times to socialize,” Lako explained.

This combination of classic tourist destinations blended with an individualized family experience is what makes the Medfield High School French trip truly unique. While anyone could pop into Paris over April vacation, the mix of earnest American students and authentic French perspectives transforms the French trip into something more fulfilling than another stamp in a passport.  

Though the next French trip is malhereusement not for another two years, a sense of eagerness has already budded among the underclassmen.

“I’m super excited for the French trip!” said freshman Emily Piersack.

Some people might say that the journey is more important than the destination, but such is not the case for Medfield High School’s French trip. Whether it came to them while lounging in chairs by the Louvre or while scaling the walls of ancient chateaux, the French trippers brightly conclude that Paris has la bonne vie. 

This article was written by Jaime Blackmon, a Medfield High School student and member of the student newspaper, The Kingsbury Chronicle. The piece is part of Medfield Patch's weekly series, "Warrior Weekly," helping provide information about MHS to the local community.