Week 3, post 1

After our action-packed week last week, this week looked as if it was going to be pretty calm. But during the program, there is always something to do.

The weather here in Saumur has been absolutely beautiful. It’s been sunny and in the high 70s. Today, it got to 81.

Normally, Tuesdays and Thursdays are supposed to be our sports days after lunch. Our only problem is that they are tearing down their main gym at Institution Saint Louis. We think we have something worked out for next week. Isaiah and I both love being outdoors. (He walks EVERYWHERE.) So, we decided to go on a hike, part of with follows the path that we take to walk to school.

There’s a small tributary of the Loire River called the Théoet. It is a fairly large stream that winds its way through this beautiful parkland. So, we followed this paved trail through a calm greenspace that is in more or less the center of the city. Everyone seemed to enjoy it.

We really didn’t think about our activity for today.

Community service has become one of the pillars of IUHPFL. Loni says that she wants us to give back to the communities that give so much to us. Our students were amazing at the equestrian school last week. And they were more than fabulous today.

We met the Marcus, the mayor of Saumur Saint Hilaire, once again for today’s community service. We were back on the same trail along the Théoret, this time cleaning up trash.

These kids were incredible! They went at this job like they were cleaning up their front yard. They had to divide the rubbish into recyclable plastics, metals and glass. The rest went into the general trash bags.

The students worked really hard. Marcus prepared them with gloves and trash bags. Marie-Odile pushed the buggy that collected glass (and the students’ water bottles). Other than talking about it being hot (about half the trail was in the sun), there were no complaints. No one whined about getting dirty or picking up nasty bottles and wet paper bags. They just got the job done – with lots of laughter.

I really can’t say enough good about this group of students. They support one another. They work together well. Of course, there are friend groups, but there are no cliques – no “us and them” attitudes. It’s really quite refreshing.

Friday, we have Laser-tag as an optional group activity. (Not sure how I am going to photograph that.) And Sunday is our July 4 picnic with host families. (Okay, it’s on July 2, but July 4 is a Tuesday and not actually a holiday here.) So, there will be another post or two by Sunday evening.

I’ve made tons of photos that really aren’t what the blog is all about. Many of them are just what the kids have seen. The blog is so that you can see the students doing what they do daily. However, I intend to upload all my photos (the good ones) to a Google Drive folder that the students can add to and download from. As soon as I establish that, I will share the link.

She seems to be pretty proud of her beer can.

Verl has a great future as a 
garbage man, obviously.

This is a trash competition between
Verl and Estelle. Who knew
that there was such honor in 
trash?

Doryiesse, the host mom of Johan joined us (and 
Wyatt) for the trash collection.

I'm not sayiong that Ellie slid down the 
embankment, bringing up a cloud of dust, but...

Doryiesse is always there for us.

Meredith was always
on the lookout.

"I can be pretty and collect
trash, too, right?"

It's hard to get pictures of Sara. She hides from me.

I

Andra and Verl - whatever it takes.

One might say that Ellie was out standing in
her field.

Yuk!

Don't mess with this girl.
I'm not kidding.

Wyatt said that there was a frog. Do you see it?

Is anyone else reminded of
Giverney?

That bottle is coming out of the
ground one way or another!

Success!

The French word is épuissées

Our version of Abbey Road

Week 2, part 3

The last part of Week 2 was our “optional” visit to the BioParc. The BioParc is basically a zoo, but a very exceptional zoo.

A lesson in pre-history: This area of Anjou (the region around Saumur) was once covered by a vast sea. When the sea retreated, it left layers of stone that contained all kinds of fossils, still evident today. The ancient people called the troglodytes took advantage of the soft stone and built homes in the rocks.

Years ago, a man named Pierre Gay saw this area around the small town of Doué-la-Fontaine and envisioned a zoo featuring authentic animal habitats carved out of this soft stone left by antiquity.

And that is what the BioParc is today. There are habitats for animals from giraffes to leopards to penguins to gazelles to tortoises, to hundreds of other species. They have used the features of this soft rock to create unique habitats suitable to all kinds of species of animals.

The BioParc does not take animals from the wild. They rescue animals that haven’t done well in regular zoos. They propagate endangered species. They share propagation with other zoos in Europe to maintain biodiversity. They do raise some animals with an eye toward sending them back into the wild when it is appropriate.

I think I speak for both Isaiah and I when I say that our original attitude was, “We’re taking the students to a zoo? Where’s the cultural experience in that?” But after a four-hour excursion in this unique place, we understand.

It wasn’t a French cultural experience but a “citizen of the world” kind of experience. We are both glad we went to the effort to bring our students to this amazing place.

Once again, this is a vast place, and the students had “visite libre,” so it was hard to keep up with them. I looked for as many images of the students engaging with the environment and one another as I could. But I am also presenting images of some of the animals that they saw.

(And one day, I will understand the game of hide and seek that happened at the end of the day – I hope.)

 

Ailene and Estelle wanted to be 
photograqphed with their "cousins" the 
giraffes, since they are the tallest.

Cousins by themselves

In the arms of nature

Penguins!

Kayla seems interested.

Photographing the birds.

Sophie after the bird swoop!

They find the camera no matter where I am!

Vultures can reduce a dead animal to
bones in 15 minutes! We saw it!

In the US, this would be a "petting zoo,"
but here it was an "African farm."
In any case, we got to pet goats.

Monsieur Isaiah found a 
friendly goat, but...

But while he wasn't looking, another snatched
his map of the facility. He chased it to no avail.

Otters are cute when they swim. They are 
also cute when they sleep.

Hey guys! What's up?

Mom with her babies.

Mom to babies, "Okay, enough!"

And what better way to end
a day than with tortosises?