Eurotrip 2007

January 15, 2008

Many people may not have heard about it, but Novi High School took a group of students overseas for the first time since the September 11 tragedy. This group consisted of 28 students, 4 parents, and 6 teachers. I was lucky enough to be one of the students on this amazing trip to the cities of Paris, France and Madrid, Spain. It was an experience that I will remember for a long time.

Most of us students were very, very excited in the months leading up to our June departure (we left the week after school finished), but we also knew in the back of our minds that it was the school’s first time organizing a big trip like this in years, so we really didn’t know what to expect. None of us had heard of the tour company “interact” before, except for the people who went to Mexico the year before with the Spanish department, as Interact planned that one too. But we all were excited to finally see the places and experience the culture we have been studying.

When the trip left, you could see little groups forming. A few girls listening to music, some guys playing handheld games, other girls playing “Uno”. But those little groups never lasted long, and that was one of the great things about Eurotrip 2007. Being in the same group of 38 people for 9 days (2 of those were long travel days), we got to meet new people that we otherwise never would have talked to. One person I met, and talked to a lot on the trip, looked to me on one bus ride and said “you know, I always thought you were kind of quiet and weird when you were in my class in school, but I guess you really aren’t.”

I went into the trip not really knowing many people at all, but I was definitely surprised at how easily I made friends. I went into it looking forward to seeing all the monuments and landmarks, but I did not expect how much fun the social aspect of it would be. I also got to see some of the teachers outside of the school atmosphere, and I was a little surprised at how cool they were. A few of them even joined in on a last night dance party we held in our Madrid hotel (we bought some pop and hooked up someone’s iPod speakers.) Meeting and making friends with both students and teachers I never would have met otherwise was definitely one of my favorite parts of the trip.

The actual trip itself was also a phenomenal experience. We started our trip in Paris, a marvelous and gigantic city. There were so many monuments, museums, and churches here that it was impossible to see them all. But the ones that we did see were truly amazing.

One night, our group took a river cruise along the Seine River, which runs through the heart of Paris. It was a great experience seeing the city lit up at night and also viewing lots of the monuments from a different point of view. But my favorite part of this cruise was the lightshow that is the Eiffel tower. At night, the lights brighten up the sky, flashing patterns and designs that capture the attention of everyone on the boat.

Going into the trip, I was not excited to see the art museums. I am not an art person, and have not liked any art museums I have previously been to. But the Louvre (Paris), Orsay (Paris), and Prado (Madrid) museums sure changed my mind. I could not believe my eyes. Paintings as big as swimming pools, sculptures with incredible detail, the Mona Lisa, el Greco, Monet, Picasso; it all seems endless. Yet I probably could have wandered those museums for days and days if we had the time.

My favorite part of the trip was in Paris: Versailles. Versailles used to be the Palace for the French king, yet it looked as though an entire city of people could live there. We started in the gardens, where it was impossible NOT to get lost in the maze of shrubbery. But eventually, we would run into a gigantic fountain or one of the hundreds of statues and sculptures. But the view was unforgettable. The garden extended for just about as far as I could see, just a pond, trees, grass, and sculptures.

What I liked about the palace’s tour was how we got to see the craziness of the Monarchs’ lives. It was divided into two sections, the outer “public” section and the inner “private” section. The public section was how anyone would picture a palace; Lots of gold, magnificent paintings and sculptures where the country would see the king. Yet, behind secret doors, the king could escape to the private section. This was remarkably plain, and showed the more human side of the kings. Both the palace and the gardens together made Versailles the best part of the trip.

To get to Madrid, we had to take a bus instead of train because of the recent string of train robberies. But the bus ride was 18 hours. It was lots of fun for the first 3 or 4, but by hour 8, the novelty started to wear off. But I can’t really blame anyone for having to do this because they were just trying to make sure we were safe.

Since I am a French student, Madrid was not my half of the trip, and I did not understand as much of what we were doing. But I still enjoyed it all. There, we got to see lots and lots of castles, each one different than the next. Some were more modern, and some were more plain. Even though I did not know a lot of the history behind the places, I liked seeing how the royalty lived and contrasting the lifestyles of the Kings.

Even though I don’t study Spanish, I did have fun contrasting the two cultures. For one thing, the people were much friendlier in Madrid. They would move on the sidewalk instead of running into you, the service was much better at restaurants, and the people seemed to be in much better moods. Also, Spanish food, in my opinion, is much more interesting than French food. In France, there were cheeses, baguettes and crepes. But in Madrid, I was introduced into the wonderful world of Paella. Paella is a Spanish rice dish seasoned with saffron. I ordered it with seafood. It came out in a dish that looked like it could feed five people. But once I started eating, I couldn’t stop. It was by far the best thing I have ever eaten.

The trip to Europe this summer was one of the best experiences I have ever had. I thank everyone who helped plan it and the school board for allowing it to happen. I am very thankful that I got the chance to experience the culture I have been studying, as well as an entirely new one. I just hope that the school does this again so that the younger kids get the same opportunity I did.