Repas Exotique

Last weekend was my second last Rotary Weekend in France. We went to Lens, a smaller town between Lille and Paris. The weekend was based around "Le repas exotique" (exotic meal). The goal of the weekend is to raise money for our Rotary weekends throughout the year, this was the second repas exotique that I had done this year. Everyone has to bring a traditional plate (main course and desert) from their country. There were over 20 countries with 49 exchange students, we are grouped by country to country and we usually cook the food during the day or the night. 

Euro Tour

I have returned home from my bus trip around Europe that I have been looking forward to all year, it was impressionnant! (amazing). We were about 40 exchange students from the Southern Hemisphere (South Africans, Australians, New Zealanders and Argentinians!) We started in Paris and travelled through the following destinations: Reims, Strasbourg, Nuremberg, Prague, Vienna, Lido di Jesolo, Venice, Milan, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Rhone-Alpes, Geneva and Dijon! My favourite city was most likely Prague, in Czech Republic, as it was just so different to any other European city I had ever seen. The architecture was so cool, everything seemed like it was in a horror film or something. We visited the Prague castle which was really cool, my Favourite thing was most likely the bridge. There were statues all along the bridge, and people playing music and singing everywhere. I also really liked Venice, even though it was my second time there it still shocked me that there is a city in the middle of the ocean. It was a bit different to the first time I went though, because they had had a lot of rain and everything was flooded, which made it look really cool in photos. In Nuremberg we got to visit one the stands where Hitler used to make speeches and hold the nazi parades. The history in Germany was really sad but also very interesting. I also got to visit Mer de Glace (ice sea) which is in the French alps. There was a bit of snow on the mountains but it actually wasn't that cold. The Mer de Glace, Mont St Michel and The Eiffel Tower are three of the biggest landmarks in France and I have visited all three! It was really strange leaving France, as I still always thought I was in France and whenever I spoke to someone in a shop or restaurant I would speak to them in French, it was so weird, but I couldn't help it. It was like I thought everyone who didn't speak English spoke French. Anyway, it was really sad saying goodbye to all of the friends I had made on the trip, and it felt so strange afterwards, but not I am back in Lille and everything is back to normal. I am hoping to catch up with some of my bus trip friends for New Years.