Guadeloupe 2010!!!

We're in the planning phase for the Spring 2010 trip to Guadeloupe. If you went on the 2009 trip, please talk it up and share the wonderful experience you all had with the Juniors. This trip may also be open to students in AP French and French 4, so if you have non-Immersion friends that might be interested, please tell them about it! The first information meeting is going to be on October 7th at 7pm at South Eugene HS, Room 536..

Sunday - LAST DAY!

Surfing - at 8 in the morning! Whose idea was that? It turned out to be a good one after all. Off to the beach and Surf school at St François where the kids were split into two groups, and the first group got off to a great start. Ally, Grace and Elena got up pretty quickly and then Christophe and Juh Yun had some success. They came bounding back to the beach all smiles and excitement. Elena said it was the best thing we did the whole time! The second group didn't fare as well. Eleni turned out to be the only Pro Surfer in that group and the others said it was too much work. The water was more crowded by then and it was a bit later, so maybe hotter as well. They all came in early, except for Eleni, and then Elena, Grace, Ally, JuhYun and Christophe went back out for more fun.

After that we went to another beach at the Helleux for a picnic, then

returned to our own beach at Ste-Anne to pick up last minute souvenirs and memories before our early morning flight tomorrow. Everyone is feeling a bit sad that it is over, (Marika will confirm that I'm tearing up as I write this) and I haven't heard anyone say that they are looking forward to going to school on Tuesday! We have had a wonderful adventure, made many new friends and connections for future trips and projects with the school and community here in Guadeloupe. I think you'll find that every single person on the trip had a great experience and learned something new about him or her own experience in the world and a lot about the beautiful country and lovely people of Guadeloupe. Thanks for everything you did to make this happen!

Saturday by the boys (with added details)

This morning we left at 6 am to head to the other island, Basse Terre, for a hike to the top of the volcano, La Soufrière. It was about an hour and a half drive from Ste-Anne, until we arrived in the parking lot at the volcano's base and met our guide, named Jean-Pierre, who amazed us by scaling the steep rocky slopes with bare feet - he said he feels closer to nature when he walks on the earth with his feet bare.

The guide explained things about the mountain and the plant life throughout the hike. The hike was very hard. The ascent took about an hour and a half, through wind and rain, and our morale was low. After summitting, we returned to the base of the mountain for a snack of local juices and bread with pate and other spreads. It was pretty chilly even at the bottom of the mountain, so to boost our spirits, we went to a beach near Trois Rivieres which has black volcanic sand that is very fine and gets into everything you are wearing!

We attacked the waves and had a very good time. After this, we went across the street to a restaurant for lunch, then back in Ste-Anne, we did WLS leadership activities for an hour and then returned to our families. In the evening, we went to the lighted beach in Ste-Anne with Christophe and Jennifer and to have crepes and play cards for a few hours then went back to our houses to sleep.

Friday by Cole and Ryan is HERE!

Today we went to the Lycée de Baimbridge (Baimbridge High School), the largest high school in all of France (yes, including la France Metropolitaine!- jld) for the first part of the day. It was very intimidating at first, as many of the students there were looking at us conspicuously. Once we got to interacting with the students in a group and individually, it went much more smoothly. After the lycée, we went to the supermarket "Carrefour" to get things for lunch (and ate lunch at a marina in Vieux Bourg - jld) before we got on a boat to go to the mangroves on the north side of the . The mangroves was a cool place, and we learned about the flora and the fauna of the region. After the mangrove, we had a long ride back to Ste-Anne and each student went back to their host family for dinner, then we all went to the beach around 8 pm and played cards on the beach (and had Nutella Crepes at a beachside cafe! - jld)

Thursday by Chris, JuhYun, and Patrick

Today, we started our day off at “Bois Jalon” beach. It was one of the most beautiful places we have ever seen but there was a lot of trash on the beach. We took three hours to clean and pick up trash all along the beach. We found out the types of trees that are poisonous on the beach while we were cleaning. The beach was more beautiful than any postcard or picture we have ever seen. It was also one of the least populous beaches on this island. Next we had some free time next to the regular beach we have gone to every day so far. The day was sad because it was the last day at the middle school we have been going to. We answered questions and interacted with different activities. Then we had to say our goodbyes to the children. We spent time in the teacher’s lounge as they served us pastries and snacks. To wrap up the day we debriefed, thought of ways to better the education system, and participated in a group leadership activity.

Wednesday (Day 3) by Ellie and Eleni

Today, we continued to work at the Eugene YSSAP Middle School in Ste. Anne. From nine o’clock to noon we taught English games and songs to 5ieme (7th grade), and answered questions with the 3ieme (9th grade.) For lunch, we ate sandwiches on the beach and had two hours of “free time”. In the afternoon we visited an afterschool program called “Agouti”. At Agouti, we talked with eight and nine year olds and then taught them “Doe, a Deer”. In return they taught us a traditional Creole song, traditional Guadeloupian dance – the Zouk, and we played games. We finished our day at the beach, and then returned to our host families for dinner and a much needed sleep. Everyone is doing well and having a great time.

Preview of Wednesday by Jennifer

Hello! Eleni and Ellie will be writing about what we did on Wednesday, so I won't be a spoiler, but I just wanted to let you know that all is well and we had a great day today. We're all feeling very comfortable and know our way around pretty well now, so even though it was a very long day, it was easier in some ways. Generally, we have been at the school the first half of the day, and then have another activity in the afternoon. Today we gave them a couple of hours of free time at lunch to go to the beach or shop at the artisan stands. Some went to check out the free Internet at the library, but they realized it would be a long wait and gave up. No one has had any problems with their host families, and apart from a short 2-hour power/water outage on Monday evening, a little heat rash here and there, and having to pump Lizzy with Gatorade the first day for a mild case of heat exhaustion, we are all doing well, are in good health, and are getting used to the climate. It rained yesterday evening and that brought the mosquitoes out and made it unbearably hot and humid for a while. This afternoon, it cooled off just enough to be comfortable again. Christophe is down at the beach with the students, and I am headed home to relax and get a bit of alone time before dinner. We're finding that our program is awfully full and having to make some adjustments here and there for the fact that it takes time to walk everywhere and to get everyone together. We've had some cranky moments when we are all hot and hungry, but overall, everyone is getting along fabulously and appreciative of this amazing experience.