by Katherine Mahoney ‘20

 Airport On April 13,

 I drove to Dulles airport to meet 16 Sherwood students, Mr. Falls, and Ms. Coogan. In delirious moods, we flew from Virginia to Amsterdam and finally, Marseille.

 Day 1

Once in Marseille, after many excruciating months of waiting, I met my exchange correspondent Emma Campigli and her mom. We then drove about forty minutes to their home in Saint-Cyrsur-Mer. A few hours later we had a picnic on the beach, where we ate popular French snacks and discussed basic get-to-know-you facts with Emma’s two friends and their two Sherwood students, junior Grace Castle and senior Danielle Katz.

 Day 2

 The first full day in Marseille, my new American friends and their correspondents joined Emma and me on a trip to Vieux Port. We then visited the Le Notre Dame de la Garde, a stunning castle-like church with a dramatic view. The rest of the day was taken up by trying more French treats and spending time with my family.

 Day 3

 Our first weekday was spent venturing throughout the halls of their private school and the town surrounding it. After school finished, we visited Terasses du Port, a mall in downtown Marseille and a beautiful church on the ocean edge. That day, I tasted my first real French baguette and my first authentic French crepe; they are both a million times better in France.

 Day 4

 Our first day trip, we visited Baux de Provence. A group of Americans and I ate our homemade French lunch on the top of the barrier walls. In Baux de Provence we also visited a moving art show projected onto the rock walls of a castle put to music. There were tons of different paintings and songs. My favorite was floating flowers dancing to “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles; it was completely surreal and one of my favorite memories.

 Day 5

 Like every Wednesday in France, school was a half-day. I went to philosophy, history, and English classes where I learned that the subjects in another country are almost identical to in the United States. After school, we went to Aix en Provence, a little town that I could only compare to Bethesda Row. We rushed home, changed into workout clothes, and then went to a krav maga lesson. After the lesson we ate takeout pizza, which was a completely different style from what we eat here.

 Day 6

 We took a day trip to Nimes, a historic but also shopping town in southern France. We visited an incredible ancient Roman amphitheater, ate lunch, and then shopped. Emma and I then went to the beautiful picturesque town of Cassis. We sat by a lighthouse and watched the sun disappear behind the Mediterranean Sea.

 Day 7

 We travelled to Avignon and visited the Palais des Popes, probably the most historically surreal destination on the whole trip. We learned all of the history of the castle and travelled to the top where we could see all of Avignon. After we returned home to Marseille, we went to Grace Castle’s correspondent’s house and got ready for Carnaval, a worldwide festival where people dress up in costumes and throw parties. We walked to school and spent the rest of our night eating, dancing, and mingling with our amazing new French friends.

 Day 8

 For our final day with the host families, Danielle Katz, Grace Castle, our correspondents, and I went for a day on the Mediterranean. We spent the whole day swimming and boating around the water. It was like a dream. The deep blue sky blended into the clear blue sea. The air was cool and the sun was shining. Our voices echoed through the air as we sang along to both French and American music. After the boating trip we went to a cookout at junior Justin Mancini correspondent’s house and enjoyed our last night.

 Day 9

 I woke up the next morning overcome with sadness. I gathered my things and headed to the school to meet the bus that would take us to Nice another part of France. We met with the other Americans, said one final goodbyes, and left. After a long bus ride we arrived at our hotel, dropped off our stuff, and walked around the shoreline of Nice. We ate our first meal by ourselves and followed it up with a dip in the Mediterranean. Then we spent the rest of the night in the hotel recalling everlasting memories.

Day 10 and 11

On day ten we visited Monaco, the second smallest country in the world. We watched the changing of the guard, which I found out was not just someone walking up and switching places. Our tour guide then took us to see Princess Grace’s grave. The next stop was Eze, a beautiful town with stone buildings. We shopped and ate crepes and then returned to Nice for dinner. The last night was spent getting close with some of the best people I now know, whom I would’ve never met if I didn’t push myself out of my comfort zone and go on this life-changing trip. The next day we woke up and spent the full day travelling back to our home. Every school trip begins with awkward introductions and a little anxiety, but as I experienced in France, everything is worth those scary moments because in the end, we all—French and American—became family.