Abingdonian 2017

44 The Abingdonian French Exchange The week in Aix-en-Provence was a great experience. Everything we did was enjoyable from visiting the Pont du Gard to skiing and I could not have had a better exchange partner. Friday morning at 6am we all met up in St Pancras Station, London, resulting in all of us having to wake up well before 3am. A much too early start for a typical teenager! We got on the train to Marseille at 7.20am, and then spent the next seven hours on the train, arriving at about 3.15 pm. We were finally in France! We hopped on the coach and headed to La Nativité. When we arrived, we were given delicious pastries (bugnes and chouquettes) and a t-shirt. We then split into two groups and had a tour around the school. Afterwards, we got reunited with our exchange partners and spent the weekend in families. My exchange partner lived in a beautiful house in the countryside, with a huge pool and garden. We took a quick dip in the pool and then had dinner. French cheese is great! The following day, we met up with other English and French exchange partners for a game of bowling. The next day, walking around town, we saw many elections posters. I liked the fact that in the French election system a wide range of political parties is represented. I had a sensational weekend with my exchange partner despite the rainy weather. I found myself becoming increasingly at ease with French culture. I introduced a few of the French lads to some rugby and could not help but use my experience to mug them off here and there. The highlight for me was going skiing for the weekend and playing a football game (English partners vs French partners), especially as we won. On Monday, after an early start, the group travelled to Manosque, a pretty medieval city, where we walked though its narrow streets and open squares. We then visited L’Occitane en Provence, the international retailer of beauty products. We took a tour of the factory and learnt about its rich history. In the afternoon, we travelled to the Confiserie du Roy René, maker of the famous “Calissons”. On Tuesday we visited a city entirely built on the top of a large mountain, Les Baux de Provence. Because of its