Trips are back this year, and you don’t want to miss the incredible opportunities our lovely teachers spent many months planning! 

This week I wanted to highlight French teacher Ms. O’Brien’s trip to France. She has “a great passion for learning about other cultures, languages, and places,” which has led her to create this opportunity for RMA scholars. Having lived in France, she is a pro when it comes to her trip-planning abilities, and this upcoming trip will be her sixth! 

On this trip, you will be able to explore the city of Paris and parts of the south of France with many incredible activities for you to engage in along the way. A few of the activities from past trips have included making macarons, going up to the top of the Eiffel Tower at night, and hiking up to a beautiful botanical garden on a hill in the city of Eze that overlooks the French Riviera’s coastline. If you are a lover of the outdoors, you should definitely be looking forward to the hike, as Ms. O’Brien notes that it has “incredible views”! Even though Ms. O’Brien has been on this trip several times, she is always looking for new activities that will best display all France has to offer to her students. She hopes to include cooking classes and a visit to the Orgaerie Museum, which has been newly renovated, in her future itineraries. 

Being able to experience the culture in France is what I’m sure attracts many of our students. Ms. O’Brien says that “Day to day, it [life in France] is pretty much the same”; however, she did add that the biggest difference in our culture versus French culture is the “focus French culture has on food.” Ms. O’Brien has seen several of her students fall in love with food they would have never expected themselves to try, but she points out that being in a new environment can allow you to explore things outside of your comfort zone; you should never be afraid to try new things!

If you are planning on participating in the trip, Ms. O’Brien suggests getting lots of rest leading up to this exciting week, as there are so many thrilling opportunities and you wouldn’t want to miss out on them due to exhaustion! Ms. O’Brien is expecting to take the next trip during spring break in 2023, so if you are interested in signing up for this opportunity, do not wait because the deadline is quickly approaching! Contact Ms. O’Brien if you have any further questions or click here to sign up.