Vive la France! Semaine 3: Les crêpes, le foot et ma rencontre avec la Joconde.

Posted on April 2, 2013 by dlevy

Je commence à m’habituer au style de vie français : les cafés, les crêpes et le foot…le vrai bonheur. Je passe mes après-midi avec des amis du Lycée en jouant au football, en me baladant autour de l’ancienne ville de Senlis et même en faisant des tours de moto! Les lycéens sont tous très sociables et gentils.

Cette semaine, j’ai gouté la nourriture traditionnelle de la France. Nous avons fait une soirée de fromage, en mangeant plusieurs fromages très forts. J’ai gouté le fromage de chèvre, le camembert et même le difficile roquefort. J’ai aussi dégusté ce que mon correspondant appelle « la poutine de la France » : le kebab. J’ai trouvé que cela ne goutait pas vraiment la poutine et que cela était très lourd. Je n’avais plus faim après! J’ai aussi mangé du foie gras, que j’ai bien aimé. Enfin, j’ai mangé des crêpes. Depuis mon arrivée en France, je mange une crêpe avec du Nutella tous les jours.

Cette semaine le Lycée St Vincent a reçu 35 élèves d’Angleterre. Ils étaient très sympathiques et agréables. J’ai fait deux sorties à Paris avec eux. J’ai visité le Sacré Cœur et j’ai monté en haut de l’Arc de Triomphe. C’était magnifique d’observer les rues autour de l’Arc de Triomphe, surtout les Champs Élysée. La vue était formidable. Finalement, j’ai fait une visite au Louvre. Le musée est gigantesque. J’ai passé toute une après-midi en observent d’incroyables sculptures et peintures italiennes, grecques, françaises et égyptiennes. J’ai beaucoup apprécié les détails dans chaque tableau.

Nous avons fini notre visite au Louvre en allant voir la célèbre Joconde. J’ai été surpris : comme ce tableau est petit!!! Je suis entré dans la chambre et j’ai vu au moins 100 personnes encerclant la petite Joconde. Ces touristes étaient en train de se pousser, en essayant d’obtenir la meilleure vue possible. Comment pourrais-je la voir de près? J’ai donc décidé de pousser légèrement et je me suis fait un chemin vers le centre. J’ai réussi à me retrouver devant la Mona Lisa et prendre une belle photo. Malheureusement, j’ai réalisé que je ne pouvais plus sortir de là! J’étais entouré de touristes. Alors j’ai fait signe aux gardes de sécurité et ils m’ont laissé passer sous la corde qui entourait la zone près de la peinture. J’étais si près de la Joconde! J’ai passé sous la corde et je me suis déplacé vers la droite, tout en regardant la peinture. Ses yeux m’ont suivi…

Cette semaine, je reprends mes cours de conversation. J’aurai des histoires à raconter. À suivre. — Zachary Shine ’15

Schools on Tundra 4: Exhilarating!

Posted on April 2, 2013 by dlevy

LCC students Victor Zhao’13 and Andrew Hamilton’13 had the opportunity to participate in ArcticNet’s Schools on Tundra program during the March Break.

“Students and teachers participating in the Schools on Tundra program [had] the unique opportunity to conduct authentic field research in the sub-arctic, engage with scientists working out of the [Churchill Northern Studies Centre] and participate in lectures and workshops. Participants also [experienced] the diverse geology, biodiversity, cultural history, and wild beauty that the area around Churchill offers.

The program was hosted at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre (CNSC), a hive of scientific activity located outside of Churchill, MB Canada. Here, scientists are trying to increase our understanding of the changes that the sub-arctic is experiencing due to global climate change.”

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March 2, 2013

Today was a very packed day in Churchill. After an early wake-up (6:30!), we continued working on our model rockets. Most people finished assembling their rockets. I’m very excited for Monday’s launch!

At about 10:30, we left for the day’s main event: dog sledding! We arrived at Blue Sky Expeditions a half hour later, eager to begin. Gerald Azure, the founder and trainer, walked us through how the sleds work. There were two sleds: one with space for one passenger, and the other with space for two. Both sleds were each pulled by a team of seven dogs. Blue Sky is unique in the way it treats its dogs; they believe strongly that the dogs shouldn’t be overworked, so each dog is “retired” into adoption at age eight. One of the dogs, who ended up being a lead dog for us, had recently been rescued from a home where she had been abused. You could see in both her timid nature and the scar above her eye that something wasn’t quite right with the dog psychologically.

On a happier note, I think that I speak for the entire group when I say that we had a great time dogsledding. It is a completely unique experience, one which I find difficult to put into words, but I will say this much: The feeling is a mix of exhilaration, empowerment and, well, surprise when the dogs first take off.

Then we went to sleep for the night. Or so we thought. Around 11 o’clock, Max (one of the teachers accompanying the trip) woke us up to take a look at the northern lights. They were by far the best I’d seen so far on this trip, and the viewing dome was completely full for the first time. He managed to get some incredible pictures of the overpowering phenomenon, and those of us who managed to get up were staring at the sky in awe for a while.

When thinking of what I was going to write for this dispatch, I thought it was almost unfair that I got a day that was so full of great activities. That’s when it hit me – it wasn’t that this day was so much better than the others, it’s that every day on this trip has been an incredible experience in and of itself. I feel privileged to be here. —Andrew Hamilton ’13

Schools on Tundra 3: Enlightening!

Posted on April 2, 2013 by dlevy

LCC students Victor Zhao’13 and Andrew Hamilton’13 had the opportunity to participate in ArcticNet’s Schools on Tundra program during the March Break.

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February 28, 2013

We’ve been in Churchill for a few days, and not to be cliché, but to describe our experience in a word, it has been cold! We’ve spent the last few days from dawn till dusk, doing science! Lectures that have gone entirely above our heads have been… “enlightening,” the Northern Lights lecture was genuine enlightenment and an amazing recounting of the way our world works. Andrew and I were lucky enough to get a first-hand experience just now, around 8:40 Churchill time, right after seeing the most beautiful purebred Siberian sled dog, Princess Scarlett. Although anyone else would assert that she was here as part of the dog sledding presentation we just had in preparation for our dog sledding expedition in two days, in my mind I’m sure she was here to keep me company.

Over the past two days, we’ve spent a total of approximately nine hours in the outdoors, and in that time, I’ve noticed some things. The first is that as great as hand warmers are, when wind chill makes it so that it’s around 40 degrees below freezing, no hand warmer will keep you warm, and even with boots rated for -73 degree weather, the cold really bites deep, especially given that exposed hair WILL freeze, and that applies to eyebrows and eyelashes. Because of that, most people can’t see clearly by the time they return to the science centre. I’ve been having an especially fun experience where glasses aren’t great because neck guards are pretty crucial, and the second they cover your mouth and nose, the air that gets caught and fogs your glasses instantly. What people should recognize though is that even with whatever limited visibility or extreme cold there may be, being outside is beautiful here, and snow angels are absolutely amazing, even if you need to (read: get to) wear snowshoes to get to where you can make them.

More on the science side, we’ve mainly been doing snow sampling, tree sampling and generic lab work, and lectures have kept us so occupied that by the end of the day, everyone is absolutely exhausted. In fact, last night, after a long day of doing research and snowshoeing and sampling, we got to dinner, which has been absolutely amazing, and I may or may not have eaten ten pieces of pizza. Staying well rested and nourished has never been as important, but it’s really worth it, not only for the amazing scientific experience, but for the beauty of the area around us as well. —Victor Zhao ’13

Schools on Tundra 2: Settling In

Posted on March 28, 2013 by dlevy

LCC students Victor Zhao’13 and Andrew Hamilton’13 had the opportunity to participate in ArcticNet’s Schools on Tundra program during the March Break.

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February 26, 2012

So here we are. Churchill. Our train pulled into the station today, full of anticipation. After 45 hours on the train (and in towns along the way), I’d say that the arrival has also solved our restlessness. We are now a group of nine, waiting for our final member to arrive tonight. As far as the students go, there are four from Quebec, four from Manitoba and a pair from Nunavut. I already feel as though I’ve known these fellow participants for much longer than what time and addition say. Between midnight games of ninja in the snow in Gillam, MB, the (friendly) provincial competition in our card games, and the shared suffering of trying to sleep in seats on the train, we have grown incredibly close as a group.

For the next eight days, we will be staying at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre. This is a non-profit organization dedicated to education and research on climate change in the North. The building that houses the organization (and us!) was purpose-built through donations from the provincial and federal governments, as well as through private donations. My favuorite part of the building has to be the Aurora Dome. As the name suggests, this is a dome on top of the building used to watch the Aurora Borealis, better known as the Northern Lights. Although we are out of season for polar bears, getting to see the lights from such a great vantage point will more than make up for it.

As I am writing this, we are preparing to hear a lecture from Dr. Pete Kershaw. He will be speaking to prepare us for tomorrow’s main activity, taking snow samples. We will also be hearing from a specialist on one of this area’s main attractions, the Aurora Borealis. –Andrew Hamilton ’13

Vive la France! Semaine 2: La vie au Lycée St-Vincent

Posted on March 26, 2013 by dlevy

J’ai commencé mes études au Lycée St-Vincent. Le lycée reçoit plusieurs étudiants comme moi qui font un échange avec un lycéen français. J’ai donc rencontré des étudiants de la Finlande et de l’Angleterre. La plupart parlent principalement l’anglais. Les lycéens français ont donc été surpris de constater que je pouvais parler le français.

Cependant, ces étudiants ne resteront en France que pour une période d’une semaine. Le lycée recevra de nouveaux étudiants dans deux semaines. Ainsi, au cours de mon séjour, je pourrai rencontrer plusieurs étudiants de différents pays européens.

Mes classes au lycée sont principalement des cours de conversation. Je pratique mon français avec des professeurs. Ici, les étudiants ne travaillent pas sur des ordinateurs. D’ailleurs, il n’y a pas d’internet WiFi accessible pour les étudiants. C’est bien différent de nos habitudes à LCC.

Les professeurs nous offrent aussi la chance de visiter Chantilly, Senlis et Paris. Je suis allé à Paris deux fois. J’ai visité le Château de Chantilly, Notre Dame, la Bastille, le Palais de Tokyo et le Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature. Je me suis promené autour de l’Arc de Triomphe, sur les Champs Élysée, le quartier juif et la Place des Vosges. Et finalement, bien sûr, la Tour Eiffel. J’ai même eu la chance de monter jusqu’au sommet!

Mon échange ici se déroule très bien. J’ai rencontré des gens fantastiques, dont les amis de Gaspards; Igor, Alex, Dimitri et des correspondants d’Angleterre; Adam, Daniel et Emma. La semaine prochaine, une série de nouveaux étudiants arrivera. À suivre.– Zachary Shine ’15