Friday, 27 May 2011
Day 5 - Aurevoir La France!
We got onto the coach and headed off to the French Market in good time. The children were all very impressed with local fare, which included sheep's brains, veal tongue and a variety of live sea-food. One student made himself particularly popular with the fruitier by requesting one cherry, so a hasty departure was required. Another student attempted (unsuccessfully) to purchase an alcoholic pastry from a bakery.
There have been reports of a possible blockade at Calais as part of a protest (not the taxi drivers, I don't think), so hopefully we'll be able to get onto the ferry without incident, and might even make it home early!
It's been a very memorable trip for staff and students alike. We've worked well together as a team, been very encouraging to everyone (including one child who told a Disney employee that he spoke 'goooooood Eeeeeenglish!' when we entered the park). The children have overcome their fears of travelling without parents to a foreign country (admittedly, we did have to reassure one child that Malaria wasn't a known problem in Western Europe - the same child, as it happens!), and they've made us all very proud of them.
Well done, Foster's Year 6!
We're now pulling in to Dover, and very much looking forward to seeing all our loved ones at school.
Day 04 - Disneyland!
After a leisurely breakfast, we boarded the coach and began excitedly talking about experiences people had had at the various Disney and other theme parks around the world. It was surprising how well travelled some of the children were! We arrived with perfect timing at the Park just as it was opening - thanks again to Andy our driver - all very excited and looking forward to our day.
We passed security, and approached the entrance gates, where our attempts to use our tickets to gain entry were rejected. We discovered that PGL had made a mistake with our booking, and our tickets expired yesterday! I'm not sure who was more disappointed, the teachers or the children. It took a while to sort out the ticketing issues, during which time the children waited patiently and behved brilliantly. We finally got some valid tickets, and entered the park. Though we could have done without the delay, it actually made the experience of actually entering the park even more exciting.
We organised to have our dinner at the Chateau later than usual so that we could make up the lost time in Disneyland, and it was a good thing, too. We managed to go on all the rides people wanted to (Space Mountain was a firm favourite, with some children going on the ride 7 times!). One child was particularly nervous about riding the roller coaster, and pulled out at the last minute. After trying out a few of the other rides first, her friends convinced her to try the roller coaster again, and despite her feats, she did it. She came off the ride, her face lit up, saying that it was the best ride ever, and went on another few times. Great to see the children overcoming their fears and trying new experiences.
When we returned to the Chateau, completely exhilarated and exhausted, another new experience was waiting for us - snails as part of our evening meal. While not to everyone's taste, several children liked them so much, they went back for seconds, thirds, ... even fifteenths! One child said that he wanted to take some of the snails from the dinner hall and pack them in his suitcase so he could share the experience with his parents. Fortunately for those parents, we discovered the plan, and convinced him that it might be better to purchase snails in the UK, rather than trying to smuggle cooked snails across the boarder. Looks like you all have another staple to add to the shopping list next time you go to Asda!
Evening activity was a choice of different activities, ranging from Karaoke, games room, football, or tennis. After the full day at Disneyland and a selection of active games after dinner, I was confident the children would go stratight back to their rooms and fall into a deep sleep. How can one person get it so wrong? The children behaved really well and packed their rooms ready for the morning, but excitement levels were just too high for everyone to drop quickly off to sleep. They eventually quietened down out of respect for other people at the centre who might be trying to sleep (i.e., the teachers!), but I wonder how much sleep was had. I guess we'll find out in the morning...