Bonjour tout le monde!
I mentioned in a Facebook post this week that the this Saturday's EF trip to Paris is my 20th with the company. I started the adventure in 1988 with 15 kids and one other adult. We went to Paris and the Alps; our trip lasted 10 days. In 1988, communication was done with mail, phone and perhaps fax (who can remember?). I was sent a packet with all airplane tickets, our luggage tags and EF backpacks. We had a blast, and memories that still last a lifetime.
As I start out on this momentous trip, little snippets of memories come to mind. Losing two students in the 20 minute change of trains in the Chatelet station. Instead of staying in a small bunch, our group started stretching out into a long thin line. Fortunately, because there were two of them, they figured out that they were lost, and managed to call the restaurant. We gave them directions, and our group was reunited.
Losing things is a memory that runs through the years. Losing passports (twice), losing cameras (twice; one recovered), losing clothing (many times), losing entrance tickets (Melissa Filbeck). Lost luggage that took between 2 days and 4 weeks to get back (British Airways) Having someone stay too long in one spot only to find out that everyone else has moved on. I am proud to say that I brought back every student that left with me, although I will admit that a some point on a couple of trips I didn't exactly know where they all were...
The most important thing that I remember about these trips were my students as well as the students we met along the way. They were remarkably intelligent, funny, resourceful, and creative. We learned a lot about historical sites, cultural places, and even more about ourselves. Some of my left Los Angeles somewhat immature, and returned to class with a renewed sense of purpose and maturity. They amazed me with observations of what they saw and experienced.
I love traveling with students. When I left Prep in 2012, I thought I was done, and felt pretty good. Then I found out how much I missed the entire experience: choosing the destination, creating the group, all the meetings and preparations, flights, hotels, buses, and absolutely marvelous creation of a family. Kids that took care of each other, and sometimes me, who came together as a unit.
I hope to continue to create these memories. So, who is ready to organize a student group to Europe in 2017? I'm all set to start working on tour #21!
Here are just a few photos of my tours. I took
photos of earlier tours with a camera, so I will
have to scan some of those!
