French Teacher Paul Kirschling gets ready to travel abroad with his students, once again.
Photo by Mia Nogueira
Foreign Language Teacher Paul Kirschling is eagerly awaiting Spring Break of 2012, when he will take his annual France trip with his French 2, 3, and 4 students.
For this trip, students will be traveling to Provence in the South of France, home to many famous painters, beautiful weather, and a mix of people of French and Italian ancestry. “After Paris, Provence is the most visited area of France. The weather is beautiful, the food and wine are wonderful, and you have the Mediterranean Sea,” said Kirschling.
The two-week-long France trip allows students the opportunity to spend a week with a French host family where they will be able to experience living French style: what they do, how they live, and best of all what they eat. “I like that it’s the kids’ own experience; they make their own experience and don’t have to be on a bus with a big group of kids they don’t know. They get to do their own thing and can feel more comfortable. They get to make the trip their own and become acclimated to the ways of the French,” said Kirschling.
The second week students will reunite with Kirschling and the rest of the TJ students and can see the many picturesque and historic sites France has to offer. The group will be in Paris where they will visit several historic sites including the Notre Dame de Paris, the Louvre, and the famous Eiffel Tower. The students will be guided by Kirschling who is no amateur when it comes to France; he has traveled to Paris at least a dozen times. This second week the Spartans will also be visiting one museum each day, such as the Museum d’Orsay and the Museum Rodin, and will get free time to do or go where they wish. “Free time is usually their favorite part,” adds Kirschling.
TJ students in the past have had the chance to travel and live for two weeks in various parts of France, where they have seen the sights and have lived in the midst of the French culture. “The French trip was an amazing opportunity for me to understand a different culture which I wasn’t used to. It also allowed me to do things on my own and know what it feels like to be independent. Since my French hadn’t greatly developed, I had to learn for myself how to get around and communicate,” said TJ Senior Yiana Andrianakos, a former French student who traveled with Kirschling and company to Toulouse last year.
Interested students have a full year to begin saving for the trip. The price will range from $3,200-$3,350. Those who will go will experience many things including the French lifestyle, the French culture, and real French food. “I really want it to be an exciting and positive introduction to the real world and know what it’s like to be out there and travel to foreign countries. What travel can bring to their lives is one of a kind. I want them to know it’s possible. It wasn’t until I was 22 that it occurred to me that I could go somewhere out of the country,” said Kirschling of his personal experience and what he expects for this trip to bring to the students.
“It’s awesome! Paris is fun and we have fun together,” said Kirschling. French prodigies who desire to go on the trip to France can talk to Kirschling in room 15.
