Ciao, Wisconsin and Bonjour, Europe: Homestead students take on Italy and France for spring break
March 24, 2015
Why vacation in Florida for spring break when you can sight-see the wonders of Italy or France? For most Homestead students, the ultimate spring breaker spot tends to be either Florida or Mexico; however, for select Latin and French students, their spring break spot is in Europe.
With crepes, croissants and cafes, France takes the cake for the ultimate spring break spot. French students, Hannah O’Leary, Kristina Smeshko, Shefali Mukerji, Tiffany Liu, Holly Dooge, sophomores, Clare Hanson, junior, and Hanna Tseng, senior, will be traveling Wednesday, March 25 to Provence, France. Each girl will be living with an assigned host family to experience a week replete with everything French. “I’m looking forward to meeting my host family and experiencing living with a real French family. I’ve never been there before so I’m really excited to see how our culture compares to theirs,” O’Leary stated.
Throughout the week, these seven girls will see the infamous Eiffel Tower, survey the half-smiled Mona Lisa in the Louvre and explore the Arc De Triomphe. This trip occurs every two years. “I’ve been all over the United States, but I have never been outside of the country so I’m really excited to visit France and be immersed in the language, culture, and experiences it has to offer,” Dooge said.
Adding onto the already eye-opening adventures of Paris, these lucky ladies will also explore some gothic cathedrals, like Notre Dame. Notre Dame, besides being a part of a Disney movie, is known for the place where Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned emperor.
As a chaperone, Madame Meg Clark, French teacher, will be tagging along for her first trip with Homestead. With multiple previous trips to France, Madame Clark believes that “the best way to understand the culture is to travel there. Traveling is a window to the world.”
Vespas galore! Another vacation spot for Homestead students is the land of pizza and pasta, Italy. Nineteen students will be traveling overseas Thursday, March 26 to explore the wonders of ancient Roman landmarks.
The trip starts with sightseeing Palermo, Sicily and continues through the coast up to Rome. With visits to the Colosseum, various Greek ruins and the Vatican, this vacation is jam-packed with ancient history. “I can’t wait to go on this trip to experience the Italian culture and the lifestyle,” Stef Potter, freshman, stated.
