Greetings from Argentiere

Hello Everyone,

Greetings from the Alps! We can’t believe it, but we are on our last leg of this amazing journey. We have already been to Bretagne, Paris, the Loire Valley, Montpellier, and now Chamonix. Amazing. . .

Last week may have been the most valuable experience of the entire trip. The students all lived with French families, 24/7. However, we emphasized that they were not really guests in these homes; they were to be active participants. They ate their meals together, went on family excursions, met friends and extended families, and many students even received little keepsakes by which to remember their French families. On a few occasions we met up as a giant group of Putney students and their French counterparts. We all went canoeing, had a pool party at one student’s house, and even visited the famous candy factory Haribo! We worry that their luggage will be too heavy because of the purchases made at Haribo, but it was well worth the visit!

After a tearful send-off on Tuesday morning, we began our trek to the Alps. We traveled by train, which gave us an opportunity to see the various landscapes that France has to offer. By far the most stunning, however, is where we are currently located. Here in the Valley of Chamonix we are surrounded by ice-capped mountains, and just a stone’s throw from Mont Blanc! We have already been on a beautiful hike to the Swiss border (see photo below), and yesterday we tackled an impressively large ropes course that finished with a luge down the mountain!

Lest we forget, we are still going strong with our language lessons. Yesterday we focused on 'mountain' vocabulary pertinent to the various activities in which we will be participating. The end of our program is in sight, and our students know it. They are soaking up these last moments together and having a great time. Many incredible friendships have been made on this trip-- memories that they will guard for years to come. We are looking forward to a warm greeting in the USA.

See you soon!

Tim, Laura, and the whole crew

Blois and homestays in Montpellier

Dear Friends and Family,

Our few days in the Loire Valley were both relaxing and productive. We picked right up with our language lessons, with a particular focus on vocabulary that would come in handy with our students' French host families. We learned about the different rooms in a house, a typical daily routine, and how to say, “Can I help you with the dishes?”. We also played some games that got the kids to describe their own families and interests so that they could better inform their hosts as to who they are as individuals. We even played Jeopardy to quiz them about what we have accomplished so far on our trip and where we will be going.

While we were in Blois we visited a number of beautiful chateaux. We saw Amboise, complete with the chapel that is home to Leonardo da Vinci’s remains, learned about Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici at Chenonceau, checked out the beautiful spiral staircases at Chambord, and watched the hunting dogs feast at Cheverny. And then, just to mix it up, we went kayaking down the Loire River! All in all it was a lovely time, and we ate well too!

Yesterday afternoon our students joined their welcoming host families; we have told them to call us at any point if there are any problems. So far we haven’t received any phone calls, so no news is good news! The kids will be spending two full days with their families, going to the beach, exploring Montpellier, going to movies, etc. before we all meet up on Friday for a canoe excursion. By “all” I mean to include their French 'siblings' as well, which should be really cool. More updates to come on host family experiences!

à bientôt,

Tim and Laura

From Morgat to Paris

Dear Family and Friends,

Our stay in Paris has been bustling! It is not easy to see everything Paris has to offer in so little time, but we have given it a good effort! We have visited Centre Pompidou, Le Louvre, Le Musée D’Orsay, the Tuileries, the Luxembourg gardens, the Champs Elysees, Trocadero, the Eiffel Tower, a Bateau Mouche, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, the Moulin Rouge, Chartres, Versailles, and I am sure I am forgetting something. So you see where we have been a little busy! But I am getting ahead of myself. . .

We spent a magnificent week in Morgat riding bikes, hiking, even surfing! July in Brittany is absolutely beautiful in spite of its strange weather pattern that brought two minutes of rain (literally) before the sky turned blue and the sun beat down again. The incomprehensible weather could not dampen our spirits, however! Our week here was jam-packed with activities ranging from excursions to the market in a neighboring town where our students bought foods for an incredible picnic lunch, to an afternoon-long internship at various establishments in Morgat. We even went to a music festival and danced ourselves silly! We emphasized contact with native speakers early so that our students feel more comfortable when they do meet their host families.

Language lessons included vocabulary about restaurant etiquette, foods, clothing, parts of the body (we played “Simon Says” and sang “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”), how to ask for and receive directions to get from one place to another, etc. The lessons were dynamic and fun and incorporated everything from grammar reviews to photo scavenger hunts.

We are off tomorrow to Blois to visit the magnificent Chateaux in the Loire Valley before going to Montpellier to stay with French families! We hope all is well back in the States.

A tout à l’heure!

Tim and Laura

Greetings from Morgat!

Bonjour les parents!

Many of you have probably been checking the blog religiously for updates. Fear not! Your children have safely arrived in France. After a beautiful day in Paris, where we briefly visited Notre Dame and the Place des Vosges, we caught an early train (nothing like a 5:00 AM wake up call to start the trip!) to Brest. We are currently situated in a wonderfully quaint town called Morgat no more than 100 meters from the ocean. As a matter of fact, two of our language lessons so far have somehow incorporated a visit to the lovely beach by our hotel.

It is early yet, but already the kids are beginning to make strides with their French by the sheer fact that they are actively using the language. I even have some math to prove that they are learning. Let’s say they have French class 4 to 5 times a week for an average of 1 hour each class. In an hour long class, each student speaks for approximately 3 to 5 minutes realistically. So if we estimate high, they are still only speaking a total of 25 minutes of French a week. They spoke nearly 4 times that much on the first day alone! The numbers don’t lie folks.

The language lessons have so far been very practical and pretty fun. Laura and I gave each student a small journal to write down new vocabulary that they find useful or interesting-- by the end of the program they should have a substantial log of words and phrases that they can comfortably use in conversation.

On the social side of things, the group seems to be getting along quite well, which was apparent especially on our boat tour this afternoon. Spirits are high and the language is improving, what more could we ask for?!

Until soon!
Tim and Laura

The group has arrived

We've received word from the leaders that the group has arrived in Paris.

Meet the trip leaders

2009 France Leaders: Tim Deary and Laura Sennett

LAURA SENNETT: Georgetown University, B.S.F.S., Culture and Politics, African Studies Certificate. While at Georgetown, Laura's studies concentrated on analyzing the role that culture plays in various forms of government and the creation of national identity. She complemented her study of culture and politics with French and African Studies. Laura studied abroad in Dakar, Senegal, during her junior year of college. While in Senegal, Laura taught English at a community center, interned at a women’s rights NGO, and traveled extensively throughout the country. At Georgetown, Laura was a tour guide for visitors on campus and a Senior Editor of The Hoya, the main campus newspaper. During her college years, Laura spent her summers as a camp counselor in the north woods of Wisconsin, and as an intern at Washington Post Newsweek Interactive and ABC News. She has throughout France. Laura has spent this past year living in Hong Kong as a Princeton in Asia fellow teaching English at Shue Yan University and writing for Time Out Hong Kong Magazine. This will be Laura’s second summer with Putney. Last summer she led a Community Service program in Senegal. Laura is fluent in French and proficient in Mandarin and Wolof.

TIM DEARY: Amherst College, B.A. in French and Sociology. While at Amherst, Tim spent a semester in Paris, France studying French language, culture, and literature at Paris III, l’Université Sorbonne Nouvelle. While in France, Tim also worked as an English tutor for French high school students. Upon returning to Amherst, Tim assumed this same role, tutoring his fellow students in French grammar and pronunciation. In addition to his studies, Tim served as the business manager of Amherst’s internationally renowned a cappella group, The Amherst College Zumbyes. In his free time he participated in Amherst Dance and played soccer, basketball, and ultimate frisbee. Tim is the recipient of the Frederick King Turgeon prize for excellence in French at Amherst College. Beginning in September, Tim will continue his teaching career as a teaching assistant in Nice, France. He is fluent in French.

Welcome!

In order to keep parents updated on the progress of their child's Putney program, from time to time over the course of the program, the trip leaders will post an update on this blog. We hope that the occasional updates will keep you informed about the activities, projects and successes of the summer, as well as comfort the usual worries in sending a son or daughter to a far-away place.

You should expect leaders to post blogs no more than once per week during the program. We feel strongly that the leaders' first priority is the students and the program. The reasons for infrequent updates will be the very busy schedules of our program leaders as well as inconsistent internet access at Putney's various destinations throughout the world. Please know that any important issues on the program will be discussed and resolved with leaders and parents by phone, not through the blog.

We suggest that you subscribe to the blog during your first visit so that you will receive e-mail notifications at the end of the day whenever a new update is posted. To subscribe, enter your email address under 'Subscribe via e-mail' on the right-hand column of the blog.

Have a fantastic summer!