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| 28 May 2024 | |
| Written by Xifei Zhang | |
| Queen's College News |
Over the Easter holidays, 15 pupils from IJ and C1 (Year 9 and 10) had the chance to go on the annual French exchange trip.
This exchange dates back to 2018, with a school called College Sainte Marie in Lyon, a private Catholic school - which is ‘means tested’ (the amount paid depends on how much a family earns because private schools in France are still subsidised by the state) - with a strong history of international exchanges. Every year, there are many more French students who would like to come to QCL than we can accommodate. The school is housed in a very modern building, totally bespoke and unique dating back to the 1960s. You can find out more about the school here.
The students participated in some lessons. Sophia (IJ) expressed how she found them difficult but it was interesting to see how they learnt differently. Whilst exploring Lyon, they visited museums, an art gallery and enjoyed exploring the secret underground tunnels (traboules) in the old town. They found Lyon a 'hidden gem' and they loved the city more than they expected, some even more than Paris which students often suppose is the best city in France.
Despite being only a 5-night stay, all students felt that they improved their French by the end of their visit. All the participants spent plentiful time with their French families, which they really enjoyed. Sophia (IJ) expressed how her family was sweet and accommodating, putting a lot of effort in so that she could have a good experience.
We're very proud that QCL runs school exchange trips as these are a unique and highly fulfilling experience that our students loved this year. We're grateful for the admin team in QCL for doing DBS checks with our own host families, now an expectation of schools running exchanges, so that everyone could have this positive experience.
We would like to know if anyone who went on a French Exchange whilst at Queen’s is still in contact with their family? Did you do an exchange trip during your time at Queen's? We'd love to hear your stories in the comments.
