Back to Saumur!

Hello to everyone reading! I had some time on the bus ride back from Normandy today to write a midweek blog post and I thought you all might enjoy hearing about the 4^th of July picnic with the host families in Saumur last Sunday while I prepare the next big blog update for this weekend!

So…

On Sunday the 5^th we had our 4^th of July picnic with the host families, students, professors, and onsite coordinator. It went very smoothly and the families and professors enjoyed getting a chance to informally socialize. We had the picnic in Montreuil-Bellay, a small village about 20 minutes from Saumur where’s there’s a beautiful park and city to visit. Each family brought their own picnic and a dessert to share. The students talked or played with their host parents and siblings during the picnic and then visited the city and chateau (our onsite coordinator, Marie-Christine, also created a post-picnic treasure hunt activity!).

Here are some pictures highlighting the 4^th of July picnic celebration:

Joe, Matthew, Hannah, and Rachel find a spot to sit with the families

We settle in for the picnic

Rachel, Hannah, and Camille kindly pose for a photo

Lydia, Ian, Robin, Sarah, and Hannah (along with Sarah’s host sister I believe!)

A lot of students played games while the families finished eating; here we have Lauren, Alex, Casey, and someone I can’t quite see!

There was a large, sand football pit where some students played with the parents and other kids

Students sang for the host families to thank them (they’re getting quite good singing without the books)

Ian, Lauren, and Ellen stroll through the city after our picnic. There were flea market shops lining the street and a treasure hunt!

I’ll be putting together a big blog post to show you what the students have been up to in Normandy the past couple days – it should be up by Saturday! There will be lots of pictures—your sons and daughters are always so willing to take a picture for the blog!