This morning, I rode the bus this morning with my exchange student into the city. I really like Tours in the morning because it reminds me of home, but it’s also really peaceful in the sense that it’s not as rushed and people aren’t as pressed for time. Alizée told me as we were walking that some of the students who were still in school (I think they equate to either juniors or seniors in our school system) were nervous because they were taking the BAC (which is like a huge final that determines which school they go to after high school) today and they not only have to make a ten minute speech in front of their teacher and the entire class but they also have to take a written cumulative test about everything they learned during the course of the year. I don’t know what I’d do if it were like that in America to be honest – I think I have enough to worry about as it is.
The activity this morning was a visit to La Musée de Beaux Arts de Tours (an art museum full of famous french pieces and installations).Our tour guide was amazing! He was extremely animated and engaging, as he helped us to understand what was happening even though the tour was spoken in French. He explained the important paintings around the museum and why they were famous. A lot of the paintings were religious, having either to do with Christianity or Catholicism. Afterwards, we took a really long bus/tram ride to the park where we had lunch. Afterwards, we went to a ropes course. Unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling well so I didn’t participate in it, but from where I was watching it looked really fun. There were lots of zip lines both through the trees and over the lake. All in all, I think everyone that participated had a great time. Luckily, there were a couple of people who also didn’t participate with me, so we just talked and caught up with what everyone was doing while they were away for the long weekend.
