Never having gone to Europe before in my entire life, I was nervous that France would be place that I would not feel comfortable in. I couldn't have been so wrong. As soon as we arrived in the city, we met two welcoming sisters, Sr. Colette and Sr. Marie-Rose. They showed us to where we would be staying and they were amazing, getting us breakfast every morning and sharing amazing information with us about St. Jeanne. The city itself was so beautiful and it felt like I was home, as I started knowing my way around pretty quickly. Bordeaux was a place where I met many new people my age and realized we're not all that different no matter where we're from. It all gave me peace of mind that made Bordeaux became a place much harder to say goodbye to.

I feel as though the most important people to mention in Bordeaux are Sr. Colette and Sr. Marie-Rose. They were both so incredibly helpful and kind to all of us, and this trip to Bordeaux would not have been possible if it weren't for them. Even if we were all exhausted and half-asleep when walking, Sr. Colette always gave us the energy we needed to keep going while sight-seeing around Bordeaux. Now it seems that everyone just walks so much slower because I got so used to her pace. I will never forget the first time that we walked through the chapel where St. Jeanne's remains were. Being able to see the stained glass window as the original image for our window at home was an entirely different experience. It made me feel as though I belonged there. I remember going to our rooms for the first time. I feel the 4th floor brought a lot of us together and I will never forget it. My room felt like another home to me, like I had been living there my entire life. And the breakfast that we all shared always made me excited to wake up in the morning. Our group shared so many happy memories there and it was so hard saying goodbye to the 4th floor and the city, my other home.

As soon as we landed and left the airport, we were immersed into the culture. We took a tram to Boudreaux and it was my first time riding a tram around a city. Adjusting was pretty easy, except for the being-away-from-home part. The first few days I was pretty homesick and it was a little difficult adjusting in that area. Eventually, the homesickness settled down.

When we were in Bourdeax, we saw so many sights and made so many memories. We visited the first original school, The Cathedral, Montaigne's castle, St. Jeanne's castle, and so many other places. One very vivid memory that I have is talking to the kids from the school in France. There was one day when we were leaving after lunch and a few kids came up to Alia and me and started talking to us. After a few seconds, a huge swarm of kids gathered around all of us and started asking questions and some even complimented us. I had so much fun talking to them, making new friends and creating memories. 

• Izzy