Year 8 students participated in an immersion in French language and Mauritian culture programme during the Term III break for the seventh time this year.
Their 12-day itinerary included beach related activities, a cooking class and sight-seeing tours, as well as a visit to a local school, the College Sainte Marie in Palma, Quatre-Bornes. Here, students attended classes for the day, finding time to also play both soccer and AFL football with the Mauritian students.
“Although there are many fun-based activities within the programme, they are all intended to underpin language development,” according to Ms Adrienne Richardson, French Coordinator at Wadhurst. “We also want students to gain an appreciation and understanding of a culture which a lot of people are not aware, so we make sure our guide talks about an aspect of the country each day; it might be cultural, or perhaps biological related.”
“I love French,” says Hugh Beggs, Year 8. “My pronunciation improved enormously during the trip and, when I came back and revised my learnings, I improved further. I like travelling because you get to see the contrast between your life and those of others.”
With clear, turquoise waters, and a beautiful vista, there is no question that kayaking, swimming with dolphins and catamaraning were popular activities with students. However, they also appreciated the broader learning experience.
For Year 8 student, Konrad Dowse, it was the history of the country that was most fascinating. “Mauritius has had many different rulers over time,” he explains. “Their history is not all sunshine and rainbows, but it is still incredibly interesting as it explains why it is such a diverse and multicultural nation.”
“I mostly enjoyed learning about the Mauritian culture,” says Caspian Furman, Year 8. “For example, their houses are built in layers because children often simply build another storey on top of their parents’ house, as does the next generation and so on, rather than move elsewhere.”
And, of course, there were other trip highlights. “As with all school trips, the time you spend with friends outside of the school environment learning things together is great,” says Konrad.
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