Bonjour, Réunion!

For two weeks, 18 kids from Suzanne Cory, across three year levels, got the opportunity to immerse themselves in French culture. 

Before we even set foot on French soil, our adventure began touring around the neighbouring island, Mauritius. From learning about the once-home of the extinct dodo bird, to introducing pool rugby to the island, the first few days felt like a holiday in itself.

Then came Reunion island! A small but awesome department of France nestled off the coast of Africa, where the real exchange began. We were welcomed by our sister school Lycee Sarda Garriga, and introduced to our host families. They then became our unofficial french tutors and guides for the next 10 days. The school kids were outgoing, curious about our life in Australia and infinitely patient with our French. 

We spent the time going between french classrooms and visiting the beautiful Reunion island. While it's hard to choose some highlights for the group were the beaches and wildlife we got to see. Dolphins, turtles, fishes, all in hot weather - while practicing our language skills! 

More than the sights, the trip gave us so much independence, navigating a foreign language and country. For anyone considering the trip in future, it is an experience that we cannot recommend enough.

We are beyond grateful for the work of our teachers, both in Australia and Reunion, for the huge amount of work they put into organising and managing the first trip of its kind in our school's history. Between navigating French customs, keeping us all together in a foreign country and avoiding an active volcano, they had their work cut out for them. 

Now that we have further established a sister school relationship between our two high schools, we cannot wait to welcome Lycee Sarda Garriga into our Australian lives next year!

By Allegra, Sam, Ziva, Anushka, Aadivir, Gavin & Sachiv