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Clifton-Rouen Exchange 2008

Many a time has the passage from Normandy to Britain been traversed by historical friend and foe leaving an indelible link between the two regions, none more pertinent and steadfast than the one between Clifton College and Lycée Corneille in Rouen. To mark the 5th year of this School Exchange, 18 intrepid travellers from Years 10 and 12, accompanied by two faithful Passepartouts from the French Department, set out on this historical voyage. In the ensuing 9 days, we explored the delights and the demons that Normandy bears as a result of its geographical, historical and cultural links to Britain.

The itinerary, comprising of time en famille with host families as well as group time had been designed to evoke the students' curiosity towards another culture by opening their eyes to the art, lifestyle and gastronomy of France with more than a passing nod to its history.

The exchange commenced with the historical and a trip to some of the north of France's most significant historical landmarks including the landing beaches of Arromanches. The guide's enthusiasm was contagious as he regaled us with sobering facts about La Deuxième Guerre Mondiale. The first day's historical and artistic flavour was sealed with a trip to see the Bayeux Tapestry.

A trip to Paris on the third day set the meteorological tone for the rest of the stay; after a cultural trip to the oldest cinema in France the students spent an adventurous yet blustery few hours orienteering themselves to our central meeting point, the Eiffel Tower. Thursday saw a visit to the Musée des Beaux Arts in Rouen followed by their conducting interviews with the habitants of Rouen. After devising short questionnaires they held short conversations in groups with some local folk and recorded them. It was a rewarding comprehension exercise for them to play it back and translate.

On Friday the group's morale was challenged for the first time as we queued for too long at the Chateau de Versailles under a deluge of hail, rain and snow. Umbrellas were no longer operational, and the group huddled together against the driving rain, not knowing, it seemed, whether to laugh or cry. Happily the former option was chosen and an enjoyable few hours were spent wandering around the plush abode of Louis X1V.

Disneyland on the last day was greeted with shrieks of excitement guaranteeing that, despite the incessant rain, they left on a high note.

The Lycée Corneille was in itself a focal point and our students very much enjoyed walking through the school's majestic courtyards once graced by the literary greats Corneille, Maupassant and Flaubert — it remains to be seen if any of our voyagers will go on to follow their footsteps beyond the Lycée.

However, for all of the exploration of the jewels of Normandy and Paris, the absolute crux of the success of this and every Exchange lies with the process of staying with a French family and living the true life of a Norman, even for just nine days; it is a process that encapsulates an entire range of emotions from sheer terror to nervous apprehension, from unprecedented courage to unexpected reward, from the delights of a flourishing friendship to a final forlorn farewell. All of our participants will remember this crucible of cultural change for the rest of their days and in an age where the Language Exchange is becoming increasingly rare, the spirit with which our pupils entered this is testament both to them as Clifton pupils and to the Exchange as an invaluable tool in rewarding linguistic effort and in bridging personal and cultural gaps.

23 May 2008

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