
Castle of Rochefoucauld, by Maddy Jones
"Mouths drop at the sight of the breathtaking historic architecture of the castle of Rochefoucauld. Stepping into the castle's courtyard, all eye glance to the view of the town below. As you wander the castle halls, you find little rooms and little halls. Once you make your way up the grand stone staircase—composed of 108 steps—it will lead you to the balcony, where you can look out and wave like a queen to the people below.
The room of dress-ups was the favourite part of the castle for most. The knights, queens, princes and lords of all sorts roamed the third floor. It brought many smiles and laughter on faces.
The total of 21,000 books divided between the four castle libraries was a spectacular sight as the walls were covered in ancient books."
My host family, by Joanna Anil
"Host family, where do I even start? I remember seeing them for the first time, warm smiles welcomed me, at that moment I knew I would fit right in. They welcomed me with la bise (kissing cheeks), which to my surprise went really well and smooth. They had a dog named Roxy. Roxy and me got along really well and I loved her.
Emma and her family were really sweet to me, they included me in their conversations and made me understand French and they tried to speak English to make me feel better. We played a lot of card games together and I really enjoyed it and having casual conversation, it made me feel like I was part of the family. They took me into the city of Bordeaux and we stayed the night over there. It was a wonderful place, one of the most beautiful cities I have seen. We went shopping all together and bought things that looked amazing and meant something to us. While I was in Bordeaux, we went clothes shopping, we all tried different clothes on, I had this dress I tried on which looked really good but I said I didn’t want it because I thought I was spending way too much money and it was expensive, but Emma’s mom bought the dress for me which was really sweet, I was really grateful.
Something I enjoyed while I stayed there was the food, it was amazing, burgers, fish and chips, can you believe it?! I thought you could only get them in NZ. The food was amazing at home as well, Laurent, Emma’s dad cooked really well and Nadia, her mum made reallly good dessert, I loved all the cooking they did.
I really enjoyed staying with them and I will miss them when I leave. It was a long trip but they made every day exciting and I really loved the memories I made with them."
Futuroscope, by Sophie Ballinger
"On one of our last days with our host families in Angoulême the teachers organised a fun day out to Futuroscope.
Futuroscope is a theme park near Angoulême and we spent the day riding the rides, eating the food and just having fun. We got to split up into groups and explored the park. There were many different rides suited for everyone such as roller coasters, 4D experiences and water rides. My favourite ride was the Objectif Mars because it had an unexpected surprise at the end as well as LED screens with stories being told on them.
While at Futuroscope we got to spend a lot of time with our French buddies outside of the school and home environment. It was so nice to hang out and chat with them while visiting and exploring new places.
Overall, everyone had a blast and we were all exhausted on the train home!"
The Aquarium in La Rochelle, by Anna Green
"On Friday we drove out to La Rochelle and we visited the local aquarium.
We saw so many cool species of fish and sea animals, it was truly a wonderful experience, it was really fun talking with all of my classmates about all of the different animals there and learning about them while also learning French by reading the informational guides throughout the museum.
Definitely a place to visit if you come to France."
The school day, by Aroon Deb
"During our time in Angoulême, we all had to take the morning classes with our host partner at their school. However there were quite a few differences and rules between Rolleston College and their school some of which were no uniform for students, having different start times as some students started school at eight, nine, or even ten but finishing at five or six in the evening. One more major difference was that there was a smoking and vaping area inside of the school which was pretty strange to see for us New Zealanders as we have never seen anything like this before.
The classes were nothing like classes in New Zealand as there were individual tables instead of big tables where anyone could sit. One major class that stood out was philosophy. This was because what the teacher was trying to imply to the students was about why we ask questions and if each question requires an answer. Once we finished class everyone headed out to the cafeteria for lunch. Instead of having different items to buy like Rolleston College, they had set menus which were pasta with meatballs or chicken nuggets and chips. Overall the school experience was fascinating as it gave us a new understanding of what schools are like overseas."
Treasure hunt in La Rochelle, by Cody Marsh
"After the morning activities in La Rochelle we found ourselves next to the port by a beautiful clock tower. A man soon arrived by bicycle with a chest on the back. He pulled out an array of instructions and explained that we were to take part in a treasure hunt that would take us all around La Rochelle. We split into two groups and took off. As we followed the sometimes confusing, cryptic instructions we were able to see and learn a lot about the city. The treasure hunt came to a close and finished by a vast beautiful cathedral beside the estuary and port. The man met us and kindly gave us a prize for completing the hunt. Overall the treasure hunt was very exciting and educational and we were all very grateful to take part."
Address
631 Springston Rolleston Road
Rolleston, New Zealand, 7614
Transforming our world – Takahurihia te ao
Self. Community. Future.