France – (FRA) – June 27 – July 23

Welcome Global Works travelers, parents and friends.  We are excited to share with you trip updates from around the world.  As our main office receives updates from the trips we will update the page as we receive news from the field.
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Update #1:
Day One: It’s airport day! Busy travelers to and fro go here. Go there. Go though security. Everyone except two meet the group either by either at the Newark Airport. Nerves.  Fatigue.  Hidden Excitement. Bonjour! After six hours of getting all Global Works travelers together from connecting flights. Check-ins and connecting, were off to La France! Do you have your passport? Do you have your ticket? Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime? Oui mais Oui!

Day Two: Flying from the Newark Airport where McDonalds and Starbucks were plentiful, we arrived at l’aeroport Charles –de- Gaulle, where we were welcomed by the hustle & bustle of French security guards and the abundance of small cafes selling baguettes and Orangina. Quite a change in vendors! Upon getting our passports checked and doing a quick name game, the group in green became one with the flood of international travelers in the search of their luggage. We were immediately immersed into a world completely different than the ones we had traveled from – no more mom or dad to direct us, no more cell-phones to text or update a Facebook status from, and hardly anyone speaking the language we are most familiar with. Mais voila! We are here and ready to turn all of these strangers in to family.

Day Three: As we awake in our new home in the village of Mizoen, a wave of adventure spread over us during our first official day of activities. Although many of us were jet-lagged, we managed to come downstairs to a lovely “Petit Dejeuner.” As we finally opened our eyes for the first time, we saw a view so breathtaking that we thought beauty like that only existed in movies and postcards. The mountains in the Alps resembled the sturdy bases and strong fundamentals exhibited through Global Works. As we finally learned each others names, we boarded a bus to go on an adventure through white water rafting. Our enthusiastic new leaders get us in our wet suits, and we embarked on a new journey. The water was a pale blue that numbed our feet but spread warmth through our hearts. As we stood underneath a cascading waterfall, we felt the mist of the surging water over us; this would be the most beautiful experience of our lives. We finished our adventure by visiting a small artisan village and eating delicious French Waffles with Ice Cream on top. We finished our day with full bellies and tired eyes; excited for our next day’s  adventure. With more French to learn and moments to be experienced, we closed our eyes and anticipated the time of our lives.

Day Four: Another exciting day at Mizoen where our hosts Pascal and Anne served us a very “French” breakfast of bread, butter, jam, fruit, cereal, yoghurt, and of course coffee, tea, or hot chocolate in a bowl. We met our guides Laurent, Michele, and Maxime for the hike up the mountains to see “La Meije.” And we exchanged language lessons “Cadechire et Ca envoie du gros!” like “Oh that rips it up!” All with amazing attitude, we faced our challenge by hiking up the mountain. Half way up, we had a picnic at Fabienne’s refuge! We kept on hiking until we saw a beautiful waterfall! “Le cascade” We stopped often to appreciate the colors and to smell the lavender and other flowers. Laurent told us that because it is so hot that if the flowers sweated water, they would die. So instead, they sweat aromas and that is how they make perfume. The contrast between the “Chambon” (the dam) with the mountains and how high up we are is amazing, majestic and so beautiful. There are still even some skiers who go up to ski in the glaciers. On the narrow and high routes, one hears the crickets. The top reminds us of the hills in the sound of music. The Alps are amazing and so are its’ people! We made it! We made it! And Beatrice (at Le Chalet des Mouterres) made us steaks and sausage, and a wonderful quiche for our large group of vegetarians, with Pommes Au Gratin! C’est genial.

Day Five: As we woke up this morning to the beautiful la Meije sun, we prepared for our departure down the Alpes. Laurent, Michelle, and Maxim led our descent and after an hour of hiking, we took a break next to a lake full of breath-taking scenery. Some people went in the water to swim and the rest sat on the rocks. Everyone agreed that it felt really weird to be tanning and swimming next to the mountains full of snow. After a picnic by the water, we continued walking down the mountain back to Mizoen. The steep hills created pain in our knees and legs. A couple hours later, we took a pit stop next to a village and we witnessed a farmer herding approximately 100 sheep. We recognized the similarities between us and the sheep, who were also having many struggles climbing the mountains. It was such a great experience to see farmer life in France. After nine hours of hiking/resting the excitement of the church tower brought tears to our eyes. Never have we wanted to stay in a bed forever after our bruised feet ached the entire trip. The Alpes made us strive for such great achievements and it left a courageous scar. Forever will we remember the hike both up and down the Alpes.

Photos coming soon! You can expect the next update in 4-5 days!

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Update #2:
Day 5: Lily Li – Le premier Juillet 2011 Vendredi
As we woke up this morning to the beautiful la Meije sun we prepared for our departure down the Alps.  Laurent , Michelle, and Maxim led our descent and after an hour of hiking, we took a break next to a lake full of breath taking scenery.  Some people went in the water to swim and the rest sat on the rocks.  Everyone agreed it felt really weird to be tanning and swimming next to mountains full of snow.  After a picnic by the water, we continued to walk down the mountain back to Mizoën (double dots over the “e”).  The steep hills created pain in our legs and knees. A couple hours later, we took a pit stop next to a village and witnessed a farmer herding approximately 100 sheep.  We recognized the similarities between us and the sheep; who were having many struggles like us.

It was such a great experience to see the farmers life in France.  After 9 hours of hiking/resting the excitement of the church tower brought tears to our eyes.  Never have we wanted to stay in bed forever after our blistered feet ached the entire trip.  The Alps made us strive for such great achievements and it left a courageous scar.  Forever will we remember the hike up and down the Alpes.

Le 2:  Juillet 2011 Samedi – PollyDuddy
We started the day with the usual routine. Waking up at 7:30 and heading out to get the delicious petit dejeuner (accent).  We were greeted by Maxim and Laurent afterwards.  Michelle was sadly not on this trip, but Magalli filled the position.  The trip was started by driving to a nearby town, and the goal was to help rebuild a stone wall for farmers trying to heard their animals up to the pastures.
Upon our arrival we were designated to specific areas in which we would work.  The first task was to pull all the weeds out and collect stones for the wall.  This was easier said then done in the brisk Alpe’s atmosphere.  After 2 hours of hard work and many water breaks, we got to eat lunch.  By lunch most of the wall was completed.  After finishing lunch we got back to work and manage to finish most of the wall.  At three 3:30 we brought the tools back to the van and left the town to return to the Gite.

Le 3 Juillet 2011 Dimanche – Josie Danziger
After a long morning of hard work continuing the community service from yesterday, we had an exciting and unique treat awaiting us.  We headed over by car to the bustling town of Les 2 Alps, a skier-based village with shops and activities such as swimming and ice-skating!  A favorite spot of everyone’s seemed to be the creperie, where many enjoyed delicious fruit and chocolate.
After much exploring, our very tired group headed back to Mizoen, where we got a second wind as we enjoyed a delicious and filling meal prepared by our favorite people; Pascal and Anne.

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Update # 3:
Day 7 – Le 3 juillet 2011 – Dimanche
After a long morning of hard work continuing the community service from yesterday, we had an exciting and unique treat awaiting us.  We headed over by car to the bustling town of Les 2 Alps, a skier-based village with shops and activities such as swimming and ice-skating.  A favorite spot of everyone’s seemed to be the creperie, where many enjoyed delicious fruit and chocolate.  After much exploring, our very tired group headed back to Mizoen, where we got a second wind as we enjoyed a delicious and filling meal prepared by our favorite people, Pascal and Anne.

Day 8 – Le 4 juillet 2011 – Lundi
While we weren’t looking forward to waking up any earlier, we were excited to continue our community service in the Alps.  After an intense two hour hike in the rain, we arrived at the refuge.  Eating lunch with the locals was enjoyable as was the trailblazing we began after lunch.  People had different jobs, all of which contributed to improving an overgrown hiking path near the refuge.  Some of us made large rock formations as path markers, others cut overgrown plants blocking the path, and a few of us even got to care for the two donkeys, Antoine and Anita.  After a couple of hours of hard but satisfying work, we hiked back down and drove back to Mizoen.  With the supplies we bought at the grocery store earlier in the morning, we organized a “boum,” a party celebrating our last day in the Alps and the 4th of July.  We danced with our French friends, we celebrated Magali’s birthday, ate lots of food and danced with Laurent’s 4 year-old daughter, Anouk.  With a later curfew, we fell asleep feeling accomplished and excited for our trip to Provence the next day.

Day 9 – Le 5 juillet 2011  Mardi
As we started our day off early this morning we enjoyed our last breakfast in the Alps and sadly said goodbye to the beautiful petit village that surrounded us for a week.  We all relaxed on the bus on our way to Provence and slept, read or listened to music.  On our way to Provence, we stopped in a small town called Briancon (the highest mountain town in France) to go shop and enjoy some refreshing snacks such as crepes or chocolate croissants.  Back on the bus, we drove for about an hour until we stopped to eat lunch on a beach.  After relaxing to the sound of the waves, we headed to another little area of Provence (Forcalquier) to view another group of volunteers work on a stone wall.  We walked inside a famous cathedral and finished our short little visit with walking around the little village.  Back on the bus, we waited out the little time we had left on the bus until we made it to our destination.  On the way, we passed beautiful lavender fields.  Finally at the gite, we welcomed our new home for 3 nights and finally got some laundry done!  We relaxed with a nice dinner and ended the evening with some evening activities and chattering among ourselves.

Day 10:
Today we took a light hike to a lavender farm where we met a retired organic farmer, Mr Fra. The smell of lavender was overwhelming! Awesome. He shared with us his thoughts on organic farming. According to him, the future of agriculture in a country like France is eco tourism. After shopping in his boutique full of lavender and honey products, we ate lunch overlooking the lavender fields.
We then painted scenery of our village St. Christol and its surrounding countryside. We met its famous artist now 94 years old, Marceau Constantin. His style is similar to Picasso’s and one of his painting is at the White House. We got his expert advice on our artwork.

After a quick hike down the hill, we enjoyed some free time in our village St. Christol where we visited the local Épicerie full with native fruits, called home, or emailed our family. We then visited Mr. Constantin’s museum where we learned about his influences, and first and lattest pieces of work. He gave us a tour of his studio in his home. He offered us snacks and fruit juices. To thank him our leader Dennis played a bit of saxophone. After a yummy dinner we enjoyed some more free time.

Day 11:
Today was our day trip to civilization: we visited the city of Aix-en Provence, where the painter Cezanne ended his life. Our eyes widened when we entered the bustling city. We saw the beautiful fountain, smelled the exotic spices being sold at the market, and had tastes of rich ice-cream. We divided into small groups for a couple hours of free time. We shopped till we dropped and by lunchtime our stomachs and wallets were empty. For lunch we enjoyed native crepes in addition to our picnics. At 3 o’clock we rejoined with the entire group and mounted the bus. We took a stop on the way home to a town called Roussillon, which is famous for being built and made up of red colored sand. We then visited a pottery shop and watched the potter paint and decorate some pottery. We explored the town for a little then got on the bus once again heading home. At night, we prepared for the highly anticipated home stay.

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Update #4

Day 12-14- Le 8 juillet 2011- Le 10 juillet 2011:

“Roses” about their host families for the weekend:

*I got to eat dinner with the whole extended family.

*Go to the Cite in Carcassonne at night with a lot of friends

*I played Michael Jackson Wii dance game with my homestay siblings

*I went to the beach and swam in the Mediterranean with my family

*Sleeping outside by the beach with my homestay sister

*Getting to know/meet a new family

*Going into the city to shop

*The food

*Loved the food & family is very nice

* I love the family

*The family is very active and healthy

*Amazing family

*I like the dog

*I slept in for one of the first times this trip

*I learned new things in French

Day 15- Le 11 juillet 2011: Finally, a day of relaxation arrived.  Despite the tightly packed hour and a half car ride, the day at the beach was PERFECT!  We were able to layout and enjoy the sun without our “chapeau” (we are usually told to put on our hats at least five times a day).  Many of us decided to explore the beach town and take in the freedom that we were given.  We enjoyed the clean, sea air and all the exciting experiences that this thriving town offered.  The weather was amazing, the water was as clear as glass, and the stores had a wide variety of options for everyone.  We couldn’t have asked for a better day.

Day 16- Le 12 juillet 2011: Tuesday after a relaxed day at the beach, we set out to complete the community service portion in Carcassonne.  Following a short car ride, we arrived in Lastours, a true medieval city.  Upon the arrival, we met Fred, our energetic and enthusiastic guide.  We made a brief tour of the museum, where we became familiar with the objects which we would be searching for.  It was very interesting to see how the guides, like Fred, could identify the precise time period from which the objects came from, just based on simple patterns.  To commence our service, we took a quick hike, and had lunch before starting to work.  With Romain, our other guide, we searched for bones, glass, etc… in a real archaeological site.  While we actually did find many things, we were constantly entertained by Romain’s experiences in the states.  Finally, we returned to the vans, drove back to the return meeting place and went back to our homestay families after a hard day’s work.

Day 17- Le 13 juillet 2011: Although the sky looked somber when the group met in the morning, we all knew that the day would be the opposite.  Anticipation was rising as we drove to the Day Camp at Cavayere.  When we arrived, we split into four groups.  One group started making a colorful piñata filled with delicious “bonbons.”  Another group taught the kids American circle games that we cherished as children.  The kids were really excited and loved to play the various games.  A third group taught American dances to the super-energized kids.  The last group made savory chocolate-chip pancakes.  It was great to see how eager the kids were to learn about American culture as we were equally excited about immersing in French culture.  At the end of the day, we held a “spectacle” (show).  Some of the French kids and some of our group performed “Row, row, row your boat” and the French song “Coucou.”  Another group performed an American country dance.  Then, after a short snack, we had to bid adieu to our new French friends.  We were all sad to part but we’d had a great day together.  The group went back to our homestay families for dinner before meeting again at the Cite for a dance performance “Spectacle!”  The performers danced fluidly and elegantly.  We all enjoyed the comedic yet thoughtful storyline.  We ended the majestic night and returned home with our homestay families.

Day 18- Le 14 juillet 2011: Although our group was separated today because it is a national holiday in France, Bastille Day proved to be one of the best.  My family and I headed out early to admire vintage cars in the city.  Then, with picnics in tow, we drove to small village made of stone.  My family and I walked about the narrow streets, stared in the shop windows and took tons of photos in the cave down below.  Next, a town further down the winding road, we rested by the small river, ate “taboule” and pizza and dipped our feet in the chilly water.  Exhausted, we headed home with stops at the olive store and ice cream shop.  We rested at home, asleep in our beds, then continued the 14^th with a walk to the bustling city.  We quickly ate sandwiches and headed up to a friend’s hotel and nestled on a third story terrace, the fireworks began.  The bright lights, vibrant colors and loud booms amazed us all as we then headed home.  The day proved to be exhausting but one of small wonders that made it all worth it.

Day 19- Le 15 juillet 2011: We approached the archaeological sight.  Taking a short hike up to the sights, we split into two groups: one to do real digging and the other to practice discovering new artifacts.  Fred our guide told us about how to tell the difference between a rock and a piece of pottery.  Then we had lunch and then we split into two groups again, but this time one group learned how to clean and label the 800 year old artifacts and the other group learned from Romain how to tell what an 800 year old archaeological room was used for by answering some questions and discussing what was discovered in that room.

Then we went to a cave at Limousis where we took a tour by our guide who showed us how the cave was formed three million years ago.  It was beautiful and majestic to see the crystals that had formed but it was also very cold as well as the temperature never got higher than 14 degrees Celsius.

Photos coming soon!

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Update #5:
Trip to the potager, fermier de lait – Today we went to a garden owned by the nice townspeople of Generville named Willy and Margian.  As we toured though their beautiful garden we learned about many new native French flowers, fruits and vegetables. After our tour we enjoyed a delicious home cooked meal, largely composed of the fruits and vegetables from the garden!  Fresh juices made from their own apple, prune, peach, and cassis trees, chicken and pasta with fresh picked vegetables, and for desert we all tried gourmet French cheese. We all just loved the owners wiener dog named Sam who ran around the garden with a bell tied around his neck. After our stop at the garden, we went to a local farm nearby to learn the milk and yogurt making process. When we were watching the cows, one of the cows gave birth right in front of us! The farm owners let us name the cow Global in honor of Global Works. Afterwards, we put on hairnets so we could make yogurt. We each got to keep our own cup of fresh made yogurt and we had a late afternoon snack with all of the other milk products made there—they were delicious! Afterwards, we met up with the other kids on the trip and homestay families and had a farewell party! We had a lot of delicious food and played musical chairs. Because it was the last night with our homestay families, the night was bitter sweet. We all packed and prepared for our journey to Paris the next day!

July 19, 2011 – Trip to Paris – After a long, sad goodbye to the homestay parents, we bade farewell to Carcassonne for wonderful Paris!  Arriving for dinner in Paris we all sat down for a wonderful three course meal at Chez Clement and enjoyed our first crepes chocolate and glaces crème Chantilly—comme la vie est belle!  Then we went for a promenade around the town before heading back to our youth hostel to prepare for our first full day in Paris.

July 20, 2011 -First day in Paris – Out the door by 9:30, we went as a group directly up to Montmartre, the wonderful neighborhood of artists and cobblestone streets.  Dennis lead us through these streets that were his stomping grounds as an artist in residence, showing us the best croissants in Paris, the last vineyard in Paris, and the last forest in Paris which is the private garden grounds of the Cite des Arts at Place Dalida.  After lunch together in Montmartre, the group split up, some going on site-seeing tours, some visiting museums, and some trotting around the Marais (Jewish Quarter).  In the evening, the entire group met at the Eiffel Tour (and half the group climbed all the stairs!), and then the group went to the famous boat tour, Bateaux Mouches, to see all the sites from the Seine river.

Second Day -  visits in groups – Today was a la carte: some chose Versailles, some Musee d’Orsay.  The end of the day we all shared dinner near the hostel, and went to see Woody Allen’s Minuit a Paris soutitré en francais!

Third and last day in Paris – Another third and last day started a la carte… with trips in small groups.  Ended with a visit to the Catacombs, group activities, dinner at a family restaurant, and a musical surprise with Egyptian Percussion, piano, and saxophone (by Dennis and his