A school trip to France and the outcomes

A school trip to France and the outcomes Have you ever went on a vacation and never wanted to come back? I traveled to France in June of 2010, and it was the most beautiful place I have ever been to. I went with my high school French class and we took along eighteen students and six adults. We visited beautiful villages, towering cathedrals, and majestic palaces. This trip forever changed the way that I view the world, I realized that there is so much more to the world than our country, and that beautiful places await us just a place ride away. Our journey began in our high school parking lot where we loaded our bags and took a 4 hour bus ride to Washington D.C., once in the D.C. airport we sat in the airport for several hours until it was time for our plane to begin boarding. We boarded our plane and took our seats, the flight attendants instructed us on safety measures and we then waited for our plane to begin its journey to France. The pilot came over the intercom and informed us that we would now begin our ascension. The plane was soon speeding down the runway, and I was being pushed back into my seat, and then we were in the air, I felt my stomach lift as we left the ground and I knew that the next time I step on earth, I would be in France. Our plane ride was boring and uneventful, filled with many movies and unpleasant food. We began our descent and soon landed at the Airport just outside of Paris, though this was not our final destination. We then got off of the plane and continued to our next plane that would take us into the south of France, to Nice. We again waited in an airport for several hours until boarding time, once on the plane and up in the air, I realized that France is beautiful, it has picture perfect landscapes and farmland as far as I could see. This plane ride would be only one and a half hours long, only a fraction of the 8 hour flight to get to Paris. Once we were near Nice, I looked out the window and saw the most picturesque landscape I had ever seen, We were overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, the water was a gorgeous turquoise blue and the sun beat down onto the water making it shimmer like a sapphire. Once on the ground and our luggage retrieved, we got on a bus and drove to our hotel, the hotel was small, but quaint, and it felt like home. Later that day we went to the beach and laid in the sun and water for hours, after that we went shopping throughout the city for souvenirs. We spent three days in Nice, it was a laidback city, and there was not much too do, however it is still the most beautiful place I have ever visited. After out three days in Nice, we got on yet another bus, for a fourteen hour bus ride to the city of Tours. When we arrived in Tours we checked into our hotel and I had my daily breakfast of orange juice and a croissant. After breakfast we got on another bus and traveled for an hour to the Loire Valley, where most of the castles and palaces are located in France. We first went to the Chà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½teau of Chenonceau, a gorgeous castle situated over a river. After walking down a long path with tall trees lining the road, we emerged at the front door of a gorgeous white stone castle, complete with two gardens, and a hedge maze. After out visit at Chenonceau we went to the Chà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½teau of Chambord, a massive 16th century castle, rumored to be designed be Leonardo da Vinci, this castle as a marvelous double-helix spiral staircase that winds all the way up to the roof. On the roof you can view forest landscapes or examine the architecture of the building closer. Once we were done at Chambord we went to the Chartres Cathedral, which is considered one of the finest examples of gothic architecture in all of France. Inside the cathedral we climbed the many hundreds of stairs to the topmost tower, which also provided us with a closer view of this fantastic piece of architecture. The stained glass windows are Chartres are among the greatest in the world, which are known for their vivid blue color. Upon seeing the blue, I was immediately transfixed and walked around examining each window until I finished. After leaving Chartres we returned to Tours and had ourselves a much needed night of sleep. After getting on yet another bus, we then moved on the walled city of St.Malo. We did not get to do much in this city as we arrived in the early evening hours. During World War II almost the entire city was destroyed, but the townspeople wanted to rebuild and they did so, they rebuilt it the exact same way as it was originally built, so this city was essentially built twice. After our night in St.Malo we traveled to Normandy. We toured the Normandy museum and then went to the American Memorial on the beaches. The memorial was extremely emotional, but serene at the same time. While on the beaches I imagined the carnage that took place where I stood. I could not believe that just 70 years before the sand and water was stained red with blood and their were thousands of bodies laying on the beach. As I walked around the memorial I looked upon the cemetery and saw the thousands of people that fought and died on the fateful day. While walking through the cemetery I saw one tombstone with a Jewish star on top instead of a cross, I instantly felt a flood of emotion, I thought that while Hitler was killing so many Jewish, the Jewish were fighting and dying for the United States, I will forever remember that image and will always be grateful for what the soldiers have done for us. We then returned to St.Malo for another night of sleep and the next morning began our journey to Paris, the city of lights. When we entered the city we immediately went to our hotel and then went to dinner. We had dinner at Chez Clement, which is located steps away from the Arc de Triomphe. After out dinner we went into the Arc and went up yet another endless flight of steps until we reached the top. At the top of the Arc we saw a panoramic view of the Paris, the Eiffel Tower glowing the distance, and Parisian nightlife beginning. Every night on the hour the Eiffel Tower sparkles, thousands of blue lights illuminate and last for one minute, while at the Arc we witnessed this. It is without a doubt one of the most beautiful things I will ever see. I filled me with delight and at that moment I knew that I never wanted to leave the country. During our next day in Paris we went to the Chà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½teau of . First in the morning we took a forty minute bus ride to Versailles and began our tour of the building. The building was the most elaborate thing I have ever seen, it was dripping in gleaming gold, and shimmering crystal. The walls were lined with expensive silks and priceless tapestries. Although this Palace has a gorgeous appearance, it has a dark history. Versailles is the palace in which Marie Antoinette and Louis XIV lived, an angry mob descended upon the Palace and took the royal family to Paris, where many years later killed them. Even though the building itself was massive it had even larger more extravagant gardens that stretched miles. It has several fountains which all were running while I was there. While sitting on the steps watching the fountains I imagined everyday life here in the 18th century, what it would be like to live there, to walk around the gardens at a leisurely pace and not have a care in th e world. Versailles is and forever will be the most gorgeous building I have ever visited. Not just because of its expensive dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½cor, but also because it is a supreme example of architecture and a fantastic example of traditional French gardens. After our visit to Versailles we went back to Paris and toured the Louvre Museum. At the Louvre Museum we walked through the marvelous glass pyramid and immersed ourselves into a building filled with gorgeous pieces of art and rich in history. The first thing I wished to go and see was the Winged Victory of Samothrace, it is a second century BC marble sculpture of the Greek goddess Nike, to me it is one of the most beautiful sculptures in the entire world, and it amazed me that something so perfect could be created without any modern technology. The only other sculpture that can rival the Winged Victory of Samothrace is the Venus de Milo, which is where I went to next. The Venus de Milo is arguably the most famous sculpture in the world, most people can recognize the armless figure. The Venus de Milo is a fantastic example of Greek sculpture at its finest, and will forever influence the world as we know it. The highlight of my tour of the Louvre is that of the Mona Lisa. The Mona Lis a painted by Leonardo da Vinci in the early 16th century, it is the most famous painting the in entire world and also one of the most visited. The Mona Lisa, to me it a fantastic painting, and will forever continue to influence artists around the world, and also continue to be a major icon of the world also. On our last day in France we packed our things and went to the airport and began the long and tedious flight home to the United States. I was extremely unhappy about leaving and wanted to extend my stay permanently. I learned so much on my vacation, some of which I would not be able to learn without being in the country, and I hope to return many times in the future. Also, the trip gave me a whole new perceptive on the world, and taught me to look at the details in things and not just what they appear to be. From the cities, to the churches, and even the castles, France made we want to learn more about art and architecture, and in particular the renaissance works, it also made me realize that no matter what country you live in, you can always find a masterpiece.

Symbolism and Imagery

Choices, one would have to make a lot of these in his lifetime. While there are minor choices, there are major ones, either way, making a choice never come so easy. Making a choice is one of life’s most challenging hurdles each and every person would have to go through. It is one of those times when all of man’s senses are at work. The eyes need to see what to watch out for, as far as it can navigate through the blinding horizon. The ears need to heed the advices of those who has been there and done that, and do their own assessment of hard lessons that come by. The nose needs to smell the roses from time to time as life does not always have to be without pleasures, happiness from simple things fuels the soul to go on and move on. The mouth needs to shout out to release the madness it cannot contain much as it renders a smile at life whenever blessings come its way. And the sense of touch needs to feel the hard trails ahead as it needs to bleed every so often to remind him that he is human and that pain makes him stronger. In the like manner, it needs to feel the smoothness of the sail for no matter how hard the circumstances turns out to be, life is good and it is certainly a thing of beauty beyond words and human comprehension. At certain points in life, one is confronted by certain yields in the road he threads on. These are the moments when he has to make a decision. And yes only one way to go. Every choice a person makes becomes the essential elements that define his whole being. Robert Frost’s poem, A Road Not Taken was written with the use of symbolisms. The poem was about making life changing decision as well as the repercussions of every choice one makes. It tells more than having to pick a single road to thread. While the choice one makes is crucial no one knows for sure what lies beyond the bend of either way. After all, life is a journey and its destination is kept a mystery until one reaches the conclusion as the sun sets to mark the end of his beautiful life. The moment one takes his first stride on that road he chooses to thread, he can never take a step back and walk the other way. The wood Frost speaks about in this poem is symbolic of the world man lives in. On the other hand, the dark wood is symbolic of the solitude of oneself on which confines the finest literary works begins to materialize. Most people choose the other of the two roads particularly the one that is usually trodden for it promises a not so complicated path. As a dictate of human nature, people would not dare take the road less traveled for naturally if one has a choice, he would go for the one with less hassles, with less challenges, with less pain. Frost also utilized imagery in this particular poem that he wrote. The leaves that are kept undisturbed on the ground tell the readers that the road they cover is less traveled by. While making a choice is a fact of life and as usual and certain as the rising and setting of the sun, every time one does make a choice, it is almost as if he has never done so. The imagery of this poem implies the need to choose one of the two roads, where none gives even just a hint of what is laid in store for every traveler who walks by. The poem’s structure is one that is frank, distinct, and strong at the same time. Its focal point is on making a choice, the right one at that as well as the thoughts that runs through one’s brain every time he has to make life – changing decisions. The speaker in the poem opted to thread in the road that is less traveled by. This choice he made does tell so much about who he is and what he is made of. He is one of the few who would dare to set apart from all the rest who would rather stay in their comfort zones for fear of not being able to surface the challenge that lies ahead. He is characteristically more bold, valiant, and full of pride. He knew for a fact that there is not need to conform and seeking to be different can give a tremendous amount of satisfaction in the end. He is someone who is certain about what he wants to gain out of life. For him, conformity is a dead end. The faith he has for his beliefs, he chooses to keep. He knows when and how to battle it out whenever fate tests his principles and the values he holds in high regard. He is someone at peace with his individuality and his uniqueness, the very elements that defines who he is in all the ways that matter. He knows that he is very much capable of making that choice that could do him good. He has confidence that he can very well navigate his life and take charge of his own fate no matter what it takes and how hard it can be. While no one will ever know what could have been if he opted for the road he did not choose, regrets may come naturally. Nonetheless, not taking the easy way out is more fulfilling and thus makes all the difference. For when one deems that he made the right choice, regrets are much easier to dismiss. Each and every person alive live with choices until the last time he gasps for air to breathe. Every choice has its own share of repercussions and do create an impact and leaves a mark in each life it touches. In conclusion, this poem is one piece of poetry that outlives its author. It is timeless as it leaves a lesson that remains true today and even after several years more since it was written. It helps its readers to contemplate more on every choice they make as it would navigate the wheels of life in more ways than one and in every imaginable circumstance there is. Indeed, making a choice is one of life’s most challenging hurdles each and every person would have to go through. For inevitably, every person would have to make a decision for every opportunity in his life wherein he is required come up with one. Whenever he does, he must make it a point that he does so in the best of his ability. All because every choice he makes determines every twist of fate in the life he leads. And every choice he decides upon makes or breaks the life he worked so hard to live the best way he knew how. Works Cited â€Å"A Road Not Taken.† 2008. Bartleby.com. Retrieved May 9, 2007, from http://www.bartleby.com/119/1.html.

Keeping Romance Real

In seeking to discover if the classic fathers of poetry can prove beneficial to the marketing of teen romance films, the poems of Shakespeare, Donne and Dryden should be revisited.   After all, William Shakespeare wrote over one hundred love sonnets, so certainly something should provide a link from the 1600 to the present.   What insight can these poets provide modern teenagers into this thing called romance?In answering this question, readers must first attempt to decipher what each of these authors means by romance.   Defining this term is difficult enough without having to pore over archaic volumes of poetry that seems to be written in a different language, even if it claims to be modern English!  Ã‚   However, when these tomes are dusted off and sifted through, definitions of romance do bubble to the surface.   For example, â€Å"Love’s Alchemy† by John Donne, â€Å"Ah, How Sweet it is to Love,† by John Dryden, and â€Å"Sonnets 116 and 130† by William Shakespeare, all have something to say about this most ambiguous term.First of all, John Donne expresses through his poem â€Å"Love’s Alchemy† the very mesmerizing nature of love.   His speaker is what modern people might call a naysayer (or teens call a buzz kill).   He is certain that his life is just a fulfilling as the lives of other men who are in love.   He proclaims love to be an â€Å"imposture, all!† (Donne, line 6).He points out that â€Å"no chemic yet th’elixer got† (line 7), meaning nobody has a recipe for love that he knows about and that those in love are merely dreaming.   The speaker questions the loss of â€Å"our ease, our thrift, our honour, and our day† to this â€Å"vain bubble’s shadow† of love (lines14-15).   He seems mystified at his colleagues finding the music of the spheres in the voices and minds of the women the say they love and ultimately concludes that women are possessed and therefore bewitch the men into loving them.This poem seems to indicate that love is a farce, black magic even which serves to intoxicate and brainwash the lover.   How true it is!   What teenager (or adult) would ever deny that he or she has done something completely insane, completely out of character, even completely embarrassing all in the name of love?   Donne’s speaker, though clearly lonely, has illuminated the very essence of love – magic.   Although this speaker’s sardonic treatment of romance is evident, the magic that seems to have beset his friend appears to be stronger than all of the speaker’s denial.   He is jealous and empty.John Dryden’s poem â€Å"Ah, how sweet it is to love!† takes a completely different tone from the pessimism of Donne’s.   This poem moves swiftly, like a song, without the drudgery of Donne’s lyric.   Of course some of the content is similar.   The speaker, though euphoric , notes the â€Å"pleasing pains we prove/When we first approach Love’s fire!†(Dryden, lines 3-4).   Even if this love produces tears, these tears are the â€Å"trickling balm† (line10) to the one in love.   The contrasts between pain and soothing pleasure in this poem in a way reinforces Donne’s theme that love is magic – but not black magic as Donne’s speaker might suggest.Here, the speaker praises the romantic experience as being an oxymoronic jaunt through emotion – pleasure and pain, joy and sadness, rise and fall.   The movement of this poem mimics the ups and downs of true romance – the incredible highs and the devastating lows.   Both are important parts of true love.   Nobody knows this better than a teenager who has gone on a magical date with his or her true love only to have that bubble burst even a few days later.   Of course the bubble resurfaces with another invitation and the cycle continues, as Dryd en’s speaker celebrates.Finally, the tried and true lover of all, William Shakespeare, actually focuses his reader on the realities of love and romance in two sonnets, numbers 116 and 130.   In these sonnets, Shakespeare takes a look at what a real romance really is by examining what love is not.   In Sonnet 116, the speaker cautions that love will not change as time goes by.   He notes that â€Å"Love is not love/which alters when it alteration finds† (Shakespeare, Sonnet 116, lines 2-3) and that â€Å"Love is not Time’s fool† (line 9).These lines suggest that changes in people’s looks will not change the nature of the romance.   In Sonnet 130, the speaker notes again the magical quality that love has on a person.   The speaker sets out by noting that his â€Å"mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun†(Shakespeare, Sonnet 130, line 1) and that her voice is far from musical.   He illuminates her physical faults only to argu e that she is a real person and that her faults do not have any impact on their relationship.   He loves her regardless and would not belittle that romance by offering the ridiculous comparisons of other people (and poets).Here Shakespeare grounds the readers.   After reading many poems which compare lovers to goddesses, teens might note a correlation with fashion magazines that compare women with 6 foot tall, size-zero models.  Ã‚   Love and romance is a real occurrence in life, so real faults and real pains will be involved.   Dryden and Shakespeare express these realities in their poems.   Donne expresses this magical quality about love that his speaker tries to denounce, but that has clearly caught his friends in its intoxicating web.Oddly, we see through these poems that love and romance are characterized as both reality-driven and magical.   The feelings are like none that people have ever felt, but these feelings are grounded in real appearances and real situation s.   Most teens today pronounce that they just want to â€Å"Keep it Real!†Ã‚   These poets, though years ago, can certainly help them in that capacity.Works CitedDonne, John.   â€Å"Love’s Alchemy.†Ã‚   Luminarium.   Retrieved 8 February 2007 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/donne/alchemy.phpDryden, John. â€Å"Ah How Sweet it is to Love.† Bartleby.com.   Retrieved 8 February 2007 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.bartelby.org/101/400.htmlShakespeare, William.   â€Å"Sonnet 116.†Ã‚   Poets.org.   Retrieved 8 February 2007 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/19398— . â€Å"Sonnet 130.†Ã‚   Poets.org.   Retrieved 8 February 2007 from  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã ‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15557

Learning About Each Age Group - 1302 Words

Working in the healthcare field, one would come into contact with all ages of individuals and if you re lucky you could specialize in just one, like geriatrics. Learning about each age group is very important because you have to know what is considered normal findings and what is considered abnormal when dealing with a person s health. And of course, each age groups would have different norms. The first group we are going to focus on is the newborn stage. This is a very interesting group because children at this age tend to learn daily and will go through several phases before turning one. Sigmund Freud best described this phase as the oral stage. He named it this because this age is the initial sucking, and oral satisfaction comes into play. The child also can realize that mother/parent is something separate from self (Potter Perry, 2009, pg. 138). But Erik Erikson focused more on psychosocial stages whether than psychosexual stages. He felt that at this age, the infant would require a consistent caregiver who would be able to meet their needs. And from the trust the child builds in its parents, it will learn to trust itself. He also stated that the child s sense of trust may be challenged during hospitalization and may need support from parents when returning home (Potter Perry, 2009, pg. 139). When educating parents on how to care for children this age, it would be im portant to teach them about children wanting to put things in their mouths and how using aShow MoreRelatedPreschool Nutrition1444 Words   |  6 PagesPreschool Nutrition Service Project The target population of this service project was thirteen preschool children with ages that ranged between four and five years of age. The gender distribution included six boys and seven girls with residence distributed between Porter and La Porte counties of Indiana. 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