Displaying items by tag: france

It has only been over a month since we returned from our trip to France and it feels like a dream far in the past. I still find myself thinking about it and reminiscing on our experiences everyday. The past 10 months preparing for this unbelievable experience have been life-changing. I have formed lifelong friendships, and had countless once in a lifetime experiences.

Before I applied for this trip I wasn’t even aware that I had ancestors who fought in WW1. At that time I wouldn’t have...

It’s been  a month since we returned from France, yet it feels like another lifetime ago that we were driving the country roads of Northern France and walking the streets of Paris.

In my mind, the trip lies in three main sections. The first segment kicked off with our arrival in Arras, and stays with me as memories of sun, quaint country towns, and the taste of delicious family meals around the dinner table. During this time, we travelled around the beautiful towns of Arras and Peronne...

Man, what an adventure! Having returned from our trip to France I feel accomplished, for having carried out my project; amazed, at all the things I’ve seen and the experiences we all shared together and lastly, proud to say I did my duty as a Young Ambassador.

Seeing the places I researched was unforgettable. The scale of The Great War was always visible, through the landscape and the ever-present cemeteries scattered around the countryside of North Eastern France. Each one commemorated men...

The past 10 months have been consumed by the preparations for the Shared Histories project as a Young Ambassador to continue the relationships between New Zealand and France and remember the battles and fallen soldiers. The role of being a Young Ambassador created memorable experiences that will last a lifetime and that I could never have fathomed would occur before leaving High School.

Bonjour à tous 

The trip to France is this Saturday and I cannot wait to meet new people and be in new places as well as remembering and honouring those for whom we are commemorating on this voyage.

Time has flown by since first finding out that I was lucky enough to be selected to participate in this incredible programme. I remember exactly when and where; I was at the movies with my friends, and having just come out of our viewing, I thought, “Maybe I’ll just quickly check my emails to see if they’ve told us.” Sure enough, I had an email from Pascale, and I remember being so wound up that I made my friend read the email for me! It seems surreal that two weeks from now, we will have...

Bonjour a tous! The Young Ambassadors exchange is really picking up pace. In the autumn holidays we spend a week with the French Young Ambassadors in Wellington. It was so fantastic meeting the French Young Ambassadors and throughout the week we got to know each other really well. It was so special sharing experiences like the powhiri and the overnight stay at the Waiouru Army Camp with them because they were completely new for most of us! Being in an environment where French was the default...

Kia Ora et Bonjour tout le monde
The week spent in Wellington seems a long time ago now with a month and a half having gone by, but the events of the week will never be forgotten.