France: French Immersion Adventure 2025
June 29, 2025
After landing and momentarily being upheld at baggage claim, the group made our way into Paris by bus. We took time to meet our cool leaders and peers.
It was my first time in Paris and all I thought was that it’s really cute and really clean, who knew it would also be really hot?! There is like, no AC in France, and in most of Europe. Everything is really sticky and warm. After gathering at our hostel in Paris, we had a cool lunch at a popular falafel place and some people had shawarma. It was very yummy and we ate in a dainty little park.
We were then guided to see the Notre Dame. It looked so dramatic and the inside of it is somehow even more dramatic. Some guy was talking over the speakers as everyone craned their heads and gawked at all of the cool church stuff and then an organ player started playing the ginormous organ above us; it was really pretty.
After that visit, we walked around Île de la Cité to checkout other famous spots, then went back to the hostel and then back out for dinner which was savory crepes and some sweet crepes. Some kids went to get ice cream and others headed back to their rooms for some nice sleep.
Everything was super hot but at least the view from my room was a really cool looking church. Et voilà (there you have it).
By: Iman
June 30, 2025
Today we woke up at the hostel in Paris, ready to head to the mountains. We had breakfast at the hostel before heading to the train station in Paris. Once we arrived at the train station, we had a few options for lunch and were able to grab what we wanted to take onto the three hour train ride to Grenoble. On the train ride we were able to rest and we also wrote our French intros for the trip leaders. Towards the end of the train ride we each interviewed one other person in French in order to get to know each other better and to present this information to the rest of the group later in the day. After getting off the train in Grenoble, we headed straight to the bus that took us to our gîte in the mountains. The hour bus journey went pretty quick, and we were treated to much better weather up here, as it was very hot in Paris. This evening we had a great lasagna dinner at the gîte and were able to spend some relaxed time together as a group. After dinner we all met together to present our interviews from earlier in the day. By the end of the day all of us were pretty tired so we had a chill night; some of us played some darts in the downstairs area of the gîte. We are all looking forward to white water rafting tomorrow.
By: Logan
July 1, 2025
We woke up this morning at 7:00am, and after getting ready for the day we eagerly got on the bus to head to our whitewater rafting activity. After a 45 minute bus ride along the river, we were greeted by the rafting guides and instructed to put on two wet suits, along with a helmet and life jacket. Although we were very hot while waiting in the sun with all our layers, we were still excited to get on the rafts and begin our adventure. After the guides explained the basics of what we were about to do, we quickly loaded the rafts and were surprised by how fast and cold the rapids were after a storm the night before. After an amusing first half of the activity, we stopped to get off at the river bank and our guides showed us a large waterfall to the side of the rapids. At first we were confused as to why we paused the rafting, but soon after we were entering the waterfall and realized how strong the current was. The second half of the rafting was also very exhilarating, as we made some wrong turns and we even had to get out to redirect the boat a few times. After we got out of the water, we took off our wet suits and ate a ‘pique-nique’ in the sun. We were all fatigued on the bus ride back from rafting after spending so much time in the sun and some of us napped during that ride.
After getting back to the gîte, we were quickly introduced to our service guides: Laurent, Marie, and Fabrice. Although we were tired from rafting, we went to the hiking trail with our guides and were given useful tools for our work before we started following Laurent down the path. He showed us what we will be doing the next few days to clear up the hiking trail, which included taking rocks out of the way, draining water channels, and building a rock wall on the side of the trail. After we were shown what to do and how to use the tools, we began our work and cleared large rocks out of the path. While some of us were with Laurent making a canal in the ground to drain the water, me and a few others were with Fabrice moving rocks and pruning the trees. By the time we were done, we walked down the path to meet the guides who drove us back to the gîte.
When we got back a few of us went to see the café in Mizoën to have something to drink before we showered and settled into the gîte for the night. At 7:30pm we had a classic French dinner, with melon and prosciutto as the appetizer, a French pasta dish for the main and a chocolate cake for dessert. After dinner, we finished our community agreement before playing darts and going to bed.
By: Alex B.
July 2, 2025
We started off our day relatively early waking up at 7:30 ready for a full day of service with our guides and new friends Laurent, Marie, and Fabrice. We ate our breakfast while waiting for their arrival, a delicious mix of yogurt, granola, bread, and jam. When they arrived, Laurent was joined by his son Gaban (Gabon) who was coming to work with us for the day. Laurent explained the plan for the day and how we could improve from our work the day before. We would continue to restore the trails in a small town in the Alps, working to build canals and stabilize the walls surrounding it. After reviewing the plan, we split up into 3 teams we would work with for the day. We packed up our lunches consisting of delicious baguette ham sandwiches with fruit and chips, packed our work gloves and materials, and headed up the mountain with our leaders. Once we arrived we got straight to work and used various tools on the trail for a few hours up until it was time for lunch. We all sat in a nice shady part of the trail enjoying a nice break from the work and also working to get to know Gabon better while practicing our french. After lunch we continued to work for a few hours more, up until it started to unfortunately rain down on us. It happened to start right around when we were finishing up anyways, so we all hiked back down the trail as fast as we could, hopping into the minivans soaking wet. We headed back to the Gîte and everyone took some time to shower and enjoy some snacks. At around 6pm we all met up to do a tour and scavenger hunt around the town of Mizoën were we’ve been staying in. We split up into four teams racing around all trying to get to each location searching for answers. We all met back at the church next to the Gîte when our time was up, and are awaiting the reveal of the winner for tomorrow. We then enjoyed a delicious home-cooked dinner sitting outside for the first time and taking in the beautiful views from the deck.
We reflected on the day and now are looking forward to conquering the continuation of trail work tomorrow!
By: Palmer
July 3, 2025
Today we woke up a little later than usual, at 8:00, and we were all feeling rather well as we ate our breakfast. After eating, our guide Laurent explained to us what trails we would be working on for the day, but more importantly the impact our work has on the local environment. We realized that while our work may seem small, it is very important to the people of the alps, since it allows for the continuation of their way of life, which is threatened by climate change.
We left for the trails and got to work creating canals to drain muddy areas and make them safer to traverse. After our lunch at 12:00, we got back to work and finished early at 3:30 thanks to everyone’s great teamwork. We then went back to the gîte and some of us played a basketball game against Laurent, his son Gaban, and Fabrice, another one of our guides, who claimed to be the kings of basketball. After that we rested until dinner which was at 7:00. Once we were full we cleared the tables and played trivia with the beautiful view of the Alps in the background. After 3 rounds we called it a night and headed in to rest and prepare for our hike tomorrow.
By Alex N.
July 4, 2025
Bonjour tout le monde! As the moon was high in the sky back at home in the States on independence day, we here in France, woke up early to the vibrant turquoise waters, ready to conquer our long awaited hike in the Alps and step foot on the mountains we had been seeing for days at the gîte. After fueling up at breakfast with yogurt, granola, fruit, juice, and tartine, we warmed up our French side of our brains with a group bonding activity where we got to know more fun facts about people like their unique talents and what instruments they play. We laced our hiking boots, smoothed the wrinkles from our socks, grabbed our poles to aid in agility, hydrated, and made sure to pack lots of snacks for the long day ahead. We met up with our friends and mountain guides for the day, Marie, Fabrice, Laurent, and his children who we got to know better throughout the day while utilizing our French skills. With an eager attitude we walked out of the gîte and began the long journey ahead. After 2.5 hours of hiking various terrain: rocky uphill, slippery gravel, and flat, loose dirt, we arrived at our scenic lunch destination. We took a long, much deserved break in the shade, with some even taking quick cat naps. After, we refilled our water bottles at the last available spot, used the restroom, and even felt the harsh, refreshing breeze as a supply helicopter took off beside us. We started the second leg of the hike, naturally splitting up into groups that matched our pace. After four to five hours of seeing beautiful views and hiking up the most challenging terrain, we finally made it to the stunning french Refuge des Mouterres at 2240 meters. We were exhausted but proud of our hard work and how far we had come. We were all fatigued and some of us experienced the effects of the high altitude but after acclimating for a few hours and replenishing out nutrient levels, we all returned to our normal selves. We refueled our bodies with delicious homemade crepes made by our hosts for the next two nights, Steph and Raf. After refreshing showers and changing into layers to match the cold mountain breeze, we relaxed and eventually headed down to have a traditional French meal. We savoured the first course of a carrot and vegetable soup, complete with bread. For our entrée, we had chicken and gratin dauphinois. That was followed by authentic, fresh french cheese and brownies for dessert that fufilled our hunger. After the delicious dinner, we relaxed before getting ready and heading to bed, exhausted but proud of our big accomplishment. We look forward to exploring the Alps more tomorrow by either ascending further up the mountain to see a glacier lake or resting at the refuge and doing a bit more service.
Thinking of you all, especially at sunrise and sunset. XOXO, Hannah and Marin (aka Bananas and Bear), and the rest of the Global Works mountaineers.
By Hannah and Marin
July 5, 2025
We woke up in our isolated refuge 2240m up in the Alps to the vast scenery of mountains and hills (which reminds some of us of “The Sound of Music”). Most of us had a delicious breakfast of rip off Nutella and bread. Then, we rushed to get our stuff because the leaders informed us that we had 10 minutes till our meeting. In the meeting we split into 3 different groups which were decided by what we wanted to do that day. One group went on the challenging hike up “Le Pic du Mas de la Grave” another went on an easier hike to a glacier lake, and the last group stayed and did service. I, Lara, went with the first group which had a fun car ride to our starting point. The hike started with a bumpy trail that then gradually became steeper and steeper until it turned into a harsh incline.
To add to the struggle, the air became thinner as we ascended up the trail. Once we arrived at the top we were extremely tired and hungry, but were able to sit down and enjoy the beautiful view and eat our lunch. Once we finished our lunch, we started our descent down which turned into a run until we reached the river mid way. Once we got there, the mountain guides – Gaban, and Margot- quickly plunged in. Then the rest of the hesitant people got coaxed into the river by their encouraging statements. Once in, it was freezing but refreshing and we got to spend some time talking and listening to music. After a good amount of time we were warned of the time and scurried out. Because most of us were unprepared to be going in a river we did not have towels and had to walk shoeless for part of the rest of the walk to let our feet dry. From there we only had the last part of our hike which we stumbled through to get to the cars which took us back to the refuge where regrouped with the others.
The other group, with me, Iman, departed from the refuge to hike to two glacier lakes around a hill close to us. On the way, we were told of the endangered species in the area and also how swimming in the glacier lakes contaminates the waters. So we didn’t swim, but we were more than happy to just take in the view. During the hike, our guide Marie pointed out all of the cool flowers. We also saw a marmot or two before getting to the first lake and having our lunches. It was a rather uneventful and peaceful hike to the second lake and then back to the refuge, though the rolling hills were annoying to traverse.
When we got back we took refreshing showers in chilly Alps water. We had an amazing dinner and rested after a long day. Around ten, we started a campfire and took out chocolate cracker cookies and marshmallows to roast. Some people were adventurous enough to stack multiple marshmallows and cookies to make the ultimate smore. After singing a few songs in French and English, we played a game where you clap each other’s hands and try to get each other out, and Marie won! After that, it was light’s out and as the night went on we got to do some stargazing.
By Lara, Mills, & Iman
July 6, 2025
After a long day of hiking, stargazing, and making smores, we woke up at 8:30. Today was the day for the hike back to Mizoën. On the way back to Mizoën, we would need to hike down the height of over 3 Eiffel towers. While most of the girls got up and packed their stuff ready for the hike, all of the boys stayed in bed, destroyed from the summit hike the prior day. It took blasting music like Wake up Boo! by the Boo Radleys playing from downstairs at the refugee to wake us up. Finally, they got the boys out of bed almost an hour later.
After a quick breakfast, we packed our ham sandwiches for the day and set off for a long hike. We left the refuge in the opposite direction that we had come from two days prior. Mizoën was 8.2 kilometers away. Today’s hike started with a steep downhill trek through the valley with only mountains in sight for about an hour before we took a break to wait for the rest of the group. When everyone had caught up, Laurent pointed out to us thousands of sheep being hearded through the mountains by dogs. We then continued down the trail with our ongoing talks of the best food places in New York City. About 25 minutes later, we arrived at the campground where we ate lunch and had snacks like Belgium waffles that had been given to us earlier. During lunch, we talked politics and rode on the swings at the campsite. After a refreshing break on our legs that had been slowing, turning to mush over the past few days hiking, we headed back on the trail to continue on the journey. For the next 30 minutes, we hiked through the forest until we finally reached the road outside of the town Besse. In Besse, we first stopped at the Sheep and Shepards museum. This museum detailed the lives of sheepards in the French alps, showed off some local artwork, and allowed us to write letters to sheepards in the area. While some bought honey as a gift for their homestay parents, others bought socks. After the museum stop, we got a well deserved ice cream.
After a cooling ice cream break, we set out on the last leg of our hike, which mostly consisted of walking on the side of the main road until we finally saw the roads of Mizoën. Our three day long hiking trip was finally coming to an end. As we reached the gîte, some people ran straight to the showers while others went straight to lie down on there beds. After a few games of Uno, our French friends departed. We will all miss teaching Gaban English and Laurent’s questionable jokes. At 7:15 we were treated to a French specialty of well done chorizo with rice and vegetables for dinner. Right after dinner some of us went out for a final day of soccer while others watched the movie “The Parent Trap” at the gîte. Bonne nuit !
By: Owen Bergman
