Potluck in the Park

What a wonderful day for a picnic/potluck meeting in the park! There were a little over 40 of us there...all but one of our delegates, and lots of parents and friends. We now only have one meeting left!

After collecting some papers and a few announcements, Lindsey and I handed out the polo shirts, lanyards, name tags, and luggage tags. We also had magnets and People to People pins to distribute.

Our first cultural presentation was by Emily (who was sick with the flu) and Lea. Their topic was Italian cooking and to give us a great visual, they actually made pizza...Once that was cut, we ate all the wonderful food that had been brought. Next up: Andy and Anne gave us lots of information about the Louve. That, of course, is in Paris which is our first destination. They told us about the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo...and many other works of art we'll see.
From the Louve, we went through the history of the French Revolution via Stephen's great storytelling. I don't ever remember being so entertained learning about that part of history in school!

Shaylin, with her mom's "Vanna White" assistance, gave us some instruction on the Italian language. She gave us each little cards we can carry around with important phrases to know! Raquel was going to give us a presentation on the French language, but she was home sick with the stomach flu...hope you're better, Raquel!! We missed you!

Rikka then took us way back in history to the days of the Colliseum. It is amazing HOW old things are in Europe...especially when you compare to the relative newness of America!

Lillian, Richele, and Connie then took us through the Feast Days of Malta. It is amazing how many feasts they have. They explained how the Catholic Church is central to the culture of the Maltese and the intense preparation the people put into their feasts! I hope one is going on when we're there!

Tiffany, Jasmine, and Rachel then did a presentation on the Eiffel Tower. Tiffany also constructed a miniature of the tower. The tower is one of the first sites we see and explore upon arrival in Paris.

We had a discussion about dress...what is TOO short for shorts, how wide can tank tops be on the shoulder (about 3"), do toes need to be covered in the Sistine Chapel? We've heard two different answers. Gifts for our home stay families was revisited. Remember, it doesn't have to be anything expensive...plus remember to bring a notecard to write them a Thank-You before leaving.

As a reminder to parents: If you would like to write a letter to your daughter/son and have me give it to them sometime during the trip, put it in a sealed envelope with their name on the outside and give it to me at the next meeting. (June 17th at Fresh Choice).