2026 BCH in Lyon

7h00 - It’s the last day. The feeling of sorrow linger but not as much as the thought of coming home. Of course we wanted to stay in Lyon longer, but homesickness was slowly starting to take over. As the plane took off, we knew it was the beginning of the end. Tomorrow we won’t see our host's faces but, instead, we will wake up in the comfort of our own home.  17h00 - My experience did not differ from this as well. Waiting at Lyon airport gave me time to buy small gifts for my family. On the plane, I watched movies and ate snacks to kill the time in hopes of returning home faster. The flight felt so long but at the same time short. 19h00 - We’re back. It feels surreal. The thought of getting home has never been more clear in my mind. Walking out of the airplane and breathing the Boston air has never felt more refreshing. All there is now is to await our parents’ arrivals.

Today was our final full day in Lyon after spending 2 weeks there, we were all really excited and our first stop was the Museum of Illusions. All of the illusions were very interesting especially the one where different corners of a room, are different sizes.  The museum was very interesting and I will definitely be visiting the one in Boston when I come back. After this we had a lot of free time, so me and my friends went to the Part-Dieu mall, where we ordered some food and played card games for a while.  This entire trip to the mall was very fun and I grew closer to all of my friends. After about 5 hours of walking around and shopping we had to return back to the school for the parting party with the French students. It was a big emotional and we all got each other’s signatures on our packets.  After this party everyone went back to their houses to finish packing and get a good amount of sleep for the exciting and hard day tomorrow, of going back to America. This entir...

Aujourd’hui nous commençons notre journée dans l’école à 08h30. Today, we are starting our day in the school at 8:30AM. Après, nous allons à Bernachon, une chocolaterie. After, we are going to the Bernachon chocolate factory. Dans la boutique de Bernachon, nous sommes entrés dans les salles où ils fabriquent les chocolats. In Bernachon's store, we entered into the rooms where they make and prepare the chocolates. Nous devons porter des blouses en plastiques et des surchausures pour bloquer nos vêtements. We have to wear plastic coverings and shoe covers to cover and protect and block our clothes. Le guide nous a expliqué la fonctionnalité de la chocolaterie et tout ce qui concerne la fabrication. The guide explained the functionality of the chocolate factory and everything that concerns the production. Après, nous recevons quelque chose à manger. Nous recevons beaucoup d'exemples des truffes vendus dans la boutique et du chocolat chaud. C’est très bon. After, we receive somethi...

Today we visited the site of ancient theaters. We were able to walk over the stadium made of rock, which the Roman people used to watch plays, since their entertainment was extremely limited. After that, we went to the museum of cinema and enjoyed some ice cream in our free time. Next, we toured the museum of cinema, where we saw staples of modern cinema, like C3PO, the Batmobile, the Batman suit worn by Val Kilmer, and more. This was extremely interesting because of the nostalgia of all the pieces. It was like you were watching the movie all over again! You could also notice the attention to detail, which enriched the experience even more. Finally, we headed back to Lycée Saint-Marc. Another aspect of this trip that has improved the experience tremendously is the bond between me and my BC High brothers. Being away from home and family is hard and uncomfortable, to say the least. But knowing you have people going through what you are going through, and that they are helping you through...

7h45: Today was Monday after the weekend. I woke up and started my normal morning routine at 7:45, hoping to be out of the door by 8:40. The majority of students attended classes with their correspondents from 8-9, but my correspondent, Maya, had a free period, so I got the chance to sleep in a bit. I had a simple breakfast consisting of a croissant, orange juice, and a pain au chocolat (see below) before I walked with Maya to the train station. My breakfast 9h15: We arrived at school and packed our lunches for the day. Our first stop was the Basilique de Fourvière, a historic, Roman Catholic basilica in Lyon. We took a tour of the massive structure, seeing the cathedral, several sculptures, and a wonderful view of Lyon from the rooftops. The structure from the outside A spiral staircase in the basilica The cathedral (seen from above) My brother and I outside the basilica The view from the rooftop My brother and I atop the basilica 12h00: After exploring the Basilique de Fourvière, we...

Blog: Versailles 5/31/26 Today, I was in Versailles staying at my correspondant — Léonie's — grandmother's house. The previous day I watched PSG play against Arsenal. They won which was great. The city went nuts!! I stayed in Sceaux, a town in between Paris and Versailles. I started off the day by waking up at 10:30 AM and eating a box of Trésor, a French brand of chocolate cereal. After this Léonie, myself, Hermine — one of Léonie's older sisters —, and Léonie's mom went to Versailles for the day. Here is a picture of the view outside of the appartement.  (Not the best picture, but I just wanted to include it because it was where I was living.)  At around 11h00 we headed to Versailles. We first stopped at a crêperie, which was delicious. I got a complete poitrine fumée — a type of crêpe with bacon, cheese, and egg. I also got a confiture de fraise which is a type of crêpe with strawberry jelly. Here is a picture of the restaurant we went to, and a picture of my complet...

Bonjour to all BCH families back in Massachusetts! We send our best wishes from France.  Today, I — along with many other students — went to Paris to visit the Eiffel Tower and many other gorgeous destinations. I took the Transport Express Régional (TER) train to Paris and arrived at 9h30. From there, I went directly to the Eiffel Tower, where I climbed up and saw the breathtaking views of the inner city. Then, I visited the Louvre, which was one the largest museums I have ever visited; it had beautiful historical sculptures connecting into a mall.  Our next stop —which was my favorite — was the Notre-Dame Cathedral, which I felt embodied our school’s Jesuit values. There was an incurring service and multiple important figures who guide my life and the lives of many others today.  The final event in our day was watching the PSG game, which they won against Arsenal 3-2 in penalty kicks.  Later that evening, the Spurs (the team home to the French basketball star Victo...