While entering Notre Dame as an incoming freshman, the choice of picking a language seemed worrisome. At the time, the options were Spanish, German and French, although we now offer Italian as well. While taking my placement test, French was at the bottom of my list; it seemed unmanageable in my narrow-minded brain. After I received my schedule, I realized I would be taking French for all four years of my high school career, and now I do not regret one second of it.

Languages have always been a hard idea for me to grasp, but French seemed to stick. My teacher, Mr. Gowey, explained the beautiful language in ways that were interesting and enjoyable, which I never expected. Quickly, French became my favorite subject. There are many perks to learning the language, my favorite being all of the different types of conjugating; my least favorite is actually speaking it. As I move into my third year of taking French, I find it can be hard at times, but I am grateful I have learned to internally appreciate language. The difficult periods are worth it to receive a bonded outcome.

In my sophomore year of taking French, Mr. Gowey announced we would be going on a class trip, unlike the last year during the last spurts of the COVID-19 virus outbreaks. Every single person in my class was extremely excited. We didn’t know what to expect. The trip was amazing. I bonded close with my best friends, myself, and my environment all in a couple of hours. This same plan would happen this year, on Dec. 1, and I couldn’t wait to make it to New York City!

Walking onto the bus for the two-hour ride felt like heaven. After a prayer to our Mother Mary, we were off. My heart fluttered with joy when I realized the ecstasy that filled my body during the last trip would soon return. I spent the bus ride listening to music and reading.

We soon arrived in the city, where we would first visit the Sept. 11 memorial and then have time to walk around. Our class received a history lesson about this solemn area from a chaperoning parent, and then the time was ours. My group spent time taking pictures at our favorite art-covered wall while others went back to the memorial to talk.

After a long photo shoot session, we went to our favorite French restaurant, Le Monde, and the food there was delicious. We stayed there for around two hours, then planned the next activities for the remaining time. Mr. Gowey told us we would go to the Metropolitan Museum, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, then have time for ourselves to shop around the city. All we needed to do was be back by 5:30 for the bus, so we did just this.

We admired the beauty of art and God’s home, the bright lights which lit up the tree, and even made it to a gift shop, even though we were running in the pouring rain. My favorite part of the trip in general has always been visiting the Metropolitan Museum. I can always feel a deep connection to the wondrous pieces I’m seeing, and they never fail to amaze me every time.

Learning the history and mechanics behind the French language has been one of my most cherished moments at Notre Dame. If I had listened to my freshman self, I wouldn’t appreciate the language as deeply as I do now. I’m grateful I am taking French, and of course I’m thankful for the amazing French trip too.