By NICOLE KNUTH
When the Minot High French Club boarded the bus for Winnipeg, Canada, everyone was filled with excitement. Everyone was too awake at first because we knew that we were about to experience a quick splash of French culture.
As a French club tradition, our first stop was the Old Spaghetti Factory at the Forks. We had a choice of four to five different kinds of sauce with spaghetti and, as always, it was exquisite. Our hotel was definitely a sight to see. We stayed at the Fairmont, which is known as the best hotel in Winnipeg. I personally didn't sleep well because my blood still burned with excitement and anticipation.
Article Photos
Submitted Photo - - Minot High School French club students gather for a cultural exchange in Winnipeg.
The next day was full of different experiences. We were so lucky to have the opportunity to go to the Winnipeg Art Gallery. We got a tour and some brief history of some of the artists. After the art gallery we ate a French Canadian lunch and then did what every teenager loves: shopping. We visited the Polo Park Mall and shopped for a few hours, then headed back to the hotel. We had to get changed for the most exciting part of the trip to Canada.
The Festival du Voyageur was a "celebration celebrating the fur traders who established the Red River Colony and the ever growing French vibrant community." It was going to get to about minus 2 degrees Fahrenheit, not to mention the windchill, and most of us weren't well prepared. But all of that didn't matter because the Festival was full of exciting entertainment including some local French bands.
When we got back to the hotel everyone was cold and tired because of the late night and energy-burning fun. Many rooms back at the hotel held pizza parties and celebrated our last night in the wonderful Fairmont. We made one more stop at the Forks before leaving Canada the next morning, but on our way home we all knew we would be missing our amazing and fun memories, and looking forward to making new ones next year.
Nicole Knuth is a student at Minot High School-Magic City Campus.
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By JACOB THRAILKILL
The Minot High French Club is back from its annual trip to Winnipeg. This year's trip was a frozen fun-packed adventure containing many things from the Festival du Voyageur to the underground to a world famous art museum to the taste of a foreign culture true to the French Canadians. At the Winnipeg Art Gallery, students learned of a culture not familiar to them, or to Canada. We were able to examine the works of a Colombian artist named Botero. We learned of the struggle that Colombians faced every day. There were epic struggles of power, massive demonstrations by a grieving society all coupled with drugs, prostitution and malice.
We also were able to interact with the art in a way. Everyone carried a clipboard and drew the pieces of the paintings and art that they liked, which inspired us to make a creation of our own inspired by Botero. To see and understand the value of culture was enriching.
Later that night we went to the Festival du Voyageur. Seeing true French Canadian culture, we were able to try many foods, dance to foreign music and marvel at the giant snow and ice sculptures that were built by people from around the world. The Festival, except for a few tents, was held outside. Yes, it is just as cold up there, we checked.
This year's Winnipeg trip was an adventure none of us will soon forget. The Fairmont was a wonderful host for our experience. The people there understand the importance of staying downtown immersed in the culture. We are truly grateful to them because their convenient location and their unending hospitality made the trip what it was: remarkable.
The Minot High French Club would like to thank all of the people involved: Madame Olafson and Madame Kalmbach for their leadership and their willingness to take two buses full of students to a foreign country. Thank you to all the chaperones on the trip, the administration at Central Campus, Magic City Campus and the Administration Central Office. Most importantly, thank you to the community for their unending support for helping our trip along the way. Merci beaucoup, tout le monde!
Jacob Thrailkill is a student at Minot High School-Magic City Campus.