PHS visit to Hendaye

Day 1

We arrived in the beautiful town of Hendaye in the early days of December 2006.  Our first impressions were very positive and we were all looking forward to our stay.  We immediately met our host families who all gave us a great and pleasurable welcome.  Not all of us had experienced living with a foreign family before and so nerves were hovering over us all however we settled in rapidly and were soon comfortable with the company of our new families for the week. 

Day 2

After settling in and being shown some sights of Hendaye the previous night we had all had a good sleep and were ready to tackle whatever the day brought us.  We were transported to a near by sign factory where we got a great insight to the working of the factory and an enjoyable tour which lasted all morning.  After visiting the factory and receiving a personalised sign we all headed back to the school where we tucked in to some delicious lunch.  This prepared us for our presentation of the Scottish Borders, which we were to perform in front of the school.  All four of us really enjoyed presenting our home area to the pupils and teachers.  Afterwards we got to interact with different age groups where we had a question and answer session which was highly amusing.  Later on at night we returned to our families and had quiet nights in.                             

Day 3

This day was full of factory visits and was very hectic but fun at the same time.  We started the day off with a visit to one of the three factories we were going to visit.  This visit was more of a sit down and discuss kind of visit but was very interesting.  We found out all about the factory and what the business did and then we got to ask lots of questions.  The manager was very friendly and made our stay pleasant.  Next it was on to the paper factory that was a guided tour of the whole factory and at the end we were again given gifts, which we were very grateful of.  I think its safe to say lunch was a great thought after such a busy morning and we enjoyed a meal in a near by restaurant where we got to catch up with our teachers and also have a good chat with Denyse and friends who had so kindly set up all the visits.  After lunch it was off to the chair-making factory and again we got a guided tour, which was, like all the rest, very interesting.  Later on that night the group met and we presented our presentation of the Scottish Borders to the families in which we were staying and members of the twinning committee.  This went down very well and was great fun to do.  We even got to sing our countries national anthem.  A great end to a busy day. 

Day 4

Day four, being our last day came around far too quickly and none of us could believe that soon we would be homebound.  Today we travelled into Biarritz and saw some lovely sights.  Even though the weather was far too similar to Scotland?s (wet, miserable and windy) we all got on with the tour and enjoyed what was to be seen.  In the afternoon we had some free time to do a bit of shopping and wonder round the streets by ourselves.  This was good as we got to try out a bit of French speaking which was challenging but highly awarding.  That evening a meal was set up for us and everybody attended including host families, the twinning committee and the tour guides from the factories.  Everybody enjoyed a tasty meal, some fun dancing and socialising so that we all went home exhausted but with a good feeling of knowing that Hendaye had been a great experience. 

Every bit of the trip to Hendaye was pleasant and enjoyable and not one of us had regrets about going.  We would like to thank the teachers and pupils at College St Vincent, the Hendaye Town Twinning Committee, the various staff of the factories we visited and our host families.  We are all very grateful for all the trips that were organised and all the places our families took us.  We had a great time and would be back in a flash.  We look forward to the Hendaye pupils coming over in April and will be very happy to give them as good a visit as they gave us. 

Lynsey Forrest, Jo Hosker, Kate McIntosh and Emily Bell.