fbpx

How Skiing and French Lessons Made Me a Better Student

Verbier Switzerland

 

My name is Lachlann Hourican, I’m a sixteen-year-old TY student from Dublin, and on the 17th of February, I arrived in Verbier, Switzerland to learn French for two weeks and ski while I was at it. I was staying in a place in a Swiss chalet in the centre of Verbier. When I first arrived, I was honestly quite nervous; however, everyone I met was really nice and welcoming. I spent the first day getting all of my ski gear sorted, settling in and meeting everyone. Waking up every morning was a constant challenge, but getting to ski from ten until three everyday helped me get myself together. 

 

 

Skiing Verbier

 

 

Daily Skiing Adventures

 

Skiing everyday was honestly super fun, however my legs were a bit sore after two weeks of constant exercise, in hindsight I probably should’ve chosen to do the midweek activity to give my legs a break. After I had tired myself out from skiing every day I had lessons to improve my French. I went into Verbier quite confident in my French speaking abilities, however it soon became clear how much French I had yet to learn. It was great to be able to practice my French around the town and around the slopes. 

 

Evening Activities Verbier

 

 

Evening Activities and New Friendships

 

Every evening, we would do an activity. These were really helpful in getting to know everyone, I particularly enjoyed it when we went to a sports centre, it was great fun doing rock climbing, football and basketball. Another fun activity I remember we did was a poker night. I went in with little to no knowledge on how to play, but after a few hands I think I got the grasp of it. At one point I remember getting tired and wanting to switch tables, so I decided to go all in on a mediocre hand so I could leave the table, however as luck would have it, I won with two pairs. 

 

Cultural Experience

 

 

 A Diverse Cultural Experience 

Staying in Verbier, I met people from all over the world, whether it was my Mexican roommates or my Romanian classmates. I feel as if I made long lasting connections here and I will try as well as I can to stay in touch with them. 

 

Advice to Future Verbier Visitors

If I were to give advice to anyone planning on staying in Verbier, it would definitely be to have confidence and speak to as many people as possible. You should definitely take full advantage of this experience and try to take anything that happens in stride. I had a wonderful time in Verbier and I would absolutely recommend this trip to anyone interested!