E.A. TAKES WHIRLWIND TOUR OF NORTH AMERICA!

The student in this entry has asked in 2012 that his identity be hidden for Internet security reasons. We are using his initials instead. 
E. and his host family have been going non-stop since he arrived in the United States. Many LEC families like to take their students around the region. E.'s family likes going a little further. Carrie, E.'s host mom, describes a recent trip to Washington, D.C.

"Today was spent in our nation's capital. My oldest daughter Taryn came home from college with her boyfriend, and they joined us for our trip.

"Getting a total of seven people ready and on the road took longer than expected, so we were literally running to our first destination, the Washington Monument. The monument is the highest point in D.C. and gives an excellent vantage point. This was the first time for us to go to the top.

Next we walked to several monuments (Vietnam Wall, Lincoln Memorial, and the reflecting pool), and we made a stop at the World War II Monument just as a bus load of WWII veterans arrived to see the memorial for the first time.  It deeply moved all of us to see these men who risked everything to provide freedom to our country. Devyn and Taryn went up to several of the men and thanked them for their service.

"We next went for a quick bite to eat, and then headed off to the Capitol for a tour. Although the tour was nice, E. thought that our own state capital in Pennsylvania is a far more impressive building! On the way we stopped at the White House for a photo opportunity.

"The young people got too tired to walk back to the car, which was parked at the opposite end of the Washington Mall, so the old folks, Ray and I, had to walk back, get the car, and pickup the under-21 crowd.

"Yesterday was spent at the shopping outlets near Hershey and having fun in Swatara Creek on an old fashioned rope swing!  Although I know E. appreciates all the trips, he seems to also appreciate the more laid back days spent closer to home, too."

The next stop on TourAmerica was Niagara Falls, New York. E.'s host family piled into their very cool RV and headed north. They did some camping and visited the world's most famous falls, managing to keep dry in the incredible deluge of water -- 150,000 gallons per second -- that falls 176 feet  along the Niagara River.                                            
Then they continued on into the Province of Québec, sometimes called New France, a vast area in eastern Canada claimed by French explorers but eventually lost to the English. Still, Québec, with its major cities Montréal and Québec City, retains much of its French character.

French is the preferred language in Québec, and E. says that he had a very hard time understanding the people that he met, because their accent is so different, and they use words not used in France. This is much like American English versus English spoken in Ireland or Scotland. This difference is also more noticeable in the countryside outside of cities.

 E. and host dad Ray play footbag or

"hacky sack," a game requiring the players

to keep the bag in the air without using their hands.

E. and Devyn enjoy a slice of watermelon,

an all-American summer treat.

 Ray, Devyn, and E. at the edge of Niagara Falls.

Carrie, Devyn, and E. try to keep
dry as they approach the falls.

A colorful eating place invites E. and Devyn to

"visit and enjoy."

E. inspects a soldier

at the Citadelle in 

Québec City.

E. looks pensive in the doorway

of a shop in old town Québec City.

Ray, Devyn, and E. take a breather

before passing through the St. Louis Gate

into the only walled city in North America.

E. and Devyn stand in a park in Québec City. The

Fairmount Château Frontenac hotel is the prominent

building in the distance. The St. Lawrence River
is beyond the hotel.