The day started with smiles as everyone was able to sleep for those extra, precious hours on Sunday morning, with a small group of people ready to leave for the Fontainebleau street market while another group left for indoor wall climbing.
Anna-Lena conquers the wall!
The street market, located in one of the town squares, was covered with stalls, displaying an array of clothes, cheese, bread, and other locally produced goods. Lots of students came back munching on fresh croissants or aromatic cheese! This was followed by a trip to the renowned Château de Fontainebleau, where we lost ourselves in the world of royalty and ostentatious rooms, and ended up frolicking in the beautifully landscaped gardens. The flora was pruned, the fountains provided an air of coolness, and lots of people were spotted boating on the small lake! There was an added tone of entertainment, as some of the counsellors decided to rent costumes and walk around the Chateau dressed up. While this was happening for one half of the group, the other half was at the indoor wall-climbing centre. Here, the students freely roamed the climbing centre equipped with a soft floor and large boulders. Like a ski resort, the walls had variously coloured routes depending on difficulty: green being easy, red being near impossible. While some students tested their strength, agility, and perseverance from start to end, for others the soft floor-mats and beanbags made for fine resting areas.
After a lovely lunch at Raj Mahal, the quaint Indian restaurant in town, we switched activities, so those who had gone for wall-climbing in the morning spent the afternoon visiting the Chateau, and vice versa.
Some of our girls enjoy a meal out
In the evening, we had an hour of YFCD work, where the students tirelessly worked on an assignment they had been given regarding the evolution of Maywood’s production, and the long-term goals they foresaw. Additionally, they had the chance to be coached by a different counselor than their usual one. This enabled the students to receive a different perspective of input and guidance, as well as a quick briefing on what to expect during their next big YFCD day. After dinner on campus, the evening was abuzz with the sounds of people laughing loudly as they lounged around or played volleyball, enjoying the rest of their relaxing Sunday.
~ Romanshi Gupta