Introduction

Seven boys and girls investigate urban ecosystems in Cambridge and London !

Le Projet

Sunday, July 1th

Today is the big day : we finally meet in London ! Everyone arrived by train at Saint-Pancras. We had a picnic in a square behind the station. Then the educators gave us some challenges to practice introducing ourselves. We had to ask an autograph to a stranger, then we had to ask them for a story that happened to them.

We had some free time in Coal Drops Yard (a former industrial zone that has been converted into a shopping centre), then we went back to the station to meet Raphaël whose train had been delayed. We all went to King’s Cross station to take the train to Cambridge. We finally arrived at the Youth Hostel at 5:30. We discovered our rooms and had dinner at 7:00 : chili con carne or veggie chili or pasta with tomato sauce.

In the evening we went to a park to play a game (« one truth, one lie about myself ») and to discover what the week is going to be like. We were sitting in a small park when a fox came by ! It wasn’t afraid and spent a little time watching us. After that we went back to the hostel because it was getting cold. We talked about our common rules for the week and went to bed.

Monday, July 13th

Today we had breakfast at 8:30. Then we went to the nearby park to do our morning forum. We played « Lucky Luke » to learn each other’s name, then we discussed the previous day (how we slept, etc.). We played a game called « 1, 2, 3 bottle » and did the reading exercice with Theo and Emilia.

After that we gathered our things for the day. We walked towards the town centre. The educators sent us a list of things to find in Cambridge : it was a treasure hunt and it was really fun to discover the city that way ! Then we ate picnic in front of King’s College.

After that we found a spot near the river under a tree. We had free time to rest, then we did a activity about statistics, biases, samples, etc. The goal was to understand the methodology of polls. Then we took time to do some interviews with strangers in the park.

For dinner we ate pasta. Then we went to a abandoned cemetery where nature took over : there are trees and bushes growing between the tumbs. We held our evening meeting and played Werewolves. We tried to spot some foxes, but unfortunately we didn’t see any !

Tuesday, July 14th

After an invigorating breakfast, our usual morning forum allowed us to prepare for the day, but not without our daily reading exercise.

Today, we focused our attention on the natural world : why study foxes ? Why is it considered important to support urban ecosystems ? Speaking of which, what is an ecosystem exactly ?
We touched on a few key notions of ecology, with the main goal being to learn some vocabulary, English being the language of science after all...

We talked about this in the heart of Sheep’s Green nature reserve, where we then ate our picnic. After a period of free time, everyone attempted to interview some more strangers before all heading towards a museum. Lucie, Éléonore, Margueritte, Armand, and Emilia visited Cambridge’s most important modern and ancient art museum, the Fitzwilliam Museum, while Lilou, Raphael, Suzanne, and Theo went to the museum of zoology, a vast collection of specimens, fossilized and taxidermied, including some authentic samples from Charles Darwin’s Beagle voyage.

Back at the hostel, our 7 pm dinner consisted of falafel or chicken pita wraps that we gulped down before heading for the pub to watch the France v. Spain football match. Disappointed by the outcome, we headed back to the park for a final few games to lift our spirits : « 1, 2, 3, bottle », « chamois et chameaux », and « the orchestra conductor ». Straight to bed before 11 pm, to be fresh and dandy for an exciting day in London tomorrow !

Wednesday, July 15th

(written by Eleonore)

On Wednesday, we went to London for the entire day. In the train, we did the schema about the ecosystem of the fox. Then, we discovered the Little Venise and Emilia explained us the history of a former industrial district [Granary Square, Coal Drops, Gasholders]. Next, we went to the grocery in order to buy some food for lunch.

We walked by Little Venise and we had lunch by Regent’s Canal.

After lunch, we had a two hour free time : we went to a café where we cooled down and shared gossips. After that, we walked around and the girls bought matching bracelets.

Afterwards, we took the Tube : in the rush, we lost Armand but we quickly found him again. Once we arrived, we went to the Natural History Museum which we visited in small groups. We especially liked the reconstitutions such as the huge life-size blue whale and the dinosaurs.

We took the tube again and this time we lost Marguerite and Lucie who didn’t got off the train, and next train, Theo didn’t get in, but at the end we were all together and everybody was safe and sound. We then had diner by the London eye and we celebrated a fake birthday of 16 years minus a quarter for Raphael.

On the train back home we didn’t lose anybody and watched Rapunzel to everyone’s great delight ( including Theo and Emilia). We finally got back to the hostel and finished the movie with philosophical reflections

Thursday, July 16th

(written by Lucie and Marguerite)

Because of the long day in London on Wednesday, we had breakfast half an hour later than usual, at 9:00. Then we went to the park for our morning activity, where we played a game called “Doctors and Patients”. The patients had to invent incredible symptoms, and the doctors had to prescribe equally incredible cures.

After sharing our words from the previous two days, we went shopping for lunch and also bought ice cream and popcorn for the movie night. Back at the hostel, we cooked pasta and rested for a while.

In the afternoon, we went into town and conducted a few more interviews. The first group went punting, and Armand and Raphaël even tried punting themselves. Witnesses say that Raphaël almost fell in the water, but he denies it.

Then the second group also went punting on the river. Thanks to Théo’s newly acquired experience, they went farther than the first group because they managed to avoid going around in circles. Éléonore, Marguerite, and Lucie also gave it a try, and “everybody slayed”.

We were a little late for dinner, so we hurried back to the hostel. Before the movie, we played a game for half an hour in which we invented stories using picture cards.

Finally, to end a very nice day, we watched Johnny English in the lounge room.

Friday, July 17th

Our day started with a nice breakfast, then we did the morning forum with body percussions and the reading exercice. Then we went back to the hostel to do a workshop about ecosystems : how it is much more complex than we think, how it is actually a network between every actor (including the most tiny ones). We also discussed how the way we represent nature actually says a lot about ourselves.

In the afternoon we did a lot of interviews to reach our target (60 interviews). We spent some time in Cambridge shopping to find nice souvenirs. Finally, in the evening we watched « A study in pink » (modern Sherlock series with Benedict Cumberbatch) in Theo’s bedroom with lots of popcorn and candies.

Saturday, July 18th

This morning, we left Cambridge for good. We took the train to Liverpool Street train station in London, then the tube to get to Rotherhithe, our new hostel’s neighbourhood. We ate picnic at Canada Water and watched swans and cygnets. Then we went to the hostel to freshen up and settle in the rooms.

In the afternoon, we did a treasure hunt around Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Chinatown and Covent Garden. It was a fun way to discover these famous places in London ! Then we took the tube to Tower Hill. We walked along the Tower of London, across Tower Bridge, then turned right towards Queen’s Walk.

For this last meal together, we bought street food from trucks. Some had burgers, other dumplings, other rice with curry. We also shared churros and took lots of pictures of the sunset.

After that we went back home on a double decker bus. We arrived just in time to watch the « petite finale » opposing France to England. Some of us were very disapointed by the French team, with a finale score at 6/4 for England.

Sunday, July 19th

Today is the last day... We left the hostel at 7:15 to be at Saint-Pancras at 8:00 because of early trains. Some had more time to do some shopping in the station. Good bye London !

Témoignages

FAQ