Day 9: The Final Day.

Well, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.

Our eigth day in the city of Paris has arrived. After piling our luggages onto the bus, the ride to the airport was in comfortable silence. As the morning drizzle pattered on, the group, with a stronger bond than before, fell into deep reflection.

The trip was a short but undeniably fulfilling one. What we had set out to do since the beginning – to promote Singapore and the Youth Olympic Games to Thomas Mann College – was successfully achieved albeit the language barrier.

The most memorable experience for us was probably visiting the National Olympic Headquarters in France. Meeting the Singaporean France ambassador was amazing not only because it is always heart-warming to meet fellow Singaporeans abroad, but also, to find out how the life of studying and working in France is different from the one back home.

We also had the chance to mingle with the Executives of the committee and the national fencing athlete, Simon, over a mini tea session and hear their insights about the Olympics. It was more heart-warming to know that many of our friends from Thomas Mann College would love to visit us in Singapore one day. Not to mention seeing our fellow YOG ambassadors from France, Julia and Aurelien again was simply the icing on the crèpe. Perhaps there will always be Facebook and MSN to maintain the friendships forged in France, but there will still be a tinge of regret of seeing them for the last time.

Our YOG team also had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tour INSEP, the equivalent of the Singapore Sports School in France, with our friends from Thomas Mann College. It was a true privilege to meet the crème de la crème of all the Olympic sports the athletes in France are trained for and to see the determined and self-disciplined attitude they possess.

Not to mention the awesome sightseeing; the beautiful architecture of Paris, its distinctive character and the colourful history of France. There's also the free time and shopping sprees as well as the studying sessions that made this whole trip an unforgettable journey.

We would like to thank the Olympic Committee for making this trip possible, and to thank the wonderful Mr Christopher Tay and Ms Elaine Lim for being the coolest teachers-in-charge!

We are now more geared up for the upcoming YOG- related activities, hope you are too (:

Keep checking back for more updates! More pictures are on their way! :D