Usually when students go on vacation they are exhilarated to leave school. This is not the case for the 24 students who came from France to stay with families of BHS students who have taken French throughout high school.
“It’s a dream, a lot of French people dream to be in America,” said French student Luna Buttin, who spent 10 days here in October. She explained that in France she knows many people dream of being in America. So now she is living that dream and is getting to know what life here is like. She said she feels very joyful.
Back in February, 24 BHS French students traveled to La Boisse, France for two weeks. They met their host families and got to do many different activities with the French students that were recently at BHS. They created a close bond and it was like old friends reconnecting, senior Thomas Berger said.
“It’s going very well,” said French teacher and exchange coordinator Fadner Pierre last week. He said the French students were very enlightened because they are staying with American families. Also, students who didn’t have a chance to go to France get a fresh experience having them here. They are creating new friends and also relinking with old ones, he said.
“We got a better perspective,” said senior Kiana Fortes, talking about taking French class and how that helped her in La Boisse. Students who are taking French, who went on the France trip back in February found that the class was very helpful. Not only are they learning the language, they also get to learn about their culture, the slang, and their way of life.
BHS students also get to hear different regional accents when exchange students visit.. People who are from different places in France may have a slightly different accent. This helps them learn more, Pierre said.
Getting to watch American Football, traveling to Boston, and going to Homecoming were some activities they were all able to experience. Exchange students said they also feel very grateful because not only are they enjoying traditional things Americans do, they also are learning. They continue to improve their English speaking skills.
“Sports here are very developed,” said French student Lisa Boscher. “In France it’s not as important.”
The students did not visit as long as originally planned because their flight to the U.S. was canceled which made them initially lose three days that were filled with stuff to do. One thing they wished they got to experience was going to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket.
Hopefully from this trip, they get more understanding of American culture but they also have special memories to look back to, said Pierre.
