Des étudiants français en échange visitent le Wisconsin – French Exchange students visit Wisconsin!
For two weeks in the middle of October, the juniors and seniors enrolled in French III and French IV were able to host French exchange students from Limoges, France. During their stay, they visited Madison, Green Bay, and Chicago with their class, and explored the Milwaukee area with their host student. They attended school for about a week and were placed in all kinds of classes so they could experience school in America. During their stay with their host families, many of them attended a football game, tried lots of American food, and celebrated Halloween. I interviewed a few students, Eléa and Annelise, to find out how their stay in Wisconsin was.
La journée d’école – The School Day
While talking with the students about their school experience here, they expressed how different the school day structure is here compared to their school in France. Instead of our normal seven-hour school day, they have classes from eight in the morning to six at night. They were shocked at how early we ended school as well as our short, thirty-minute lunch compared to their hour-long lunch period.
Another difference Eléa noticed was how sports and music are incorporated through the school. Instead of having sports practice every day and music practice incorporated in the school schedule, in France, they have only two hours of practice a week and it is all outside of school.
While attending school, the French students were placed in classes that are similar to those they are taking at their school in France. Eléa’s favorite classes were economics, US history, and Human Geography. She enjoyed taking these classes in America because they were similar to those she is taking at school. It was interesting to her how the similar classes varied based on what country was teaching it.
La Nourriture – The Food
While the exchange students visited Wisconsin, they were able to try many new restaurants and foods with their host family. Annelise’s favorite new restaurant was Raising Cane’s and Eléa loved trying Chick-fil-A for the first time. They pointed out that there are a lot more fast-food restaurants in America compared to France. Also, they noticed that the menus of restaurants in America are different compared to France.
Bottom row: Atenïs, Capucine, Annelise, Chloe, Rachel, Kendall, Clara, Piper.
Le voyage à Chicago – The Trip to Chicago
As a class, the French exchange students visited Green Bay, Madison, and Chicago on the weekends while in Wisconsin. They enjoyed the Chicago trip the most. One of their favorite excursions during this trip was the boat tour down the river. They expressed how beautiful the buildings were. In France they do not have cities with large buildings and skyscrapers, so they really enjoyed seeing these views for the first time. They also loved having free time to shop in the city.
Overall, the exchange students really enjoyed their stay in America and are excitedly waiting for when their hosts will visit them in France in the spring! Bisou!
