Skip to main content

Grace's time in France


This summer I went to France for three weeks and stayed with two host families. I enjoyed this experience thoroughly. It was nice that, along with seeing some of the tourist attractions, to see how people in another country lived and their traditions. This experience was highly enjoyable and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to make great new friends, learn a language better, and generally have a good time.

After I arrived in Saint-lรด, in Normandy in a bus with the others from Portland, I met my host mom and sister. It was late and we drove straight to their home. Along the way we got to know
each other better. I was pleasantly surprised at how good my host sister’s English was, as my French is not that great; I have only taken a bit more than things we did was going to their grandparents’ house for dinner. Their cousins a year of French instruction. I am really grateful for that. In the days following with the first family I did many fun things. One of interesting were staying there and one of their cousins had two foreign exchange students, would play cards or just look at the nice view from their back porch of the one from the US and one from Ireland. When we went to their grandparents’ house we had a very tasty and large multi-course dinner. After that we, the kids, sunset. We, my host family and I, their cousin and her parents, and her exchange students, also did other fun and interesting things. We went and watched firework displays on the fourteenth and fifteenth of July, we went to the Operation Overloard, or the Allied invasion of Normandy in WW2, beaches and some museums, we went swimming, we walked from the beach to Mont Saint-Michael

After nine days with the first family, I went to my second family. There I was to also stay for nine days. When I arrived at their home I was greeted by their large cute dog, and my younger host sister. They showed me my bedroom and so began my first day with them. They did more things with their family and friends; I got to meet many of their relatives. One of the days we went to the birthday celebrations of one of their relatives. It was quite interesting to talk, or at least try, in French, but they were very kind and helpful when I had any difficulties with it. We also went to the beach and walked around their nice, small French town. They had some very old churches and an old castle. After nine days with them I said goodbye and went to the train station. Here all the kids who had come on this trip from Portland got on the train together to go to Paris. 

When we were in Paris we saw many of the tourist attractions and got to know our fellow travelers better. We did many things such as climb the Eiffel tower and go sight-seeing on Seine. After we went to airport, but I did not go on the same flight as the rest of the group. This is because almost every year I go to Croatia with my family. So I returned to Croatia; I had also come from Croatia to France. 

A couple weeks after I came back from France, and was in Croatia the host siblings from my first host family and stayed in Croatia for a week. It was fun and we played card games like we did when I was in France. We also taught my younger sister these games. I hope to keep in contact with them, and maybe visit them in the future.

Grace Ellers

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Write a Letter to Your Host Family

The letter to your host family is one of the most important pieces of your program abroad application; it’s the host family’s first impression of you. Exchange programs take many factors into account when matching you with a host family, but ultimately it’s up to the host family to decide whether to host you or not. Here are a few helpful tips to writing a great letter to your future host family: Use a positive tone. “The main reason a student’s dossier is passed over by families is unintentional negativity,” explains Rebecca Gundle, Program Coordinator for ANDEO International Homestays. A student might be trying to explain her preferences, but when she devotes equal attention to describing her dislikes, she comes across as negative or picky. A family wants to know that the student they host will be adaptable and willing to try new things. Keep your tone upbeat and positive. Go deeper than the application form. Try to avoid simply reiterating what is on the form. This is a c
2 comments
Read more

Tips for Teens Traveling Independently

Many of our programs allow you to choose your own program dates, flights, and length. Some advantages to this are that families have control over booking flights and are able to use frequent flyer miles. One challenge, however, is that students must travel independently to their program destinations. Some teens are understandably nervous about flying alone.  Here are some tips to help teens and parents feel more at ease about traveling internationally without a chaperone or flight leader. Before booking your ticket Check with us before booking your ticket to see if anyone else from your area will be attending your program at the same time. We can put you in contact with one another. Booking your ticket Whenever possible, choose a direct flight. Fewer fights mean fewer opportunities for flights to be delayed or for other problems to arise. If a direct fight is not possible, choose a flight that stops or makes connections in the United States. Whenever possible, stick with t
12 comments
Read more

Tackling the Dust Bunnies (and other surprising benefits of hosting an exchange student)

By Elizabeth Markleson, host mom You could say I'm a relaxed housekeeper. Our kitchen table is covered with piles of papers "to be dealt with later", our sink is often full of dishes, and you can be sure there is a whole family of dust bunnies living under the furniture. When my kids were little and they would see me go into my cleaning mode, they would always ask, "Who is coming to visit?" Not much changes over the years! When it comes to housework, a guest is a great motivator. The days were ticking down before our Spanish student arrived and my to-do list was getting longer and longer. “Don’t stress too much about it,” my sister said. “Isn’t your student just supposed to blend into your family as it is? This is an exchange student, not a visiting dignitary, after all.” True, but I am a strong believer in the power of first impressions. When my daughter went to Spain a few years ago, her host family added some really nice touches to make her feel welcome..
2 comments
Read more