On October 18th, exchange students from Arles, France arrived to begin their stay with students from Warren, immersing themselves in the American culture by following students around for a day at school. These students accompanied their Warren hosts, going from class to class, experiencing first hand the daily routines of a U.S. classroom. Interacting with these students was quite exciting for us Warren kids, hearing about life in France and what they thought about life in America. So it begged the question, how is life different in France than it is in the United States?

Students in the exchange program are all studying for their final year of high school, called “terminale du lycée” and most have been planning this trip for the majority of their high school careers. I sat down with some of our Frenchies – an endearing term picked up by the host students – during the host family potluck to ask them some questions about school in America versus school in France. Leila D., a student in her terminale, talked about the longer school days in France, and how she didn’t like the way at Warren we had shorter and fewer breaks between classes. Most of the French students have traveled to other countries within Europe, “but none as far away as America.”

Although the journey was far and a first for many, all the students felt right at home at Warren and established a sort of second family with their student hosts: “We loved coming to Warren. It was definitely our favorite day of the trip.”