Every year, Nerinx students host French exchange students for two weeks. Starting last week, the French exchange arrived, bringing their culture into St. Louis through their outfits and accents. The students, several girls and one boy, have visited many tourist attractions: the Zoo, Busch Stadium, and even the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Illinois. In addition, the French students were able to experience school spirit at the field hockey game against Cor Jesu. In France, sporting event for high school are very different, in the atmosphere and the sport. The French were also included on Halloween; both Nerinx and French exchange students were encouraged to dress up for the holiday. The French exchange students went to school with their hosts on Halloween and were able to see what Nerinx in its true nature. The exchange students were able to experience Nerinx, a holiday, and St. Louis within two weeks.

French exchange student Pauline talked about her American  experience. She drew comparisons between Halloween at Nerinx and Halloween in France. She was surprised by how seriously adults took it. In France Halloween is small and only celebrated by children. Pauline was also suprised by differences in the proportion size of meals and clothing sizes. She found the food and clothing very large compared to France. When asked what she thought of America, she replied, “It is smaller than I thought. It also does not have as much history as home.” Some of her favorite things in America have been the movies and the chill atmosphere. She enjoyed the lively character in people she saw here. Pauline commented, “I think the biggest impact on me was the fact that it is more cool. It’s less stressful in everyday life.”