Many students believe they will have to wait until college or adulthood to be able to travel abroad, but this is not the case for Nerinx Hall students. The French Exchange trip allows all students, not just students studying French, to travel to France for two and a half weeks during the summer and to host a French student in the fall. This year, the “La Fayettes,” the name given to the group of French exchange students, arrived on October 21st and stayed through November 4th. From trips to historic downtown St. Charles and Busch Stadium to pumpkin patch excursions and spooky films on Halloween night, the French exchange students received the full, authentic American experience during their time in St. Louis.

“To come to America was a dream,” said one exchange student, Elisa, “I have learned a lot of things during my trip. For example, I tested new food, I learned vocabulary, and I have learned a lot of things about New York and the origins of Saint Louis.” During her time in America, Elisa was most surprised by the sheer size of everything. American food portion sizes are huge, buildings practically touch the sky, and our movie and music stars are known by virtually everyone. She likened her experience to what she has seen in the movies. When asked if she would like to return to America someday, she answered enthusiastically, “Oh yes of course! I love America. It is my favorite trip!” The French students are not the only ones excited about the exchange program. Senior Mary Sharp shared her thoughts on hosting an exchange student, stating that the best part of hosting a student is making new friends. “It feels good to know I’ve made bonds with people on a completely different continent,” says Sharp. Evidently, making connections with students from all over the globe appears to be the most influential portion of the exchange.

As a former hostess of a French exchange student, I agree with Mary’s sentiment. It is really cool to be able to have a conversation with someone living five thousand miles away. My exchange student, Helena, and I were able to form a close bond through spending time together shopping at the mall, watching movies, and having conversations about everything from American presidents to our dream jobs. Even now, a year later, I keep in contact with Helena and some of the other exchange students I met, and we continue to teach and learn from each other.

Nerinx Hall’s school philosophy states that “Women must know themselves and their world.” The French exchange program encourages exactly that. Students who participate in the program, whether as a host or as an exchange student herself, leave with a plethora of new knowledge, experiences, and connections to people around the world. For many students the experience is eye-opening, and it changes the way students see and interact with the world around them. It is incredibly important that students are exposed to other cultures in order to become more open-minded and understanding, and the most effective way to learn about a culture is to completely immerse oneself in it.