The French Exchange

By: Carley Thorne '17

After a long two weeks in which many Severn students were either relaxing on the beaches of Mexico or skiing down black diamonds in Utah, fifteen families are preparing their homes for the weeks after spring break. 

These small few will act as guides and hosts to the French exchange students traveling on the eight and a half hour flight from Brest, France to JFK in Washington, D.C. 

Elizabeth Grund, sophomore and returning guide for the French exchange program, says that she joined because it was not only an opportunity to expand her language skills outside of the classroom, but also a great way for her to learn about other cultures without having to travel outside the States. “I loved how excited the all of the students were about everyday American things, like fast food, things that I take for granted.” 

Casey Boldt, a junior here at Severn School, said that one of her favorite things about the French exchange was seeing how her student reacted to everyday norms that she didn’t think twice about. “My student was surprised how early we ate dinner and went to bed, in France they eat dinner around ten o’clock.” Casey’s also liked meeting people from around the world and finding out that they aren’t very different from us. 

So this week in school, keep an eye out in the hallways for our foreign travelers and maybe even ask them a few questions about their home-life in Brest, you never know what you might learn.