French experience shared

Six French students took up the challenge to take a trip to France for two or three months for student exchange during the Christmas break. The experience included living with a volunteer host family and integrating into their lives. Going shopping, doing the chores, meeting their family and friends. We all went to a French school during our stay and noticed all the differences and similarities between the two systems. The overall experience was incredible and so valuable, not only in advancing our language skills but seeing how different life can be in another country.

The six of us were more than happy to share our experiences with the younger French students in Years 10 and 11 who were considering going on exchange in the future. It reminded us of how nervous we all were in only a year ago – unsure whether our level of French was enough to get us through and if we could manage the homesickness. However, we all gained so much from our months abroad and it was amazing to share these experiences.

Thalia Thirunavukarasu