This past April, I went on the journey of a lifetime along with 18 other Algonquin students. We were lucky enough to spend two weeks in France on a trip like no other. However, this was not just a two week vacation where days were spent lounging in the sun. From the minute we arrived in Saint-Etienne we were speaking nonstop French; we attended classes in French, ate at French restaurants, and even watched movies in French. Madame Osepchuk, the adviser of the ARHS French Club and one of the chaperones on our trip, described how it was any foreign language teacher’s dream come true.
And this was certain; suddenly the French was flowing off our tongues. I wasn’t stressing out about using perfect grammar or thinking of the correct verb tense, it was just happening. Then something magical occurred after our third or fourth day in Saint-Etienne, where I began to feel as if this city was my home. I loved everything about my time there, from the tram we took to school every morning to the little cafés on every corner.
As the president of the French Club, this trip meant more to me than words can explain. As you may recall, two groups of French exchange students, one in March of 2013 and the other in October of 2014, came to Algonquin for two weeks and lived with families in Northborough and Southborough. Now, it was finally our turn to go to France and reciprocate the exchange.
From the beautiful city that hosted us for nine days, to the wonderful field trips we took to Lyon, and of course the city of lights, Paris, where we spent the last leg of our journey, were as if every moment I experienced was an educational one. If you are serious and passionate about learning another language, there is nothing comparable to a true immersion experience like this one.
Even though we have been home for several weeks now, I am still feeling the effects that this program had on me. I spent two weeks living like a European and now feel as if I have been reborn into a more worldly, open minded and independent individual. The French Exchange Program at Algonquin is a priceless experience. Bonds were strengthened and new friendships were created as the 19 of us trekked on this journey together. Though I am graduating now, I will not let the French Exchange Program die out. The importance of mastering a foreign language is greater now than ever as the world becomes more accessible with each passing moment. I can’t wait to see future Algonquin students travel together to Saint-Etienne to learn, mature, and grow as much as I did.