Visiting French students share views of Algonquin and American experience
What has been different from what you expected?
“The food, the meat, it’s much bigger. And the snacks; any time of the day someone is eating.”
What has your school experience been like at Algonquin?
“Very cool because I do so many things that are the same, but not really the same. I did some training with [my host student’s] football team [soccer].”
What has been the most surprising thing about Algonquin?
“The size. We have many students in France but my school is smaller…The relationship between students and teachers, it’s all very friendly [here].”
What has been the most fun part of your visit?
“Seeing the Taylor Swift movie. I was listening to Taylor Swift this morning.”
What has been different from what you expected?
“French finish school at 5 p.m. We have a nine hour school days with a long lunch break and a 15 minute break every two hours. This is a big school.”
What has your school experience been like at Algonquin?
“I like it. Everybody is kind.”
What has been the most surprising thing about Algonquin?
“It’s big. My school is little. I prefer a smaller school, [it is] much easier.”
What has been the most fun part of your visit?
“I visited Boston and went on a Duck Tour.”
What has been different from what you expected?
“All of the stereotypes have not been true. It’s less strict than I expected.”
What has your school experience been like at Algonquin?
“Great, food is good, better than in my high school. There is less work but the work is harder.”
What has been the most fun part of your visit?
“The football match.”
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
“I liked trying Chick-fil-A and hibachi.”
What has your school experience been like at Algonquin?
“It is very interesting to see how schools in America are like, it’s completely different from French schools.”
How is your high school in France different from Algonquin?
“Everything is much smaller and stricter in France; here it seems kind of free.”
What has been the most fun part of your visit?
“The French class in America.”
What might ARHS students enjoy if they visited France?
“Experiencing another country is always good. However, [France] is not like in the movies and online where it is all romance and good times. There are a lot of crimes in Paris, and it is more dangerous than you would think.”
Before you visited, what were you expecting America to be like?
“It’s not my first time in the US; we went to North Carolina on our last trip.”
What has been different from what you expected?
“I never had any expectations about it, but how the landscapes are and all the leaves on the trees.”
What is something you dislike about America or have not enjoyed about your visit?
“I haven’t had any bad experiences so far.”
What has been the most surprising thing about Algonquin?
“It actually looks like those very cliché high schools in movies. It’s really portrayed like this, with all of the lockers.”
What has been the most surprising thing about Algonquin?
“I think when studying you can use laptops and phones. In France, it is all on paper.”
What has been the most fun part of your visit?
“French class is fun; the teacher is nice.”
What is something you dislike about America or have not enjoyed about your visit?
“The food is good, but it’s not very healthy, it’s salty. [In France,] every day we choose between fruits, meats, fish [and] veggies; I like my school food better.”
What has your school experience been like at Algonquin?
“It was cool to discover new things, you have a lot of different subjects. I tried to go in every one I can. In gym we played baseball; it was fun, very American.”
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