AFS Year and Semester High School Abroad in France

Going to France had been a dream of mine for years, as I was taking French in school. Fortunately, my high school is very involved with AFS and their exchange programs, and in 2016, the school was awarded a scholarship for one student to go on an AFS Global Prep program which was two weeks long. My French teacher and a local AFS advocate met and decided to award me the scholarship, so I got to go in the summer of 2016.

In July, I met up with other AFS students going on the program at JFK Airport in New York for our flight over. Once we arrived, we were amazed at how beautiful Nice was. The place we were staying at had gorgeous villas on the mountains, and it was picturesque. The downside to this beautiful place was that we were not allowed to venture out to explore, so even though we were in Nice, we did not get to experience as much of France as we had hoped. The other disappointment came in the form of the food. We were not allowed to be out of the location for our meals, and the food they served us was not exactly French, and it was barely passing as food.

Overall though, I was able to meet so many awesome people and make friends with many others from all over Europe (as many other students at this program were non-AFS, European students). I believe that the program no longer exists, and I would not recommend it to my friends, but it was an incredible experience. I still was able to learn some French, make friends, see wonderful views, and get a taste of what France has to offer. However, I would love to go back to France as a regular traveler and actually experience the culture.

AFS-USA provided me with an opportunity for growth that remains to this day incomparable to anything else I have lived before. The support of AFSers, both in the US and in France, made a foreign country feel exactly like home...and in a second language, too! Whilst studying abroad I learned a lot about what really goes in to mastering a language, and the amount of effort, both cultural and linguistic, that is required to become “Franco-Américain”. Going abroad was life-changing, and I am glad I chose AFS to do it.

The AFS France program is without a doubt life-changing. The wealth of lingual, cultural, and social knowledge blended with the new perspectives of French ideology helped me grow as a person and benefits my future endeavors. Throughout my time in France I was faced with many challenges as any exchange student does. Immersing yourself into a new family, school, language and culture is a very daunting task. From the time I entered the program and stepped off the plane back in America the support from the staff and students of AFS was detrimental to my enjoyment of the program. They would help with the problems I would have, the ideas we would craft, and even the petty drama every teenager faces. The experiences I had were meaningful to not just me, but many friends and family back home. For example, my great-grandfather (my grandfather's dad) fought and died for the liberation of France in WWII. I was able to visit his grave at the Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial in St. James, France with my host family. This meant so much to my grandpa back home that every time I see him he thanks me and my host family for making it a point in my AFS experience. The memories I made in France through AFS are something that I will cherish undoubtedly for the rest of my life.

My life has two sections: before and after France. I left the United States as a fifteen year old who is unrecognizable from the seventeen year old girl I am today. I spoke almost no French and I was scared. I didn't realize then just how life altering it would be. I arrived in Paris and was overwhelmed with the incredible support from the second I got off of the plane. The volunteers were not only welcoming, but fun and crazy and caring. If I could commend one aspect of the AFS organization, I would say that the most comforting part of my experience was that my volunteers really, really cared about me. They wanted to not only keep me safe, but help me have the most exciting ten months of my life!
The most important part of my life in France was definitely my host family. I was placed in an incredibly kind and loving home with a family of six. Two of my host siblings still lived at the house and were my age. They went to school with me and helped me to find friends. My host mom and I got very close during my ten months with them and she is one of the most important role models in my life. I lived in a small village in the Provence of Burgundy where my host father owns a beautiful winery. I learned to love hiking and running in the woods behind my house and horse back riding at the local pony club.The life I have in California and the life I have in France are almost the opposite of each other. In France I learned one of the most valuable skills I have: to adapt. When you go abroad, it is your job to adapt and learn to love new things, and it is the job of the program you are with to make that adaption period as easy and comfortable as possible. I experienced something so special and rare and intense that I am sometimes overwhelmed even after several months back in the United States. AFS France and AFS USA have supported me through everything both in France and after my return. I love being a part of the worldly family that is AFS.

I think that the importance of studying abroad can be summed up by one of my favorite moments of my exchange. One weekend in June, just before my depart from France, my friends and I decided to go camping. My friends included one Chilian boy, a Brazilian boy, two Norweigan girls, two Dominic Republican boys, a Finnish girl, two Americans, and a French girl. We all spoke fluent French by then (In only ten months!) we had a blast! We not only had funny conversations, but deep, interesting ones. The type of conversations that change the world. We imagined ourselves as world leaders and spoke with passion about world issues not because we were told to in a classroom, but because we care. We cared because we knew each other and we could call up specific people when speaking of a war torn country, a friend who lived there. We care about each other so we care about how our countries interact. We stood in front of the most beautiful sunset any of us had ever seen standing on top of a hill in the middle of a French countryside and we held hands and promised each other to make this world a more peaceful place through our bonds. (Picure below)
Now, back in our native countries, when there are news headlines about other countries, we think of a specific friend and we care more than most our peers. What makes studying abroad important, what makes exchange students the future leaders of the world, what makes us passionate problem solvers: EMPATHY. Living with those unlike yourself makes you a more empathetic, mature individual.

Last summer I was given the opportunity to stay in the South of France for a month! It was the greatest experience I have ever had in my life. I made new friends from all around the world too! Not only did I take French classes, but I also explored France. I went to the prince's castle in Monaco, cliff diving in plage Mala, and swimming in the Mediterranean Sea! I had an unforgettable experience, including learning about different cultures, making friends from the UK and Russia, and even shopping in Italy! I highly recommend this program, even if you do not know French!

If you're thinking of going overseas during your high school career, but don't want to leave for an academic year, you should definitely consider doing the AFS summer language program. Easily the best experience of my life, in one of my favorite countries. I went to the south of France, and not only did my French drastically improve, but I had the best summer with some great international friends.

If you're considering it, do it. You won't regret it! I went with minimal French skills and returned more or less fluent. AFS has great support volunteers who were always available whenever assistance was required. I had an incredible experience with my host family and at school; I learned a lot about myself. Words cannot do it justice: you will have the experience of a lifetime!

Hi! I spent three amazing, whirling weeks in Paris in July 2015. The focus of my program was cooking and learning French. We made all sort of food at our culinary school, everything from chorizo stuffed chicken to seared duck breast in honey wine sauce and won ton wrapped fried prawns with mango. Of course desserts were not neglected either! We hand whipped vanilla cream filling for our pastry, were handed blow tourches to lovingly kiss the tops of our meringue, and made lime Madelines, the official cookie of France! The staff were all really great. One time the culinary instructer, Remy, (yes like from Ratatouille)tested whipped cream doneness by turning the bowls upside down over our heads! If it fell out, well you had to keep whipping by hand. If not, it was time to dollop on apple tarts! The only thing I wish was different would have been our housing arrangements. We stayed in a youth hostel which was cool since we got to meet lots of different people our age from not only france but England, Germany, and Spain, but due to cost had to stay six to a room. Fortunately I loved all my new friends, in fact I just received a Christmas card from one of them! Seeing the sights was not neglected, we had tons of free time and were allowed to go where ever we wanted as long as we had a buddy or after dark, two buddies. We had tours of a few places such as the Louvre, but most places we explored on our own. Our favorite place to be was on the banks of the Seine river, near Notre Dame. We would buy pain de chocolat, (chocolate filled croissants) or crepes avec Nutella and sit or walk for hours there, admiring sights or artwork or writing in our journals. Nothing was more beautiful than Norte Dame at sunset, when it looked as if it has been gilded in golden splendor, the magnificant towers and face, painstakingly carved, with the fading blue sky behind it, only serving to make the contrast between the golden church and its surroundings more apparent. Every moment was perfection in itself, three weeks was not enough time, I hope someday to return for good, teaching languages abroad.