Escargot vs. Hershey's Chocolate
An 11th Grader's Account of his Foreign Exchange
The Emerson Waldorf School affords 10th and 11th grade students the opportunity to participate in a foreign exchange program. The program pairs an Emerson family with a family from another Waldorf school—typically in a foreign country. The families then take turns hosting the other’s child, welcoming them to a new (albeit familiar) school and fostering an environment of cultural and linguistic learning.
Truman Austin is an 11th grade student at the Emerson Waldorf School, who recently returned from his exchange in Paris. Thank you to Truman for sharing his experience with the school community.
-Kaylen Alexis, Class of 2015
One of my first excursions with my exchange student, when he arrived in Chapel Hill, was a trip to Food Lion. We gathered all the classic, processed, gross-ish, American snacks and did a taste test. Coming from France, he found our Hershey’s Chocolate appalling. He did, however, enjoy Cheerwine, making me feel a little better about my native cuisine. When I later stayed with him in France, he took me shopping—and lo and behold, I enjoyed everything! This simple exchange of foods is one of the many great memories I carried away from Emerson Waldorf’s exchange program. Even the seemingly mundane parts of life took on a fresh sense of fun!
Before leaving for France, I anticipated being in an environment where communication would be hard, and the cultural foreign—a place where I didn’t know anyone. Flying into Paris, I had no idea what to expect. My only personal connection was to my exchange student, who had stayed with my family for six weeks. Even though I had Zoomed with his family, I had no real way of knowing how they conducted themselves on a day to day basis. That being said, I was excited to meet them. I also looked forward to being in a city as huge and famous as Paris. I hoped to attend a soccer match, try escargot, and see all the art museums. Although slightly nervous, I was ready to go be a part of a whole new world.
My fears quickly left me as my host family and their friends welcomed me warmly. They put me at ease and encouraged my attempts to speak French. Although difficult to articulate my thoughts, the effort brought huge improvements to my speaking skills. On a handful of occasions, my mispronunciation caused me to accidentally curse in front of my host family, but they were very understanding and the humor of the situation endeared me more to them. When I was not with my host family, I enjoyed my independence. I regularly took the Metro to the Champs-Élysées, the Louvre, and other museums. One weekend, I flew to Zurich and visited friends on my own. Ultimately, the best part about the whole experience was meeting and connecting with so many new people. I felt a part of my Parisian class and can confidently say that some of those classmates will be friends for life.
Making the leap of faith to study abroad opened me to a wider view of the world. Although three months initially seemed long, I now realize I could have done six. It was an experience that I will always remember and cherish. I arrived back in Chapel Hill with new ideas of what is possible—for the world and for myself. Living away from home has prepared me for when I leave for college and am fully responsible for myself. It has taught me to take advantage of the opportunities I am given. I am planning to return to Paris this summer to visit all of my friends there and continue those special relationships...and of course to try some more escargot. Emerson Waldorf’s study abroad program is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I would recommend to everyone.
-Truman Austin, Class of 2023
