19 Saint Etienne High School students from Strasbourg, France  came to Niles West on Thursday, Feb. 15 as part of an exchange program and stayed in the homes of d219 students. One exchange student, Victor Wendling, has been staying with his host, senior Danielle Meheux. The NWN sat down with Wendling to learn more about his experience in America.

NWN: What do you like about Skokie so far?

Wendling:  “I like the people, the school and the places [here.] The people are [friendlier] and the school is very big and amazing. The places are beautiful. [I like] the views, like the skyscrapers and lakes.”

NWN: How is life in the U.S. different from in France?

Wendling: “The way of life is very different. In the U.S. you need a car or without one you can’t do anything or go anywhere. In France you can just take the bus everywhere.”

NWN: What do you not like about America so far?

Wendling: “The food is too fattening. In France, we eat differently. The food we eat is fresher in France. [Also,] Americans eat all the time and we only usually eat certain amounts at certain times every day.”

NWN: If you could spend the rest of your life in America, would you want to?

Wendling: “Yes, because France is boring. Here, you can always do something, like go shopping and play sports.”

NWN: How is your exchange family different from your family in France?

Wendling: “There are more members [in my host family.] The way they do things is the same, though.”

NWN: What is the difference between your initial expectations of America and the reality?

Wendling: “They’re the same. I thought it was going to be really cool with all the cheerleaders and teams, and the skyscrapers and restaurants, and it’s all really cool.”

NWN: What is different between our school and your school in France?

Wendling: “The diversity here is different than in France. There are a lot of different cultures with different clubs, like you have German Club and French Club. In France, we don’t have any clubs. In France, you do sports outside of school, and here it’s in school and part of school.”

NWN: What have you learned from your trip?

Wendling: “I learned a lot about American culture and met a lot of people. I also improved in pronunciation.”

NWN: What is your favorite part of American culture?

Wendling: “The way people are in school, like the way they socialize and talk to teachers and how they [interact] in class.”

NWN: What will you miss when you leave?

Wendling: “My host family.”

As part of this exchange, d219 French students will be going to Strasbourg, France and visit Paris in June.