For the past two weeks, Niles West has hosted nine French Exchange students, all coming from Lycee Episcopal Saint Etienne in Strausborg, France. As their trip came to an end last Thursday, the NWN asked some of the students a few questions on how they enjoyed their stay in Chicago.

Students who were asked included Cecilia Haessig, Elise Dubarry, Tamara Mangieu, and Martin Sathicq who were partners with juniors Maggie Wibright, Jinny Park, Betsy Benny, and Marina Spasova.

French Teacher Eileen Walvoord, who was also in charge of running the program at both North and West, says this experience is really good for the students. “It lets both types of students (both French and American) get a better understanding of the language they are learning about, and a experience new culture that is different from their own,” she said.

NWN: How did you like your stay in Chicago?
Martin: Oh, I loved it! Chicago is such a busy city.
Cecilia: It was wonderful. There is so many things to do here and it is so beautiful. I love seeing the huge city.
Tamara: I love Chicago! I don’t want to go home yet. Everyone is so considerate and welcoming to us. They all made sure we had a good time.
Elise: It was such a fun experience and I am really sad to be going home so soon. I will miss all my new American friends. I want to stay longer!

NWN: What’s the difference between French culture and Chicago culture?
Martin: I’ve been to McDonalds 15 times since I’ve been here! We have that in France also, but don’t go to it like Americans do.
Cecilia: In France, fast food is something more that you take home. In America, people sit more at fast food restaurants and hang out there, which is different.
Tamara: Uhhh probably how busy everyone is here? In our town, not everything is so fast paced like it is here, where people are always moving from one place to another.
Elise: I think it is the food here. In Strausborg we have for bakeries and sandwich shops. Over here, there are a lot more fast food restaurants and less “real” food.

NWN: What do American teens have that you don’t have?
Martin: More sports and activities during the week. We have club sports, but not school sponsored ones.
Cecilia: A license! In France we don’t get our license until we are 18. American teenagers seem much more free.
Tamara: Malls!! There are so many malls and stores in the area. Uggs in France are so expensive (like $200?) and not so many people have them. They are really popular here.
Elise: So many teenagers have cars here. There is always a way to get around. We walk a lot to our friends’ houses and restaurants in France

NWN: What was your favorite thing in America?
Martin: I love the people! Everything is so cool.
Cecilia: My correspondent and her friends. Everyone was so sweet and funny.
Tamara: Shopping was a lot of fun. Abercrombie & Fitch is so much cheaper here. It is so popular in France, but more expensive.
Elise: The malls! We don’t have malls like the ones here. And everything is so much cheaper than in France.

NWN: What did you not like about America?
Martin: Only the weather. It was so cold during our stay, but I enjoyed it anyways.
Cecilia: The only thing I did not like was that there was too much fat in the fast food. Sandwiches are different here than they are in France. We don’t use as much butter (like in a Panini).
Tamara: Oh, I loved everything. All of it was so fascinating and different to me. It was nice to see a culture other than French.
Elise: Only that people seem to go home earlier during weekdays. Everyone always has sports or activities that they do after school, but we don’t have clubs like that at our schools.

NWN: How diverse is your school compared to Niles West?
Martin: Our school is not diverse like here. We have some, but your school has so much more.
Cecilia: It’s diverse, but not like Niles West. There are a lot of different ethnicities here.
Tamara: Our school is somewhat diverse, but we have different races than here. The biggest minority in France is Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian.
Elise: Not as much. We saw International dances during one of the days at school, and there were so many different cultures that are just at Niles West alone!

NWN: What will you miss the most when you leave?
Martin: The people.
Cecilia: My American host and her friends.
Tamara: All my new American friends.
Elise: I’m going to miss the experience of being here.

NWN: What are you going to do when you get back home?
Martin: Sleep! School starts again when we get home.
Cecilia: Have my father make lasagna for me! Yummy!
Tamara: Show everyone pictures from my trip!
Elise: Go on Facebook and tell my correspondent how much I miss her already.