Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Parlez vous francais?

First, tomorrow is the big school committee election! I will be holding my sign (with my posse), waving at people and smiling all day tomorrow in front of the polling place. I will admit, I am a little nervous!

Anyway, tonight I went to a friend's house to meet with 2 lovely people from France about having some french children stay at our houses during the summer. I sent out an email to some friends to test the water to see if anyone wanted to come to this informational meeting. One of my good friends who reads my blog religiously, but only comments via email wrote, "I would be afraid to bring anyone into my home with a moody husband, a teen who has mood swings like a woman and a nine year old with a mouth like a truck driver and a psycho for a mother". Hmmm, not a good enough excuse Corinna! I could kind of relate to what she wrote. My fear is that a kid from France would find Cape Cod rather boring. Not much city life here, no drinking at the age of 12, we pretty much go to the beach and read in the summer.... Why would anyone want to come here?

I wonder if the family I stayed with in France had these same doubts. I stayed with the Nougier's in Avignon when I was a sophmore in college for 3 weeks. They were the loveliest family with 3 kids. 2 of their kids eventually came over to the states and stayed with us for a bit of time. We stayed in touch for many years after and then sadly enough, lost touch. It was definitely one of the best experiences of my life! So yes, I will open up my home to another child, whether this summer or next, because I believe that living in another culture is one of the best learning experiences one can have. It is not only great for the child from abroad, but opens up your own childrens' eyes to what is beyond our state. So, the laundry may be all over the kitchen table and the dishes piled in the sink, but that child will feel all the love an American family has to give and remember the experience for a lifetime.

4 comments:

Wineplz said...

Good luck tomorrow!

and I would've loved to have participated in some sort of foreign exchange program, but my high school just didn't have the funds to do that sort of thing...hopefully at least one of my kids will have the chance, or maybe we'll be able to host someone. Can't wait to hear how things turn out with the French kids.

Melisa Wells said...

That is AWESOME, and I agree that it's a valuable experience. I totally would have done that, except our house really doesn't have enough room for an extra person (for more than a visit!). I really wish that we could have, though. My month in Germany in 1983 was an amazing experience.

Anonymous said...

I always have foreign exchange students in my classes (they all seem to be from Poland) and what they seem to care most about is partying and getting to Niagara Falls and California. They're always shocked when we discuss how far California is from Michigan. But nice kids? Always!

Can't wait to hear about your election:)You are really an energetic and creative person. We would love to have you help our school district!

scargosun said...

Good luck today!

What a wonderful thing you are doing, allowing someone into your home to sample the culture of the US for a summer. They will have a wonderful time! I lived with a family in Costa Rica when I was in college for a summer and it was a wonderful experience.