BIDDEFORD — McDonald’s and yellow school buses ”“ these are two of the things that come to mind when French exchange student Zohra Khadhraoui, who has been in Biddeford about a week, describes her time in the United States.
Khadhraoui, along with 24 of her schoolmates and two of her teachers from the Lycée Carcouet, a high school in the town of Nantes in France, are visiting Biddeford High School.
The group is participating in an exchange program with the school. They arrived Friday and will be in town for two weeks, staying with American families.
The program was coordinated on the American side by BHS French teacher Nancy Litrocapes and on the French side by teachers Olivier Tabary, who teaches history and geography, and Alison Plaud, who teaches English. The match between the two schools was made through the Maine Department of Education and the French ministry of education.
This is the first exchange of its kind between the two schools. Next year, it will be the Biddeford students’ turn to visit France. The teachers from both sides of the Atlantic say they hope the back-and-forth relation will continue for many years in the future.
The most important benefit the students will get from the program, said Tabary, is improving their foreign language skills.
“Discovering a country they don’t know and adapting to it” is another important lesson, he said, as is “breaking stereotypes.”
The French students “have a bad view of the U.S.,” said Tabary. Most of what they know about the country comes from television and much of what they know revolves around Beverly Hills, Miami and from the TV show “Dexter,” about a serial killer.
As they get to know each other, the students are discovering some of the similarities and differences between the two cultures.
As typical teenagers, one of the things the French students are interested in is the food. They have discovered that the food is very different between the two countries.
“In France, we eat more vegetables,” said Khadhraoui, “here they eat more fattening food.”
School lunch in France is “totally different” from that in Biddeford, said French student Alexis Coterel. He said there are more food choices at his school. French students choose a starter, which often consists of a salad or other vegetable, and then a main meal, which could be meat or fish ”“ there is a fish option every day, he said.
Even though the French students said they enjoy burgers and pizza occasionally, which are offered daily at BHS, they say they prefer their own food and that all their friends from Nantes agreed.
“It’s healthier and more balanced,” said Khadhraoui.
While they may not prefer the lunch, the French students said they liked attending school in Biddeford; that it was much more relaxed. In France, a typical school day goes from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and there’s very little time for extracurricular activities, said Plaud.
“I like the teachers here,” said Khadhraoui. “They are really cool, less strict.”
“It’s very different,” said Coterel. “In a few classes, we can use cell phones, computers and eat.”
Litrocapes noted, however, that all those behaviors are against the rules at BHS.
Other differences include yellow school buses ”“ they don’t have them in France ”“ and what the teenagers do for fun. While both groups enjoy movies and bowling, some of the French students also like to go out to bars at night. That’s something the American students aren’t able to do since the drinking age is 21 in the U.S.
French people have a different attitude toward alcohol, said Plaud. She said she thinks the French attitude is better, where drinking is more open and available, because then there is no need to hide the behavior and most don’t overindulge.
Heavy drinking is becoming more of a problem among French teenagers, however, said Tabary.
Along with learning about each other’s societies, Josh Hauck, a junior at BHS, said he’s found that his language skills have improved.
“I’ve learned a lot of different ways to say things in French,” he said.
Kayla Fournier, a BHS freshman, said she’s learned “How different and how alike we are.”
One of the best things about the program, she said, is how fast she and the French students have become friends.
Hauck, whose family is hosting Coterel, said he’s made “a good friend to email and Skype (Internet video calling) to.”
The exchange program serves a number of purposes, said Litrocapes. It fits into the school’s foreign language requirements for students, and it gives students an opportunity to gain an understanding of another culture, which is important in the global economy the students will participate in as adults.
“They may do business together” someday, she said.
The program is also valuable because of Biddeford’s French connection, with so many people in the community who have a Franco-American background.
Litrocapes said she’s happy people in the community have been so welcoming to the French visitors.
“The open doors and smiles hung on all the faces we meet” is what he’ll take from his Biddeford experience, said Tabary.
“This is a great program,” said BHS Principal Britton Wolfe. It’s a pilot program, he said, but so far it’s successful. “The feedback from parents and students is that they’re really enjoying it.”
It’s providing a way for students from the different countries to learn about one another and make new friends, said Wolfe. And they’re learning about real life in the U.S., or at least real life in Biddeford, he said.
“Unlike tours, they get to attend school and live with a family and get a picture of what life is like here.”
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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