Annandale is home to people of many different backgrounds, including a small but intriguing group of exchange students. These students chose to study abroad in the U.S. through an exchange program which allowed them to attend an American school while staying with a host family.
Inès Rabelle is one of the few exchange students to spend time at Annandale and explore the culture of the U.S. Through the AFS program, which allows high school students to apply to many different countries around the world, she was able to become an exchange student and travel to the U.S. this year as a junior.
“I wanted to become an exchange student because I love traveling and learning about new cultures,” Rabelle said. “As a European, I really wanted to see what it’s like to live in America.”
Compared to France, her home country, America’s culture is vastly different. According to her, everything here is bigger, especially the buildings as well as the food portions, and sports and holidays seem to hold a greater importance—a main part of the culture that Rabelle was excited to experience.
“In the U.S., all the teachers are so friendly, and we finish school every day at 3pm every day,” Rabelle said. “This is so cool for me because in France, my classes ended at 5pm at the latest.”
Another exchange student originating from France, Robin Bonnelle, also noticed these cultural differences, noting that the athletic program has been a huge part of his experience here. He first started as the manager for the football team, eventually trying out for the wrestling team after being convinced by his peers.
“I really liked being part of the wrestling team—getting to do matches, making friends, and just getting to do something I’ve never done before,” Bonnelle said.
One commonality between both Rabelle and Bonnelle was their desire to become better English speakers through their stay here. Naturally, the language barrier proved to be one of the biggest difficulties for the two at first, as their English was not too strong yet, restricting them from expressing their thoughts and feelings.
“Before, I couldn’t catch up with the conversation,” Bonnelle said. “Like, when two people were talking together, I couldn’t really understand what they were talking about.”
Along with the language barrier, it took the students some time to adjust to the differences in etiquette between the cultures. This was very complicated, as some actions can be considered disrespectful in one country when they are normal in another.
“Sometimes, it’s hard to understand how people behave the way they do just because of the cultural difference, and you must remember that people might not interpret how you act correctly, depending on where they’re from,” Rabelle said.
Sina Beckmann, an exchange student from Northern Germany, also experienced these obstacles while adjusting to the changes, agreeing that being in a place of new people and a foreign language is very difficult.
“The biggest difficulties I faced here were not always fitting in, not knowing anybody, or not knowing certain words in English,” Beckmann said.
Over time, the students were able to adjust to the language and etiquette and become much more comfortable with speaking it with others, improving their experience overall. Aside from the language and the culture, they learned a lot about themselves through their stay here, agreeing that it has changed the way they see the world.
“Living in another country for an entire year has completely shifted how I see things, and this year has shown me how much I love seeing new places, meeting new people, and seeing the world from a new perspective,” Rabelle said. “I’ve grown a lot this year, and I’m so glad to have done this exchange year.”
What all of the students can agree on is their admiration for Annandale’s school community, as school here serves as a social hub unlike in their home countries.
“There’s a huge community spirit here at school—it’s all like a big family, I would say,” Bonnelle said.
The students have also found that the teachers here are way more friendly than they are used to, and it has proven to contribute a great deal to their experience here.
“They have always done their best to help me when I didn’t speak English, and their support has been very important to me this year,” Rabelle said. “I am very grateful for it.”
Even with the initial challenges, choosing to study abroad has been well worth the effort for the students, as it has proved to be a very valuable and enriching experience.
“I learned a lot, found new hobbies and friends,” Beckmann said. “I also got to try a lot of different cultured food and traveled to see other states and places in the U.S.”
The exchange students are nearing the end of their stay here, as they are planning to return back to their home countries this summer, after the end of the school year. Though their stay was quite short, they made sure to make the most of their time here, savoring every fun and meaningful moment.
“I’ve met so many people that I’ll never forget, and this year showed me how lucky I am to have a home worth missing and people I love that make it so painful to be away,” Rabelle said. “I encourage every person who’d be interested [in studying abroad] to experience it because it’s such a beautiful life opportunity.”
