French exchange students find Fayette friendly
A group of French teen-agers had some concerns about visiting the United States at a time when the Iraq war turned American public sentiment against France, even to the point that restaurants openly advertised “freedom” fries. “We were a little bit afraid,” one of the students, Amandine Clermont, admitted.
However, they said they have had nothing but a friendly response, and each would like to return to the United States.
“It was not a problem. People were very nice with us. They asked about Iraq but were not against us,” Clermont said.
Maeva Cistol, an 11th-grade student who wants to work in tourism, said everyone the group has met has been friendly.
Asked if they have encountered any negatives, Clermont said, “Just the rain.”
The group of four young men and three young women arrived in the area two weeks ago to stay with separate Uniontown families through an exchange program of Nacel Open Door, a non-profit organization from Saint Paul, Minn., that sponsors cultural exchanges between American and foreign families and students.
They are scheduled to leave Fayette County on Aug. 7.
Until then, the teens are studying English with teachers Tina Whitehead of Uniontown and Melanie Rohaley of Keisterville at Calvary United Methodist Church and are visiting local sites. One of their field trips was to the Herald-Standard, where they toured the different departments and spoke about their experience.
Other visits included Fallingwater, Laurel Caverns, Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Jumonville, Carnegie Museum, Sandcastle and Century III Mall. They also planned visits to the Uniontown police station, Uniontown Area High School, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa and the Bruderhof communities.
This week, the group will take in the Fayette County Fair.
“We’re trying to get them to experience as much as possible,” Whitehead said.
Clermont said the young people in America are similar to those in her group, but the area is noticeably different geologically and architecturally from the small city in the center of France where she lives and attends a university, studying law. Clermont, the only member of the group who is not a high school student, said the area also is obviously different from her last visit to the country, when she went to New York.
“New York is very big. Here is small but very nice. It is not too big or too small,” she said.
Clement Leduc, a 12th-grade student who wants to be a pharmacist, said no one from the group knew each other in their homeland, but they have all become friends.
“We met on the plane,” he said, noting that the flight lasted eight hours non-stop from Paris to Philadelphia.
Travel abroad is nothing new to the teen-agers.
Johann Roche, an 11th-grader, ticked off the places he has been in this country alone as New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Chicago. His travels also have taken him to Canada, Scotland, Australia and South Africa.
The students also pointed out that they all speak several languages besides French and English, including German, Spanish and Latin.
Whitehead said they are being immersed in English during this visit and are trying to speak as little French as possible. She said she had to insist at one point that the teens speak their native language for the benefit of the children at Calvary United Methodist Church.
“Living in the East End (of Uniontown), some of the children in our church are fascinated with them. One boy was just staring at them. He could not believe they were from France,” she said.
Also with the group were Adrien Chef, a 10th-grade student, and Loise Loridan and Morgan Fouquer, both 12th-grade students. Loridan said she is interested in nutrition and Fouquer in clothing design.
Whitehead and Rohaley said they are learning as much from the French students as they are teaching.
Whitehead said she studied French for nine years, and this exchange program has given her a chance to reach “into the recesses” of her mind and use the language.