A story from Laura about her time away.

From when I listened to my local area representative presenting exchange options in my schools assembly, the idea of packing up and leaving my home for two months scared me. I didn't know if I could do it. I dragged my friend to an information meeting at lunchtime at school, we were both quite interested. I took home the booklets and presented them to my parents. Eventually, I dragged them to an information meeting and after debating whether or not I should go, we decided. I was going.

The frost air slapped my face as I walked off the plane and came out of the Toulouse Airport with my new host Dad. I was a bundle of nerves and also completely exhausted. Meeting my host sister for the very first time in person was something I will never forget. My first day of school, we started at 8am, most days but sometimes, according to your timetable, it was 9am or if you were really lucky, 10am. School was only three minutes walk from my home for two months. I have never been so cold; one truly doesn't know the cold until you have experienced part of an European winter.

School anywhere is similar and different, simultaneously and French school was no exception. Much to my amusement, on my first day the subject that was up first was, English, (to avoid confusion, this is when the French pupils learn the English language and they have ‘French’ as well which is our ‘English’.) All the pupils made sure to try out their English on me which was very sweet. My host sister made room at her desk for me - I was extremely lucky to be in all of her classes. All my classmates were very keen to hear about New Zealand. Word got around that I spoke English and at lunchtime I was sometimes flocked by younger pupils very keen to sometimes say ‘Hello’ to me in English.

The two hour lunch time seemed to drag on some days as the first hour was eating at the canteen and the second was for an extra class, or if you didn't have one just hanging out in the quad. The middle school had a specific order to go into the canteen and eat your lunch that each year group would follow. As a year group we lined up outside the canteen, our meal cards in hand, to be let into the ‘movie style’ canteen, you scan your meal card then walk through a metal arm and get a tray and pick a dessert, starter, a hot main course and ‘bien sûr’, baguette. It was set up like your average American canteen where you choose want you wanted and the servers would give into you. After receiving your meal you try find a table with your friends and eat fast because other year groups have to come through as well.

Schools had their winter break that started on the 22nd of December and finished on the 5th of January, planned around Christmas and New Years. On the lead up to Christmas, the Christmas market opened in early December where you can have some mulled wine, waffles, crêpes, hot chestnuts, snails and many more delicious foods. Christmas Eve was a big thing for my family - and so much more formal than your average Kiwi Barbecue on the 25th. Some of my host parents family came over to our place and we ate a late dinner that lasted over a couple hours and multiple courses, one course being a selection of famous french cheeses. On Christmas Day we went to a grandmother’s house for lunch where we ate a traditional french Christmas meal of castrated male chicken, roasted apples, chestnuts and some sort of sausage meat. In the evening we went to a nearby town called Albi and we admired the Cathedral that had a light show playing on the outside - as did many other buildings in Albi and in my hometown Castres.

Over my last days in Castres, it was harder and harder to leave the cute town. I was excited to come back home to my family but I was sad to be going, because I knew I would miss my new friends. I wish I stayed longer than eight weeks. Over my Your Education Student Exchange, I got to travel to surrounding towns and all the way over the border to Spain, be a passenger in a tiny four seater plane which my host Dad flew, try out some different school subjects that I wouldn't normally choose at home, and have french pastries at my fingertips. I got to share about New Zealand to other french exchange students and my french class mates, have amazing french bread everyday, make some pretty cool new friends with pupils and teachers, improve my french language skills, and experience new exciting things while being away from my family and all things familiar. If you ever have the opportunity to go on an exchange with Your Education, I highly recommend this. It will enhance your language skills so much if you travel to a non-English speaking country but if not those special experiences will last you a lifetime.