Welcome to my blog First Impressions! My name is Eléa. I’m the French exchange student at RBHS for the school year. I’m a junior. Every two weeks I will share pictures about the differences between France and the United States that I notice throughout my time here. I will post about a lot of different things and cover different subjects. All is different for me! Enjoy! American cheerleaders are very famous in Europe. For us, it is a very iconic symbol of the United States! When we think of cheerleaders — whom we call “pom pon girls” — we think of America and all the movies where we can see them. Seeing real cheerleaders was so incredible! RBHS cheerleaders perform their routine at the Sept. 30 Homecoming game of RBHS v Helias.Presence of Martin Luther King Jr.’s monument with a commemoration each year. In France, we usually have memorials for events like World War I and II. The Martin Luther King Jr. memorial at Battle Garden, Columbia, MO.I joined the cross country team my second day of school. Once each week we have a meet. Before each competition, parents organize a “Pasta Party.” This is a good way to fuel our bodies with sustaining energy for the competition and to have fun! Senior Rachel Perkins, senior Jessica Clark, sophomore Ji-Sung Lee and sophomore Jadie Arnett enjoy their pre-meet “Pasta Party” dinner Sept. 30.In France people are allowed to drive alone if they have their driving licence at the age of 18. In Missouri teenagers can drive alone between the ages of 16 to 18, depending on their type of license. But now in France, they can start to learn with their parents and a driving school at the age of 15. Senior Jessica Clark drives to the cross country “Pasta Party” Sept. 30.In each class, we can see the flag of the United States. That is very surprising because I don’t remember ever seeing the French flag in my high school in France. The American flag hangs in Debra Perry and Michael McGinty’s Civics classroom.The shape of the mailbox is very different in France along with how people use it, too. The French mailbox, the “boîte aux lettres”, is square and locked. The postman puts letters in the mailbox through a rectangular opening. Also we don’t have a system of red flags. We have to find a Post Office’s mail box if we want to send something. The mailbox belonging to my host family.I’ve noticed that a lot a of teachers bring food to their students, especially candies and pastries. In France it is rare that teachers would bring this, and when they do, it is for a special occasion like Christmas or the end of the school year. Students enjoy candy left in a classroom.For me, this kind of take-out box is just like I’ve seen in the movies. It’s similar to when you see the actors eat in their little boxes in front of the TV or a open fire. It is very funny to see and use what you just see through the TV screen in real life. A take-out meal in my host family’s dining room.Students use a lunchbox to bring their own food for the lunch and just a few of them eat in the cafeteria. In France everyone sits in the cafeteria. Students eat their packed lunch in a classroom.It was very fun to see all the colors from different schools like that during the meet! Each school has its own uniform to distinguish itself from others. They stay together during the beginning of the race. The RBHS cross country team competes at the Forest Park meet in St. Louis on Sept. 10 along with more than 35 other high school teams.
all photos by Eléa-Marie Gilles
