Taking the Chance

When I got the chance to apply to the exchange program, I almost passed it by. The only thing that stopped me from ignoring the opportunity was a little voice in the back of my head. It said, “You only live once.” Following the voice’s advice, I threw my hat in the ring and I applied.

I half expected to get rejected from the program, as I wouldn’t exactly call myself an exceptional applicant. To my surprise, the sister city program had asked me to come in for an interview. The next thing I knew I had been accepted, and was told that in half a year, I’d be going to France.

Preparing for the Unknown

I had never been so far from home, and much less without my parents. I’d be staying with a family I didn’t know, in a country I didn’t know, so safe to say I was nervous. I half expected to get kidnapped and sold off in pieces in some shady back market. But of course, it was just my paranoia talking, so I had to learn all of what I could about the place I was visiting.

Agen, and France as well, have a history that is much, much more expansive than the history of the United States. Using the internet as my trusty ally, I learned that Agen had a pivotal role in both the religious wars of the 1500’s and World War Two.

Challenging My Expectations

Along with learning this prior to my journey, I had my own bias against France and the French people, formed by years of social media and stereotypes. I had thought that all French people were snooty and smoked cigarettes, along with being rude and weak. This could not have been further from the truth.

While sure, some people there are like that, the vast majority of them are kind, understanding, and beautiful people. I can’t even begin to describe the amount of times I have tried to speak my broken French while trying to buy food, and the waiter patiently waiting and helping me when I struggled.

Discovering a Different Way of Life

The kindness of these people brings me to my next point, the cultural differences that surprised me. To start, French society seems to be a lot less profit driven, such as how it does not prioritize efficiency by disregarding humanity. This concept is seen in their layouts of roads, with pedestrian traffic being preferred to cars and trucks.

Another thing that surprised me about the cars is that every single one of them that I was in had a manual transmission. As an American, manual cars weren’t something that were unknown, but they simply were not common.

The highway network in France also surprised me, as there seemed to be tolls every other mile. It was explained to me that paying tolls in the roads allowed for other public goods to be financed, such as healthcare, which is definitely not found in the United States.

Memories from Biarritz

The highway took the family and I to this tourist town called Biarritz, where I made some of my best memories. Most notable was the beach, and the sun was so different from here in the United States, I never had to wear sunscreen.

It was on that beach that a photographer approached both Chloe (my exchange student) and I to take some pictures. My favorite was one of both of us, smiling, with my eyes squinted under the sun. I still have that photo, sitting on my bedstand.

More Than an Exchange

I have a plethora of other memories that I love and remember. The castles Chloe and I visited in France, the beach in Corpus which we got sunburned together, and the Bayonne Festival.

I remember specifically, Chloe and I had decided to go watch a play that the high schools here in Corpus had put on. It was Grease, and a bunch of my friends were starring in it. Finishing the play, we both went out to eat, and I felt different that night.

I felt as if I had spent a lot of our time together clammed shut, and I never shared that much. But that night, I told her everything about myself, and it made me feel comfortable. I felt as if we were truly friends that night, not glorified roommates.

A Friendship That Will Last

I think that that summer was one of the best in my life, and I’ll never forget it. And I’m incredibly sad now that it’s over, because I fear that I’ll never feel that way ever again. But a thing is not beautiful because it lasts, there is beauty because you must enjoy something while you have it. Grief is the price of a moment well enjoyed.

The photo of Chloe and I that I still have is one of my prized possessions. I see it every morning when I wake up and every night when I fall asleep. She’s the type of person you only ever meet once in your life, and I hope I can see her again someday, before I am old and gray.

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