Each year since 2007, the School Year Abroad (SYA) program at Wilmington Friends has both sent and received students to and from countries across the globe for an unforgettable, overseas experience. This school year, WFS juniors Jack Bulk ’16 and Olivia Garber ’16 traveled to France to spend a year in Rennes, a city around 200 miles west of Paris.

The students each live with a host family and go to a small school for SYA students from all across the United States. Jack and Olivia have made strong ties with both their host families, and fellow American classmates, while also keeping in touch with friends from home. Despite the challenge of adapting to a new culture and improving their French-comprehension, Jack and Olivia are both loving their stay.

The students found that adjusting to a new environment was a huge change, but with the help of friendly host-family members, the students soon fell into a comfortable lifestyle. Jack shares that he enjoys playing video games and soccer with his older host-brothers, and says that sometimes they will go to local soccer games together. Olivia says she and her host-mom have grown decidedly close, describing her as “just an overall super funny and loving person who loves Brad Pitt movies and doing my hair. She also makes an amazing chocolate cake.” They bond over doing things they both love to do, such as cooking. Her WFS friend Joslyn Gardner ’16 shares a story of how Olivia cooked “Thanksgiving dinner” for her home in France, but had to opt for a chicken, since turkeys are “nonexistent” there.

One of the most daunting things about living in a new country is the dreaded language barrier. In the beginning of her stay, Olivia says it was very difficult to communicate: “My host family doesn’t know a word of English, so it was tough when I wanted to express how my day went, or saying something as simple as ‘No, I don’t want beets on my salad.’” With time however, Olivia and Jack both agree that their understanding of the language is improving. “My French comprehension is very good,” Jack remarks. “I can watch TV or go to the movies and understand exactly what they are saying.” The classes at the SYA school are also all conducted in French, with the exception of English and math. Needless to say, it is impossible to go a day without being exposed to the language, which both challenges the students, and helps them gain confidence in their French speaking and understanding.

Academics, however, are not all the SYA experience is about. Jack and Olivia have made sure to take time out of their busy schedules to participate in their favorite team sports and group social activities. Jack, a member of the Wilmington Youth Rowing Association (WYRA), continues to row in Rennes, as told by WFS friend Ryan Wood ’16. Caroline Wren ’16, one of Olivia’s good friends, shares, “Olivia has picked up ice hockey and is loving it. She also attends cooking and art classes.”

The two students have quickly made friends at their school. “Everyone here is friendly and we all get along,” Jack expresses, regarding his SYA friends. Similarly, Olivia echoes Jack on her experience making friends. “We all have similar interests, so it’s really easy to strike up a conversation.” Because all of the other SYA students are from the United States as well, Jack and Olivia have not experienced difficulty building connections with other students: “It’s nice having the camaraderie of 60 other Americans who are the same age going through the same problems and experiences at the same time,” Olivia says. Jack, commenting on the assortment of his peers, remarks that “there are kids from states such as California, Hawaii, and more.”

Although discouraged from contacting English-speaking friends, obviously the two still make the effort to let their WFS friends know what they have  been up to. Jack and Olivia’s friends seem to be slightly envious of all the exciting adventures they go on with their host families. “[Jack] gets to go on vacations within Europe, which is really cool”, says Drew Pittenger ’16. Wood ’16 agrees, saying, “they do cool trips like rock climbing… and go to places like castles often, and he says it’s awesome.” Olivia’s friends wish they, too, could bond with local french-speaking high schoolers at lunch (due to a lack of cafeteria in the SYA school). It is clear that the foreignness of the culture and contrast to the everyday life at Wilmington Friends spark an attractive curiosity amongst friends back home.

Jack and Olivia sought out SYA for the love of adventure and a desire for an independent experience that would enrich their knowledge of a different culture. So far, the two have had an amazing stay, loving every minute of their time in France. Olivia admits, however, that she does miss her family, and the little comforts of being at home, like easily expressing herself in English, and marshmallows. Jack, likewise, says he misses his family and friends, and his dog the most, and also the snow.

When asked about recommending the SYA program to their peers at WFS, the students responded positively. “I would recommend this to everybody,” Jack shares, emphasizing that it has made him a more outgoing, independent person. Olivia, on the other hand, voices that although it has been one of the best times of her life, “[SYA] is definitely not for people who hate change… I have really enjoyed this experience because I think having to adapt to weird situations is really awkward but also fun. If you enjoy adventure, and are able to go with the flow in odd and often uncomfortable circumstances, studying abroad is for you!”