Our Foreign Exchange Student Ian Wallace is checking in from France:Dear Mr. Holscher,
One of my host club's members suggested this to me so I thought I might as well do it. I'm going to give a little report and hopefully you can show the rest of my sponsor club. I think that the decision to go on exchange has been a good one. Before I left I was optimistic and happy to have the opportunity to see another part of the world. Well, I have definitely seen a lot. The first month was the worst. I was consistently sad each day and felt utterly alone since I couldn't speak the language and hardly understood. I also had trouble grasping how exactly I was supposed to magically learn how to understand and speak. The only way I understood was through translating all the words I knew in my head whenever I heard them. The 5th day I called my parents and asked to come home. Luckily I am so blessed to have parents that know what is good for me. I can not thank them enough for telling me they wouldn't let me come home. From the first month on I have steadily been understanding more and speaking more and I can't be happier. The second month was also fraught with hardship because I still had trouble understanding. Sure I could understand basic things like "let's go", "we are going to eat now", and stuff like that, but I couldn't have a conversation which is really hard when everyone wants to know about you. I would always get asked questions and not know how to answer. I really wanted to, but trying to explain difficult concepts in a language you hardly know is not easy to say the least. Never the less I made it work.
I think one of the biggest things I miss that I didn't know I would when I left is a dryer. Never in my life would I have thought I would miss laundry, but here no one owns a dryer and it takes forever for all my clothes to dry and be ready for me to wear. I don't have a lot of clothes in the first part so that it's been less than satisfactory in terms of laundry. The third month here has gone on with little to talk about. I can talk to people now and more of less understand what they are saying and I recently changed from literature classes to science classes so that's been pretty nice. You have never been bored until you listen to two hours of philosophy in french I'll tell you that much. Now while I have talked mostly things that have been sad or hard that doesn't make up the majority of my experience here. I have met so many amazing people while I have been here. Both french and exchange students. I am honestly blessed to be able to talk with and hang out with so many cool people. While I have been here a quote that has stuck with me was from the dad of last year's Brazilian exchange student Juan Pedro (I think that is how you spell his name). He said at the rotary district meeting "No matter where you go people are people and that is the biggest lesson I learned on exchange." Every time I talk to someone new I realize they are not so different from me. Sure they may come from a different country and speak a different language. maybe they have a different culture, but in the end we are all human and we are all deserving of compassion. I think that is what I will end on. Hopefully my jumble of thoughts have made some semblance of sense. Again, if you could please pass this on to the wonderful people of my sponsor club that would be great.