Rotary student returns from overseas

MILLBROOK — Gracie Howland, who spent almost a year in France as a Rotary Outbound Exchange Student, shared her experiences with Rotary members at their luncheon on Wednesday,  Aug. 11, at the Millbrook Café.

After giving speeches in French to Rotary groups, a presentation in English was easy for Gracie. Elie Savoy, Rotary president, commented that Gracie “never said ‘um’ once,� after the presentation, which she described as very well organized.

Gracie described her stay in Auray, a small French city of 11,000 people on the south coast of Britanny. Like all Rotary students, she stayed in three different French homes. One in the town, one in the countryside and one on the coast. All of the families had children who had participated in Rotary exchange programs, so they understood the difficulties of being away from home and of speaking a foreign language.

In a phone interview after her talk, Gracie touched on some of the differences between France and America. One big one was eating. In Auray families ate three meals a day together, plus a snack at four in the afternoon. Dinnertime was not until seven or eight in the evening. An adventurous eater, Gracie tried everything set in front of her, including crepes both savory and sweet, blood sausages, cow’s tongue and traditional butter-based Bretagne food.

Throughout the year, Rotary exchange students studying in France explored the country together. During April Gracie toured Europe with other Rotary exchange students and visited Germany, Italy, Austria and Switzerland. Not only did Gracie see Europe, she traveled with students from everywhere. Gracie observed that when the year began English was the common language that the diverse group spoke, but by the time spring came everyone spoke to each other in French — the language they had all learned during their year in France.

The way the French get around also interested Gracie. She commented on the bike lanes and availability of bicycles everywhere. She even went on a four-day bicycle trip in the country. But French roads baffled her.  She observed that there are few traffic signals and lots of traffic circles. Roads did not seem to have names, and signs point only in the general direction.

The French educational system is also different from the United States, with all the university-bound students in one high school and the students intending to enter a trade attending their own school. All of Gracie’s high school classes were taught in French and she found the one- to two-hour classes rigorous. School began at 8 a.m. and lasted until 5 p.m.

Her biggest, and perhaps only, complaint was the gray and rainy days of February, especially when students had to run from one building to another and got very wet.

The Millerton News asked Howland what was the first thing she noticed when she returned to the United States.

“Everyone speaking English and smiling,� she said. “Americans smile a lot.�