A little time off the rock that we call home can be an amazing experience, as well as an educational one. I am currently exploring the surrounding area of Caen in Normandy, France, and living with a wonderful French family in the rural neighbourhood of Monts en Bessin, 15 minutes out of the city towards the coast.
I am spending three months off the rock, three months in a foreign country, and three months that I am sure I will never forget.
Many exchange programs are available to Sooke youth. I am currently participating in the exchange program that is offered by OSEF (Organisme Sejours Educatif Francais), a company that organizes 11-week (February to late April) and four-week (July) exchanges between France and Canada. OSEF is a reciprocal organization and youth from Canada are matched up with youth from France, counterparts in a unique cross-continental adventure! French students arrive to Canada in mid-August and stay until late October, and Canadian students hop the pond in early February and return home in late April.
After two whirlwind days in Paris, participants from all over Canada spread out over France to settle into daily French life. I was welcomed into my new French family with a hearty lunch of famous French crepe, which, I am proud to say, I have mastered the art of making. It’s all in the wrist!
With the help of my family I have been exploring Caen and the wonderful villages that spread from the big city to the coast. Caen is close in size to Victoria and is a wonderful gem of French culture. Caen is the perfect place from which to base a trip to Normandy as there are adventures waiting to be had in every direction. I would recommend heading to Bayeux to have lunch at the Triskel Creperie and then standing amazed in front of the Bayeux Tapestry, made around 10,000 A.C. Ouistreham is a must-see for the Friday morning open air market and maybe even a ferry ride over to England. Stop in Asnelle for the Asnelle Biscuitry that ships biscuits all over the world and at one of the Isigny Caramel Factories for a tasty tour. Finally, no trip to Caen is complete without a visit to Granville for the annual Carnival, a party that has been going on since 1951, and will leave you smiling and covered in confetti.
For the days you wish to avoid the city streets, the emerald fields speckled with grazing dairy cows that are trademark in Normandy are only a short fifteen minutes’ drive from the Caen centre. A network of one-lane roads turned into trails snake their way through acres and acres of fields and forest, something any Galloping Goose lover will appreciate.
OSEF grants students the opportunity to attend French school which has been one of the biggest eye openers I have experienced. The next time someone complains about our school’s long hours, you can let them know that school in France begins at 8 a.m., and ends at 5 p.m., with an hour for lunch! Although a long day, French school has enabled me to make some new friends that I am sure I will contact with a couch surfing request when I return to Europe in later years.
Exchange programs are an amazing way to meet new people and to see new places. Every person you meet will touch your life in his or her unique way, and I have found that people from foreign walks of life have touched mine in ways I wouldn’t trade for the 50 million dollar jackpot. My family in Sooke has hosted people from Alberta, Quebec, New Brunswick, Kenya, and Mozambique, through the Canada World Youth program and a student from Thailand through School District 62.
In August, I will welcome my French counterpart through OSEF. I would encourage you to become involved in an exchange program because it allows you to explore the world of infinite possibilities that we sometimes forget is available. It also provides the opportunity to welcome someone new into your life and to showcase the beauty that makes us all brave the ferry lines and rising prices to return to being sur le roche.
