It wouldn’t be a quintessential Chicago experience without deep dish pizza. A departure from northern French cuisine, the French exchange students from Lycée Saint-Paul in Lille tried an authentic deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati’s on their final day in Chicago on April 15.
“I didn’t like it. It was very bad,” said Victoire Pernez, an exchange student who stayed with U-High sophomore Ceci Siegel. “It was too cheesy and had a lot of pepperoni.”
In many ways, a gateway into a culture can begin with food. The French students tried Shake Shack and had a potluck with Lab families. Still, nothing compares to the food they’re used to having in Lille.
The exchange began in March when U-High students visited Paris and Lille in France, and Bruges and Brussels in Belgium, to experience a variety of French and Belgian culture. From April 7-16, the French students visited Chicago.
For sophomore Elspeth LaCroix-Birdthistle, hosting Sarah Billiet and showing her around was the best part of the exchange trip.
“I really enjoyed having someone else in my home,” Elspeth said. “I found that I was able to explore more Chicago when I had someone who hadn’t experienced it with me.”
The exchange students had the opportunity to take a tour of the University of Chicago. They visited museums such as the Art Institute of Chicago and the DuSable Museum. For some variety, U-High French teacher Catherine Collet-Jarard took them to some tourist attractions such as the Willis Tower, an architecture tour by boat on the Chicago River, and a White Sox baseball game.
In France, teacher-student relationships are much more formal. The French exchange students were surprised at the dynamics between Lab teachers and their students — there is a mutual understanding of respect.
“There were definitely culture shocks regarding the relationship between teachers and students,” Ms. Collet-Jarard said. “They were very surprised that teachers were very close to their students and were very approachable.”
French student Sarah Billiet noticed how much smaller the classes are at U-High. In France, classes are longer and have more students, usually 30 per room.
“We have more students in our classes,” Sarah said. “While you all sit in circles, our desks are in lines.”
For next year’s trip, Ms. Collet-Jarard is encouraging U-High students to be more willing to explore and embrace setbacks. It’s part of the beauty of travel.
“When you travel you have to come with an open mind,” Ms. Collet-Jarard said. “You don’t want to replicate what you have in your school.”
Ceci appreciated having the opportunity to make a new friend and improve her French speaking skills.
“I feel like my French has gotten a lot better,” Ceci said. “I don’t have many opportunities to speak French, and when Victoire came, I was able to speak so much better.”
