France invades Albany

French teens enjoy the same activities.

The school is playing host to 18 eighth graders from the College St. Charles in Rillieux, a suburb of Lyon, France. For the past two years, the students have been pen pals. This trip marks the first time they have met.

Sarah Mayer, an eighth grader at Holy Names, has been writing once a month to her pen pal. The letters center around sports, after-school activities, movies, music and families.

"We both like the Back Street Boys and Celine Dion," Sarah said. "I like to play soccer, and she likes to watch it. She also likes 'Friends' and 'The Simpsons.' We both really like shopping and talking on the phone."

But there are differences. Some of the Holy Names students have noticed that their French guests don't eat much, do drink a lot of water and Coke, and wake up earlier.

Whitney Tarella, an eighth grader at Holy Names, said her guest "said everything here is bigger than what's she's used to -- like the stores, the malls, and the grocery store." Her guest has also been surprised by some of the offerings on television. "She likes to watch infomercials and commercials," Whitney said.

The delegation of French students includes six boys, which is a bit different for Holy Names, an all-girls school. The Albany students said that having boys there really isn't too eventful.

The French teens' two-week visit includes trips to New York City and Niagara Falls as well as stops to local places of interest.

The visiting students said they have been warmly welcomed. Baptiste Deldon enjoys "the atmosphere and the way we've been welcomed." He said the United States is exactly as he pictured it -- "just like the films."

Some things he wasn't expecting include homeroom (in France, the school day begins with the first class) and the earlier dinner time: In France, people generally eat around 7 or 8 p.m.

His classmate Katia DuMontel is looking forward to learning during her stay. "I want to know the way they live and to make progress in my English," she said.

The Holy Names students have similar goals. Emily Lascak said, "I hope to learn more French. How to use it, not the grammar."

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