Local teens experience culture of
France and Spain first-hand

Watching Spain's soccer team beat Germany in the EuroCup is a major highlight from a recent trip abroad for local high school students who participated in the Columbia Association Sister Cities foreign exchange.

Meghan Kneale, 17, of Clarksville, jumped into a fountain in a town square, singing and celebrating with her Spanish host family. The next day, driving around Madrid, she saw everyone dressed in the team's colors of red and yellow.

"I wish we had that kind of national team spirit here," Meghan said.

Meghan's sister was part of the Sister Cities exchange in a previous year and told Meghan: "The stories aren't enough. You have to go!"

More than 30 local students headed off to Tres Cantos, Spain, and Cergy-Pontoise, France, for two weeks this summer to stay with foreign host families and experience the language and culture of a different country. In mid-July, their foreign counterparts came to Columbia to see what life in America is all about.

When Meghan and the other students traveling to Spain got off the plane and boarded a bus, they screamed with excitement the whole ride, she said. "All I could say was 'OMG' [oh my God] for about five minutes," she recalled.

In both foreign countries, local teens learned a new way of saying hello — kisses on each cheek called "dos besos" in Spain and "bisou bisou" in France.

Tres Cantos and Cergy-Pontoise are planned communities like Columbia. "Big" and "just like the movies" were the two most common ways the foreign students described America.

"We had to bust a lot of stereotypes," Erica Cobb, 15, of Fulton, said about her trip to France.

Despite stereotypes, Erica said she received a warm reception from most people in France. "When we said we were Americans, doors opened," she said.

While Erica and fellow Sister Cities student Sarah Lewis, 15, of Laurel, were in France, they went to Furia Sound Festival, which they compared to the Warped Tour. Back in Columbia, some students planned on taking their foreign visitors to the Warped Tour to experience an American concert.

The students visited French landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, D-Day beaches in Normandy, chateaus and museums. They said one of the best foods in France was the bread.

CA planned activities for the group here in Columbia, including trips to Washington, D.C.; New York; Ocean City; and Hershey Park.

Vincent Gasser, 15, of France, said he has enjoyed the experience. He previously visited the U.S. but said this exchange gave him the opportunity to improve his English — and make more French and American friends.

"It's an absolute experience," Meghan Predenkoski, 15, of Ellicott City, said.

Meredith Jaffe, manager of International Exchange and Multicultural Programs for Columbia Association, agreed.

"They're often surprised by the close friendships they make in such a short time," Jaffe said.

Applicants to the Sister Cities exchange must be high school students who reside in Howard County and have completed high school level two of Spanish or French or have the equivalent language fluency by the end of the academic year of participation. Applications for next year's exchange will be due in spring. For more information, call 410-715-3162 or e-mail SisterCities@ColumbiaAssociation.com.

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