From Thursday, October 22 until Monday, November 2, 18 juniors and seniors from Cahors, France will be staying with host families in Hingham and visiting Hingham High School. Cahors is a town in Southwest France, roughly a six-hour drive from Paris, with a population of around 20,000 people and a similar demographic to Hingham. Hingham has had this program for several years, running every other year, where students from Cahors stay with a host family in Hingham for a week, and then Hingham students spend a week in Cahors later on in the year.

The students begin their trip by spending their first full day on Friday shadowing their host student for a day at school. Then, on Saturday, they will go to Newport, Rhode Island, and spend the day learning about the historic port city. On Sunday, they have the day to spend with their host family before visiting two historic Massachusetts towns on Monday and Tuesday.

First, they go to Plymouth and see the Mayflower and then the next day go to Salem and learn about the witch trials during Halloween season. On Wednesday, they spend another day going to classes at the high school before spending the next two days touring Boston. Finally, they will spend the weekend of Halloween with their host family before leaving for France Monday night. Junior Huck Shaughnessy, who is hosting two exchange students, noted how he was “really looking forward to spending Halloween with [his] exchange students.” Since the Cahors students have likely never celebrated Halloween, the holiday will be a great way to experience a part of our American culture firsthand.

Mr. Porter, a French teacher at the high school and the coordinator of the exchange, described the experience as “invaluable, worthwhile, and unforgettable for both our French guests and host families.” Growing up and living in Europe, most of the exchange students have most likely never been to Massachusetts or America, and this experience is a great opportunity for them to visit our country and learn more about American culture and lifestyle. When the Hingham students go to Cahors in the spring, they will also get to learn more about a different culture, offering a mutual learning experience.

Additionally, all of the visiting students study English at school, and most of them are staying with a Hingham student studying French, which provides a language learning opportunity for both students. The French students get to practice their English in a real-world scenario, and the Hingham students can talk to fluent French speakers and translate words or phrases that the French students may not understand. 

Martin Seggev, a junior at the high school who is hosting an exchange student, explained how he is “looking forward to learning more about [his exchange student]” and how “it will be fun for him to come to all of my classes so he can see how our school system compares to his in France.” There are definitely many distinctions between American and French culture, so it will be interesting to see what the French students see as major differences compared to their life in France. So, as these French exchange students visit Massachusetts and attend classes at Hingham High, be sure to keep a lookout for them and don’t be afraid to introduce yourself or ask questions.