Photographed by Alia Arif

On most half days, students make after school plans and hope for the day to go quicker. But on the first half day of the year, students in Marquette’s french classes experienced a much different type of day.

On Friday, August 28, Léa Kowalik, a French student spending her summer in America, visited MHS French classes.  She spent time talking to the students, explaining the differences between the lives of French students and American students.

“Everything is so different here,” Kowalik said. “We go to school from eight to six, and we have sports, but like class.”

French high schools don’t provide after school sports the way American schools do, Kowalik said. They participate in sports during their physical education classes.

Kowalik also noticed differences between French and American school schedules and lunch periods. Her school in France changes their schedule every day, never keeping the classes in the same order in one week.

“It changes, like Monday I can start with French, then Tuesday I can start with Math,” she said. “And we have an hour to eat.”

Kowalik observed differences between French and American cultures as well.

“You have like a lot of stores and like restaurants and stuff,” the French student said.  “And everything is big, like houses and roads and cars. We have small stuff.”

The different sizes and stores in America isn’t what sparked Kowalik’s interest in the U.S. Kowalik visited New York city with family four years ago. That trip is what started her fascination with America.

“I was in a French group so I didn’t speak English at all,” Kowalik said.  “It made me want to speak it and just go there again and speak to people.”

This year, Kowalik didn’t travel to New York. Instead she visited the United States for the summer, staying with family friends in Wildwood.

“I just love it,” Kowalik said. “People are so friendly and I like being here. It’s different and everybody loves America in France. It’s like a dream to go here.”