Casady’s Foreign Exchange: An Inside Look
Allison Burkhart (‘27), Staff Writer
When the option to host a French exchange student was offered to me, I brushed it off, thinking I would be too busy to host and would, in turn, be a bad host. My mom, with her heart of gold, told me we should take one in because we had the room available with my siblings being away at college. I told Mr. Pardue that we would do it, still scared that I would be a lame host.
The first thought that popped into my mind when I matched with Perine was how excited I was to host her. It was not fear or anger, just pure bliss. I emailed her, and soon we were talking for hours on end over Snapchat. Every morning at school, I would send her videos from the other girls in the exchange, such as Elle Wallis, Elle Stabinski, Kate Nafeih, Adeline Hanneman, and Susannah Brown. Perine did not have many ideas about what she wanted to accomplish while in OKC, so I began scheming up fun activities. My mom and I curated a welcome basket that included a fuzzy bear Jellycat, some Oklahoma stickers, candy, and some other trinkets.
We all waited in the airport lobby with greeting signs and our loud American voices, thrilled but nervous for their arrival. When they stepped through the terminal exit doors, we erupted in cheers and welcomes. I rushed up and embraced Perine, ensuring her first moments in Oklahoma were warm and caring. In the car, she told us that her first impression was how the sheer size of everything here was impressive to her, like the highway and stores. Americans love their big items! Perine has no pets, so I was awfully nervous about having our three dogs and three cats constantly scrambling around our house. Luckily, Perine adored the pets and even named her Jellycat after our dog, Daisy.
On Saturday, we went to The Hall's Pizza Kitchen with a few friends, and the French girls all loved their pizza (who doesn’t love Hall's?). Afterwards, all the girls went to a University of Oklahoma football watch party. Perine and I went to the mall, where she was amazed at its enormity and the abundance of people there. She loved Sephora, and it astonished her how inexpensive the makeup prices were compared to those in France. That night, Perine and my family went to Tamashii Ramen House, which she thought was delicious. On Sunday, Kate, Emilie-Rose (Kate's exchange student), Perine, and I went to The Container Store. Although not the most thrilling experience, it was surely something different that they do not have access to in France, at least not in the capacity that we do. Whenever I would say something incorrect while speaking to Perine in French, she would always give me this bewildered look. It never failed to make me laugh, knowing my French was nowhere near good enough to speak confidently in France.
When we arrived at school on Monday, Perine was wowed by Casady's campus layout. Whether it be the lake or the separate buildings for each class type, Perine thought our campus was simply divine. She sat in Johnson's common area with me and mingled with her friends until the bell rang, and she headed off to downtown OKC.
Halloween was the first full day Perine spent at school with me. She decided to dress as a cowgirl, which I thought was very fitting for Oklahoma. She did wear a bedazzled cowboy hat, which is not very typical for a real cowgirl, but I thought it fitting for a high-class French cowgirl. All the exchange students and Casady students ate at Chick-fil-A in the library, and Perine rightfully crowned Chick-fil-A as the winner over Raising Cane's.
That night, a group of us gathered at Kate's house to carve pumpkins and trick-or-treat. Trick-or-treating is one of the main reasons the French students come to America when they do. In France, Halloween is celebrated to an extent, but nowhere near how it is in America. Perine adored all the decorations in people's yards and the decorations my mom puts up inside the house for the holiday. So Halloween was highly anticipated, and as far as I am aware, we did not let them down. The French students had a blast skipping to each house and cheerfully exclaiming, "Trick or treat!" That spooky night, we all became closer to one another as we shared stories and drama. As we walked and laughed, we realized how similar we were to one another, even though we grew up in vastly different ways. We all loved candy, talking and laughing with friends, and engaging in new opportunities. With full bellies and heavy feet, Perine and I went home, proud of our successful night out.
On Sunday, Kate had a birthday party at La Baguette Bistro. Before that, Perine and I ran to Target to pick out Kate's present. Target was one of Perine's desired spots to hit, so it worked out perfectly. There, Perine bought a few things from e.l.f cosmetics because e.l.f. in America is less expensive compared to in France. At the bistro, the French girls deemed La Baguette's bread to have the closest accuracy to the baguettes back home, and also added that their breakfast was very similar to French breakfasts at restaurants in France. For dinner at my house, my dad made a twenty-four-hour pork shoulder roast and made pulled pork sandwiches, and my mom made coleslaw and baked beans. Perine deemed this her favorite meal, which made us very happy. Pulled pork sandwiches– and really any BBQ– are my favorite meal, so I was pleased that we provided her with some classic American BBQ during her stay.
When the girls came to Casady for the day, their favorite thing to do was run around together, making sure not to stay in one place for too long. They all seemed so close to one another, and they truly made me feel so included, even though we have a rough language barrier. The most difficult thing they encountered at the American school was our lunch. Casady has molded us since middle school to scarf down our food in a matter of minutes, which was very unlike the French exchange student's way. They were overwhelmed in the time crunch and expressed their concerns. The next day, they went to lunch twenty minutes early and stayed ten minutes later than everyone else to allow adequate time to eat and converse. In my opinion, and I think I speak for the majority at Casady, our lunch time needs to be lengthened to allow time to sit and talk to each other while we enjoy our meal. This is one thing I am excited for in France- the one hour allotted to eat our meals. Food, and the experience surrounding it, is a big aspect of culture throughout the world, so I am thrilled to truly explore how they approach it in France.
On their last night, Adeline, Kate, our girls, and our families went down to the Wheeler District, ate at Taco Nation, and rode on the Ferris wheel. So many memories were created from this night, things I will surely never forget. We chased each other around, lay on the hammocks together, and played various games with half-inflated soccer balls. This time spent under the stars helped to deepen our connections. Although these girls were strangers less than two weeks prior, in those moments, we ensured that we would remain lifelong friends.
Saying goodbye was one of the hardest things to do. Tears were shed, more hugs than I can count were given, and so many wishes were given to each other as we anticipated the next time we would see one another. I am counting down the days until I arrive in France, with a suitcase full of American goodies for her. We still message each other frequently, but texting is definitely not the same as seeing someone in person. I now consider Perine a dear friend of mine, and I would assume myself the same for her. The time the exchange students stayed in Oklahoma will remain in my heart forever, always finding a way to rise when I need a laugh.
