Editor’s note: J-W Teen Advisory Board member Beth Ruhl is spending her junior year of high school as a French exchange student. She is writing monthly about her experiences there.

As a high school student, I have always felt that keeping up with current events and knowing my history is difficult with all of the schoolwork and other things that are expected of people my age. Lately though, I have been making an effort, and it has paid off.

In my English class, I had the opportunity to ask the French students anything I wanted about French government, world events, the French lifestyle, etc., and in return they asked me about my life in the United States. It was interesting to hear everyone’s opinions about their culture.

When it was my turn to speak, the students had many questions. They had many questions about our country’s politics and historical events. I tried the best I could to give an unbiased account from what I knew, but staying on top of what has and is going on in the world helped me enormously.

They were shocked that many Americans drink soda, juice or milk at the table for meals. Here in France the vast majority of people drink only water or seltzer water.

At the first orientation for the Rotary students, I met people from all over the world, including Germany, Canada and Australia. That is one of the great aspects of the Rotary Youth Exchange. They bring together people from different places. We went to a small, private castle and stayed at a French bed and breakfast.

Now I go almost weekly to my host club’s meetings. The Rotary clubs enjoy exchanging club flags, so I presented my host club with the Lawrence club’s banner.

The area in which I live is called the Loire Valley. It is the area of France most famous for its castles. Just about every weekend my family takes me to see a new châteaux or castle. So far my two favorites have been Chenonceau and Villandry.

Chenonceau sits on the Loire River, and is famous for the many royal women who lived there. Villandry is known for its gorgeous gardens.

Since school has started I have gotten involved in many organizations. This is good because it keeps me busy, and I have met many new people. In French schools there are clubs like in theater, chess and photography, but there are no sports at school. If you want to play sports, you must do so with a private organization after school.

While I am preparing to take the SAT and ACT tests when I get back to the United States, my French friends are preparing to take a part of the French baccalaureate at the end of the year. This year they will take the French, math and science subject tests. The French Bac is how universities select students in France.

As for my adventures in the food of France, I have become a bit more experimental. Some new things I have tried include escargots, which are snails in a butter sauce, fois gras, which is duck liver, and a very small bite of intestines. Out of all of these I liked the escargots the most.

Beth Ruhl, Lawrence, is spending her junior year of high school as an exchange student in France.