I have spent most of my life in Kansas. When you stay in one place for a long time, you form a system of judgment for the way your culture works, but when you go somewhere new that system gets totally rearranged. This is what has happened to me so far in my Rotary exchange to France.

My first two weeks in France were a whirlwind. After arriving at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, my host mom found me with a sign that read “Bienvenue Bethany.” I was nervous about using my French with her, but I quickly began to see how nice she was.

We began my stay by seeing the major sights — the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre — and also spent some time on the beach in Royan. When we returned to Tours, it was time for school to start. My school is huge — it has 1,600 students and several different buildings. It’s difficult to find classes. Thankfully, my host mom introduced me to many people, so making friends to help me get around was not a problem. Most of the people I know have taken some English, which makes it much easier to communicate.

In French, high school students get to choose what kind of courses they want to take. I chose the literary class, which consists of French, English and history. I have those classes daily. Then my classes with less emphasis, like math or science, are a couple of times a week. I enjoy my English classes a lot because I am a teacher’s assistant, and I can help the French students learn English.

Public transportation is very good here. Buses are everywhere. There is one that stops directly in front of my house and takes me to my school — and it isn’t a school bus. Also, people walk and bike much more here. Things are highly centralized, which makes it easy to get around, and not taking a car is much better for the environment.

One big difference between American teenagers and French teenagers is la bise. La bise is how people in France greet each other. You kiss the person you are meeting, even if it is a complete stranger, once on each cheek. Girls bise girls, girls bise boys, and boys bise girls. It is considered impolite if you don’t do it. It takes awhile to adjust.

On a whole, the French are very international. When I turn on the radio I hear songs in French, English and Spanish. Just about any movie you can see in the United States you can see in France.

The grossest thing I have experienced so far was when I was served something that resembled a tomato, and after I took a bite I found out it was raw fish. Yuck!!

The food here is very interesting. When I first got here I thought it was very bland, because most of what we eat in France is not as saturated with salt or grease like it is in the USA. Over here, cooking and eating is an art. You have to know what to eat with what so your food will taste good. Three things we have with almost every meal include cheese, baguette and cafes. You can get used to that!

— Beth Ruhl, Lawrence, is studying this year in France.

Beth Ruhl, left, builds a sand castle with Louise Moniere, 7, at Royan Beach in France. Louise is a member of Ruhl's host family in France.