Getting an exchange student from Paris--questions

[J'aime Paris]

We are very excited to be getting a foreign exchange student from Paris this summer! She just turned 13 and her name is Claire.

My question is for people living outside of the US...
(By the way, we live in Wisconsin. Near a large city called Milwaukee.)
What would you like to see most?
What would you like to do?
How could we make Claire's visit extra special?

Any imput would be most helpful. We really want Claire to enjoy her American experience.
Thanks!

 

[Ware Bears]

How considerate of you to go to so much trouble. I've got three teenage DDs, well two teenagers and one who's almost there so I'll have a chat with them tomorrow and get their opinions.

 

[SandraVB79]

I have been a couple of times as an axchange student to the US, I was older though (19 and up).

Visiting some well-known touristic places (I visited San Francisco, toured the Sacramento capitol, Universal Studios, Disneyland, Santa Monica beach, ...) is always fun of course, especially if you know them from television/ movies or so. (any movies shot somewhere near there?)

However, what I liked most was the everyday American life experience:
- Going to the mall and grocery stores (OK, when you end up 6 weeks in middle of nowhere Texas, going to Walmart is THE event of the week, lol!)
Going to a grocery store where they bag your items and take it to your car for you => WAAW!!!
- Going to a wedding (of course, this is not so easily planned, lol, but I went to 4 weddings while in the US and I just loved it!)
- Being at a cook out
- Going to the lake
- I visited the Sunsweet plant (is that the name? it's the dried prunes and peaches place in California), and I loved doing that, since the product was specific to that part of the country.
- I visit Oceanspray Cranberryworld in Plymouth, loved it! (it's a museum that tells you all about cranberries), and i also went whale watching (ok, not everybody has whales in the backyard, but I guess you ahev some specific animal, right?? Seeing an armadillo in Texas was just as exciting as seeing a whale in Massachusetts!)

I loved visiting historic museums, even the small ones. Everything that looks like it's from the "wild west" or "little house on the prairie" was just fascinating, it's some history WE don't have over here.


I also enjoyed the "native" food. OK, now don't laugh at me for what I call "native" food, because native means to me: what we can't get in Belgium!
- Mountain dew (diet please)
- ranch dressing
- mac and cheese (ours is not like the American)
- clam chowder
- scallops (these last two were from my visits to New England!)
- Tex-mex
- A GOOD hamburger!
- Krispy Kreme donuts
- Buffet restaurants (it's not a food, but it's an experience!)
- clam chowder in bread bowls (San francisco visit)


I remember my very first restaurant experience in the US. It was in/ near Sacramento, at some Mexican place. I had never come close to a Mexican place before. I didn't know one single item from the menu (nevermind me panicking when they TOOK AWAY MY HALF-EMPTY GLASS AND GAVE ME A NEW ONE!) They had this tortilla-making machine in the restaurant, and I just thought that was THE coolest thing.

Expect remarks like: I don't know which dressing I want (we don't know all those American dressings) or I don't know what I want to eat (because she'll probably have no clue what is on the menu). My host families always ended up ordering for me (in the beginning at least) because I didn't know what was what. I sometimes felt like a real dork

Also, something you might want to tell her before she starts shopping: tax is not included. I couldn't figure out in the beginning why I had to pay more than 1 USD when it said that the item costed 99 cent!


But, from all the things I did while staying in host families, I liked those activities the best that were "family" activities. The everyday American life. Because it's SO different from what we see on television.

 

[Ware Bears]

Wow, Sandra, you certainly had a great time on your exchanges.

I asked my DDs what they would want to do if they were on an exchange and they were unanimous in that they would just want to be treated as a regular member of your family and live your everyday American life, exactly what Sandra enjoyed most out of her exchanges.

But, from all the things I did while staying in host families, I liked those activities the best that were "family" activities. The everyday American life. Because it's SO different from what we see on television.

 

[J'aime Paris]

Thank you both so much for taking time to reply!
We have "cook-outs" every weekend in the summer, so I hope she enjoys them and meeting our friends and extended family.
We also have access to lakes for swimming and fishing.
There is a huge zoo in Milwaukee and a couple of nice museums too!
We also plan on taking Claire to our County and State Fairs.

Good tips about the "native" foods Sandra. I'll keep that in mind when we are at a restaurant or at the grocery store.

 

[Ware Bears]

Sounds absolutely perfect. I'm sure you'll all have a wonderful time.

 

[gdulka]

But, from all the things I did while staying in host families, I liked those activities the best that were "family" activities. The everyday American life. Because it's SO different from what we see on television.

It's so much true! Any special attractions are absolutely welcome but, I think, transition to a different way of life and culture is more than enough
I remember me staying with host families - simple activities such as watching TV, preparing dinner together, chatting in the garden till late etc. were so exciting!
However, I will never forget going to a 'prom' with the boy from my host family! But, indeed, you cannot plan proms, weddings etc etc.

 

[SandraVB79]

I sure had great times during my exchanges. I went two summers with Lions Club (first California, then Texas), and after that, I kept inviting myself to my host families + through people we knew, I got invited by other people in other states. (I know a friend who has a friend who has a friend that lives in the US and would like to invite you).
I liked it so much, that I did this 5 times!!! I must admit, as a student, it was the only way to afford such vacations. But it weren't just vacations, it were experiences. If you go to the US and just stay at hotels, you keep doing your own routines from at home. When you stay with a family, you get to do things their way. I mean, I had never heard of biscuits and sausage gravy. Steaks and eggs for breakfast?? If it weren't for the host families, I had never tried it. And now, I just crave biscuits and sausage gravy, haha!

Being in Texas, and sitting on a horse with a cowboy hat on my head => So cool!
Sitting on a swing on a porch => woohoo, just like in the movies!!

I know, I'm easily entertained

 

[torsie24]

hello! I'm 23 and from London.

I went to Milwaukee a couple of years ago for a day (we were staying at the Osthoff Resort at Elkhart Lake, as my Dad coahces golfers and was working at the US Open at Kohler.) It's so beautiful up there, that I know anyone would love all the scenery!

I also loved Piggly Wiggly's! I;ve never been in one before and it was fun! American supermarkets are really great. (My favourite is Ralphs in West Hollywood, has everything (even celbrity sightings! I saw Nikki Hilton and Dr Phil there!)

She will definitely want to go shopping! I must have gone to the Old Navy in Milkwaukee but can't remember it. But Europe has very few stores a good value and fun as Old navy, and most teenagers will love it!

Oooh, I do remeber the library though, it's beautiful! What about a baseball game? Or basketball, all very fun things for Europeans, who only ever get soccer!

 

[SandraVB79]

Oh yes, shopping should be on the "to do" list. With the USD so cheap now, it's great to go shopping at Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, ... I was SO excited when I bought my very first Tommy T-shirt! There was no way I could afford one at home, but in the US it was affordable (OK, the dollar wasn't that cheap then, but still)

Do you have an "outlet village" nearby?

 

[J'aime Paris]

Oh yes, shopping should be on the "to do" list. With the USD so cheap now, it's great to go shopping at Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, ... I was SO excited when I bought my very first Tommy T-shirt! There was no way I could afford one at home, but in the US it was affordable (OK, the dollar wasn't that cheap then, but still)

Do you have an "outlet village" nearby?

Aaaah, yes. Shopping and teenagers go hand in hand. We do have a couple of outlet malls close by. I didn't realize that Europeans liked Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren.

 

[J'aime Paris]

hello! I'm 23 and from London.

I went to Milwaukee a couple of years ago for a day (we were staying at the Osthoff Resort at Elkhart Lake, as my Dad coahces golfers and was working at the US Open at Kohler.) It's so beautiful up there, that I know anyone would love all the scenery!

I also loved Piggly Wiggly's! I;ve never been in one before and it was fun! American supermarkets are really great. (My favourite is Ralphs in West Hollywood, has everything (even celbrity sightings! I saw Nikki Hilton and Dr Phil there!)

She will definitely want to go shopping! I must have gone to the Old Navy in Milkwaukee but can't remember it. But Europe has very few stores a good value and fun as Old navy, and most teenagers will love it!

Oooh, I do remeber the library though, it's beautiful! What about a baseball game? Or basketball, all very fun things for Europeans, who only ever get soccer!

I find your comments about Piggly Wiggly funny! I never thought about it as a "destination" before. We have a Piggly Wiggly just a few minutes from our house!
And we will certainly see a baseball game. My dh can easily get tickets through his employer.
Also, the Osthoff is gorgeous! your dad must travel to some incredible places for his job!

 

[SandraVB79]

Going to the movies. That was also an experience. It's just like IN the movies, and different from home!

 

[ujpest_doza]

Aaaah, yes. Shopping and teenagers go hand in hand. We do have a couple of outlet malls close by. I didn't realize that Europeans liked Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren.

Ralph Lauren in particular is pretty big and pretty expensive over here.

Isn't Milwaulkee where Laverne and Shirley was filmed? They worked at the Schlitz factory didn't they? Anything along those lines would interest me.

 

[J'aime Paris]

Isn't Milwaulkee where Laverne and Shirley was filmed? They worked at the Schlitz factory didn't they? Anything along those lines would interest me.

Laverne and Shirley was a spin off of a show called Happy Days and was filmed in Milwaukee, as far as I know. I'm not sure if the Schlitz factory exists anymore?

 

[Ware Bears]

Just had to google Piggly Wiggly as I'd never heard of it before!
I loooooved watching Happy Days when I was a teenager (many many years ago!)

 

[torsie24]

I find your comments about Piggly Wiggly funny! I never thought about it as a "destination" before. We have a Piggly Wiggly just a few minutes from our house!
And we will certainly see a baseball game. My dh can easily get tickets through his employer.
Also, the Osthoff is gorgeous! your dad must travel to some incredible places for his job!

Yeah, he gets to go all over, so mum and I choose the ones we fancy and tag along (normally beachy places like dubai and osthoff!) but he doesn't see much other than the hotels and golf courses, he always gets a bit p-d off at the end of the trip when we have loads of shopping and photos, and he's just been on the same course the whole time.

When he was in Singapore, then only time he had enough free time to leave his hotel was to grab a subway! talk about tasting the local culture! Lol!