<p>Sorry to hear you had such an awful experience. You must have been very tired the first few days, which would have been difficult…even if the kids had been a little nicer.</p>
<p>Hope it won’t completely sour you to international travel…or…maybe even a return to France under different circumstances. Such a short trip is really tough if the family dynamic is so bad.</p>
<p>A bizarre story, to say the least. I hope you gave a complete account to the agency that placed you. Even if part of the blame was yours, that family should never host again.</p>
<p>I was really exhausted after a 9 hour flight then a 3 and a half hour train ride. I didn’t sleep at all the whole time until I got to the townhouse and I took a 2 hour nap. It was funny when we went swimming, they thought I would have brought my own towel! </p>
<p>I really never want to go back to France after such a bad experience. It will have scars on me for the rest of my life. I would like to study abroad a year during my junior year in college, but probably to a Scandinavian Country or the UK. </p>
<p>I never did tell the agency because I didn’t want to get the kids in trouble. As much as I hate them (had a 402 facebook status fight), I didn’t want to be any concern. But when the guy comes to my school in the next couple months, I may have a word with him! And the only thing I would blame on myself was not speaking enough French, but like I said before I couldn’t even understand a word…</p>
<p>Don’t blame yourself. You went for the experience, you got the experience. Good or bad, it is yours. Speaking of speaking a foreign language, even if you took AP French, it wouldn’t help too much. I am often amazed that how many people claim they know French or Spanish on Facebook, given that many of them just take it at HS level (AP or not).</p>
<p>I wasn’t blaming myself, I was just trying to respond to Consolation. I only took two years of French before going. But a lot of people put random languages that they can speak on Facebook, I wouldn’t believe most of them.</p>
<p>Please do not let this sour you on France and the French. These were obnoxious people period. They would have been obnoxious in any language or country. You really should tell the organizers so that no other student has to go through what you did. Imagine if a young girl had been placed with that family with all the guys trying to hit on her. </p>
<p>One clue would have been when they lied and said you were chaperoned on the train. If they didn’t take the simplest requirement of the program seriously, then they weren’t being very honorable to begin with. Most people, French or not, take hosting a foreign student very seriously, want to show them a good time, and make sure they are safe. </p>
<p>In my view it had more to do with their social status than their nationality. Outwardly super conservative but the kids drank,did drugs, were obsessed with sex and then went to mass the next day. We all know examples of American families that are similar. </p>
<p>There are obnoxious, rude, racist, xenophobic people everywhere, just as there are very nice, hospitable, open, curious, and generous people everywhere. It has nothing to do with their nationality.</p>
<p>I totally agree with Tango14. You should report these people if they were this bad. I also think maybe you were too young for this trip. I hope when you go in college you will enjoy it better. My nephew was in Lyons for a semester and loved it and the family he was with. We have always had a good time in France. You just hit a really crummy family. Do not judge an entire nation on one bad family and realize that you may have been too young for this experience.</p>
<p>I do not hate all French people, but as a whole, I did fine a lot of other French people were rude as well. It wasn’t just this family. However, it wasn’t the family who told me I would have a chaperon. It was the program that did. They reassured my parents. I have flown by myself since I was 10, but traveling on a TGV train by myself was quite frightening. I have only been on a train in the US a couple times. And it’s quite different when one does not speak or understand the language. It will be hard for me to get over this experience. And I agree, it could have happened anywhere. But the French also have never had a great reputation to begin with.</p>
<p>BTW, I was 17 when I went on this three week experience. I was one of the oldest kids there. You could have been 14 and done this trip. I didn’t know any 14 year olds, but I did know some 15 year olds. The majority were 16.</p>
<p>What exactly was so frightening about the train?
I was just talking to my D yesterday ( she was taking the train to see her sister) & she was commenting on how she used to be afraid of the doors in-between cars ( when she was younger)
But when she went to India ( when she was 18) the trains didn’t even * have* doors!
I think I would rather have the doors.</p>
<p>It sounds like the program isn’t run very well. And just because you can do something at 14 or 17, doesn’t mean that is the best time of your life to experience something like this. College kids are usually able to handle bizarre situations better than high schoolers IMO.</p>
<p>It wasn’t the train I was afraid of, I was afraid of traveling on a train in a foreign country when I don’t speak or understand the language. No one (but one person) spoke English on the train. When they talked on the speakers, it was just in French. I could have easily gotten off at the wrong stop. I couldn’t fall asleep as well. I was never even told I had an assigned seat. I am proud of myself, but next time I’m in a country on a train where they don’t speak English, I will surely bring a translator.</p>
<p>Even though I was 17 at the time, I don’t think going this summer would have been much different. And I will be entering college in the fall of 2012.</p>
<p>What company organized/sponsored the program?</p>
<p>Junior Diplomat International Homestays</p>
<p>No one (but one person) spoke English on the train.</p>
<p>Ya my D had that problem- she was traveling by herself in some areas- she didn’t tell me about any mishaps, but I know some of it was difficult.</p>
<p>When she flew through Dubai to Heathrow, she had all her stuff from 6 months of travel & hadn’t slept for three days. She had emailed me when she was still in Tamil Nadu, about what train to take to get from Heathrow to Leeds but I couldn’t figure it out.
When she got home, I worriedly asked her how she coped with Heathrow- she said* it was a piece of cake- All the signs were in English!* lol</p>
<p>My parents were extremely worried because I did not call when I landed. The father brought me straight to the train station. I told him I needed to call my parents and he said we didn’t have time. When I got there, it was a small little beach town in Brittany. I would have had to travel very far to get a phone card. My parents called that day or the next day (I forgot) though, they called the moms cell phone.</p>
<p>IMHO, you have an obligation to report what went on the the organizers. It isn’t going to get the kids in trouble–the organizers certainly aren’t going to report them to the police–but it is going to ensure that the family never hosts again.</p>
<p>Many kids simply aren’t ready to be away from their family and friends in a country where their grasp of the language is marginal. It sounds like you may not have been ready, and that it was compounded by the vile behavior of the family members. If this program is really for younger kids, the organization showed a lamentable lack of judgement in selecting the host family.</p>
<p>IMO, I feel like my maturity level for this program was perfectly fine. But I didn’t realize how much big the language barrier was going to be. It was also my first time in Europe. I’ve been to Mexico/Cayman Islands and a lot of states, but nothing this different. My parents have never even been to Europe. My father went to Israel when he was 16, but he was in a group but was very immature compared to me at that age. I do not think I did anything to make these kids act how they did. They got me this family last minute because my other family canceled. I don’t regret going, but it was a life changing experience but not in a good way. I am much more grateful now. And I may let the person in charge of this organization know what happened when I see him.</p>
<p>Also, I really don’t know how they could have known the kids did drugs. They probably should have known they were a little elitist. They did live in a mansion.</p>
<p>ok, if the OP doesn’t like France or French due to his personal experience, then be it. How come other posters have to convince him otherwise? It’s sort of like food. You like boeuf bourguignon; he doesn’t. Nothing wrong.</p>
<p>I like jvtDad’s analogy haha.</p>
<p>It’s very unfortunate that you had such a terrible visit to France, but I highly doubt that you are really scarred for life by this. You are what? 18 years old? Most 18 year olds are very flexible and resilient and can recover from even worse experiences than this with no permanent damage to their lives.</p>