By Aubreanna Miller
editor@wayneherald.com
Wayne has become a lovely surprise for Elise L'helgoualc'h, a foreign exchange student from the northern region of France. Elise is currently residing with Karen Longe, Mark Hill and their daughter Kate Hill on their farm outside of Wayne.
Back home in France, Elise enjoys riding horses with her mom and going skiing in her free time. At school, however, Elise explained French schools do not have extracurricular activities such as sports and clubs. The thought of experiencing the American way of life and gaining the opportunity to practice her English, led Elise to start her study abroad search.
Her program first brought her to a family living in Omaha, which unfortunately turned out to be a poor experience.
Luckily, Longe and Hill stepped up, taking the young girl in with open arms.
"This is the first time we have hosted an exchange student," Longe said. "It has been such an incredible experience. I love hearing Elise's stories and being able to compare life in France to life here."
Elise expressed her initial surprise at the strong sense of community in Wayne, emphasizing the friendliness of the people. When she thought of America before coming here, her mind immediately went to the big cities of Los Angeles or New York City. Though the countrysides of Nebraska are much different than she thought, she says the sunsets here are beautiful.
In August of last year, starting at Wayne High as a senior, Elise jumped at the chance to join clubs and sports.
She served as the volleyball team's manager, played basketball, joined FCCLA and will participate in the school musical.
"Back home in France, we don't have clubs or sports like they do here," Elise explained. "It also is more common here to be involved in your school and community which I like."
Fortunately, her host sister, Kate, is also a senior in Wayne High and knows firsthand the process of starting over at a new school. Kate moved with her family from Virginia to Wayne when she was in eighth grade. Kate said she has learned much about France and has liked showing Elise all Wayne has to offer.
Elise will travel back to France in two and a half months and feels excited to see her family and friends again.
"My English has gotten so much better," Elise said, smiling. "I am excited to go back, but I definitely want to visit here again."
Elise will graduate with the rest of Wayne High's senior class in May, but will have to retake her senior year in France. In the future, she plans to go into dentistry and have side hobbies like renovating homes.
Some of Elise's favorite memories include celebrating Thanksgiving (a holiday she had not previously been familiar with), hanging out at the family cabin at Lewis and Clark Lake and traveling to California.
"Right at the beginning in Wayne, I felt good being here with Karen, Mark and Kate," Elise remembered. "It has been nice to see how the community here in Wayne is like a very big family. In France, you can live in the same small town, but not know all the people. I've liked the friendly people and being involved in the school."
