The German Exchange
It is my firm belief, that as parents it's our responsibility to give our offspring every opportunity possible to experience new things and learn, so that they can make decisions around what they're interested in and enjoy, and what they don't. So rugby, football and judo all fell by the wayside, but tennis and boxing are going strong. William is also just about to start Duke of Edinburgh, which I hope will be an amazing experience for him, although sometimes it does feel a bit like dragging a horse to water with no expectation that it will actually drink.
To the Exchange.
The rationale
I went on a French exchange when I was 12 and got on brilliantly with the girl I was paired with. In the dim and distant past when I was young, there were no mobile phones, you just got parachuted over to Bagnols sur Ceze and left for a fortnight. I do remember my heart sinking as I contemplated my first ever French meal; rabbit casserole followed by rice pudding and jam. Both DISGUSTING. Reader, I ate them. And the fortnight got better from there.
My German exchange was less successful. By then I was 14 and got paired with a 12 year old who came over, said nothing and spent the entire two weeks playing croquet (as it was the only thing we could find in common). I refused to go back.
The point is, these things can go either way, but they're good experiences and you learn how to be independent, fit into a new family, make friends, learn a language etc. All good things.
The reality
When William's place on the St Bart's exchange was confirmed we were really pleased for him. Then we got an email from the teacher, to ask if we'd mind William being paired with a boy, but actually staying the nights in the house of a different family down the same road. It wasn't ideal, but after much discussion we agreed it could work, and might be a relief to be able to share a room with another St Barts boy each evening.
It later transpired that the reason for this arrangement, was that William's partner was one of six children, plus the parents, so there was no room in their flat for a ninth guest. It has also subsequently transpired that the boy is a Year 10, who's parents aren't, in fact, German. No matter. It'll be interesting to see how different dividing his time with two families will be. Will's pretty stoic and seems to be enjoying his visit, although it can't be easy being stuck with a gang of Y10s, half of whom don't speak good English, and I'd imagine the other half who may not take too kindly to a very small, slightly quirky year 9...But I'm speculating.
The fallout [TBC]
'It's an experience.' Everyone keeps saying to me. That's one word for it. We'll have to wait until Will's back on Monday, to find out exactly what sort of experience he had.
To the Exchange.
The rationale
I went on a French exchange when I was 12 and got on brilliantly with the girl I was paired with. In the dim and distant past when I was young, there were no mobile phones, you just got parachuted over to Bagnols sur Ceze and left for a fortnight. I do remember my heart sinking as I contemplated my first ever French meal; rabbit casserole followed by rice pudding and jam. Both DISGUSTING. Reader, I ate them. And the fortnight got better from there.
My German exchange was less successful. By then I was 14 and got paired with a 12 year old who came over, said nothing and spent the entire two weeks playing croquet (as it was the only thing we could find in common). I refused to go back.
The point is, these things can go either way, but they're good experiences and you learn how to be independent, fit into a new family, make friends, learn a language etc. All good things.
The reality
When William's place on the St Bart's exchange was confirmed we were really pleased for him. Then we got an email from the teacher, to ask if we'd mind William being paired with a boy, but actually staying the nights in the house of a different family down the same road. It wasn't ideal, but after much discussion we agreed it could work, and might be a relief to be able to share a room with another St Barts boy each evening.
It later transpired that the reason for this arrangement, was that William's partner was one of six children, plus the parents, so there was no room in their flat for a ninth guest. It has also subsequently transpired that the boy is a Year 10, who's parents aren't, in fact, German. No matter. It'll be interesting to see how different dividing his time with two families will be. Will's pretty stoic and seems to be enjoying his visit, although it can't be easy being stuck with a gang of Y10s, half of whom don't speak good English, and I'd imagine the other half who may not take too kindly to a very small, slightly quirky year 9...But I'm speculating.
The fallout [TBC]
'It's an experience.' Everyone keeps saying to me. That's one word for it. We'll have to wait until Will's back on Monday, to find out exactly what sort of experience he had.
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