Ellyn’s Experience

My name is Ellyn Richard, I’m 15 and I live in Genas with my mother and my father, I got a big sister who doesn’t live at home anymore, but she comes back on weekends. I have a little rabbit called Réglisse. I’m a French girl, and we speak French at home.

I think the most exciting thing about hosting a person from Sweden was to discover a new culture, a new person, how she lives, how she eats and all the differences between our habits.

 

I did an exchange when I was 12 with a Scottish girl, she was very shy and she didn’t talk much to me, it was a shame because I didn’t have a great experience. I used to be very shy and today I’m becoming more and more an outgoing person. So I wanted this exchange to be different and good for me and my penpal. We’ve created a great relationship since the beginning at the airport. She’s very nice and smiling, it makes me confident. We’re good friends, we played games, talk a lot, I tried to speak a little bit sweden but I had a ridiculous accent. I learnt to her how to count in French. We spent a very good time together, we keep sweet memories.

I discovered so many things about her coutry even though I’ve never been to Sweden and about her habits. I have an anecdote about fruit. She discovered peach during the stay, as she didn’t know it, she started to eat with the skin. It was funny and I explained to her that is was better without.

My parents did talk to her, especially at dinner time. My mum tried to speak a little bit but she’s not very good at English so I was the translation, my dad spoke too, he told her about our holidays.

To conclude, it  was a great experience, I keep good memories, I spent fantastic times with her. I can’t wait to go to Sweden.