European Students Learn to Go with the Flow

  • Denice Rovira Hazlett
  • July 30, 2012
  • 379
                        
Summary: New Philadelphia native Sara Boone and four European students studying in Ohio took four weeks to explore Ohio's Amish Country together, resulting in the experience of a lifetime for all of them. Story: Sara Boone had just finished her second year as an elementary art teacher and was looking forward to her first visit home since she'd moved to Houston two years before. She figured she'd spend some time with family and relax by the pool. Little did she know she still had more teaching to do, and, this time, it wouldn't be elementary students, and it wouldn't be in limited to the inside of a classroom. Boone's mother, Julie Rose, places students from around the world with host families within a 120 mile radius of her New Philadelphia home through Nacel Open Door. Nacel is a study-abroad program started in 1957 by two language teachers from France who organized summer sessions for French teenagers in England as a means of facilitating language learning and cross-cultural appreciation. Today, Nacel offers programs in more than 35 countries in Europe, Asia, and North and South America through high school and summer sessions, one-on-one home lessons and more. When Rose found out that the program was in need of teachers, she suggested her daughter, Sara Boone. "I was excited about having her here for three weeks and knew she would enjoy working with foreign students," Rose says. Boone wasn't sure about the prospect at first. She hadn't planned on taking a summer job. Would she have enough energy to give to four active teenagers after a school year of working with elementary students? "But after thinking it over, I decided, why not?" Boone says. "It would be a good experience." And so, on July 7, Boone met the four students she would spend her weekdays with from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for three of the four weeks they would be in the United States. On weekends and during their fourth week, they would spend time with their host families. On the day I met with Boone and the students, they were preparing for a canoe trip down the Tuscarawas with Bolivar's NTR Canoe Livery. We talked as they shrugged on their lifejackets and watched a video orientation, telling them not to use the paddles to splash and what to do should they encounter a large rock or log. They listened attentively, and then boarded the bus that took them upriver. Caroline Bellande and Caroline Dupaigne, both 16, are from France--Bellande from Paris and Dupaigne from Marseille. Ines Pisa Garcia, 13, and Laura Moreno Bueno, 17, are both from Spain, Garcia from from Ovido, and Bueno from Madrid. They all chose Nacel because friends or siblings had participated in the program. All came here for the same reasons--to learn English and meet new people. They've had their share of both. From their morning routine of gathering at The Daily Grind in downtown New Philadelphia for art journaling and lessons, to their afternoon outings with Boone to attractions like the Wilds, the Ohio State Fair, and to their evening meals and activities with their host families, the students have been thrilled with their time in Ohio's Amish country and beyond. Their favorite activity so far? A trek to Akron's Canal Park to see the Aeros play in the mid-day heat. Dupaigne had just one mission for the outing--procuring a foam finger, which she did successfully. Though they didn't quite understand the whole "seventh-inning-stretch" thing, they still had a blast. "It was just like in the movies," says Bellande, whose host family is Craig and Michelle Pugh. She and Garcia, whose host family is Autumn and Matt Mastrione, are the quiet ones in the group. Bueno and Dupaigne stay together at the home of Todd and Naomi Gopp of New Philadelphia. They're more outgoing and do most of the talking. They all agree that the church they've been attending, First Baptist of New Philadelphia, is one of the biggest culture shocks they've experienced. Most of them don't attend church regularly at home, but when they do, it's nothing like what they've seen here. "The music is very different," Bueno says. Garcia talks about how strange it is for guitar and "batterie" (drums) to be a part of the service. "At home, church is quiet, very serious," Garcia says. They're also surprised that their host families pray before eating. Neither are they used to seeing teenaged Amish boys playing miniature golf barefoot, another moment they all mentioned as memorable during their visit. The four girls reflected on how they felt as they were preparing to come to the U.S., what they'd hoped for and what they'd feared. Most came with no reservations, though Dupaigne was worried about staying with people she didn't know. "I love my host family," she says now, adding that she has every intention of keeping in touch with the Gopps as well as the other Nacel participants. When asked if she's excited about returning to Spain, Bueno says she's not ready to leave yet. She wants to stay longer. "I like," she says, grinning widely. "I like a lot." As the bus bounces to a stop at the put-in spot, the girls climb out and watch as the canoes are hoisted to the shore. Today, it's going to be a race--Spain against France, with Boone in the French boat and her friend in the Spain boat. Boone has enjoyed her working vacation quite a bit and has loved getting to know the students. She's not sure where she'll be next summer, but she's open to teaching again if it works out. She says there was definitely a theme for the three weeks she had with the students, a lesson she and the four girls can take along for life. That theme? "Go with the flow," she laughs. And with that, Boone and the students step into their canoes, put their paddles to the water, and ride the current as it carries them along. For information about Nacel Open Door, visit nacelopendoor.org. To host students for the coming school year, contact Julie Rose at 330-827-1603.


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