City of Crestview recently issued the following announcement.
It took a few tries before Brady Waters, his jaw set in concentration, successfully flipped his crêpe. Using the preferred method of holding the pan with both hands, he soon gently flopped the thin French pancake up and over.
A plethora of fillings awaited his crêpe, including fresh fruit, the ever-popular Nutella, French strawberry preserves, and orange butter — the traditional filling for Crêpes Suzette, though the Crestview High students’ crêpes weren’t served en flambé.
In addition to learning a new skill, Brady’s newfound crêpe-making expertise helped him sample, if only a little, the culture of his new buddy, Mattéo Youzot, who, with 17 other students, will visit Crestview from Noirmoutier, France, next month.
Beginning April 8, the French students will plunge into American culture — possibly to include American pancakes, depending on their host families’ whims.
The students from Crestview’s Sister City will each stay with a CHS host brother or sister during their two-week visit. Eight adults and two children will accompany them and likewise stay with local volunteer host families.
During the Crestview Area Sister City Program’s exchanges, including a local delegation’s trip to France in May, participants always stay with a host family, never in hotels, to assure a completely immersive cultural experience.
Former Crestview High French teacher Christine Lanoue and local chef Mary Richard, whose grandchildren are hosting two of the students, supervised the crêpe making during a March 7 meeting of student hosts and their parents in preparation for the arrival of their new French friends.
Theirs wasn’t the only such meeting. Two days before the Crestview group gathered, Mattéo and his group met in Noirmoutier to review plans for their trip to America.
“It’s just one month before departure!” Noirmoutier Sister City Committee vice president Ghislaine Corbrejaud said. “On our agenda were airport travel procedures, baggage instructions, clothing recommendations…and our ESTA declaration,” referring to U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Electronic System for Travel Authorization.
“These kids have been waiting for almost three years for this trip,” CHS Sister City Ambassadors President Jenna Cyrus said, noting the planned visit was twice postponed due to COVID-19. “It is their dream to visit America. So much of what they think about our country is from TV and movies so we will give them a taste of the real America.”
The Ambassadors are the student organization of the Crestview Area Sister City Program, which for 25 years has partnered with Noirmoutier’s local organizing committee.
“These kids (the Ambassadors) are our future,” said Sister City Program treasurer Pam Coffield, who, with her husband Joe, has been with the program almost since its 1997 beginning and has traveled to Noirmoutier multiple times.
“Sometime soon some of us will want to step aside and the Ambassadors will make sure there is a new generation to keep the program going,” she added.
The French students have many expectations, including experiencing American culture, observing school clubs and sports — uncommon in France — and experiencing American high school classroom life. Perfecting their conversational English is also high on the list.
“I think there’s a difference between the English that we learn and the English that you talk in real life,” Noirmoutrin student Hugo Bugeon said. “It will be super interesting to go to the U.S.A. I’m so excited. I cannot wait!”
The Ambassadors have planned activities for their guests including a welcome lunch by Mayor JB Whitten, a beach outing, a tour of the Air Force Armament Museum, a wildlife encounter at the Seacrest Wolf Preserve, an Easter egg hunt and movie night, shopping at Silver Sands Outlet Center, and a Farewell Gala.
“We are as excited as the French guys!” said Jenna, whose birthday party at her church is one of the events on the students’ social calendar.
The adult visitors’ hosts have their own program of activities, including a make-your-own tacos party, shrimp boil and a guest chef dinner at The Heights restaurant. They will also attend the mayor’s welcome lunch and the Gala.
In addition to group activities, individual host families also plan special meals and sightseeing for their guests, often teaming up with other families.
Following the Noirmoutrins’ visit in April, Crestview’s Sister City Program will take a delegation to the French island community in May, a trip that, like the students’ upcoming visit, has also been previously postponed due to COVID-19. Space is still available; contact hughesb@cityofcrestview.org for more information.
Original source can be found here.
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