Having Pierre stay with us for two weeks was a great experience. We bonded and had so much fun together when he was here. From the moment that I saw him in the airport, I could tell that he was so nice and I had made the right decision to host a french student. By the end of the first week, Pierre's English improved so much from being around people who were speaking in English all the time. By the middle of the second week, we were laughing and cracking jokes with each other that we both understood.
Throughout the two weeks he was here, we squeezed everything in that we could think of for him to do in St. Louis. We had a pizza party for all the host students and their parents and the french students at my house. It was really fun and we ordered two Pointersaurus pizzas, which are 28 inches. Everybody, including us Americans, were amazed at the size of the pizzas and took countless pictures of them. The party was a great idea (thanks to my mom) because it helped everybody get to know each other right off the bat. Pierre and I did so many fun things together, including, going to parties, going out to eat at St. Louis places, like Blueberry Hill, for a good St. Louis burger and getting some delicious Ted Drew's. Pierre also enjoyed going to my track meets and my brother’s lacrosse games because he told me that they don't have sports with their high school; only club teams (he’s on a very competitive cycling team). It was my birthday on the 9th and we had a fun celebration while he was here. I woke up to delicious french toast breakfast and opened presents after. That night I had my friends over to make our own pizzas and Pierre chose to put pineapple and ham on his pizza after liking it at the earlier pizza party.
It’s sad because I feel like we were just getting to know each other when he left, but the day came up on us fast when we had to say goodbye at the airport. The time, which is now just a memory, was filled with tears and hugs because we had created such a bond with french students and each other in the short two weeks. I didn't think that I was going to cry at the airport because I usually don't cry unless I hurt myself, but I could feel the tears swelling up in the corners of my eyes as I was saying goodbye to Pierre because I didn’t know if I would ever be able to see him again. When we turned the corner to go down the stairs back to the car, everyone felt the overwhelming sense that the french students were actually leaving and that we weren't going to see them again. It was a sad ride back to Ursuline; so much so that we decided we needed Taco Bell to help ease our sadness. When we got back, it hit me. I was in painting and just couldn't bring myself to paint. Mrs. Payne came over and asked me if I missed Pierre and with that, along with the the sad music that was playing, the tears came.
-Bailey Trout, '17
