the essential
Still a teenager, Horn Lu made the decision to come to Gers for a year thanks to an exchange organized by the Rotary Club Auch Armagnac. Arriving at the end of August, he talks about his adaptation, his new habits and his new family.
As part of an exchange made possible thanks to the Rotary Club Auch Armagnac, Horn Lu, a 16-year-old Taiwanese, arrived in Gers on August 27. A well-considered choice for the teenager: “First, I wanted to come to Europe because I wanted to find a country with a different culture and a different language. In the United States, for example, I could have spoken English, but I wanted to learn another language. I had to choose between France and Germany, but I chose France because I prefer the French and their culture.”
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Horn had already set foot on French soil. The memories left by this trip made his decision easier: “When I was young, I came to Paris for two months with my family. The people here talk a lot, I love life.” The pace of life is different for him and he has had to adapt: “In Asia, you only study, you have “no life”. Here, young people have various objectives and do several things. is different,” he notes.
“It’s really weird, rice is a dessert here”
In addition to the pace of life, the eating habits also surprised him: “It’s really strange, here rice is a dessert, but I don’t know why, because in my country, rice is the dish “The first time I tasted it, I didn’t like it, but in the end it’s delicious,” he admits after tasting his first rice pudding.
On the island in the China Sea, life is urban. Since his arrival in August, Horn’s living environment has changed radically: “I live in the city, but the countryside is good too, because there is a lot of nature. When you drive, you can see lots of animals, I I’m not used to it. Life in the countryside is quieter, unlike the city where everything is busier and faster. The countryside is not dead.
DDM – SEBASTIEN LAPEYRERE
Without knowing how to speak French, taking lessons in a first class proves difficult for the teenager, who still feels supported: “I don’t speak French, so I can’t understand the lessons. But I try to learn. The other students are really nice, they play and eat with me.”
“I also played rugby”
Becoming familiar with the language will be his main objective: “I want to learn French, grow more and have more independence.” Arriving with the family of Sophie Le Tallec, a PE teacher in the Auscitain establishment, Horn is enjoying his rapid integration: “It’s going really well with my host family, they take me to lots of places. I I hiked in the Pyrenees, we swam, we cycled, I also played rugby, so life here is wonderful.”
If his stay begins auspiciously, he does not lose contact with his family: “I call them once a week, I tell them that I am well, I talk about some problems and they give me advice.”
Horn’s stay will end on June 1, 2025. In the meantime, Horn Lu will change families to discover that of Yelena Pech, a Pavian who has gone the opposite way for a year.
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