Summer Immersion in France with a host family

PREREQUISITES

• Have completed at least 2 years of high school French by the end of the 2018/19 school year.
• Be curious about what daily life is like in another country, be ready to push yourself, and be motivated to put your French skills to the test!

Meet the Chaperone

My name is Cyndy Moehling and I’m thrilled to be chaperoning the trip to France this summer. I’ve been teaching French at Riverdale High School since 2003 and, although I haven’t had the opportunity to travel with Andeo, I have enjoyed working with them for many years. Our community looks forward to hosting French exchange students each spring and I appreciate watching the close connections that develop among the students in their short time here.

There are so many ways to connect with others from different cultures and to practice emerging language skills in today’s world, but nothing beats traveling, having face-to-face interactions, and being immersed in the language and culture. I spent most of my 20’s traveling and trying to find ways to connect my college studies to as many work and study abroad programs as possible. I spent a couple of summers teaching English in Belgium, a term studying art in Paris, a year of literature in Montpellier, and a couple of years of secondary education in Montréal. It took a little longer to finish my degree, but I’ve been able to draw from these experiences to make learning French about so much more than just the language.

Portland became my home about 20 years ago when I moved here for my first teaching job. I have two daughters, a 17- year old and an 11- year- old, who both study Japanese with the Japanese Magnet Program. It’s been so rewarding to see their interest in exploring the world grow through their language learning. As a family, most of our travels have centered around soccer. We love our Timbers and Thorns, but have had wonderful adventures traveling to Germany for the 2006 World Cup, Vancouver for the Women’s World Cup in 2015, and a recent trip to Liverpool to see my husband’s favorite team. I’m excited to be arriving in France the day after the Women’s World Cup Final this summer!

Last year I had the opportunity to co-chaperone an RHS service trip to India and it was the first time, in a long time, that I was traveling to a country where I didn’t speak the language or know very much about the culture before arriving. It was also my first experience living with a host family. It was humbling to be challenged by basic communicative tasks and to have to navigate unfamiliar cultural norms. I have to admit that I was a little bit nervous about staying with a family, but it turned out to be one of my most memorable and rewarding travel experiences. All of the families that our group stayed with were incredibly warm and welcoming and there are just so many things that you learn when living with a family that you can’t experience when you’re on your own. I’m convinced that the homestay opportunity is invaluable for young travelers.

I’m looking forward to embarking on this adventure with the Andeo group!

We love homestays! We have specialized in homestay travel since 1981. We truly believe that the best way to experience another culture and improve your language skills is by sharing everyday life with a welcoming host family.

We have first-hand experience traveling and living with host families. Our staff members have all lived with host families abroad and understand the joys and challenges of homestays. We are ready to support you in your cross-cultural adventure.

ANDEO staff members have personally visited each of our partner schools and organizations, and we work directly with these partners to coordinate each program.

You will never be a number. Our programs are small and our service is personal. Even though we have worked with thousands of students, we are proud of the personalized service and strong support we give our participants (and their parents, too!).