French student Zoé Roux, who just left Grays Harbor at the end of last week, visited the Harbor in order to see a place she lived during the 2015-16 school year.
She lived a lot during the academic year here. That’s the point of Aberdeen Rotary Club’s Long-Term Exchange Program (ARC.) Josh Steele, who oversees the program, said they typically sponsor one abroad student and bring them to Aberdeen. The student stays in Grays Harbor County for the school year. ARC also sends students abroad.
The only issue now is the program needs to interest more students. Steele gave a simple reason why.
“We just need to do a better job of spreading the word and talking to the schools,” Steele said.
While the program has existed for many years, it took a hiatus for about 15-20 years, according to Steele. But since the 2014-15 school year, ARC has hosted seven students. One came from Barcelona, Spain, Roux came from France, another student came from Brazil, a fourth student was from Denmark and a fifth student was from Sicily, Italy. While COVID put a halt on the exchange program, ARC hosted a girl from Norway this year, according to Steele. And on Saturday, ARC picked up another student from Colombia, and she’ll be here for the 2023-24 school year.
According to the program, it’s a full experience. Roux seemed to agree.
The 24-year-old Roux, who studied at Aberdeen High School (AHS) as a junior at 17, described her experience as an international exchange student.
“It was the best year of my life, for real,” Roux said. “I got to experience really different things from France. People were different here. They were really more welcoming. It was really cool. I got to travel. I got to see people from all around the world. … It went well. Very well.”
Roux stayed with three families throughout the school year here. One of those families was the Ruyles. Dr. Susan Ruyle and her family hosted Roux through the fall semester that year. She remembers Roux fondly.
“It was a great experience,” Ruyle said. “She was just a wonderful young lady to have stay with us.”
Ruyle, who has hosted other international students and gave a positive review of the host family experience, described how Roux immersed herself into the Harbor culture.
“She was always very upbeat and even if she didn’t understand the language as well, she was very engaging,” Ruyle said. “Her language skills improved a great deal throughout her stay.”
One of the clear memories Ruyle has of Roux’s stay on the Harbor is Roux’s love of food. Roux shared her cooking and French cuisine. One dish Ruyle remembers distinctly is the crepes Roux made. Ruyle’s daughter, Angelique Rosche, remembered the crepes too.
The venturous culinary and culture experience included Roux discovering she loved smoked salmon and clam digging.
“Clam digging, I remember it was really cool,” Roux said about the popular Harbor activity. “I liked that it’s close to the beach.”
Roux also learned she loves glassblowing. She got to do that a lot at Opal Art Glass, in Cosmopolis.
“That was really, really fun,” Roux said.
School experience
School at AHS seems to be another memory dear to Roux’s heart.
“The spirit in school is so cool,” said Roux, who was a Bobcat swimmer. “When you’re doing sports and everything, everyone is behind you. No matter how good you are, it’s like everybody’s pushing you. I like the spirit. It was a really good thing.”
The differences in high school academics was a boon for Roux.
Having the ability to learn outside of the required math, science, history and geography was a plus. AHS allowed her to experience the elective classes at American high schools. One of the classes Roux took was cooking, with Chef Candi Bachtell, who taught culinary arts at AHS at the time.
“It was cool,” Roux said. “We don’t have cooking classes in France. School in France is more, you just stay behind your desk and listen to your teacher. You don’t have a relationship with your teacher. Here you have a relationship, more of a friendly relationship with your teacher. And school is less strict than in France. (Here) you have cooking class, photography class, art class and mechanic class. You don’t have that in France.”
Steele said he hears that same review from all of the club’s exchange students. The options have certainly been a positive for the international students.
To be able to take a class that aligned with one of Roux’s passions was a plus. And to do so during her first trip to the West Coast was a real positive for Roux.
“I really like Washington state,” Roux said. “It’s very green. Compared to the rest of the U.S., it’s very green so I really liked it. I liked it also because as a French girl, I like good food. It’s easy to find good food here I think because you have lots of farmers markets and stuff. I think it’s different from the rest of the U.S. You have good food here and I was happy about it.”
As far as living here, Roux said it was great.
“Their house is really beautiful too,” Roux said of the Ruyle’s home. “It’s by the river. It was cool.”
While Roux spent a lot of time with her host parents while she stayed at the Ruyles, she liked it a lot. Rosche, the only other teenager in the Ruyle home at the time, recalled her impression of Roux then.
“She was very friendly, considerate, definitely open to trying things, very understanding of certain things and people, and she’s a very upbeat person,” said Rosche, who also visited France to see the Roux family in 2018.
One potential challenge Roux faced, but conquered with ease, was the prospect of repeating the academic year upon her return to France. The year here didn’t count for credit there.
Rosche noted how Roux’s friends in France and the U.S. wanted her thoughts on the matter.
“And all of us were like ‘aren’t you worried about like having to do a whole other year of school when you come back?’ Rosche said. “She’s like ‘Well, what you gain from the year abroad and those experiences, that’s just worth so much more than being concerned about having another year of school.’”
That wasn’t lip service from Roux. The extra year didn’t affect her for the worse. Roux is now one year away from completing her master’s degree in cosmetic engineering at Université Catholique de l’Ouest in Guingamp, France.
Extended family
While Roux is more in touch with Rosche now than Dr. Ruyle, Roux is still quite close with Dr. Ruyle.
“I think she’s part of my family, because I mean, I was living with her for three months. She’s like a mom to me,” Roux said.
Roux said she considers all of her host parents like a second parent.
“I did amazing stuff with everyone,” Roux said. “I was really spoiled for one year. Everyone is my family. When I said I was coming back (to the United States) everyone was like ‘can we have you, can we have you?’ So I know it’s my home like everywhere else.”
Facts about the program
As a nonprofit, the Aberdeen Rotary Club does what it can to keep costs low for interested students and their families. To be eligible, students must be 16 to 18. Students should be “above-average students,” and have demonstrated leadership in their communities. The process includes sponsorship from a local Rotary club — Rotary exists in more than 200 countries — as well as a written application and in-person interview. While the costs vary, parents and-or guardians are expected to cover:
• Round-trip airfare
• Travel insurance including medical, accident, and illness coverage that meets the requirements of the host and sponsor clubs and districts
• All travel documents, including passports and visas
• Spending money, ancillary travel and tours
• Language camp or other cultural orientation sessions
• Emergency fund for unexpected expenses during the year
To find the club closest to you, according to the youth exchange flyer, go to www.rotary.org.
Steele said many exchange students say “this is not a year in their life, it’s a life in a year.”
Roux agreed.
“We’re all saying that,” Roux said with a smile on her face.
Contact Reporter Matthew N. Wells at matthew.wells@thedailyworld.com.
In 2015, then 17-year-old Zoé Roux shows her culinary talents to the Ruyle family, who hosted Roux for part of the 2015-16 academic year. Roux, from France, is now pursuing a cosmetic engineering master’s degree from Université Catholique de l’Ouest in Guingamp, France. Roux is one year away from her degree. While Roux spent just one year in the US, she said it was the best year of her life. (Provided photo)
