Maplewood Exchange Student Embarks On Yearlong Voyage To France

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — For most American high school students, living out-of-state is a daunting proposal. But this school year, Essex County native Anjolie Charlot will journey out-of-country when she takes part in an international student exchange program in France.

Charlot told Patch that this September, she will join 15 other New Jersey students and travel to Asia and Europe as part of a yearlong youth exchange program run by nonprofit group AFS-USA (formerly the American Field Service).

The Kent Place School student and lifelong Maplewood resident told Patch that she will spend her junior year living with a local family in the city of Lesneven, which lies in the northwest part France.

“Many of my friends are planning to go abroad when they finish school but I felt an urgency to do it now while still in high school,” she explained.

Charlot said that one of her goals – which aligns with the AFS philosophy – is to understand people through shared experiences and empathy as opposed to assumptions.

“Anyone can get involved in foreign exchange,” Charlot emphasized. “When taking part in an exchange there are too many ‘what ifs’ to imagine. I think, as with many things, cultural exchange seems like such a grand topic that people tend to shy away from it. However, cultural exchange is rather simple. Cultural exchanges are simply experiences that enhance your ability to understand and relate to people who are different than you. Not everyone may be ready to host a student or study abroad just yet, but I encourage you to make cultural exchanges a part of your daily life. You will find that they are extremely rewarding. If you’ve been considering some type of exchange for a long time or have just been inspired by my letter, take the plunge and don’t be afraid to trust your instincts because opportunities like this are too good to pass up.”

Charlot said that she hopes to keep her hometown abreast of her activities in France during her stay via her blog, which can be seen here.

MAPLEWOOD’S NEW VISITOR

Charlot said that this year, a Swedish student - Lennart Kussner. from Trollhättan - will be attending Columbia High School in Maplewood, with Bibi, Hirohisa and Hikaru Hayakawa (CHS Class of 2019) acting as his hosts.

For more information about becoming an AFS intercultural exchange student or a host family in New Jersey, visit afsusa.org/team/new-jersey/ or contact Sue Fershing at (973) 533-1341 (sfersh@juno.com).

Photo: Anjolie Charlot, with permission

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