PAX Exchange Students Say Farewell and Thank You
Camille Freycenon, Meike Behrens and Jaime Elguero
June 17, 2010, pages 2 and 3.....

My name is Camille Freycenon, and I am a French exchange student sponsored by PAX – Program of Academic Exchange. I arrived in last August and attended Champlain Valley Union High School and want to thank so many people who contributed to my wonderful year!
I lived with Meike Behrens, a German exchange student, and the Vadeboncoeur family last Fall. I want to thank Carolyn, David, Ariel and Sophia for all they did for me: they shared their house and their family and gave me love. I will really miss cooking every night with Carolyn, talking about our day. I was even able to ride one of their beautiful horses, and they were just wonderful, special people – I truly want to thank them.
I finished the last six months of my year with an amazing host family, the McGarghans.They made me feel welcome very quickly. I remember that one of the first things they said to me was, “Now, it is a new experience. We are going to make you have the best six months of your entire life!” It was just the sweetest thing that I could ever hope. Even with their busy lives, Sarah and Kevin were so great, and did everything they could to make me happy. They always found time to pick me up or drive me somewhere. And I was so glad to have so many host siblings. Rory, Leynah, Callie, Finn: I will never forget any of you. You each have something special, and I have at least two or three unforgettable moments with each of you! I just want to say a huge thank-you for hosting me, for letting me be a part of your family, and for sharing your culture. And thank you for giving me a middle name because I am not Camille Freycenon anymore, but Camille Charlotte Freycenon!
I would also thank everyone at Champlain Valley Union High School, especially Sean McMannon and all my teachers, the teachers in the learning center for their support, Rahn Fleming because I really enjoyed seeing him every day in the fitness center, Magalie Simon-Martin, who was my advisor this year and the teacher responsible for the International Club. She permitted me to go to Quebec City with her French 4 class, and organized a wonderful Chinese dinner and a breakfast at Mirabel’s that I won’t forget. Finally, I want to thank CVU for organizing one of the best trips I have ever done: the Habitat For Humanity trip during spring break was one of the best weeks of my year. Having the opportunity to give up just one week of your entire life to help a family to build their house is just great.
As the school year will soon be over, I will return home to France. I had a blast in Vermont; I met wonderful families, I made a lot of American friends as well as exchange students. I really want to say thank you to Elizabeth Maille, who was my first American friend, and is the kindest person I have ever met. She was always here when I needed to talk to her, and this experience would not have been the same without her.
Finally, I would like to thank the people of Charlotte and Shelburne, who welcomed me into their communities, and showed great interest and curiosity about me and my country. Making crepes for the kids of Charlotte Central School and reading to them from my French story book stays as one of my best memories here!
I remember my first day in the U.S. as if it was yesterday. Being an exchange student is a great opportunity to discover a new culture, to learn a new language, and to find yourself at the same time. It was my dream, and if I could, I would love to do it again. But now, it is time to take the next step to experience life in college.
My coordinator, Nana Boffa, did a wonderful job. She organized meetings, parties, barbeques, and was ready to share her family by inviting us to dinner. She was always present if we needed her help. I hope other PAX exchange students will have the opportunity I have had this year.
-Camille Freycenon
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My name is Meike Behrens and I’m a German exchange student sponsored by PAX - Program of Academic Exchange.  I arrived in Charlotte last August, and have been staying with the Vadeboncoeur family and attending Champlain Valley Union High School. I want to thank everybody who has helped and supported me in this year.
First of all I want to thank my generous host family Carolyn and David Vadeboncoeur for taking me into their home and making me feel like one of them. I really love them, and I can’t put in words how much I thank them for making this experience into such a wonderful experience. I will never forget how much they helped and supported me this past year. They really made me feel like their own daughter. I also want to thank their daughter Ariel Channell and her daughter Sophia who I both considered as my sisters. They added immensely to this wonderful experience. I will never forget when my little sister, Sophia, and I rode our horses together. I especially thank Ariel with whom I had more than a special bond. She was also my trainer for horseback riding and provided me with her fabulous mount, Señor Gator. She has taught me a whole new style of riding, American Hunt Seat Equitation which I really enjoyed and hope to continue in Germany. All five of us will always be a family and stay in touch. I will miss everyone very much. Thank you for everything. I love you.
I also want to thank all my teachers, my adviser and the administration at CVU who provided me with a fabulous American school experience. They have helped me and were very welcoming to me. I really appreciated it.
I have made some amazing friends this last year. I will never forget how they supported me through this experience. Hopefully some of them will actually be able to come over to Germany as we were planning it. I will miss them a lot. I can’t imagine to be without them when I’ll be back in Germany.
I also want to thank my PAX Community Coordinator, Nan Boffa, who arranged my placement here. You found the best host family I could ever imagine.  Thank you very much Nan for all the support you gave me. I really enjoyed my interaction with my community, Charlotte. I want to thank them for the opportunity to visit my host sister’s Sophia classroom at Charlotte Central School. The children were so curious about my country and me. I really appreciate that I was able to ski the beautiful slopes in Vermont. I ski in Germany as well but we have to travel a long distance and here we just go every weekend.
In closing I like to thank everybody who touched my life; it’s been an amazing experience.

-Meike Behrens
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My name is Jaime Elguero and I am an exchange student from Spain. I have been able to come to the United States and end up here in Vermont thanks to an organization called PAX (Program of Academic Exchange). The great year I have experienced wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the amazing people I have had the chance to meet. I am writing to you to express my gratitude to each and every one of them.
I am going to start with my host parents, Bruce and Linda Williamson, who one day of 2009 decided that they were going to take care of a Spaniard for a whole year. We have had a great time together, they have opened their hearts to me, and after all these months I am happy to say that we have become a family. I’ll always be thankful to them for all the love they’ve given me and for making my dream of coming to the United States possible. I’ve had a great experience, and I hope we stay in touch because… I’m going to miss you a lot!
I’d also like to thank everyone at CVU, especially Principal Sean McMannon for allowing all these exchange programs to happen. Thanks also to all the teachers and staff, for making CVU the greatest school I’ve been to and for all the things I’ve learned.
I want to thank coach Rahn Flemming. He not only taught me how to play American football, but he also helped me when classes were hard and I just needed somebody to tell me, “You can do it!.” Thank you, I’ll never forget you Rahn!
I also want to thank Vincent Crockenberg, for showing with his example what a great teacher should be like. I have learned so much from him, that I can’t be anything but grateful for having had the chance to meet him. Thank you Vince, I’ll never forget you!
I’d also like to thank my PAX Community Coordinator, Nan Boffa, for finding a host family for me, for all the work she has done to make this year a life experience for me, and for all the patience she has had with me.
Finally, thank you to the Charlotte community. You have a beautiful town, and the people are just amazing. Thanks for being so great. Vermont will never again be just a place on a map for me, rather a special place I will never forget.

-Jaime Elguero