As I waved goodbye to my youngest yesterday and watched him set off on a school trip to Spain, I was suddenly hit in the middle of the stomach by the memory of what homesickness used to feel like at that age. Don't get me wrong, my boy wasn't sad, in fact I've never seen any of my gang feeling homesick. So I wondered is this a generation thing? Is this new generation tougher, more resilient? Are they simply more eager than we were to spread their wings and fly?
Here it seems to be school exchange season, and there are groups of foreign school students wandering around our little town like flocks of exotic birds, babbling in far away birdsong.
Over the years we have taken part in our fair share of school exchange trips and, like most people have had good and not so good experiences. From the wonderful, smiling, eager to learn, happy to help young boy, to the sullen, silent, refuse to eat anything, won't join in teenage girl.
When I went on my first exchange trip to France, aged about 12, I was - as I mentioned -dreadfully homesick. The family were charming and they did everything they could to make me feel at home, but the maman perturbed me by listening in on my phone calls home. All I wanted to say to my parents was "I'm so unhappy, I want to come home", but with this lady holding another receiver and following every word I spoke, I had to put on a brave face!
How about you, in your part of the world, were there school trips abroad, did you learn foreign languages? I'd love to hear your story.
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