Glancing out of the classroom window on October 27 you could see several students gathered at Circle Drive curiously looking around. They were soon led into the school by Cynthia Marker, Upper School language teacher. They were the Belgian students who came to Parker for ten days, departing November 2.

Twelve students and two teachers came from the Institut du Sacre-Coeur in the small town of Barvaux outside of Liege to visit Parker and Chicago.  The students were welcomed into the homes of 12 Parker families and given a glimpse into what life is like in Chicago.

This is the eighth year of the program, which Marker started together with the lead teacher at the Institut, Madame Francoise Ghyse. “She had an exchange with a private school in New York, and it ended,” Marker said, “and she wanted to start with a school in Chicago.” Ghyse reached out to several Chicago private schools to form an exchange program. “She loved Chicago and wanted an opportunity here,” Marker said. “In the past we sometimes had a true exchange with our kids traveling to stay with our guests’ families in Belgium. If there is renewed student interest in a trip to Belgium, we can certainly look into that option in the future.”

Even though Parker students are not traveling to Belgium regularly, this visit still benefited both sets of students. “This is a nice option for kids who really want to improve their conversational fluency,” Marker said, “and it is really motivational for kids who want to make rapid conversational progress.” The Belgian students were also interested in learning about Chicago cultures, and the Parker students benefitted from learning about Belgian culture as well.

Having this opportunity to come to the United States was meaningful to the Belgian students. “It was my dream to come here and see America,” Simon Vanspauwen, who stayed with the Shayne family, said. “I knew it would be fun,” Jean-Félix said. Lucie Géna said, “I like travelling, so going to America is good.”

They were all excited to be in Chicago. “They came to school for a few days,” Marker said, “they created playlists and went to the zoo with classes.” They also took part in French class special projects and interviewed Parker students in French, and designed Parker photo albums as souvenirs.

While the language in America may be different from the language in Belgium, students were still able to bond. During the visit, Elliot Landolt, a Parker freshman, who hosted said, “My Belgian student is having a great time and is learning a lot.” Elliot shared various American traditions with his exchange student. He said, “We have made s’mores, experienced Halloween and gone to a sports game.” Some went to hockey games, and others really enjoyed the food.

The Belgian student lives were still largely similar to those of the Parker students. “We are a lot alike,” Landolt said. “We don’t have the same fashion,” Landolt said, “but we both like doing homework and playing sports.”

Even though the lifestyles between Parker and Belgian students were similar, Parker itself was a new experience. “Parker is really different,” Andreea Apetrei said. “Our school in Belgium is very strict, and you don’t participate as much.” The students dress differently. “In our school people do not come in joggers and leggings,” Juliette Peter said. “It is more comfortable in the United States.”

Marker was excited to watch the Belgian students experience the new school and city surroundings.“It is exciting for me to introduce people to a culture that a lot of Americans do not know much about,” Marker said. Peter was impressed. “It is so huge in Chicago with six million people and our country itself has eleven million – wow,” she said, “and the food is so good.”