A fun taste of America for French student

Funny how a barn in Wayne was the link that reached across an ocean to connect a girl from France with one from Geneva.

But that's just what happened. That connection -- a chance remark, really -- led to Megane Prodeau staying for a few weeks with Irene Kaar's family in Geneva, and a relationship that continues today.

Megane was one of about 20 students from an area near Paris who visited the Chicago area in April for two weeks.

The Kaar family found out about the students' trip through Dunham Woods Farm in Wayne, where Irene rides, takes lessons and is a working student. The manager asked mom Kris if the family would be interested in hosting a French student. Three of the students, the manager said, had listed riding as an interest.

"The manager knows Irene studies French and out of the blue suggested (us to host). Out of the blue, I said I'd look into it," Kris said.

The family thought it would be a great idea; the timing was especially good because Irene's older sister is away at college, leaving her room free for an international guest.

Irene, Kris and dad Steven sat down to read the profiles. They'd already gravitated toward Megane and then, on the re-reading, saw the pictures. One showed Megane on a horse. Another showed her gray cat sitting in a box. The Kaars have a daughter who rides. And ... "We have a gray cat who sits in a box," laughed Kris. "It was the French version of my daughter and the French version of our cat." It was a match meant to be.

I caught up with her, plus Irene and Kris, shortly before Megane's return to France in early May. Megane said she enjoyed her time in this country.

This program, though run through schools, is "for fun," she said. So fun was heavily featured, with trips to Chicago to sightsee, to shop on Michigan Avenue, to enjoy Navy Pier and its Ferris Wheel, to visit the Shedd Aquarium and the Art Institute. The Kaars also took in the thrills and spills of Six Flags Great America and enjoyed the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and other attractions.

The French students were together during the day, and spent their evenings with an American family. Of course, staying with the Kaars, the homegrown fun did include riding and trips to the stable. Indeed, when most of the students' luggage unfortunately got left on the runway in Paris, Megane was unfazed. She had included her riding gear in her carry-on luggage and had what she considered important. Megane and Irene went riding, had a lesson, worked at the stable, and Megane also attended a horse show.

What did Megane enjoy? "I enjoyed the people, the shopping, the food -- I like the cheeseburger," she answered.

And she had some observations about Americans.

"I think the people are so different," she said. "People are meaner here. They're always screaming." (I wondered if that observation came from seeing them driving.)

Do people dress differently here than in her hometown of Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines, about 50 kilometers from Paris?

"Oh yes," she responded, nodding her head emphatically. Among other differences, shoes are "very different here," she said.

But there are similarities in teen life. For example, like the teens in the U.S., Megane embraces Facebook, her face lighting up when I inquired. She got online as frequently as she could to stay in touch.

Facebook and e-mail was quite a help in keeping Megane's parents informed and up to date, Kris said. "We e-mailed them right away to say she was here and safe," she said of Megane's arrival in Geneva. "And of course they were anxious, so they were glad to hear from us."

Megane's English improved during her stay in the US, as did Irene's French.

"It's really teaching me a lot more French," said Irene, a sophomore and third-year French student at Geneva High School. "What you learn in school is all the formal stuff. I've been learning how the French really talk."

And has the visit with Megane made the Kaars want to head across the pond? It certainly has, with the Kaar family already invited to visit with Megane's family.

"I didn't realize the entire family would end up with pen pals, but it's such fun," Kris said. She has even dug our her old French books, building up the courage to send an e-mail in French, an event that will be "a scream for them," Kris predicted.

A source of amusement? Perhaps. But also another link between two families and two countries.