Gabriel tells us about his incredible school exchange in San Francisco

In November 2024, I first heard about the AEFE DNA program, and I was immediately interested in this idea of being able to exchange lives with someone from a French high school abroad, to meet new people, discover a new culture, and experience a whole new life.

We were given the opportunity to take part in this exchange, and I immediately seized it with my family’s support. We filled out the application form, trying to make it as convincing as possible, especially revising the motivation letter many times over, hoping to be selected.

Luckily, I was chosen, and a few weeks later, we had a video call with my exchange partner: Calixte, from San Francisco.

I was super excited about the chance to go to the United States—I had always dreamed of visiting this country with its Target stores, skyscrapers, and people walking around everywhere with guns, and so on. After that first call, I started chatting with Calixte to better understand what each of us hoped to get out of the exchange, and what we could plan on our own to make sure the other had the best possible experience. We talked about our schools, the students, and before I knew it, departure day arrived, and I boarded a plane for San Francisco.

The first thing that surprises me upon arrival is the greenery and nature surrounding the city. I never would have thought that San Francisco could be such a green and beautiful city. The houses are all different colors, perched on hillsides, surrounded by trees.

Then I meet my exchange partner and his family, who are extremely kind and interesting. Their house is by the sea, in the middle of the Californian countryside. It has a view of the bay, a small garden with birds, and it’s truly very beautiful. During the first lunch, we talk with his parents about the activities we’ll do in the days to come.

The next day, the adventure begins right away—we hop in the car and head to Stanford University to visit its huge campus, full of various activities and buildings for every possible purpose. Just exploring such an extraordinary campus, beyond anything I could have imagined, is already amazing, and I can’t wait to keep discovering more.

The following day, school starts, and I get to experience the Lycée Français of San Francisco (LFSF)—a school located in the suburbs, just ten minutes from the beach.

I start meeting the students and quickly realize how incredibly friendly and welcoming everyone is. There are only two sophomore classes, so we’re quite a small group. During breaks, we play basketball under the Californian sun. The same goes for lunchtime, and I think playing basketball nearly five hours a week really helped me build friendships with my new classmates, forcing us to play, talk, and spend time together. Plus, I find that lunchtime is perfect for socializing: in true American style, we sit together at a long table on benches in the cafeteria, chatting and laughing. I couldn't count the number of times I burst into laughter around that table.

As for the classes, they are very Americanized—students interact much more freely with teachers, almost like friends. There's more emphasis on oral participation, and we have more freedom to discuss topics openly in groups. All the teachers are very understanding, and they help me catch up on the chapters they're currently covering, making sure I understand everything better. In some classes, I’ve already studied the material before, so I continue my lessons from Hong Kong online.

The week flies by, and on Friday, during PE class, we take a bus to the beach for our running session. For an hour and a half, we run along the water’s edge under the sun—it’s incredibly relaxing and enjoyable to run together with the wind in our hair and our feet in the water, after what had been an intense first week.

The weekend that follows is just as exciting: on Saturday, we go hiking on Angel Island with Calixte, and in the evening, we head to Berkeley to visit the university campus. We end the day with dinner at a restaurant with some of Calixte’s parents’ friends.

On Sunday, Calixte has a rock climbing competition, so I go exploring the city for the day with a friend from school who had promised to show me around. He takes me to all the major tourist spots, and it’s amazing to finally see in person all those places I’d only ever seen online: downtown San Francisco, Chinatown, Pier 39, the Palace of Fine Arts, and more. It was a fantastic day—sunny, fun, and the places we visited were absolutely incredible.

The following week, we went to a kind of Science Fair way up north on the edge of the bay. We had volunteered to help out at a booth there, and in the evening, we headed to the Chase Center to watch the basketball game from outside the stadium and spend the night with friends.

Then came Sunday—a very packed day. We woke up at 5 a.m. for a challenging 50-kilometer bike hike with nearly 800 meters of elevation gain. Right after finishing the ride, we rushed to meet Cyan (from Hong Kong) and his exchange partner Aymeric to go visit Alcatraz Island.

Alcatraz was one of the things that surprised me the most. I was expecting an old prison on a tiny little island, but instead, it was a whole complex of buildings on a bird-covered island full of unique trees and plants scattered everywhere. The guided tour was really interesting, and we finished the morning with an amazing lunch of crepes.

The next weekend was a bit lighter, but still filled with amazing activities. On Saturday, we went to watch the San Francisco Warriors play against the New York Knicks. The atmosphere in the stadium was incredible—everyone was cheering and shouting for the Warriors, and in the end, we won! The next day, we stayed at home because it was raining, and in the afternoon, we tried foiling for the first time—I had never done it before, but it was super interesting to learn and really fun.

But what really became the highlight of the trip was the week that followed: before coming to San Francisco, I had talked with Calixte’s parents about the possibility of joining him on a trip to Chicago, where he was going to attend a Mathematics Congress with students from several French high schools in the region. And by some miracle, I managed to come along!

During those five days, we had an unforgettable experience. I was with many of my school friends who were also on the trip, and we spent so much incredible time together—visiting Chicago, preparing and presenting our math projects, playing soccer matches at LFSF there, and just enjoying each other's company outside of all the official activities, whether during flights, meals, or downtime. The trip was absolutely perfect.

After returning from Chicago, we went back to school, and I only had a few more days left in San Francisco, since I was leaving on Thursday.

Saying goodbye to everyone when I left was really hard, and of course, I would have loved to stay longer—but the journey had come to an end. We did get to spend a little extra time together before I left—we even organized a sleepover with eight of us—but leaving San Francisco was still incredibly emotional. Saying goodbye to Calixte’s parents was especially difficult, since they had taken such amazing care of me throughout my stay, and I had essentially lived with them as if they were my adoptive parents for five whole weeks.

Now it’s my turn to welcome Calixte to Hong Kong…

What I’ll take away most from this experience is, first of all, that people are truly welcoming at heart—and that if you treat others with kindness and respect, that same kindness and respect will be returned to you. I’ve learned that it’s possible to build deep, meaningful relationships with people from the other side of the world, and that discovering a new culture and way of life can be both eye-opening and absolutely incredible.

I can’t thank FIS enough for offering me this unforgettable opportunity.