Many students move from school to school, but many don’t move from one country to another, especially on their 16th birthday. Christine Besen is a new French teacher here at CHS on B days; she also teaches at Westfield High School during A days.
“I actually celebrated my birthday on the plane, blew out candle on the plane,” Besen said. “It was my father’s decision to move here. He was in the hypermarket business and he wanted to expand his business to U.S..”
(Huda Noorzai)
Besen’s father had hoped for better opportunities in the U.S. compared to France. Yet, moving from a smaller town in Normandy to a hustling and fast-paced city like Washington, D.C. was, according to Beson,a shock.
“It’s very tough,” Besen said. “You’re leaving all your friends behind and there is a language barrier and switching to a new culture is hard.”
Some particular things Beson noticed included time differences. In France, many people stop and take at least one hour of a break, differing from 30 minute breaks in the U.S.. Additionally, school calendars were different; on Wednesdays, there was no school in France, swapped for Saturday morning classes.
From living in a city of set standards to a new one,Besen also went to an international school in D.C.– unlike France, where she went to a Catholic school. Despite facing initial difficulties, Bensen recognized her growth in the long term
“The culture is different,” Besen said. “I didn’t know what Thanksgiving was. [Moving] was challenging, but it was worth it.”
