Living in another country whose language one has never learned can be a daunting experience. All the more so when one is only a child.

Twelve-year-old Hugh Le Mintier spent the last six months as an exchange student with Issaquah Middle School student JB Cohen’s home.

When Hugh initially arrived in the U.S., he did not speak any English. By the time he was ready to head back to France, he was speaking English fluently and keeping up handily with the rest of his host family. He limited himself to only using English – even when others spoke to him in French, he responded in English.

Hugh attended Bellevue Christian School, a private middle and high school located in Clyde Hill, during his stay.

The unusual arrangement of the two children attending different schools didn’t turn out to be an impediment to Hugh’s entry into a completely different environment, according to Stefan Ulstein, director of International Programs at Bellevue Christian and Hugh’s teacher during his ESL (English as a Second Language) class.

When Hugh first arrived, Ulstein noted, English was entirely alien to him. Hugh even held the first ESL test he took upside down when he first received it. Although initially nervous and taciturn, “once he [Hugh] got on a roll he was completely engaged and having a lot of fun,” Ulstein said.

Apart from simply academics, Hugh discovered new sports while attending school at Bellevue Christian, including basketball and cross-country.

JB in turn left near the end of February with Hugh to France, where JB will spend the next six months.

Despite the unusual academic arrangement, JB and Hugh were still able to spend plenty of time outside school together, going on road trips together and even having lunch at the Seattle Space Needle.

The six months in Bellevue was not Hugh’s first experience with an exchange program. Earlier, he had been with a German family under the same exchange program, En Famille, an exchange program based in France.

It was En Famille’s first time setting up an exchange involving a family from Washington. En Famille International sets up exchanges between families of children from ages nine to 13. Usually two years pass between the time one of the families applies for an exchange and the exchange actually occurs.

JB will be in the Brittany region of France. Unlike the academic arrangements in Washington, JB will be attending the same private school as Hugh.

The Cohen family had had experience with the exchange program before. When in California, JB’s sister, Katie, had stayed with Le Mintier’s family in France and one of Hugh’s sisters had stayed with Katie in the U.S. three years ago. As a result, the families were already familiar with each other before Hugh set foot in the U.S.

Katie herself was enthusiastic about the experience of an exchange program. Although she did admit “There were times I was homesick,” she still said, “I loved it.”

The parents of JB and Katie Cohen were similarly enthusiastic about the cultural experiences that the children received as a result of the exchange program. Betsy Cohen, although cautioning that “no child should be pushed into an experience like [the exchange program]” if he or she did not like it, nonetheless praised the experience, stating, “[An exchange program] is truly a gift for your child that can accrue benefits for a lifetime.”

Changlin Li is a student at Interlake High School and an intern with the Bellevue Reporter. He can be reached at 425-453-4270, ext. 5060.