Testimonials

Why did you apply to NDIHS:
I wanted to experience French culture.

What were your expectations, fears?
Since this was the first time I was going far away from home I was nervous that I would be homesick, that I wouldn't have friends. That my teacher wouldn't be nice.

What's it like living in France, learning French, associating with French people?
Living in France is amazing. I love the culture and the language is beautiful. I have been lucky enough to have an amazing host family that has truly taken me in as part of the family and has done everything in the power to make me feel comfortable.

How do you feel now that you have been here for a while?
I feel more comfortable, when I first came everything was so new it was crazy for me, but now after being in France I feel much more a part of the culture.

What do you think you will have learnt from this experience?
A new language. Culture and people.

Do you think you have changed?
I think I have matured, I am more accepting of other people and I am happier.

What advice would you give to students coming?
Be open minded. Be accepting of other cultures and be friendly and social. Don't let your ideas of what people of certain countries are like get in the way of your relationships with people.

Alina, from the USA, has been interviewed by her classmate Sara, from Serbia, about her feelings been a student at Notre-Dame International High School,

"I applied to NDIHS because I needed a place where I could stay at a dormitory or where I could live close to. One of the reasons I applied was because it said on the school website that they had a good curriculum.

I expected a very overly-strict atmosphere with no freedom at all. And very uptight teachers and staff .That was my biggest fear, no space to move and breath. And a wrongly controlled school with absolutely no input from students. And as dormitories schools are shown in the media as over disciplined. But when I arrived I didn't find it so oppressive and depressing at all.

I was actually shocked because we were using our own creativity a lot and the atmosphere was calm and easy to think, not uptight at all, and extremely good environment to absorb and give out information. The teachers' and students' attitudes were extremely good and for me probably the best feature, which helped me to improve my marks. Previously the school that I had been at earlier I didn't feel like the teachers believed in me very much. The students were also more sociable. I was not surprised by the French people as I had been in France for 2 years before. So the French people and their attitudes was something I was used to.

I think since I came I have become more confident in my studies, and also more knowledgeable about socializing with people of different cultures. I would recommend this school for people looking for a school with a good positive vibe and for an American type curriculum."

Tuleni, from Namibia, explains us why he decided to apply to study at Notre-Dame International High School,