From Baton Rouge with Love:

Dear Bristol School Spanish Exchange Students,

Episcopal School of Baton Rouge thanks you for visiting Woodland Ridge.  We hope you enjoyed your stay as much as we enjoyed having you here among us.  We know that crossing an ocean and living among new people may be overwhelming, so we hope that we made you feel at ease and welcome.

We hope you enjoyed experiencing our school culture, from attending classes with us and cheering on our volleyball team to working together in our new NuVuX Design Studio.  We hope our trips to the Atchafalaya Basin, Tiger Stadium and the French Quarter also gave you a true feel for life in Louisiana.  Our culture is known for great food and friendly faces and we hope you remember that fondly.

Corresponding with you before and after the exchange has been great for us and we look forward to continuing the friendships we have forged across the miles.  Our teachers say our Spanish has improved and they can see an appreciation and excitement for a new culture budding within us.  

We look forward to visiting you this February in Madrid.  What a wonderful opportunity it will be for us to fully immerse ourselves in your culture, language and life!  While we know what we’ve seen on TV or in the movies or what our teachers have told us here at Episcopal, we’re confident there’s nothing like experiencing another culture first-hand.  We look forward to sharpening our Spanish skills and adapting to new experiences with the same enthusiasm you showed while practicing your English and experiencing America.

---

Exchanges such as this one serve us all well as we strive to understand each other in a more connected, diverse world.  There is so much more to learn than proper pronunciation, grammar and punctuation.  Exchanges open our minds to other ways of life and in so doing also teach us more about our own.  

We now feel connected to people and a culture far removed from our own. We know that a laugh or a smile are universal. Teenage issues transcend language barriers and time zones.  We truly are part of a global community. Ultimately, isn’t connection and camaraderie what we all strive to achieve when embarking on such an adventure?

Until February, we’ll keep practicing Spanish and preparing for the second half of our journey together.  Thank you for sharing your culture and language with us. We can’t wait to see you again!

Con amor,
The Episcopal Knights Community