BACK TO SPAIN & FRANCE

Valentine Murdy and Hugo Rodriguez, both 16, have spent the last school year attending the rural high school and living in Banner County. Valentine is from the south of France, while Hugo is from Spain.

Valentine, hailing from the south of France, was taken aback by the vastness and spaciousness of Banner County, a stark contrast to his home. His most significant adjustment was to the culture and the language. Initially, he struggled to string a sentence together, but now he's proud to say he's "pretty good" at English.

The sophomore classes that Valentine took were biology, math and English. Although he said classes are easier in the United States, he credited the teachers with "being really good." He said teachers here are more like friends.

Valentine is from a large city in France, and his school has over 600 students, compared to a high school of fewer than 50 in Banner County. However, he has enjoyed school the most while here.

The winter was a bit hard and quite of an adjustment because Valentine lives in the south of France near the Mediterranean Sea. But he admits that Banner County was a good surprise as he has made some "great friends."

Hugo, on the other hand, is more reserved than Valentine, but he said enjoyed attending prom the most while here. His favorite Banner County cafeteria foods are nachos and corndogs. At home in Spain, he eats a lot of pasta.

While Valentine went out for basketball, Hugo had experience in judo and decided that wrestling was as close as it came to judo in a rural American high school. Hugo's classes included history, physical science, alegbra, English, web design and computer science.

Gaining good friends tops Hugo's list of American experiences.

Both boys lived with Paula Brown, and she was able to take them on a tour of the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore.

Valentine has already left to return to France, but Hugo has until June 3 to enjoy the American experience.