IT HAS been 15 years since the first exchange students from Stroud visited Ancenis.

Having just returned from the 15th annual exchange between Marling, Stroud High School and the Lycee St Joseph in France, I can now see why it has been continued.

This visit saw a bumper number traverse the channel to link up with families in France - more than 100 students from Year 9 and 19 from Year 12 ensured that the teachers were kept busy.

It was the hard work of the teachers who took us abroad that made sure everybody had a place to stay upon arrival.

After a long journey by coach, ferry and then coach again we had arrived and our second journey was about to begin. Living and working in a foreign country promised to be a different kind of journey, hopefully one more rewarding than the 16 hour trek we had just ensured.

Thanks to some sneaky tying from friends on the coach, I arrived at my French family's home with my shoe tied to my leg.

It wasn't the best of starts, but c'est la vie. I settled in well and, like many, fully enjoyed staying with my French hosts.

However as Year 12s, we had an extra duty to fulfil.

Starting a new job can be a nerve-wracking experience but it is made even worse when you struggle to understand anything being asked of you.

Nevertheless we all managed it and each Year 12 receiving a glowing reference from their new French employer.

Thankful to have avoided the early starts in the bakers that many had to endure, I began work at a school.

Teaching seven-year-olds English is an incredibly rewarding experience, although many of them found an Englishman stumbling his way through the French language highly amusing.

An exchange can seem a big task but it will build confidence, create friends and strengthen linguistic skills.

Everyone got on really well with their partners and I have told mine that I look forward to visiting them again in the future.

Well - at least that's what I hope I said.