AFS student Elsa Rogue said she enjoys “meeting new people” and getting comfortable turning strangers into friends.  

She said Cedarburg is much like her hometown of Roanne, France. “Everyone knows everyone, [in Cedarburg] and I love that,” she said. “I’m from a small town, so I feel at home.” 

She noted that there is much less public transportation in Wisconsin compared to where she is from in France. 

Rogue speaks three languages: French, Spanish and English. Currently she is taking AP French and Spanish 3. 

One major difference between the United States and France that Rogue has noticed is the type of food and how people view it. 

Although she enjoys American food, she thinks it is less healthy and more “industrial.” She said that in France, people put more emphasis on the importance of meals because, “at lunch, here we have 30 minutes. In France, we have almost two hours.” 

Even though she thinks “cheese in France is better,” she still loves Wisconsin cheese curds! Her host parents have taken her to several restaurants to try a variety of cheese curds. 

Rogue’s school day in France is much longer than here. Some days, school is from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. However, they also have many breaks during the school year: a week off in both September and October, two weeks off for Christmas, two weeks off in February and two months off for summer. 

Rogue lives with her host parents, Sean Blazier and Celina Brault.