Twinning teens

About 25 years ago, New Iberia joined a global twin towns program and welcomed a sister community, Woluwé-St.-Pierre in Brussels, Belgium.

What began as friendly communication between two distant cities blossomed into a youth exchange program, giving local and Belgian teens the opportunity to come together each summer in New Iberia.

This year’s group of six teens and a chaperone arrived two weeks ago, with Teche Area teens and their families, who host them, waiting to greet them at the airport.

The teens’ schedules have been filled with daily activities that illustrate the culture and scenery of South Louisiana, including swamp tours, crabbing at Cypremort Point, Randol’s Cajun Restaurant in Lafayette and even a trip to New Orleans.

“I enjoyed the swamp tour,” said Gaspard de Villenfagne, 15. “We got to see real alligators and birds.”

The others agreed the swamp tour was a favorite, but Caroline Heymans, 16, said she was more fascinated with the tour of Catholic High School.

“I liked when we visited Catholic High School,” said Caroline Heymans, 16. “It’s so different from our schools. It’s like in the movies.”

The exchange program began in 1999 after a group of Woluwé-St.-Pierre residents attended the Congrès Mondial Acadian in Lafayette. Nelwyn Hebert, a retired teacher who coordinates the trips, said meeting the group strengthened the bond between the two towns.

Area families have been hosts for almost 50 Belgian teens since then, and Hebert said she hopes New Iberia teens eventually start taking trips to Belgium.

“We’ve never had an opportunity to send a group to Belgium, but they’re very willing to host there,” she said.

Solene Thibaut, 16, was surprised to see school buses, noting students in her country usually walk or ride the city bus.

The Belgium students are taking English classes in school as their third language, which they said made it easier for them to embrace the culture and activities.

“Everything was great, but I got to hang out with American teenagers and they are really nice,” said Patrick Van Poucke, 16, referring to their visit to The Underground Sea in New Iberia last Friday.

Vincent de Lovinfosse said everybody in New Iberia is relaxed.

“You do what you want, when you want,” he said. “It’s great.”

Hebert said the Belgian visitors are not the only ones who gain from the trip. Local teens who host them have an opportunity to learn about Belgian food and culture, too.

“I think it’s wonderful for our students to meet people from different countries,” Hebert said.

“Speaking other languages is a great thing, and students here really grow from these experiences.”

Chaperone Quentin Mandart, 28, said he really enjoyed speaking French with a Cajun. Though the dialect is different, he understood what was being said.

“Everyone is so friendly here, and you get to compare your countries,” Mandart said.