FRENCH KIDS VISIT AMERICA.

Byline: Kevin F. Sherry Daily News Staff Writer

For 25 French exchange students, a week in Thousand Oaks proved educational, fun - and fattening.

The United States, and California especially, looms as an almost mythological place for French youths, with much of French culture, particularly teen culture, influenced by American entertainment and fashions, said the students' chaperone, English teacher Chantal Feron.

During their stay, the students lived with Thousand Oaks families, and visited typical tourist locales like Olvera Street, Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Santa Barbara and Universal Studios Hollywood.

``They've got many things to think about,'' said Feron. ``We are mainly interested in having them discover the American way of life.''

On Wednesday, the 25 youths and their two teachers from the Lycee M. Sembat, a secondary campus in Sotteville, a suburb of Rouen in northern France, bid farewell to their Westlake High School hosts after 10 days in the city.

This is the fourth French group to visit Thousand Oaks since the exchanges were started in 1992 by Westlake teacher Dennis Judd.

Things in America are less expensive than in France, Feron said. The students get to feast and indulge like they never would back home, she said.

``They are spoiled here,'' Feron said.

Families in Sotteville also cook more than families do in Thousand Oaks, she said. The French generally eat just three full meals a day, compared with the constant snacking of Americans.

``Food is an essential difference,'' Feron said.

While people here generally were in shape, the group saw many more overweight people than they would back home, said student Frederic Nicolas. That's probably because Americans seem to eat more and walk less, Feron said. They also eat more hamburgers and fast food, said student Julien Eil.

At a farewell presentation at Westlake High School on Wednesday, the French students each recited something that they learned from their trip, comparing and contrasting what they had seen here with their homeland.

Some commented on California's bustling highways, while others mentioned the warmer weather. High temperatures in Paris were in the 40s this week.

Some missed their friends and also missed some sleep because Westlake's classes started about 45 minutes earlier than to what they are accustomed.

In France, students spend more hours at school and have more homework than here, Feron said. Schools always feed students full hot meals at lunchtime, compared with the brown bagging here, she said.

Back home, students drill on writing English but not speaking it. Their trip to Thousand Oaks plunged them into the culture and forced them to use what they have learned, Feron said.

``I think they've gained self-confidence,'' she said.

Student Yannick Lozay agreed.

``By speaking a lot with the American families, the vocabulary is larger,'' Yannick said.

The linguistic immersion helped some students overcome shyness, said Julien, who missed playing his flute.

The French students noticed subtle cultural language differences in the way Southern Californians speak compared with the way the British speak. For example, the number 20 is pronounced ``twenty'' in England, while here people tend to pronounce it ``twenny,'' Frederic said.

The mostly middle-class students always are impressed with the large homes in Thousand Oaks, Feron said. The visitors also were surprised to see the number of cars on the road, as well as the number owned by people their own age.

``We never give a brand-new car to someone who's 18,'' she said.

The visitors stocked up on postcards, pins, T-shirts and compact discs. Tonight the group travels to San Francisco, where they will stay until their Saturday departure for France.

A group of Westlake students will make the trek to France in late March.

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2 Photos

Photo: (1--Color) Westlake High School teacher Dennis Judd leads kids at the campus in a sing-along of French songs Wednesday.

(2) French student Emmanuelle Floris speaks about the differences between America and France she learned on her exchange trip.

Evan Yee/Daily News