Christian Halstead is an AFS-USA alum who studied abroad in France in 1976. Decades after his transformative experience abroad, he and his fellow alum Sean Carson planned and executed an incredible 50-year reunion that encapsulated the magic of their exchange experience. After tracking down all but four of their original group of 41, they were able to gather 21 people to embark on an emotional journey to France. During their reunion, the group was welcomed with a local reception and embarked on a variety of activities facilitated by Christian and Sean. In this article, we hear the group’s story from Christian’s perspective, which he also expressed in this original song about their reunion!
This group’s story is an ever-important reminder that the impact of an AFS exchange experience can evolve over a lifetime and – even decades later – bring people together in the most unexpected ways.
What inspired you to participate in an AFS exchange program and spend a year in France?
Travel interested me from an early age. Our family traveled between Michigan and Virginia, and when I was 12, my parents took us to the UK. I was curious about people in other places and had pen pals in Korea and Tasmania, Australia. In high school, we had exchange students, and I joined the AFS club.
I was young for my grade and didn’t feel ready for college. I applied to AFS during my junior year and wasn’t accepted, so I tried again as a senior. I was thrilled to be accepted.
When we applied, we could express a preference for a hemisphere, but not a country, and even that preference came with no guarantee. In my own mind, the UK was at the bottom of my list, with France just above it. After all, “I already spoke French!” Ha! I thought Japan would be wonderful because life there would be so different.
When I learned I was going to France, though, I was happy nonetheless. Looking back, it turned out to be the best choice for me.
What do you remember most about arriving in France and meeting the other students during that first week?
My memories begin with orientation in New York, where we did cultural learning exercises and I met a woman who would become a good friend. I don’t remember much about the flight, but I do remember a very long bus ride, followed by a week of language classes and orientation in France.
Because I had already studied French, a few of us focused more on cultural learning than language basics. Sharing a dormitory was a new experience. I’m naturally an introvert, but a small group of us became friends. It was hot and dry during that summer’s heat wave and drought.
At the end of the week, my French mother and father came to pick me up. They had just gotten air conditioning in their car, a rare luxury. I remember sinking into the back-seat cushions, tired, wondering what the year would be like and who these people were, and feeling that cool air!
We stopped in Paris for one night before continuing to the northern coast, where they spent summer weekends and where the rest of the family was staying. That first dinner was full of excited chatter, with me trying to follow the conversations, understand what the heck was going on, and figure out how to answer. It was wonderfully crazy!
What was it like adjusting to life in France, learning the language, and becoming part of a French family and community?
I was fortunate to live in Paris. Even daily routines were different: breakfast, a large lunch, leftovers for dinner, and plenty of cheese. There was a little wine, too!
I quickly discovered that knowing textbook French wasn’t the same as understanding everyday speech. After my first class, someone asked, “T’as pigé?” I had no idea what they meant. It was the French equivalent of “Didja get it?” vs (spoken slowly and clearly) “Did you understand? ”(Est-ce que tu as compris).
I rode a scooter to school and came home for lunch. Instead of the same school hours every day, my schedule varied, sometimes leaving whole afternoons free. That gave me a new sense of freedom.
What made the friendships among your AFS group so special? How did those relationships evolve over the years?
We shared the experience of finding our way in an unfamiliar country. We came together four times during the year, so our friendships had a chance to deepen as we compared life with our new families and in our schools.
Two other students lived near me, and we saw one another between those gatherings. One of them remained a friend for decades. We visited each other several times, especially after her cancer diagnosis. Sadly, she died several years ago.
How did everyone manage to stay connected over nearly five decades, despite living in different places and leading very different lives?
I’m not entirely sure how we managed it! Several of us stayed loosely in touch, and over the past 15 years or so, we began reconnecting with a wider group. Someone had a partial contact list, and email helped us find more people. Eventually, internet searches and help from AFS allowed us to locate all but four people for the reunion.
I did feel a little sad about some missed opportunities. I had lived in the Netherlands for more than two years without realizing that two members of our AFS group were from there. I had forgotten about that connection.
Today’s technology made finding one another so much easier. It also makes me think about how different our exchange year was. There was no internet, email, or texting, and we weren’t calling home. If we were lucky, a few letters arrived in the mail. There were no instant translation tools, either. We were separated from the everyday lives of our families and friends back home and had to find our way in a new language and a new family.
Today’s students can stay closely connected to home, and I wonder how that shapes their experience of living abroad. I’m curious about what that connection gives them and how it affects their immersion in a new life. But when their own 50-year reunion comes around, finding one another should be much easier. Hopefully, they’ll never have lost touch in the first place!
Were there any friendships or connections that surprised you by how naturally they picked up again after so many years?
In one sense, the ease of reconnecting didn’t surprise me. In another, it was amazing how natural it felt after so many years. Reconnecting with people I had lost touch with, including the two from the Netherlands, was one of the best parts.
What inspired your group to organize this reunion, and what did it take to bring everyone together?
In a 2025 group email to the people whose addresses we already had, someone pointed out that the following year would mark 50 years since we went to France and suggested a reunion. Then they suggested I organize it! My first thought was, “I don’t organize things!”
Another member of our group, Sean Carson, had lived in France for more than 30 years. We talked and agreed to put something together. Since I was already planning a visit to France that September, we met to explore venues.
We gathered email addresses, tracked down more people, and asked the group about timing, location, and activities. The overwhelming preference was to return to the town where we had first met and revisit some of the experiences we had shared. Over the next year, we arranged accommodations, activities, and reservations. Of our original 41 students, 21 were able to attend. Four had died, four could not be found, three chose not to participate, and nine were unable to come.
What was going through your mind as you prepared to return to France and the town where your AFS journey began?
As one of the two organizers, I had already returned to look at venues. But when the reunion finally arrived, I felt both nervous and exhilarated. What if everyone was bored? What if it all fell flat? At the same time, here we were after a year of planning.
I arrived a day early, as did two others. Seeing them that evening put a smile on my face that stayed there for the entire reunion.
What was it like to see everyone again in person after so many years? Was there a particular moment during the reunion that you’ll never forget?
One moment I’ll never forget was showing the video of the song I had created at the mayor’s reception. I was nervous about how everyone would react, and the mayor initially seemed unsure what to make of our group.
People laughed where I’d hoped they would and shed tears at the more emotional moments. My co-organizer noticed a change in the mayor as he watched with us. We later learned that he had been an exchange student in Canada during his college years.
Throughout the reunion, there was a warmth and joy I still struggle to put into words. I had attended my 50-year high school reunion the month before, but this felt very different. I think we shared an openness to other people and unfamiliar experiences that had connected us from the beginning. Hearing about one another’s lives and sharing our memories made that connection even richer.
You mentioned the wonderful reception from the mayor and the community. What did that experience mean to you and the group?
We were tickled pink that the mayor had invited us for drinks, snacks, and a visit. I felt honored that the town had made time to welcome us.
The music video seemed to touch our hosts. Mme Fougère, who arranged the reception for us, wrote something that was especially moving:
French: “Vous êtes tous les preuves qu’une amitié durable peut se développer au delà des frontières et c’est tellement réconfortant dans cette période particulière !”
English: “You are all proof that lasting friendship can grow beyond borders, and that is so reassuring at a time like this!”
Were there any unexpected moments, funny stories, or emotional surprises that made the reunion especially memorable?
What surprised me most was how happy I felt the entire time. I reconnected instantly with people I hadn’t seen or spoken to in more than 49 years, and there was so much joy in simply being together.
The gratitude people expressed also caught me off guard. I hadn’t thought of the organizing as quite such a big undertaking, but it clearly meant a great deal to everyone.
What do you think made the bonds formed through AFS strong enough to bring everyone back together years later?
I sometimes feel that an AFS year changes something in our DNA. My best friend was an AFS student in Chile, and my former partner went to South Africa. When AFS comes up, there’s often an immediate understanding, almost like a secret club with no special handshake. My best friend told me that my first song made him cry, even though it was about our year in France. He recognized something of his own experience in it.
Within our group, many had kept in touch with a host family member or another returnee. Our gatherings during the exchange year had also given us time to form lasting bonds. When the invitation to a 50-year reunion came, it felt like the right time to come together again.
You created both a pre-reunion and a post-reunion song. What inspired you to write them, and how did music help you capture the feelings and memories of the group?Music has always been part of my life. I sang in high school, college, and afterward, and I’ve always loved concerts and shows. Music can make me laugh or cry. Although I studied some music theory, I had never thought of myself as a composer.
Then I heard a catchy French song on Facebook. Looking into the artist, I began to suspect the music was AI-generated, and that made me wonder whether I could create a song using my own lyrics. I wrote and rewrote them, trying to get what was in my head onto the page. I chose French and English so everyone in our group could connect with the song in the language they felt more comfortable in.
Two phrases guided the first song: “Toujours amis, toujours ensemble” and “Après 50 ans, here we are.” They captured our bond and the joy of coming together again. I used photographs from 1976 and 1977 and hoped to add new reunion pictures. The song also expressed our hope that future students would keep building bridges. I believe learning from one another is a path toward peace, and AFS gave us that experience. You can listen to the song here.
A few days after I got home, I was still carrying the glow of the reunion and felt a need to put it into another song. I borrowed a little from the first and included feelings people had shared in person and by email. Some words arrived with a melody at three in the morning, and I had to get up to write them down. The melody didn’t stay, but the words did!
Both songs made me smile and tear up when I first listened to them. I still think of phrases I might change, but I’m happy with what they capture, and I love sharing them.
Go for it. It could be one of the best things you ever do and help you grow in ways you can’t yet imagine. Immerse yourself in the experience. Be open to what’s unfamiliar. Explore, taste, feel, and learn. Become a bridge between people.
Is there anything else about your year in France, your friendships, or the reunion that you’d especially like to share?
Fifty years later, I’m still discovering what that year gave me. Seeing everyone again left me with a full heart and a joy I brought home with me. I hope we’ll keep sharing our pictures and news and give ourselves another chance to be together. I still can’t believe it’s been 50 years!
Want to stay in touch with our AFS alumni community? Visit our alumni page to join our virtual groups, sign up for our alumni newsletter, and see upcoming alumni events across the U.S.