Franny Kavin: Tu connais Aerosmith?

Franny Kavin participated in the Lexington-Deauville student exchange in 1994.  Since then, she has maintained a great friendship with her counterpart Aurelie.  

Tu connais Aerosmith?

This is the first question I ever remember my French “sister” Aurélie asking me when I arrived in Deauville. It was June, 1994 and I can still hear her pronunciation - “air-e-o-smit.” It took a few minutes for my ear to adjust to the French accent, but we quickly got the hang of it. 23 years later and I cannot even begin to express my gratitude to the Lexington Sister Cities Exchange program. My participation in the Lexington-Deauville program was not just about language skills or a summer trip, it was life changing. 

Aurélie and I were paired by my 8^th grade French teacher Steve Walden. Lucky for us, he had also taught English to Aurélie and knew that even though I was two years older, our families were a perfect match.

Since 1994, Aurélie and her family have been ma famille. We have been a major part of each other’s lives through high school, college, first jobs, weddings and children. Here’s a sneak peek into a few of the wonderful things we have done in past 20+ years.

My original airline ticket. 

Somewhere in Normandy - Franny (age 16) and Aurelie (age 14)

My first (of many) trips to Deauville was magical. Not only was my host mother the best cook in the world, my host family showed me the best France has to offer. We visited Honfleur, several castles (Chambord, Valencay, and Chenounceau) Chartes, Lisieux, Rouen, Etretat, Leonardo da Vinci’s home, Mont Saint Michel, D-Day landing beaches and the Normandy American Cemetery, overlooking Omaha Beach, Paris and Versailles.  Thinking back, I do not know how we packed all of that adventure into 5 weeks!

Luckily, I was able to come back to Deauville every summer. Aurélie also came to Lexington to stay with my family. We both formed special bonds with each other’s parents! 

Aurelie and my mother, Kay

Aurelie's father Henri and me

Of course I recommended France for my honeymoon. Here’s a few pictures from that trip in May, 2004. Below is my husband John Paul and me with Aurélie and her now husband Damien.

Aurélie and Damien moved to St. Barths in the French West Indies and now live there. We were thrilled when she joined us in the Florida Keys for my sister Kristy’s wedding in 2006.

I was honored to serve as one of Aurélie’s witnesses at her 2011 wedding. We wouldn’t have missed it for anything!

After the wedding.  Picture (left to right): my husband, John Paul, me, Aurelie, Damien, as well as my mother Kay and my daughter Carson.  

Our strong connection grew even more through motherhood. She is my son’s Godmother and I am her daughter’s Marraine.

Thanks to the Sister Cities Summer Student Exchange Program, I gained amazing French language skills. I was named the top French high school speaker in the state of Kentucky for two years; helped start a chapter of the National French Honor Society at Henry Clay High School; and went on to major in French at the University of Mississippi. Through AP French test scores and an interview with the Modern Languages department, I was able to begin my college freshman year in junior level courses.