Teammates share life, housing and French heritage

Junior Leslie Hureau and sophomore Sophie Garre are like most American college students.

They go to class, have fun and take part in extracurricular activities. They are both on the IU women’s tennis team and are proud to play for the cream and crimson.

What makes them different is not their outstanding work ethic on and off the court, their tight friendship or that they live together.

When they go home after a hard day’s practice or when they do not want a teammate to hear what they have to say, they speak French to each other.

“We speak French sometimes when we’re on the bus when we don’t want the other person to hear what we are saying,” Hureau said with a chuckle.

Both Hureau and Garre were born and raised in France and chose to come to IU to play tennis.

However, they come from very different parts of the country.

“I live near the sea, and she lives in the mountains,” Garre said. “So it’s completely different, but we both have the same culture. No matter where you live in France, you are going to have very similar cultures.”

The duo had to get used to differences between French and American cultures, such as the people, Garre said.

“The people welcome you and are kind to you,” Garre said. “In France, there are a lot of times when people are in a bad mood, and they don’t say hello, so I feel welcome here.”

The people might be friendly in the Midwest, but the food is not so friendly to one’s health, which Hureau said took some getting used to.

“We both still struggle with food,” Hureau said. “The portions are huge, and you eat so much. That’s something really different from France.”

As far as sports go, they both said they feel as though they are beginning to like American sports more and more.

“We don’t have football in France, and basketball is not that popular,” Garre said. “So it was really nice to learn about the other sports, and I appreciate the variety America has.”

Searching to fill the void in her heart that soccer provided for Hureau in France, she said basketball has more than made up for it.

“I’m a big soccer fan,” Hureau said. “I have a team that I really like, and I used to go to the stadium and cheer for them and thought that was the coolest thing in the world. But now that I watch basketball and go to Assembly Hall, that’s a lot more fun than
soccer in France.”

Their common perspectives on matters such as food are what first brought them together, but since then, their relationship has evolved into something deeper than a lack of appetite for American cuisine.

“I think that at the beginning, it helped a little bit because, ‘Oh, she’s French, we can speak French,’” Hureau said. “But she’s a great person, and I would be friends with her if she was from China or Argentina or wherever else in the world.”

Garre echoed Hureau’s words.

“In France, you don’t get along with everyone,” Garre said. “But with Leslie, we got along really quick, and I feel lucky to have her here.”

They both said they agreed that they wanted to live together very early on last year, around October, when Garre was still living in the dorms.

“I knew before coming that she was from France, so it helped the transition a bit,” Garre said. “Last year, I was living in the dorms, and she had an apartment and we spent a lot of time together, so that’s why we decided to live together.”

Both Hureau and Garre have to make the decision of whether they want to go back to France after college.

“Right now, I don’t know,” Hureau said. “It’s like the big question. I think I’ll go back to France, but it’s a tough decision because at the beginning, I wanted to go home right away, but now I’ve met so many great people here, so it’s pretty tough.”

Garre, on the other hand, seems to have more of a desire to stay in the Western Hemisphere.

“I don’t mind staying in the U.S. after graduating,” Garre said. “If I found a great job here, I would stay here, but I also wouldn’t mind going back to France.”

They said it will be tough when Hureau graduates and moves away but no matter where they live, they will always stay friends.

“It’s going to be tough in a year when Leslie is going to graduate,” Garre said. “I’m always with Leslie, so it’s going to be hard not to see her anymore. But we’ll try to go on trips together and stay in touch.”