Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in another country for a year? This year at Jennings County High School, we have a total of four foreign exchange students who are here to experience life in the United States.
Manto Vadell grew up in Mallorca, Spain. She is playing basketball, tennis and soccer this year. “I chose to come to this country because it is really different. I just wanted the American experience.”
Oldea Valli is our Italian exchange student, “I came to the United States to help improve my English speaking, hoping to eventually speak English as fluently as I speak Italian,” he said.
The average exchange student’s age is between 16-24.
Nayara Garriga was born in Romania, but grew up in Barcelona, Spain. “Everything is so different. In my culture, we build stronger relationships with our friends and families, we all have a special bond.”
Also among this year’s exchange students is Janne Sebastian from Germany.
Being an exchange student is beneficial to not only the student, but the school involved.
Spanish teacher Debby Jackson said, “It helps expand our kids’ horizon, especially those who have never been anywhere before. They get to see that the world is much bigger than you think and there are so many opportunities.”
Starting to travel at a younger age is proven to increase your chances of traveling more in the future.
When I asked Oldea to describe her home in Italy, she said, “It is the most beautiful place in the world; everywhere you go it is so beautiful. The weather is usually hot. The beach is only 45 minutes away; here it is 10 hours. I usually spend my summers at the beach and skiing in the winter.”
All three of the girls say they plan on coming back to the United States at least once in their life.
Another upside to the exchange program is learning new languages. Naya says,
“Spanish, Catalan, Romanian, French, and now English. I even understand Italian.”
Having people come from different countries to America is beneficial to everyone. We can gain more ideas, knowledge, and even ways to live better lives.
Chloe Brookbank is a Jennings County High School student. Send comments to [email protected].
