Exchanging students, exchanging cultures

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Exchanging students, exchanging cultures

fr exchange When Donna Bell invited the first exchange student into her home seven years ago, she had no idea the lasting impact it would have on her family as well as the lives of the students.

“I just thought it would be cool to learn about other cultures,” Bell said, but it turned out to be so much more than that.

Not only did her experience lead her to work with Ayusa — an exchange student program that matches students with host families — but also it led her to a newfound passion for actively participating in the program. She has hosted five exchange students since that initial experience, and she wouldn’t trade those relationships for anything in the world. Several of the students she hosted are even returning to Franklin this year to attend her daughter’s wedding.

“Our organization is about building relationships,” Bell said.

Three Ayusa students, representing Germany, Czech Republic and Netherlands, are currently attending Franklin High School during their year abroad, two of whom are staying with Bell. All three young women have been staying in Franklin since last August and have made themselves at home in the mountains.

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Culture shock

While they have been enjoying American traditions like attending their first prom, eating southern foods and absorbing Appalachian dialects, there are several differences in the United States that have taken some getting used to for the exchange students.

Paloma Jol, 16, is from Netherlands. This is her fourth trip to the U.S., but it’s her first time experiencing life in the mountains. She is a fan of country music and being outdoors, making the Great Smoky Mountains a perfect fit for her.

“I like it here — you have mountains,” she said. “Netherlands is flatter than a pancake — we have one hill and we’re very proud of it.”

What’s one of the most unusual things she’s seen since she’s been here? A school bus. All three of the students found the modes of transportation here quite bizarre. There are no school buses in Europe. For the most part, students are either close enough to their school to walk or ride a bike or they take public transportation to school.

“You have no idea how funny it was to see a school bus,” Jol said. “I use my bike everywhere at home.”

Antonia “Toni” Olbrich, 17, is from Berlin, Germany. Being from a large city, the lack of public transportation and the distance between places was surprising to her as well.

“Everyone told me there was no public transportation, but it was still surprising,” she said. “We have it everywhere — we walk or ride a bike a lot.”

Kristina Pavickova, 18, of Czech Republic, lives in a small town but rides the train an hour to school each day.

“I live in a small town, so it didn’t shock me, but each town is five minutes from each other and we walk everywhere,” she said.

Of course the foods are a bit different here than they are back home — some differences welcomed and others not so much.

“The best ice cream is a Blizzard,” Pavickova laughed.

Olbrich agreed that it seems like everything is a little bit sweeter in America, even bread. She misses the bread back home in Germany — dark and hearty compared to the “white and fluffy” bread in America.

Jol said she had pumpkin pie and turkey for the first time during the holidays and loved it. She has also enjoyed the many variations of potatoes she’s tried here, including French fries. Her classmates have taught her to dunk them in mayonnaise.

“But I’ve had too much mashed potatoes here,” she joked. “That’s very common here.”

Jol said clothing choices in the U.S. were also much different than in Europe. It was hard for her not to laugh when she saw people wearing overalls and cowboy boots.

Olbrich was surprised at the amount of school spirit and how sports team members wear their jerseys to school on a game day. Germany and other European countries have community sports instead of school sports.

“So many people wear sweatpants — in my school we don’t wear sports clothes,” she said. “People ask me why I dress up but I don’t feel like I’m dressed up.”

Education transition

Even though the exchange students are taking regular classes at Franklin High, most of the credits they obtain here won’t transfer back to their schools in Europe. They will basically have to make up for the year they lost in the states, but they don’t seem to mind. The experience they’ll take home is worth it.

Part of the reason Jol signed up for the program was because she wasn’t doing too well in English back home.

“I’m more of a math person than languages so my dad said I should go to another country for several months,” she said. While there are still many words she doesn’t understand, her English has become proficient during her time in Franklin. English is introduced to most European students in fifth grade, but there’s no better way to become fluent than to immerse yourself in it.

The English skills of Pavickova and Olbrich have also improved during their time here.

“In Europe everyone has to learn English to get a better job,” Pavickova said.

The students also are adjusting to different class schedules and having the ability to choose certain classes like chorus, art, theater and physical education. Jol has enjoyed taking chorus, theater and a strenuous P.E. class called “Bigger, Faster, Stronger.”

“You get way more fun classes here,” Jol said. “I really liked theater and I starred in a play.”

Olbrich said she also appreciated the ability to be able to take a number of creative classes that aren’t offered at her school in Berlin, including yearbook class or photography. Even though she attends a creative arts high school, it offers only art and music.

She said the relationships between students and teachers in Berlin are much different than in the U.S. Because schools and classes are so large, Olbrich said it is rare to get one-on-one time with a teacher.

“Teachers here are really nice. I never had a personal relationship with a teacher before,” she said. “(In Berlin), it takes teachers a long time to learn your name because there are too many students. They teach you and you listen — you don’t know their first name and they know nothing about you.”

Sharing their traditions

The exchange students in Franklin have become accustomed to answering strange questions from their American classmates.

“They meet you and they are really curious and want to be your friend,” Pavickova said. “But then after few months they start to treat you like a regular student.”

When giving a presentation about Czech Republic at the library, she was asked if people in her country have cell phones. The answer is yes — they have cell phones, computers, TVs and most other technology available in the states.

One thing you might not know about her country — it is the largest consumer of beer per person and it has more than 200 castles. Czech Republic also has a couple of traditions that may seem odd to others, including the annual Burning of the Witches in the spring and a Christmas dinner that is kept in the bathtub.

The Czechs used to believe that a witch kept the winter weather around for so long and if they made something that looked like a witch and burned it, it would weaken the cold weather to make way for spring.

Christmas is celebrated in Czech Republic with a carp dinner, and before the dinner is cooked, it is kept alive in the tub.

During her Dutch night presentation, Jol said she had to explain the Christmas tradition of Sinterklaas — Netherlands’ version of Santa Claus.

“Ours comes on a steamboat and he doesn’t go in the chimney — his helpers do,” Jol explained. “Instead of reindeer he has a white horse.” On the night of Dec. 5, Sinterklaas places sweet gifts in the shoes left out by children.

Benefits of the program

Each of the exchange students will return home in June with an experience of a lifetime. They all say their English has greatly improved and they have a better idea of what America is like. Some may want to return for good someday, and others may come back to travel to different areas of the country.

“My English is way better, but I’m getting a Southern accent,” Jol joked. “I think the trip has matured me — you’re on your own more and you see a whole new perspective of things.”

Olbrich said she has learned a lot about the culture here as far as the importance of family and friendships.

“Everyone already knows each other and everyone is nice to us,” she said. “At home I have a bunch of friends, but here people have best friends and hang out with them all the time.”

Despite all the mutual benefits of hosting an exchange student, Bell said the Ayusa program continually struggles to find enough host families to match with the number of students who want to come here. As a representative, it’s her job to recruit new families to participate.

“I feel that it is very important for people in North Carolina and the United States to realize that people in all other parts of the world are just people too,” she said. “We can all get along and care about each other no matter where we live — family goes beyond borders.”

Bell understands that a family may be hesitant to open up their home to a stranger, but she assures them that they won’t be strangers for long and they won’t regret it. She encourages people to fill out an online application to become a host family.

“Be open-minded about hosting. It’s worth taking a chance and bringing someone brand new into your family,” she said. “They will make a difference in your life and you’ll never be the same.”