MCC EXCHANGE STUDENTS

By Jenny Kirk Murray County Central High School welcomed four international exchange students this academic year and they represent four different countries around the world.

Leaving one’s family, community and country to experience another culture might be quite intimidating to some young adults, but not for these four brave teens. They were ready for new experiences and are settling in nicely. While they are in the United States, they plan to make the most of opportunities that arise to try new things.

Exchange students live with a host family and attend high school like they would back home. The experience allows the teens to explore the world by living with an American family. The host family also has the opportunity to learn about another culture through the student who lives with them. No doubt, the connections help to improve international diplomacy, but more importantly, the shared experiences can create lifelong friendships.

Juliane Steller, Germany

Juliane Steller of Germany stays with host family Shannon and Tim Rhodes. She said things were going well but that the school schedule is different here. “This school is very different from my German school, but it makes very much fun, and I like everyone here,” she said. “Like here, we have the same schedule every day, and in Germany, I have different classes every day and the teachers are more kind in Germany, more like a friend.”

Juliane said nothing really surprised her when she arrived here. She credits the exchange organization for that because they prepared her well ahead of time.

This is Juliane’s first time as an exchange student. The 18-year-old said she’s always wanted to have the opportunity because she likes to travel. “I was always interested in the U.S.,” she said. “Then when I wanted to do it, COVID came, so I couldn’t do it. So I’m doing it now.”

When looking ahead to her future, Juliane said she wants to be a dentist. And while there are a lot of experiences she’d like to have during her time here, one special one sticks out for her. “I want to go to a big football game, like maybe the Vikings,” she said.

Jules Magat, France

Seventeen-year-old Jules Magat of France stays with host family Paula and Joel Herrig. He said it’s in the city, so it’s nice.

Jules has been enjoying the experience so far, saying “it’s perfect,” but he admits that he does want to improve his English speaking skills. “It’s a little bit hard because I don’t speak very good English, but it could be worse,” he said. “I understand all, but just to speak it is difficult for me. I just need to improve it.”

Jules appreciates that people are especially friendly here compared to people in France. “Everybody talks to you,” he said. “In France, nobody talks to you if you don’t talk.”

The education system in France is also different, according to Jules. He said his class would start with 30 students at the beginning of the year and he’d have the same classmates all year. “We change classes every day, but it’s every time with the same people,” he said. “It’s the same teacher every class, the same students every class. You don’t know everybody in the school, like here. It’s easier to meet everybody (here), so that’s nice.”

Jules said part of his family is also in the U.S. right now, with everyone wanting to learn English this year. His brother and his parents, who are retired, are currently living together and are learning the English language. “Everybody wants to learn English this year because maybe we want to live here later,” Jules said.

As far as a career, Jules doesn’t have any definitive occupations in mind yet, though he could see himself learning toward his dad’s profession someday. “I work with my dad a little bit,” he said. “He was an accountant. I’m only 17, so I have time.”

The one thing Jules really hopes to experience is heavy snowfall. “I’d like to see a real winter in the U.S.,” he said. “We don’t get too much snow in France — about 1 or 2 inch maximum and it melts in a day.”

Sophia Cristina, Italy

Kari and Eric Mathiowetz host 17-year-old Sophia Cristina from Italy. Sophia said everything is going well here. “I really like it because they are all kind and you can do a lot of things,” she said. “I am trying new things.”

Sophia enjoys being a member of the MCC varsity volleyball team. Back in Italy, Sophia said sports aren’t attached to the schools at all. The most common sports are volleyball and soccer, but there’s also tennis and basketball, but no football. “If you want to do something, you have to do a club or something. We have a gym, but it’s not related to the school. It’s next to the school, but it’s used for physical education. But every town has a team of like volleyball or soccer and if you go to that team, you get to go to the (school) gym.”

The Italian education system differs a little bit as well. Sophia said they have different classes every day and that they have the same classmates for the whole year because they don’t move to another class. “We just stay in one,” she said. “So I have 23 classmates and I have the same classmates for five years because we have five years of high school. Then we also go to school on Saturday, so it’s six days a week.”

Sophia doesn’t shy away from challenges and has high aspirations for the future. She said she really likes the subjects of science, physics and math. “I’d like to be in neurophysics, like a person that does research on the brain, or maybe an engineer, but I still don’t know for sure.”

Sophia said she’d love to go to college in the U.S. She chose to be an exchange student because her brother had an amazing experience when he went to Canada as an exchange student, so she wanted to try it as well. “I really like the English language, so I wanted to learn it,” she said. “I’m really happy I did this because you get to know a lot of people. I really like my host family, too, so I don’t want to leave.”

In Italy, Sophia doesn’t have any pets. Fortunately, her host family does. “I like dogs and cats,” Sophia said. “Here, they have a lot. I love animals.”

When it comes to socializing, it’s been a process for Sophia. “I’m learning to open myself to people because I’m really shy,” she said. “In Italy, I’m kind of talkative because I know all of the people. But here, it’s like a challenge. I like it. I enjoy going to a place where no one knows you. It’s like you start again. You can choose who to be.”

Sophia is most looking forward to experiencing a winter storm and possibly going downhill skiing. “I want to see the winter because everyone tells me it’s really scary if you don’t know about it,” she said. “I really like the snow. In Italy, it snows, but not much. It’s like an inch or so. I really like snow and they like skiing. It’s so flat here, but maybe we can find some place where I can do that.”

Sefora Garcia Gonzalez, Spain

Stephanie Korver hosts Sefora Garcia Gonzalez of Spain. The 15-year-old sophomore said the experience is going well. “I already feel as a part of the family,” she said. “I’m already making friends, especially because of the sports. That helps a lot.”

Sefora is a member of Rebel B-squad volleyball team. She said MCC is a lot smaller school than what she’s used to but that she likes the environment. “You know each person better,” she said. “It’s nice.”

Family life here is very different for Sefora but she appreciates it. “I have a big family in Spain, and here, I have one host sister and one host mom. That’s it. It’s better here because I have my own things, own stuff, own room. I have so much space. When I get back, I will have to share everything again.”

Despite being the youngest exchange student, Sefora was fearless in her pursuit of new experiences. “My mom was scared for me, but it was no big deal to come here,” she said. “I’m fine. I just want to do everything. I want to travel a lot.”

Sefora has already traveled to Canada and she looks forward to meeting up with her best friend, who is also an exchange student but in another state, at Christmastime. “I would love to have enough time to see the whole America,” she said. “That would take a couple years and a lot of money, though.”

Career interests for Sefora include architecture, sports and art. She said she doesn’t know what she wants to focus on quite yet but being an engineer is one of the possibilities, too.

In Spain, Sefora said she was fairly quiet, but here, she feels like she’s more outgoing. The one school event she most wants to take part in is prom. The problem is that sophomores can’t attend prom unless they are asked by a junior or senior. Sefora jokes that she will “go with anybody” so that she’s able to have that experience.

Like some of the other exchange students, Sefora is anxiously awaiting winter. “I want to see those five feet of snow,” she said. “I also want to see a tornado.”