Ciao! Hei! Welcome to west! New foreign exchange students acclimate to Midwestern culture
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very year, BV West has a handful of students enroll that travel from countries near and far to complete exchange programs. These programs’ goals are to open kids eyes to the diversity that another country has to offer. All the way from Italy and Finland, the latest foreign exchange students were quickly welcomed into the Jaguar family. Seniors Lorenzo Ferrari and Veetu Vuori chose to do these programs in very different manners. “First my parents asked me, then I looked at companies and took a test.” Ferrari said. While it took longer for Ferrari to complete the steps to be accepted, Vuori had an easier time. “Many of my friends have been exchange students before so I applied for an interview too,” Vouri said. “But when I got interviewed it was my friends’ girlfriend so she let me pass and skip the test.” For both boys, the struggle to fit in with a whole new crowd of people was not hard. When entering a new country the surroundings may seem very different and intimidating but many fellow Jaguars quickly showed them the ropes. As the school year has progressed Ferrari and Vuori have already chosen their favorite things that make their time here more enjoyable. Both Ferrari and Vuori agree that the new friends they have acquired and the abundance of school spirit have made them feel at home. Being asked what they look forward to most for the duration of their programs here yielded big smiles. “Thanksgiving and the Sweetheart Dance,” Vuori said. Ferrari had a lighter tone. “Christmas, even though I will miss my grandma’s cooking a lot,” Ferrari said. While both Ferrari and Vuori experience homesickness from time to time, the host families they live with know just how to make it easier. Junior Kyle Seager is Vuori’s host brother and loves having him here. “You get to see how other cultures compare to ours” Seager said. “Veetu and I are really good friends. It helps that we are rooming together.”
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Alexa Turiello Reporter
Italian exchange student Lorenzo Ferrari
Finnish exchange student Veetu Vuori