Every school year brings a new group of students from around the globe to our home in rural Northern California. This year brings Xiayi Kaluza from Germany, Hamza Bay from Turkey, Madalena Vidal from Portugal, Katrin Arafat from Lebanon, and Santiago Escalante Arenas from Columbia.
These students are here with international exchange programs such as Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE), American Field Service (AFS), and the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange & Study program (YES). These programs help students experience cultures and life all around the world. Through these opportunities, students bring perspectives, lifestyles, languages, and traditions to their host countries, while learning about new perspectives and cultures.
This year’s students expressed many different reasons for wanting to go on an exchange – from the desire to travel and learn about other cultures to exchange being a family tradition. None of them got to choose their host country, but they were all excited to come to the United States. They are also surprised it’s not all like the movies.
Kaluza from Berlin, Germany has been surprised by how nice and welcoming people are here. She was expecting Americans to be more stuck up and not as smart, but so far the people have been a great part of her exchange. She also loves the nature and local environment in Arcata.
“People here always greet you or give you a warm smile or say hello even though they are complete strangers,” Kaluza said. “In Berlin, the best you’ll probably get is eye contact or notification through nods but not more.”
Bay was surprised by clothing styles, especially cowboy boots and pajamas at school. The other students echoed her thoughts about this.
“The people here dress so differently, like everyone looks unique in their own way,” Arafat said. “You can see their personalities through how they dress.”
This isn’t the only difference. Many of the exchange students talked about the differences in food, school systems, and social life. Arafat and others noted that, compared to home, there is not much to do on Friday nights in Arcata. They are all looking forward to more school events and activities, especially Prom. “I’m excited for Homecoming and Prom, but I’m kinda scared because someone told me about it. But I want to see for myself,” Kaluza said.
“I’m excited to go to Prom,” Vidal said. “I’m excited to make more friends. Everyone has been nice to me, but I don’t have a lot of friends.” Vidal also said she is excited to try the food.
Hamburgers and pizza were frequently mentioned as some of the American foods they want to try. They miss food from home and the memories and people associated with the food. Vidal mentioned missing her grandma’s soup, and Bay misses the emotion associated with food from Turkey. “When you eat something you feel all the emotions,” Bay said. “That’s really good.”
Another thing the students mentioned often was the inclusivity they experience in Humboldt. The students reported that all the teachers have been really good about asking about name changes and pronouns. Using specific pronouns was a new idea for many of them. “There’s one thing here that you guys talk a lot about; it’s the pronouns,” Vidal said. “We don’t. It was a really new thing to me.”
Kaluza and Vidal conveyed that they like how the environment is open and welcoming. “Every single one of my teachers, even if they’re more strict or more chill, every single one, was like, ‘If you have an issue, or if you want to be called different, you can.’ The whole inclusivity with gender, pronouns, mental illness, and chronic diseases. Anything, really. Being so inclusive.” Kaluza said. “In Germany, for example, if you want to be called different, you can go up to the teacher and say, ‘I want to be called [something] different,’ but it’s [another] story if they actually do that.”
All four of them expressed appreciation for their host families. They reported all good things, and are very enthusiastic about them. “They’re literally the sweetest people alive,” Kaluza said. “Especially my host mom. She’s the greatest host mom I could ask for.” Along with being grateful for their host families, they are also very thankful for this opportunity and everyone who has made it possible for them. Arafat voiced this appreciation too. “Thank you to everyone who made me feel welcome.”
