El Cerrito High School - El Camino Yearbook (El Cerrito, CA)

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This year I had lhe wonderful opporfunify of spending fwo semesfers sfudying American cusfoms and learning English wifh my hosf family, fhe Morreys, and af school. The beginning of my American life wasn'f exacfly glorious. We arrived af San Francisco airporf al' 3:30 A.M., cold and sleepy. During fhe following weeks I fried fo gef used 'lo fhe faci fhaf everyone spoke English and fhai I needed a larger vocabulary lhan Sorry and Thank you. School sfarled. If was a Iiffle shocking for me fo go fo El Cerrifo, because my school af home had only 450 sfudenfs-all girls. If was a wonderful feeling fo sif in Iegislafure -we have no sfudenl' governmenl in Finland. ' When I refurn home I'Il be glad fo see my family again, buf I'II be sorry fo leave my American family and all my friends here af EI Cerrifo. Coming all lhe way from New Zealand fo ihe Unifed Sfafes does nof consfilufe as big a iump as one mighl fhink. Admifledly, fhere are many fhousands of miles befween lhe 'Iwo counfries and a greaf difference in populafion, buf fhe Bay Area is much like my home cify of Auckland. If would be ridiculous fo compare populafions, of course. Auck- land has abouf 400,000 people: fhe Bay Area has more people fhan fhe whole of New Zealand: however, bofh are sfrikingly similar. ln spife of fhe facf fhar our seasons are reversed, femperafures are abouf fhe same. Back home if rains a liffle more 'lhan here. In New Zealand, I wenf fo a co-ed public school wifh a sfudenf body of abouf eleven hundred, run on much 'lhe same lines as EI Cerrifo. There were fwo imporfanf differences, however. The firsf was fhal all of us, both boys and girls, had io wear uniforms, and fhis is in force all over New Zealand, even in privafe schools. Secondly, we have no form of esfablished sfudenf governmenf as you know il. lnsfead, 'lhe faculfy and adminisfralion handle mosf maffers concerning fha sfudenfs. During fhe lasf year, I have been very happy here in fha U.S. I am ' grafeful, bofh fo fhe sfudenls of El Cerrifo and 'lo fhe Baker family for fheir generosify and fo fhe American Field Service for making V fhis all possible. ll' has been an experience I shall never forgef. Inkeri Siirila EXCHANGE STUDENTS I represenfed EI Cerrifo as an exchange sfudenf fo Finland on fhe summer program. I spenf fhe summer af fhe counlry home of Professor Niilo Hallman, his wife, and five children. The children were Anna-Krisfiina, lb, fhree boys, I5, I4, and 8, and a liffle girl, 2. We all led a very acfive life, swim- ming, hiking, wafer-skiing, playing badminfon, bicycling Il2 V1 miles one dayll, working in 'lhe garden, raking leaves, and faking fhe Finnish sfeam bafh, 'lhe sauna. Many of fhe mem- 4 bers spoke good English, and as I learned some Finnish, we ' all could undersfand each ofher quife well. I learned a greal deal abouf fhe cusfoms and way of life of fhe Finnish people, which I am now able fo pass on fo ofhers, and made many I z lifelong friends. ii I Ken Freedman Barbara Maynard Twanfy-fwo exchange sfudenfs, including myself, arrived in Oslo, Norway, on fha 3Isf of July. During fhe ensuing week, we were isolafed and insfrucfed in Norwegian cusfoms, man- ners, hislory, and folk dancing. We were fhen ready fo meal our new families. Immediafely, I noficed fha nafive polifeness of fha Norwegian people: fhey were confin- ully saying fhank you and shaking hands. My Norwegian school was co-ad, wifh abou? nine hundred fiffy in affendance. Mos? of fha girls and boys were slacks fo school, buf some boys wore ieans or sporf coafs. In fhe affernoons and on Sundays, Norwegian families usually fake shorf sfrolls. We were no exceplion. These sfrolls ofien amounfed fo fan-mile hikes, marked by enioyable feasing and games. The American Field Service made all fhis possible for me. Wifhouf fheir scholarship I would nof have had fhe pleasure of fhaf wonderful experience in Norway, fha counfry I am sure I will never forgef.

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R55 M' A , , STUDENT ASSOCIATION SECTION Sandy Williams Rosie Ellis Carol Armshonq Mike Osfrov