Western High School - Epitaph Yearbook (Las Vegas, NV)

Page 35 text:

This exchange has been a new period in my life. because I have had a lot of experiences. One of these is that we can have the opportunity to live with a family that has customs that are different from mine. I have the good luck to have a wonderful family and I feel about them the way I feel about my real family. It was very hard the first weeks for me because I didn't understand the language and I wasn't able to talk to them. I had to use the dictionary alot of the time. But now with their help I have been able to learn the language. Now I will talk about the differences between my own county and USA. Example. The opportunitities for the students to choose their classes. In Mexico you don't choose. All the classes are the same for all the students of the same grade. I think this is better sometimes because this way you can meet all the students in your school. Another great difference is the young people. Sometimes I think they don't have love for the other persons and they aren't concerned about other people, first of all the boys in Mexico are very gentlemanly, Q7 QW Our exchange students expand their horizons The visitations of these students have brought about a greater understanding of the world we all live in. Back row, Carlos Salazar from Columbia, Raul Moreno from Spain. Tony Peynado from Mexico, Oscar Ramirez from Paraguay, and Minna Nurminen from Finland. Front row, Edia Cordoba from Pananma, Irma Vermeulen from Holland, Luciana de Oliviera from Brazil. Always when I talk with somebody. they ask me the differences between the schools in Brazil and the U.S.A. Almost everything in my country is different. We don't choose the subjects. the educational system is really different, the classes begin at 7 o'clock until I2:3O and the sports activities are very different. We have other differences between Brazil and the U:S.A. The people are different, the nature, the customs, the government, the music, art, the houses and buildings and politics. religious, food, law, animals. kind of birds. money, etc.. And this is very important for me because all this different hing have gave to me a lot of new experience and maturity, I have learned a lot of different things, and this things will be very important for me. ls always a good to have experience about different countries. I can learn a lot. It is very difficult when you have a different family but I have had a lot of fun and they really make me feel like a part of their family and I love them very much. dl.,-aw-an -A M. de lffrvcaeq U My name is Minna Nurminen. I'm a foreign exchange student from Finland. The big difference, which I noticed when I came here was the climate. In Finland the climate is like in Michigan. It snows and rains a lot: the highest temperatures in the summer are around 80-85 degrees. Another difference is the need of a car. There is no good bus system. Everybody must have a car to get from one place to another. This really bothers me. The exchange program prohibits driving a carg I cannot do that. I must always ask my American parents to drive me every place I have to go. In Finland we have a good bus system, and I hardly ever ask my parents to drive me somewhere because I use the buses. The school here is much more easier than at home. So I am taking this year like vacation because next year l'll go back to Finnish and I must work harder again. VI'Ldnm.A,ldf I think the American high schools are terrific. especially Western High. You can do so many different things here like typing, foods, Dr. Ed., etc. Most schools in Holland have no sports after school. In Holland I had not the opportunity to play in the Basketball team. The sports here is an important part of the school. About the people in school: I think they are friendly. Everyone wants to help you. They make you feel really comfortable. All together I have a wonderful time in the U.S. My host family is like my real family. l'm very happy that I had the opportunity to spend this year here. XII' G X.Vev1v-ealew

Page 34 text:

rg-i Mi? ' ' f Q i rf i ji 30 x. 0 Z' ..1v?5f' , ,f . ,AL qs. 4 l f v, I find some differences between lJ.S.A. and Columbia especially the language and the customs. like we don't have some holidays and some special partys like Sadie Hawkins and Thanksgiving day. The educational system is very different too. in the school the teachers change rooms so the students are permanently in the same room for all the periods. There, in high school, the students have to take thirteen classes. We have some of them every day and others one or two times in the week. About the climate we don't have four seasons. Our climate is tropical with a lot of rain. Where I live it's warm and it's fun because in this place we have many rivers and I go with my friends to swim and fish there. There is a big difference between Columbia and seine states of the USA, like Nevada. Ari7ona, Colorado, etc. In my country the land is very green. It has a lot of trees and all different kinds of agricultural products especially coffee and cattle. also we have developed many big industries. To know about all these differences between the U.S,A. and my country are very important to me because I have had a great experience and I know a lot of new things about your advanced country. ,gawk For me it has been a good experience, to be an exchange student. I have learned new customs and the most important thing is learning English which is a universal language, With my American parents I am marvelously happy and also with my brothers and sisters. I am also happy to be a part of the Western Warriors which is the best school in I.as Vegas. 644411 EMMA! In this article I'd like to mention some of the difference between American school system and Paraguayan systems. I want you to know that I come from a private school and even in Paraguay these school are different than our public schools. The teachers don't have their own classroom. the students do, We stay in our rooms and the teachers move around every one or two hours. We have to take about ten subjects every year. but we don't have all of them in one day, .95 Everytime someone asks me about the difference between the US. and Spain, I give different answer. and after that I always think I will never be able to explain exactly the way of life in Spain. Maybe that happens because in some ways the two countries are not alike at all, Not only the language makes the difference. but also the customs. food. etc.. Lct's take for example. the school, While in Spain it is mostly an academic place where people cannot choose the subjects and where people go only to study: in America. it is a place in which sports. clubs, and other kinds of activities are an important part of the academic courses. In the other hand. a normal Spanish person goes out more than a person in America does. Transportations and short distances make it possible there. Here, without a car is hard to go anywhere and even if you have it, you just go out on Ifriday and Saturday night. Stopping to think about the drinking age and the problem you always have when you are under Zl and want to find a , place to dance or spend part of the night tnight life is one ofthe biggest things in my countryj you will possibly understand why schools are so important for the young people in America, I.ife is modern here. Iivcrything seems to me so new and big. In Iiurope. buildings, roads, art, etc.. give you the idea of an old country. I-'amily life. politics. religious can be different too. but not too much. rata

Page 36 text:

.313 M1322 559 E 25