THE VACATION OF STUDY

Traveling the world while attending high school is a dream come true for many of our Central students. We sat down with a few of this year’s exchange students to see how they’ve adjusted to the TC lifestyle

by Trinity Stringer staff writer

Have you ever been interested in learning a new language, or even discovering a new life outside your home town? There are many ways to fulfill this goal via educational opportunities that give an advanced perspective of how different life can be, compared to someone from another region or country. The benefits are substantial when it comes to foreign exchange programs. For most students who participate in exchanges, they are given the option to choose whichever classes they want. “Here is different from Thailand because here we can choose our class[es], and I try to choose the class[es] that we can’t choose in Thailand,” Praewa Jitruksing ‘23 explains. Seeing that Central works with exchange programs, meeting with these students helps discover unique lifestyles, especially when it comes to education. Many people who have studied abroad found themselves wanting to relive those encounters. “I always love[d] traveling, and I’ve done an exchange in Germany before, and the experience there made me want to do an exchange longer,” Noe Anadon ‘23 discloses.

I have learned that it is a big priority to make students feel at home in a new place. Laurie Coulter, a CHS librarian, has hosted several kids over the years. “I’ve had kids from all around the world stay at our house, and everyone is different. I love hearing what they think of our family and our culture,” Coulter reflects. “I love hearing about their dreams for their careers and their lives and how it differs from my own. I love how they inspire my own children. The only reason my daughter talks about exchange is because she’s met so many exchange students and heard so many great stories.”

Before Coulter and her family started hosting, her husband was an exchange student starting in 1997. He did the exchange through Rotary and had a wonderful experience and still keeps in touch with his post host families to this day. “He went abroad in 1997 and 1998 to Denmark for the entire year of school, and he absolutely loved it. He learned a new language and met kids from all around the world,” Coulter shares.

Even though there are so many great programs to discover, Rotary is one that is well known in our area. Kristen Salathiel, who is a part of the Rotary Exchange committee, has a wealth of information about how enrollment works and what this specific program looks like behind the scenes. “I work both at the club level and I am on the local Rotary Youth Club Exchange Committee,” Salathiel explains. “Then we also have a district committee, which is our Rotary district from Holland, so it’s a big district. My role with the district is that I work as an outbound coordinator.” Knowing that there are people working hard to set students off on their adventure leaves everyone in good hands.

There is always something that exchange students look forward to the most, whether it’s the education portion or the social aspect. For students who have lived in Traverse City their whole lives, there isn’t really much to look forward to on the weekends. Because the city is so different from home for most of these new exchange students, their weekends are never boring. “It’s just super fun to show them how beautiful Northern

Michigan is, and we are big travelers, so we take them to lots of places,” Salathiel remarks. “And while we show them our area, they share with us about theirs.” Having fun-loving host families, they are able to join in on some family activities and traditions that might be different from their own. “During this season, I have been bowling, I joined the bowling team, and sometimes my host family will go downstate to hang out,” Jitruksing states.

At Central, there are many electives to choose from. Even for exchange students, there are ways to show off your talents and aspire to thrive within a new environment. “My favorite class is Choir. I’m in Corral, which is the highest level choir class that is offered.” Anadon affirms. Being mindful of the chance to not only live a new life somewhere else, but to learn a wider variety of educational backgrounds, is a fulfilling option. Going abroad for a whole year or even just a semester can help learn new hobbies, languages, and behaviors. For any seniors who think that they lost the opportunity to be a part of this contingency, no matter where you are in life, you can always get a chance to be a part of this learning experience. //