Foreign Exchange Students
by: Lindsay Witte
Here at Signature, we aren't a normal group of students. On a day-to-day basis, you could see many crazy hair colors and wacky mismatched outfits. Those aren't the only things that make us different. It's not out of the ordinary to hear a conversation in Spanish, or pass two students practicing French in the hallway, or they could just be talking to one of the foreign exchange students.
Foreign exchange students have come to Sig for the past few years and every time it is learning experience for all of us. Between the differences in language, to the cultures, there are a variety of topic starters to discuss if a foreign exchange student has a minute or two. This year at Sig, we have 4 foreign exchange students spending a semester with us at school. Two are from Germany, one form Italy, and the last from Spain.
We talked with one of the foreign exchange students that is from Germany. His name is Marco Froehlich and he is a junior this year living only with Kevin Bell and his family. We asked him how he liked Signature as compared to his home school. He said, "It's okay. The school is very small, but the teachers are nice and the students are nice." What's the biggest difference between his school and Sig? He told us, "The classes are longer and the day is longer. In Germany, I have only 5 hours of school everyday and every class is only 45 minutes."
We caught up with another student form Spain. Her name is Rocio Jiminez, she is a senior this year. So far, Jiminez has lived with two host families: The Razors and with Morgan Lefler and her family. We asked how she felt about Signature, she told us, "At my home school is open and we can listen to music all the time, we can also eat anytime, and during class. The classes are shorter." Jiminez also said that Art was her favorite class. What's the biggest difference? She replied, "The size and style. People's style is different, too." Lastly, Jiminez said the one thing she missed most about home was her boyfriend.
Constantin Grefe another German exchange student. He is a junior and living with only one host family, The Lockers. Compared to his home school, Grefe said, " It's more like a private school." What he also found to be quite interesting about Sig was that "Everyone knows the honor code and follows it." Grefe told us the one thing he missed most about home was his friends, and when asked how he liked his vist to the U.S. so far, Grefe said, "I love it."
As you can see, we have a mix of personalities and cultures visiting us at Signature. The foreign exchange students will be at Signature until the end of the first semester. We can only hope that they have enjoyed their time with us as much as we have enjoyed having them here.