The World Student Exchange

By Rin Conley

Five thousand is half the number of people that can fit in the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester. It is also the number of people who live in Hopkinton NH. As you can imagine, that does not leave much room for cultural diversity. But every year Hopkinton High School takes in exchange students from all over the world. These kids provide insight from all corners of the earth. They help kids in Hopkinton get a broader view of how life really is.

This year, Hopkinton has four exchange students. They come from places in Africa and all parts of Europe.

Fabien Stocek is a high school junior from the Czech Republic, a small country in central Europe. He decided to come to the US for the experience of being in another country and speaking another language. His favorite part of living here is that he gets to choose the classes he takes in school, something apparently not allowed where he lives. For him, the main differences between here and his home are the meals: here we eat a small lunch and a big dinner, and in the Czech Republic, it is opposite with a big lunch and a small dinner. Fabien is staying with the Spauldings and the Dalzells for half a year each.

Another exchange student is Berthlyne Browne from Liberia, a country on the Western coast of Africa. She is spending her year here staying with the Geiger family. When asked why she wanted to come here, Berthlyne said “I want to know and learn other people’s culture…and the difference between their[s] and mine.” She says the main differences between here and Liberia are the way teenagers dress, and the way they interact with elders.

The third exchange student attending Hopkinton this year is Irene Gomez Gonzalez, a sophomore girl from Spain. She sites her favorite thing about being here as the people! She will be staying with The Keiligs for three months, the Durants for three months, and the Luneaus for three months. She decided to come here to learn the language, and experience more about the American life. In her opinion, the most different thing here is the food: Mediterranean food is “so much different from the food in America.” The only fault she can find with being in America is that she can’t drive, even though she is “the right age.”