Maple Hill Students to Study Abroad Next Year

 

Two Maple Hill students will be headed far from home to study abroad next year. Paige Johnson and Anna Racz, both seniors this year, were recently accepted into the Rotary Youth Exchange for the upcoming school year. Paige will live in Latvia and Anna in Argentina.

 

This could well be considered an equal exchange since Maple Hill is hosting two students this year. Both Lena Chokyu of Brazil and Zita Csoka of Hungary have been living with local families since late summer and say they are having a great experience learning about life in the United States and making close friendships.

 

Paige and Anna went through a rigorous application process this fall, which included filling out about 12 pages of paperwork, getting references and an interview process. They were both notified about their acceptance and placements earlier this year. Rotary Youth Exchange accepts about 800 students worldwide each year to go all over the globe for a one year experience.

 

The Maple Hill students will attend a weekend meeting at a YMCA camp in the Capital Region with other local students in May to prepare for their trip. They will meet several other American exchange students, along with current foreign students like Lena and Zita, to share ideas and stories.

 

Lena, who lived with Anna’s family for several months, remembers going through the orientation process in Brazil last year. “There is a lot to know. You have to know what to bring, what to expect from the family you live with, how you should act and a lot more,” Lena said. She remembers the instructors talking about the four D’s for exchange students. These are “no dates, no driving, no drugs and no drinking.” The “S” stands for “no smoking,” she said.

 

Anna was excited to be accepted into the program and to get her first choice. “I always wanted to go on an exchange. My Mom has been telling me stories about her experience as an exchange student for years,” said Anna.

 

“I’m hoping to live in a city so I have a different experience than home,” she said. She is also excited to know she’ll have good weather for a long time when she arrives because their seasons are opposite in Argentina so when we head into fall she’ll be facing a new summer.

 

Anna, who will graduate in June, is currently a New Visions student and spends part of her day at RPI. She plans to return after her year abroad and attend college for engineering.

 

Even though many people may have no idea where Latvia is, Paige was excited when she found out her placement. Latvia, a small country near Russia that was part of the former Soviet Union, has its own language that Paige will have to learn from scratch. Many people also speak Russian there, she said.

 

“I wanted to go someplace unique and learn about different lifestyles,” Paige said. “I’m looking forward to being independent and meeting new people with different perspectives and new languages.”

 

Paige is very familiar with foreign exchange programs. She has attended one-week 4-H exchange programs in Tennessee and Oregon. Her family has also hosted students from those states. Upon her return, Paige also plans to attend college, possibly for business and marketing.

 

Anna and Paige are taking extensive notes from our current exchange students. Lena, who took 10 years of English, admitted she was a little nervous about the exchange. “But it’s been a great experience. It’s like a bonus in your life. A totally different experience and culture,” she said.

 

Zita came to Maple Hill through the AFS program, a separate exchange program that sends students all over the world. Originally, her first choice was New Zealand because she wanted to be in a natural environment and is into “Lord of the Rings”. However, she was excited to find out about her placement in the United States and hopes to return for college. Although she misses home, there are also many things she will miss about Maple Hill when she returns to Hungary in June. “School is even harder there. There is no breakfast, more homework and I like the teachers better here too,” Zita said.

 

She also says she finds the people here more trusting. “At home, everyone locks everything. Not here.” On a light note, Zita said the one thing she loves here are garage sales because she doesn’t have any back home.

 

Both Lena and Zita agree that you cannot be too shy and that you have to be sure you will be comfortable with families in a different environment to be successful in a foreign exchange program. They also agree that Maple Hill has embraced them and they have had a great experience.