After a year of living the teenage American dream, the exchange students’ year has come to an end. Over the last nine months, Frederick’s nine exchange students experienced American traditions such as homecoming and prom, were part of theatre productions, and played a variety of sports. They took advantage of all that Frederick, and America, had to offer, making priceless memories along the way. 

Back in the fall, when exchange students were just beginning their year, many of them were enjoying the Friday Night Lights, even though they didn’t fully understand the game yet. 

Carmen Casino Blazquez, who was interviewed for “American Experiences from a Foreign Perspective,” said that she liked the atmosphere and just being at the games with her friends. 

As the year went on, they each had different experiences, with highs and lows as they went. But regardless, they each made the most of their year. 

Giovanni Cecconi, an exchange student from Italy, expressed, “My exchange year was great, but not everything went as planned. I had a lot of ups and downs. But one thing that I’m sure of is that I needed to do this experience to understand myself better and to change my point of view sometimes.” 

Additionally, many exchange students came into this year without expectations. They didn’t want to be disappointed, and they wanted to experience the year however it went. 

Maria Pintori from Italy said that “ I didn’t really have expectations, but it was much more fun and rich in good experiences than I could have asked for. During my time in America, I learned that academic learning is not everything. It is important to expand your horizons and strive to learn new things for life.” 

Carol Garciaa from Spain expressed how her year wasn’t at all how she had thought it would be, but that “you never live the year that you initially imagined, but in my case, it was as good as I could have wished for.” 

But as they were experiencing all these new things, they were missing things from home too. Whether it was their family or friends, their culture, or just their home. 

Bia Colen from Brazil said that “ I missed my family and friends a lot, it hits you at the weirdest times. But, not gonna lie, Brazilian food was also very hard to live without!” 

Giovanni simply said, “I missed everything about Italy during this year, and I will miss everything about here when I return to Italy.”

And during their time here, they also had to adapt to aspects of American culture. 

Carol said that during her time with the Brown Family, “ I learned how to be more independent and adapt to another’s family traditions and ways of living. I also learned a lot about a new culture, the American culture.”

While they were learning about American culture, they also got to experience some things that are only in America, like school sports, school theatre, and prom. 

Lotti Kroeger (Germany), Johanna Koelling (Germany), Maria Pintori, and Adriana Carnicero Santiago (Spain) were all on the girls tennis team in the spring. 

Lotti Kroeger, an exchange student from Germany, said that “I was really happy that I was able to do so many sports… My favorite memory from this year is definitely the tennis season. I very [much] enjoyed the tennis season because I had so much fun with all the girls, the coaches, and all the fun stuff we did.”

Johanna shared similar feelings: “There is not really ‘one favorite’ memory, but I really, really enjoyed tennis season. All the people I met there are so incredibly nice, and I had the funniest time of my year on those tennis courts.” 

Other students, Carol and Bia, were members of the FHS Cheer Team in the fall and winter before joining the cast of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. 

“ My favorite memories were probably football games and our last Friday show for Joseph. It was just the dream, and I’m so happy I got to live this amazing experience!” said Bia. 

Carol was also a member of the track team alongside the musical. 

Then came prom, a dance that many of the exchange students had been dreaming of. 

“My favorite moment of this year was definitely prom. I’ve been dreaming to come since I was just a kid,” said Adriana. 

Carol expressed how “probably prom was one of my best memories. I had so much fun, and I got to experience it with the best friends ever.” 

Outside of the school, many of the exchange students made memories as well. 

Carmen, an exchange student from Spain, traveled to NYC with her host family; Johanna went to Las Vegas; Carol and Bia went to Hawaii and California; and Giorgia Tezri went to Arizona. 

Giovanni got the chance to go to a Nuggets game with his host family: “I have a lot of memories from this year, but I think one of the most memorable  is when I went to an NBA game with my host family.”

Finally, Maria said that “My favorite memory is planting a tree in my host family’s backyard. I think it is a great symbol that our relationship goes beyond this school year.” 

So after months of living the teenage American dream, it’s time for them to go home. While it is bittersweet, they are leaving with countless memories and many new friends that they will cherish forever.