Youth: OPINION : How Foreign Exchange Students View Us

SILVIA LAMONACA: From Italy, 18, Canyon High School, Santa Clarita

People in Southern California are really friendly. That’s the first thing I noticed. When you go shopping, people smile. Sometimes it’s fake, but it’s nice anyway. I returned a book and they gave me back my money. That’s something that would never have happened in Italy. I bought eyeglasses. They weren’t right, but it was my fault. They just changed the lenses, and they didn’t charge me!

Everything is very spread out here. (But) transportation I found that not to be really nice. (The students) don’t have a car, and we’re not allowed to drive anyway.

(Southern California has) a different kind of architecture. In Italy, wherever you go, you always find an old look. Buildings are old. Houses are old. We count history in centuries. People here, if they see a house that’s 50 years old, they say it’s an old house. In Italy, it’s a new house. We have a different mentality.

The definition I have of the United States is a nation that works. The streets are clean. In the office, people are efficient. You see a government that works well. If you are just visiting here, that’s a good feeling.

STELLA FONSECA: From Colombia, 18, West Covina High School

Colombia has a bad name here. Everyone thinks we are all drug dealers. People don’t really know the Hispanic culture of Colombia. They think Colombia is the jungle, that we’re uncivilized.

(But) I admire the organization you have here. Like with earthquakes. Everyone knows what to do. Everything is controlled. The news media knows how to inform you. The freeways work. The police are everywhere. You have 911. If you have any trouble you can call the police.

FABIANA TANAKA: From Brazil, 16, Chino High School

When I first got here, someone stole things from me at school. My wallet and my Walkman. I didn’t know that in a locker room you needed to lock things. It was very hard. I’ve learned a lot. But the other students said that all Americans are not like that.

I think foreign-exchange students expect too much of the United States. We watch movies about California. And it’s not like that. I had a riot in my school here. I was really scared. I wasn’t part of the fight, but I was in class. I didn’t know anything about gangs before I came here.

In Brazil, there are racial divisions. But it is not like here. I never made (distinctions) about people. But people (here) are starting to change. There was a division a long time ago, between black, white, Mexican. I see it at high school--whites here, blacks there. People should start making it different. People have to start looking at each other the same way.

You can’t see people by their race or religion. You can’t know people from their color.

KATJA FINSEN: From Denmark, 16, Saugus High School

School here is more strict. You have to call teachers Mr. and Mrs. I have a more personal relationship with teachers in Denmark. There are a lot of rules here.

The young people don’t have as much freedom. If I went out with a guy, my host family would have to meet him first.

I had always wanted to go to California. Then I went to Hollywood. And you see all these homeless people. I never thought about what it looked like before. I knew it wasn’t going to be like it is in the movies--it’s just one of these dreams.

JORGE De FRUTOS: From Spain, 18, Glendale High School

School here is like a vacation. I study about one or two hours, and I’ll get a B. I was in the school of monks in Spain. I would have--every day--four hours of study.

But the biggest difference between my country and here is that students don’t stay out later than 10 p.m. in Southern California. It’s too dangerous.

Another difference is that girls here use makeup. For me, girls are prettiest when they don’t use makeup.

ALEKSANDAR BOGDANOVIC: From the former Yugoslavia, 16, Thousand Oaks High School

My school (in Yugoslavia) is much harder than here. In my school I have 12 subjects. Here, I have six. I have had a little bit of trouble because of the language, but I am doing well. The best thing (was that) I made the swim team. We were in first place. It meant so much to me.

I like the architecture here. I like the big buildings. In Belgrade, there are some big buildings, but it is not usual (in the rest of the former Yugoslavia). The buildings (there) are from the Dark Ages.