High school exchange students prepare to leave
By Tracy Ouellette
SLN Staff
When high school lets out in East Troy today, three of the students will be saying goodbye to more than just the school year, they’ll be saying goodbye to the friends and temporary families they’ve created over the last year.
Exchange students Marie Fosstveit, Daniel Cuellar and Chiara Zoe Ronge will be returning to their own countries after school ends. Fosstveit is from Norway, Cuellar came from Columbia and Ronge is from Germany and they all said they will bring home many fond memories of their time at East Troy High School.
Ronge and Fosstveit have been living with Ann and Ted Zess in East Troy and they both commented on how much the enjoyed their stay with the family and all the opportunities to travel with them.
“We traveled with out host family to Colorado in January. I’m a skier and it was fun to go skiing with them,” Fosstveit said. “We went to Washington, D.C. over spring break, too.”
Cueller, 17, has been living with Kandi and Jim Olsen of Palmyra and said one of is fondest memories will be of the snow. He said he was excited to come to East Troy so he could experience winter and wasn’t disappointed.
“My sister wants me to bring back snow for her, but I don’t know how,” he said with a laugh.
He said he enjoyed making so many new friends and being part of the basketball and track and field teams. “I’ll never forget it.”
The teens talked about how different school in the United States is from their home countries.
“I really liked going to high school here,” Ronge said. “It’s so outgoing here. People say hi to you when you pass them on the street and you don’t even know them. In Germany you can pass people you know and they don’t even say hi to you.”
Ronge, 16, went on to say her time on the soccer team was also a high point of her stay here and that she loved being part of the team and making good friends along the way.
Fosstveit, who is 18, is graduating with the Class of 2016 at East Troy High School on Sunday. She said she entered the exchange program because she wanted to experience a different culture.
“I wanted to grow as a person and be independent and meet new people,” Fosstveit said. “There were so many activities with sports and clubs and friends. Everything is done at school. It’s not like school back home.”
Both the girls also said they will never forget prom, which is a much bigger deal here in the states than abroad.
The three students all said they were extremely grateful to the families that opened their homes for them so they could come to America and wanted them to know they will won’t be forgotten.
“We’re going to miss them,” Fosstveit said and the other two nodded in agreement.
The girls will leave June 17 and Cueller is leaving on June 18. They said they have a lot to do between now and then, and that their departure is a bit bittersweet.
