The AFS students living in our community this year are Nuchada “New” Srisittipoj from Thailand; Raul Piccione from Spain; and Kristina Andelova from Czech Republic.
Every year AFS students come to our small Cook County community to experience American life in a small town with very cold temperatures and a community full of wonderful people. The AFS students this year are Raul Piccione from Spain, Nuchada Srisittipoj from Thailand, and Kristina Andelova from the Czech Republic. Both Raul and Kristina are staying with host parents Doug and Nancy Rude in Grand Marais, and New (Nuchada) is staying with host parents Mark and Lori Hommerding in Grand Marais.
Kristina’s parents are Gabriela and Martin Andelova. New’s parents are Prayoon and Noot Srisittipoj. Raul’s parents are Victor and Marisa Piccione.
Six months have gone by fast since Raul, New, and Kristina arrived in our community and enrolled in Cook County High School. All three report that the people in this community are really nice and it is neat that everyone pretty much knows everybody in Cook County. Both Raul and Kristina believe that school here is easier than in their European countries. New prefers our school system to hers back home. They all think that our teachers are very good and help is easy to find.
I have enjoyed spending time with each of our AFS students and find them all extremely open and easy to talk with. It is fun to hear their stories and opinions about their own countries and United States. Raul finds the woods, the weather, and the economy quite different from Spain’s. He pointed out that our countries have similar religious beliefs because there are quite a few Catholics in both Spain and the U.S.
Language and customs can be confusing to our AFS students. Both Raul and New have had some troubles with American English because it is so different from the British English they learned before coming here. Kristina says that cooking from boxes and participating in sports that are sponsored by the school are American customs new to her. New especially misses Thai food.
Raul, New, and Kristina traveled thousands of miles away from their homes to experience the American life and learn our language. Our AFS students miss their homes and families, but they are finding the adventure is worth the loneliness. New was inspired to become an AFS student by her older sister, who had been an AFS student too. When I asked Raul, New, and Kristina if they planned to come back to the United States after returning home, they all said yes.
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