by Shayla Leach and Brody Dixon

This year, the student population of Southeast Alamance had a global presence with four international exchange students. These students bring diverse perspectives from countries including Switzerland (Lisa Faeh), France (Simon Cremer), Türkiye (Hilal Dizdar) and Italy (Gaia Carrara). Beyond engaging in the high school experiences at Southeast and personal growth through creating new friendships, this year's exchange students are fostering an invaluable global perspective within our local community one conversation at a time. The Daily Trot was able to discuss different aspects of the experiences of Hilal Dizdar, Gaia Carrara and Simon Cremer.

Each student has faced different challenges upon arriving in the United States. Hilal Dizdar, Southeast’s exchange student from Türkiye, shared that her biggest challenge was adjusting to a new environment and school system. "Everything, from the language to the culture, was different, which required me to become more independent," she explained. 

Creating friendships when coming from an entirely different culture proved challenging at first, but participating in group discussions within classes was difficult until Dizdar warmed up to the challenge. " At first, it was a bit challenging to express myself confidently in English, especially when speaking fast or in group conversations. Sometimes I was worried about making mistakes, but everyone here has been really kind and patient," Dizdar said.

Along with learning the language and the basics of high school in the US, Dizdar looked into the athletic scene at Southeast. She had the opportunity to try out for the school’s women's basketball team and successfully made the team. "I was most excited to experience American school life, joining clubs, becoming part of a basketball team, and seeing how classes and activities are different," she said. 

Along with the basketball team, Dizdar found that extracurricular activities at Southeast helped in understanding a broader view of the school through her participation on the staff of The Daily Trot. Although these experiences are exciting, there is one aspect of her native country that is missed the most.  "I really miss cigkofte and lahmacun. They're my favorite Turkish foods, and it's hard to find the same taste here. I miss the flavors and how we usually eat together with friends or family- it always feels warm and special," said Dizdar.

Italian exchange student Gaia Carrara shared her experiences. "There are always lots of challenges when I’m interacting with someone, the main one is the language. I’m kind of getting used to it now, but sometimes it is really hard to express my thoughts and feelings in another language that is not my first one. Then there’s also trying to become part of a group that is already formed, especially at the beginning it was more difficult because they’ve known each other for years. But with time everything is getting better and better," Carrara said.

Simon Cremer, Southeast’s exchange student from France, shared similar excitement regarding the opportunity to experience American school life. “The high school was the most exciting, even if now I know it’s not like in the movies we can see in Europe, it is still very nice,” He expressed. 

However, adjusting to school life without family proved to be a challenge. “The most challenging part was to leave my family behind. I will not see them until June - thinking about that was making my decision vary between coming here or staying in France.” 

Although faced with difficult adjustments due to family, Cremer has found success in adjusting to interacting with fellow students. “I think the biggest problem I had when arriving was to make people understand me, with my French accent in English, it was hard. But I did my best, and it's much better now," said Cremer.

As the international exchange students continue to navigate the challenges and exciting new opportunities here at Southeast, their presence provides an opportunity for students to learn about diverse cultures and customs across the world.