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Lorenzo Paiva and Hyuntae Jeong are the foreign exchange students at LEHS this school year (2019-20). Find out more about our visitors who are miles from home.......
Lorenzo Paiva and Hyuntae Jeong are the foreign exchange students at LEHS this school year (2019-20). Find out more about our visitors who are miles from home.......
"The first was on a special day in our school that the seniors call wear whatever they want, and it was near the Carnaval, so we chose to go with these weird costumes." - Lorenzo
Lorenzo Botelho Guerzoni Paiva
Lorenzo Botelho Guerzoni Paiva
Lorenzo Paiva
Lorenzo Paiva
Home country: Brazil
Mrs. Cindy Thompson's 8th period yearbook students interviewed Lorenzo recently to find out more information about his life, family and friends.
The foreign exchange program Lorenzo became involved with in order to enter the US as an exchange student allowed him to pick the country he wanted to travel to; however, he was not able to select the city or state.
It was his parents idea to allow him the experience of life in America and they wanted him to learn about it first hand. Lorenzo's brother and sister were foreign exchange students a few years ago-his sister landed in Kansas and his brother lived in Ohio with their host families. Lorenzo was one of the last foreign exchange students to get a host home which allowed him extra time with his natural family. He is thankful for his friends back home who have helped him cope with being here so far.
Both exchange students, Hyuntae and Lorenzo, are living with the same host family and Lorenzo likes it here so far, but he misses his family and his home in Brazil. This is Lorenzo's second time to experience the US- he visited Washington D.C once, would like to see Seattle and maybe New York.
We asked Lorenzo to explain the aspect of food in Brazil to us since he did mention that Americans eat way more fast food here in the US. "Where you live in Brazil determines what you eat," he said. "For example, if you live in the rain forest region, you eat more fish. Then there are people who live more inland that don't get as much fresh fish." There are fast food restaurants in Brazil, but nothing like it is here. They have McDonald's, Burger King, Subway and some other food choices, but they don't eat out like people in the US do. "To be honest, I have never eaten at Chick-fil-a," Lorenzo said. We may have to remedy that before he leaves next summer.
When asked about the school system in Brazil, Lorenzo said there are a few differences. "In Brazil, high school is three years long and the students attend middle school for five years," he said. Lorenzo was classified as a senior in Brazil and is a senior at LEHS. He has already graduated in Brazil and will graduate with his classmates here in May of 2020.
The seasons in Brazil are just the opposite than in America. When Lorenzo travels back home in July, it will be winter- a little confusing but he takes it all in stride.
To communicate with his parents, Lorenzo uses Whatsapp, which is the most popular messaging app in 109 countries and he talks weekly with them. Lorenzo came here in August and he flew from Brazil to Dallas, then onto Texarkana.
His favorite sport is soccer but only in world cup and it is considered football in Brazil. Lorenzo's favorite drink is Coke.
Lorenzo has been exposed to English since he was approximately eight years old and his native language is Portuguese. The Brazilian public schools teach Spanish or English. He is decent in Spanish, not fluent.
Lorenzo has made a few friends in his short time in Texas, including his host brother Hyuntae from South Korea and the host family lives in LEISD.
Lorenzo attended a private school in Brazil and had to wear a uniform each day; therefore, he is pleased that our district doesn't require it. School hours are from 7am to 1pm on some days and some afternoon classes last from 2pm to 5. "American schools allow students the freedom to choose many of their classes," adds Lorenzo. There are private and public universities in Brazil and usually the public ones are better, but the private colleges are still good options. He would like to attend college in Brazil or perhaps somewhere in Europe but he has yet to decide what he will major in.
"Culturally, the US and Brazil are similar in fashion and we have basically the same options when it comes to the clothes we wear. Young people in Brazil have the same preferences in styles and clothing alternatives," said Lorenzo.
People in Brazil seem to speak more freely than individuals in the US. The legal drinking age in Brazil is 18, compared to 21 in the US. For example, at Sunday lunches in Brazil, everyone is drinking. Since Lorenzo is 17 years old, he is not eligible to get his driver's license until he turns 18 in Brazil, compared to age 16 here in the US. Lorenzo says that in Brazil, most everything is legal when you turn 18- one difference he has noticed since being in Texas. In Brazil, public transportation is more common where he lives and he has noticed there are many more automobiles in the US. In Brazil, they have Toyota's, Ford's, Volkswagen's and other types of vehicles.
The weirdest insect/bug Lorenzo has seen in Brazil is a Lacraia. In Amercia, we call them Centipedes.
Television in Brazil? Most of the movies are American, even though there are some Brazilian shows.
For now, Lorenzo is enjoying life in the US and is looking forward to experiencing more aspects of Texas living. If you see him in the hallways or in a classroom, give him a nice Texarkana welcome. You may visit his home country of Brazil someday and Lorenzo will do the same for you.
Hyuntae (Peter) Jeong
Hyuntae (Peter) Jeong
Hyuntae Jeong
Hyuntae Jeong
Home country: South Korea
Mrs. C. Thompson's 8th period yearbook students conducted an interview with Hyuntae (foreign exchange student from South Korea) and learned a little more about his life, culture and personality.
Hyuntae liked the idea of the whole foreign exchange realm when he was 14, mainly because he wanted to learn about America and life in the US. His parents were not against Hyuntae's choice to become involved in the program and soon got on board with his decision. Hyuntae is an only child and says it can get lonely at times. Now, he is in Texas at our high school and has Lorenzo (from Brazil) as his host family brother.
Hyuntae has a Samsung phone and he communicates with his parents two or three days a week by using Facetime. He will remain with his host family for the entire school year and will most likely return to his home in Korea sometime in June.
Hyuntae is considered a freshman here and in at his school in Korea. Not many people realize that when a person is a foreign exchange student, their class credits may not transfer once they return home; however, the experiences they enjoy while in another country is worth it to them. Hyuntae's birthday is May 12th and his language is Korean. All students in Korea learn English since it in introduced when they are very young and Hyuntae's parents speak very little English in their home.
Hyuntae traveled here in September and so far, he likes living here and is learning all about our culture. American food is tasty, yet some items are not so appealing. "I am surprised at the amount of fast food that Amercians eat on a weekly basis- we have some popular eating establishments in Korea, just not like I see here in the US cities," he said. In their country, they eat fresh meat and vegetables and they prepare meals at home more often- eating out is a treat, not a way of life. The potato taco from Taco Bell seems to be a favorite of Hyuntae's. He likes the Mexican food we have here as well.
His favorite music is Rock and Roll and he listens to American Pop as well.
The educational system in Korea is a little different than the school here in Texas. Classes begin at 9am and ends at 4pm. The curriculum is more difficult there, but he is learning so much in his classes here at LEHS. The schools in Korea do not use chromebooks like we do here at LE. Hyuntae attended a public school in Korea and they had to wear uniforms so he is enjoying the freedom of choosing his outfits each day. KPOP is a popular Korean version of pop music and Hyuntae enjoys that when he is in his home country. He also likes BTS, which is a South Korean boy band formed in Seoul in 2013.
Hyuntae enjoys watching and playing sports and he finds soccer most enjoyable along with fishing. He branched out and is playing tennis this school year and seems to like participating with his teammates.
Hyuntae has traveled to the Philippines as a tourist and he would like to see Russia, Germany, and Spain in the future.
Before Hyuntae came to America, he thought every city was so big with many building and skyscrapers. The common religion, he believes, is Christianity where he is from and for Christmas, they celebrate with a party and they observe Halloween as well. Hyuntae loves fashion and the styles are pretty similar here in reference to young people.
Hyuntae has a puppy back home that he misses a lot and will be happy to see him again in June.
For now, Hyuntae is happy to be in America and especially here in Texarkana. Say hello to him if you have a chance. He may be from another country but he's still a young adult getting an education, and it just happens to be in the great state of Texas.
"The second one was after a soccer game between friends (do not fool yourselves, the trophy is not ours)." - Lorenzo
Mrs. Blalock's 5th period US History Class.
BTS band from Seoul, South Korea
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