Foreign Exchange Students

Interview with  G

I, Tamera James, had the opportunity to conduct an interview with Guillermo Lopez Gonzalez, one of the two exchange students, from Spain, who has recently joined our school. Guillermo discussed some of the challenges and experiences he has faced since arriving in the United States, as well as provided insights about his home country.

Guillermo is a 14-year-old student from Madrid, Spain. He decided to study in the United States, at his parents' request, to improve his English-speaking skills. He is living with one of our fellow seniors, Layndon Daffern; he has expressed much satisfaction with his host family. He has shown much interest in joining our Liberty Eylau Leopard soccer team and enjoying his time in America. His love and passion for soccer combined with his interest in World Geography has followed him here, being another addition to his exciting chapter. Guillermo’s first few days on campus were a struggle; locating his classes acted as an obstacle originally, but he has improved since. 

As someone who only visits other countries for a few weeks, hearing Guillermo express his experiences with a non-denominational church over a traditional Catholic church was astonishing; church in Spain is typically on the quieter side, with a predominately listening objective, while non-denominational churches enjoy vocally worshiping God. In addition, the education system is vastly different—rather than a student learning objective, an SLO, that is exam-based and strictly focuses on memorizing for a test, we target a more practical approach through homework and several practices before jumping into the test. His favorite food here so far has been corndogs, differing majorly from his favorite food in Spain: Paella. Another difference he recognized was distance; in Spain, you can just about walk anywhere, unlike here where having a car is essential. 

Madrid, Spain, a place of many wonders, has maintained close to his heart—leaving his country to study meant leaving his family behind, which included his mom, dad, and 2 younger sisters. 

Guillermo has expressed various emotions, such as missing his family and friends. The experience of living in another country has some similarities. Guillermo says that most people do not believe that fast food is available in his country, which is not true. Although it is more common for people to live in apartments than houses in Spain, the homes have the same structure. His home country remains near and dear to his heart, as it remains his favorite place.

My encounter with our kind exchange student was very pleasant. We have welcomed Guillermo Lopez-Gonzalez with open arms as he enjoys his sophomore year, as our leopard community will remain his home until May. The leopard family is so appreciative of having this experience!

Interview with Eason

I, TaBra’zu Gaines, was given a chance to conduct an interview with Jing Hung. Jing is an exchange student from Taiwan who recently joined our school. Jing, or as we call him, Eason, has told many stories about his experiences since traveling down to the United States. He also discussed the differences and similarities between Taiwan and America.

Eason is 15 years old. He is studying in America because his parents wanted him to experience the different cultures here. He currently lives with his host parent, Rosalind Davis. Eason enjoys basketball and wishes to continue to play at Liberty-Eylau. He also is thinking about joining the baseball team after basketball season is over.  

Jing has improved with his understanding and speaking English since his time here. He also likes the food but sadly misses the cuisine in Taiwan. Although he misses Taiwanese food, he loves chicken tacos in America and Texas Roadhouse is his favorite restaurant so far. Jing’s favorite brands are Nike and Jordan as he mostly wears Nike. He has friends in the Hope, Ark. area, which has helped the transition easier. 

Liberty-Eylau has welcomed Jing Hung into our high school making sure he has a great sophomore year. Also, he can go back to his family in Taiwan and share all the memories and fun activities he had. 

Eason has been transferred to Murfreesboro for the remainder of his sophomore year. We at Liberty-Eylau wish him the best!