Exchange Students
Had Great Year
By Courtney Bonoyer

The four exchange students who studied this year at Randolph Union High School were, from left, Alice Astegiano (Italy), "Zuzu" Wenkstrom (Germany), Mirella Aubry (Switzerland), and Christoph Respondek (Germany). (Herald photo / Tim Calabro)

Four exchange students have attended Randolph Union High School this year. They are Mirella Aubry from Saignelegier, Switzerland, Alice Astegiano from Turin, Italy, and Aranzazu Wenkstern and Christoph Respondek, from Hamburg and Rheinbach, Germany.

Aubry is here with the organization Youth for Understanding and has been living with the Kresock family. She heard about YFU when a friend of hers went to Russia with them. Her parents suggested she look into it too and so she decided to give it a try. Understandably, Aubry says she found things very different here from what she was used to at home. The alcohol and driving laws are different, not to mention new food to get used to, stricter rules and a lack of things to do in the area.

One of the things Aubry enjoyed doing while she was here was playing volleyball at Vermont Technical College. While she has a strong grasp on languages (she speaks five: French, Portuguese, German, Spanish and English); she found translation a little difficult at times. According to Aubry "it was hard to tell jokes sometimes because they were hard to translate."

Astegiano decided to come here with AFS, which she learned about when they did a presentation at her school. One of her classmates went to Alaska with them and enjoyed her time there. Her year has been spent living with the Hennessy family. One of the things Astegiano likes best about her time in the states is the chance to make new friends. It was hard at first to do that, as everyone here already knew each other. She said was also hard to be here over Christmas time, as she got very homesick.

While she has been here, Astegiano has been to New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. She flew into New York City with a group of AFS members and was amazed by all of the lights. She spent a few days there with the other members and had a lot of fun with them teaching each other things about their home countries like popular jokes there.

Wenckstern, like Aubry, chose to do her exchange with YFU. She has been living with the family of Abby Peltier while she stays here. Basketball and Lacrosse were Wenckstern’s activities of choice this year. In the time she has been here, she has gone on three trips with YFU, one to Buffalo and Niagara Falls, another to Los Angeles and Los Vegas and the third to Washington, D.C. and New York City, giving her a chance to see some more of the states.

Wenckstern said it was hard for her to get used to living in a place where she knew no one, the only other person who speaks her language is a fellow exchange student, there are different laws and customs and she is away from her family living with people she hasn’t met before. She has made sure to stay in touch with everyone back home though, calling and emailing them regularly.

Respondek is here with Rotary and, unlike the other three, hasn’t stayed with only one family this year. First he stayed with Julie Iffland and Chris Recchia, then the Seymours, and currently he is staying with the Bonoyer family. It was a long winter for Respondek, but he got to spend a lot of it inside playing basketball. He also played soccer and, like Wenckstern, picked up lacrosse. The lack of public transportation hasn’t been easy for him. The driving age is higher in Germany and, with no public transportation, he is dependent on others for rides.

Respondek chose to become an exchange student after one of his friends did an exchange and told him good stories about it. He thought it would be good chance to make new friends and it clearly has been. While he may be leaving in July, Respondek gets to see his family in a few weeks when they will come to tour the states with him.

All of the students say they have enjoyed their time in the states so far and encourage others to become exchange students. It’s a good chance to become better at a foreign language and to make lasting friends. All four will return to their respective countries soon, and friends, teachers, coaches and host families of these students will be sad to see them go.

____________