Staff writer
Khusrav Mirov and Justin Tang come from different cultures that are thousands of miles apart, but while they are in America as foreign exchange students, they are cousins. Their respective hosts, Ronnie and Marcus Carlson, are brothers.
Khusrav, a senior, hails from Tajikistan, a former Soviet state that received its independence in 1991. Tajikistan is a central Asian country bordered by Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and China.
Khusrav lives in Khujand, one of the five largest cities in Tajikistan.
Justin, a junior, lives in Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, an island off the southeast coast of China.
Coming to rural Kansas was an adjustment for them, but they saw it as a chance to experience something new.
Tang said when he first arrived, he got up early every morning to see everything. Now, he likes to play guitar, watch TV, and visit with his host family. He said he started gaining weight after he had been here a while, so he started running on a treadmill every day.
“It’s a lot different here,” Khusrav said. “I spend time at home here.”
He likes to watch movies, go jogging, and see the countryside. He said he has learned a lot about American culture by visiting with his host family.
Both students said they enjoy attending school in the country.
“I like it,” Khusrav said. “The people are nice. All the teachers are nice.”
“It’s small, but everyone is friendly,” Tang said. “Here we can joke with our teachers. There (in Taiwan), we have to show respect.”
Justin’s parents both teach landscape designing, each in a different Taiwanese college. Khusrav’s father is a lawyer, and his mother is an accountant.
Education systems in Tajikistan and Taiwan are different from in the U.S., they said. Students wear uniforms and stay in one classroom through high school. There are no electives.
Khusrav has a sister who lives in Nebraska. He will return home this summer but hopes to return to the United States this fall to attend a college in Omaha.
Tang plans to continue his education in Taiwan. He has two younger brothers. One is planning to come to the U.S. as an exchange student next school year.