Exchange students like small school, miss city life
The three foreign exchange students at Centre High School all come from large cities. They say they are enjoying the new experience of attending a "very" small school, but they miss the movie houses, theaters, and other forms of entertainment readily available back home.
Dana Depo, 17, classified as a senior, comes from Rivne, Ukraine, a city of approximately 250,000. Her host parents are Gerald and Jeannie Rziha of Tampa.
Dana's father was a national artist and conducted an orchestra. He died when Dana was five years old. Her mother is a college piano instructor. Her 27-year-old sister is a violinist. She is married and lives in Spain.
Dana has been to many European countries. She said she expected to see cities in America, not the rural area in which she finds herself.
"People are very nice here," she said. "but I'm very different." She mentioned differences such as values, attitudes, and the meaning of things like love and friendship.
She said in Ukraine friends are a part of every holiday: "Friends are considered family."
Dana plans to work in international business and languages.
Denis Ivanov, 17, comes from Cheboksary, Russia, a city of about 500,000 people located 360 miles east of Moscow.
Denis has been in the United States for only a month. His host parents are Marcus and Peggy Carlson of Lincolnville.
Denis' parents are university professors. A 23-year-old brother has a cigarette business and his 20-year-old sister is a university student.
Denis said he has been very surprised about everything since he first got off the plane on Jan. 1. He is enjoying meeting new people and experiencing a new culture.
He hopes to enter into business or a career in accounting either in America or Russia.
Vegim Krelani, 17, comes from Gjakova, a city of 60,000 people in Kosovo, a region in the former Yugoslavia.
Although he acknowledged that he misses his family, i.e. "there's no place like home," Vegim said his host parents, Ronnie and Susan Carlson, are becoming like family to him. He looks forward to times when the Carlsons' two sons come home from college for a visit.
"It's like I've been here forever," he said.
He never imagined a school this small, with 30 students in his junior class as compared to 300 in Kosovo.
"You get to do more things," he acknowledged. He was on the football team and is a member of the basketball squad.
Vegim lost his father when he was six years old. His mother is a bookkeeper and also supervises others. He has a 19-year-old brother in college and a 14-year-old brother who, he said, is a good student and an excellent athlete.
He hasn't decided what he is going to do after he graduates from college. He said he's glad he came to America: "Now I know how it is, and I might come back."
An accompanying story tells about experiences Vegim and his family had during the recent conflict in eastern Europe.
