Submitted by Sheridan Community Schools
This semester, Sheridan High School has the pleasure of having five foreign exchange students join the student body. Bartomiej Bukowski is from Poland, Lorenzo Alonso Borau is from Spain, Emil Kucur and Jonathan Faupel are from Germany, and Chanupakarn Chumphet is from Taiwan.
Each of these individuals has been able to experience life as a Blackhawk by taking the typical classes and joining sports and clubs of the school. Bukowski, Kucur, Faupel, and Alonso Borau all joined soccer in the fall. As well, Kucur joined cross country and Faupel joined football. Three of the exchange students gave a sneak peek into their life in Sheridan and how they have adapted to a different environment.
Bartlomiej Bukowski said he decided to join the exchange program because wanted to try something new by meeting new people and trying to improve his English. When he first arrived in the U.S., he noticed how everything was so much bigger: the cars, the roads, the schools, and even the food. He shared that he has experienced some culture shock moments due to the higher and more intense focus on school here in the United States.
Lorenzo Alonso Borau has had a similar experience coming to the U.S. He decided to join the program because he was interested in learning more about life and the culture of the United States. As he is from Spain, he was most surprised at how flat it is here, and how small Sheridan is in comparison to surrounding schools. He noticed that school is much easier here and that people often drive with their cell phone. He was also shocked at the food prices. He shared, “I think this experience will help improve my English and help me learn how to be independent!”
The final student who shared a sneak peek into his time in Sheridan was Emil Kucur. His experience is a little bit different than the rest of the exchange students as he was selected to represent Germany as a Junior Ambassador in the United States. As an ambassador, he is tasked with sharing German culture, learning from U.S. culture, and encouraging a constant dialogue between the two cultures.
Kucur’s experience started off a little rocky, as he didn’t know where he was going until 24 hours before his flight. He was surprised to learn that Sheridan would be his new home away from home, as he was unable to do much research before arriving.
When he arrived, he was also shocked about the size of everything.
“My first impression upon landing was just the sheer size of everything,” he said. “The cars are bigger, the roads are wider, and everything feels different. Flying into Indianapolis and then driving out here, I was amazed by all the cornfields and the vast, flat landscape. I was surprised by the feeling of open space.”
Kucur said he has been surprised by the constant driving and the near-inability to ride a bike everywhere. He has been surprised by the sheer amount of extracurricular activities that students can join in school. In Germany, you only join private teams. He has also been surprised by how open and friendly everyone has been.
Exchange students at Sheridan are given a unique opportunity to do literally anything they want. They can join any sports or clubs and they can take a multitude of classes while learning and experiencing the culture of Indiana and the United States. Each of them has been able to take away something from this experience, whether it is just getting better at English or being able to learn something new.
