Imagine getting in a rocket and soaring to Mars to study for a semester amongst the martians. A whole new culture. A whole new community. A whole new world. For many of our exchange student Eagles this scenario may as well be true. Transitioning to the fast-paced, large-scale life of an average American high school student is a daunting challenge, but they accept it with enthusiasm.  

Klara, a junior visiting from the Czech Republic, has faced this challenge head on. With her first language being German, she had the possibility of facing many language barriers considering German was outside of the normal French- and Spanish-speaking students that we are used to. Before our interview she was given the option to talk to the German teacher and translate the interview afterwards, but she confidently told me that she preferred to speak English. Her willingness to step outside of her comfort zone was astounding and something that not many other students would be able to confidently do.

Once we began talking Klara did admit that American high school and America in general was intimidating at first, saying that she was not used to the large number of people at BHS. “It was very confusing for me at the beginning, now not so much,” she explained. Her school back home only has 300 students in attendance, so the crowded 500 hallway every day likely came as a shock. Although the class sizes are large, she admitted to really enjoying her classes and the freedom we have in picking what courses we can take. “[Something] I like about all high school in America is that you can choose the subjects [you study] because its impossible for us to [in the Czech Republic].” Contrastingly, as someone who is proficient in studying language, Klara found it unproductive to have the ability to take every language offered at the school for only one year and never truly master it.  

Like most Eagles, Klara was eager to get involved at Broomfield High. She is currently running cross country and is loving the team atmosphere. Although she confessed to not wanting to go on the runs everyday (which I think all of us can can relate to) she talked highly of the team saying, “Everyone runs so fast, but I like it, I enjoy the nature [of the team].”
Klara has been presented with opportunities to explore many other countries in addition to the US. She has been able to knock out much of Europe listing off France, Germany, Austria, England, Hungary, and Italy as a few countries she has been to. Their close proximity, she said, makes it easy to travel around Europe. America is a whole different story. She continued to restate how in awe she was at the massiveness of our country and everything in it.

This year in particular, we have a large number of exchange and transfer students staying with us at Broomfield High School. They all come from beautiful places around the world, places that we would all probably deem superior to boring old Broomfield. But they are still curious and amazed by our small-town American way of life. In the same way that we would walk around the narrow, cobbled streets of Spain, jaws hung open in amazement, they do the same driving down Midway watching the sun set over the mountains.

We can obviously learn a lot about different cultures and lifestyles from these peers, but most importantly we should learn about perspective. They realize that they have been given the opportunity to travel and experience life in new and different ways, and they take full advantage of that. While we see our lives as busy, chaotic, and a never-ending list of things to do, these students see dedication, endurance, and lives fully lived. There is still wonderment and curiosity to be had in our bubble of a town. It is up to us to really take a look at our lives and find what deserves more exploration and appreciation, living each day as if we are discovering a new place. In the memorable words of Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”